iPad Hands on with the iPad

[daffy4u]

Not me but I'm working with a friend who has spent the past month on and off shooting the commercials for the iPad (they aren't finished). He can talk some now because of the announcement.

He has played with the beta software version of it. Based on my quick questions:

- it's close in weight to the Kindle though thicker and bigger
- even here in L.A. where AT&T has issues, the OS was snappy when web surfing
- he called it a "Kindle Killer" - he's not an ebook reader type person so I explained why that was wrong (and not just for the Kindle)
- he liked it but said it was really just "okay" and it really is a niche market product
- it really is just a big iPod Touch

I can throw some questions at him today and tomorrow and post responses as I have time.

[Krystian Galaj]

He probably didn't try, but is it possible to read one's own books on it, ie. does it support importing non-DRM ePub books to the device?

[robinson]

Does his unit have the iBooks app on it? Any details about it would be appreciated!

Can you legitimately get some screen shots of it operation, especially showing the settings or options pages?

That usually tells us a lot about the capabilities of a program; ahem, an app!

[Momo_Germany]

Is note-taking and highlighting in ebooks with the device possible and comfortable and how about saving the notes back at the main-PC/Mac etc.?

Does it accept Apps like Stanza, Kindle etc. like the iPhone does or is the ebook-function restricted on iBook exclusively?

Thanks for your offer to ask,
greetings from Germany,
Momo

[daffy4u]

Originally Posted by Krystian Galaj

He probably didn't try, but is it possible to read one's own books on it, ie. does it support importing non-DRM ePub books to the device?

He doesn't read ebooks, so he didn't approach it from that perspective. He didn't know how to get personal books onto the device. He said it uses the same apps so I would guess the Stanza app would help get your one content on.

He told me they had a spot which was drop in which you clicked on an app that opened a bookshelf type store that you swipe through pages of shelves to find your books (maybe this is the new B&N app) and it was called "iBook".

He said there are 2 ports (one portrait and one landscape) that uses the same kind of iPhone/iPod Touch connector and it docks. The iPad connects the iPad to a computer the same way the iPhone/iPod Touch do.

[kjk]

Originally Posted by daffy4u

He said there are 2 ports (one portrait and one landscape) that uses the same kind of iPhone/iPod Touch connector and it docks.

The early prototypes had that-they removed the landscape one for the shipping version-must have tested which orientation made the most sense.

[Krystian Galaj]

Originally Posted by daffy4u

He doesn't read ebooks, so he didn't approach it from that perspective. He didn't know how to get personal books onto the device. He said it uses the same apps so I would guess the Stanza app would help get your one content on.

I think that since iBooks is official Apple application, Stanza competes with it on the iPad, and so it won't be available for the iPad. That's why I was curious if the e-book reading on iPad is only possible through buying books in iBooks store, or if it's also possible to read books from other sources.

[daffy4u]

My friend approached it as a netbook alternative and not an ebook reader, so he didn't really pay close attention to that aspect of it.

As I said they haven't finished filming the spots, so I may ask him to do a check when they go back (though we may have more information on our own before then).

[woodworthjohnca]

Will it run the Kindle iPhone app?

[kjk]

Originally Posted by woodworthjohnca

Will it run the Kindle iPhone app?

That is the question...and considering Amazon owns Lexcycle, which makes Stanza, that one too.

[wodin]

Originally Posted by daffy4u

The iPad connects the iPad to a computer the same way the iPhone/iPod Touch do.

Not having an iPhone or iPad touch, I don't know how they connect to a computer. Do they show up as an external drive? Or do you need some kind of software (iTunes?) to transfer, thus limiting the type of files that can be transfered?

Also, are the iWorks files MS Office compatible? Not being would be a deal breaker for me!

[daffy4u]

Originally Posted by wodin

Not having an iPhone or iPad touch, I don't know how they connect to a computer. Do they show up as an external drive? Or do you need some kind of software (iTunes?) to transfer, thus limiting the type of files that can be transfered?

Also, are the iWorks files MS Office compatible? Not being would be a deal breaker for me!

When I connect my iPod Touch to my Windows machine, it automatically opens iTunes and is recognized as a camera (or a picture holding drive). I am not able to get into the file system. I belive Mac people can run it in disk
mode (iDisk) and have more access (I'm really not sure).

Since the iPad already has iTunes built it, I'm not sure what would happen.

I ask my friend if he noticed anything about MS Office tomorrow.

[daffy4u]

Originally Posted by woodworthjohnca

Will it run the Kindle iPhone app?

I don't think he knows since he wasn't interested in the ebook capabilities.

Someone in another thread posted a link to a video of the iPad in use and it shows the bookshelf ebook reader app.

[daffy4u]

Originally Posted by kjk

The early prototypes had that-they removed the landscape one for the shipping version-must have tested which orientation made the most sense.

I'm looking at the official iPad video and I see what appears to be 2 ports (I don't think my friend was confused about that). My friend said there is a dock that goes with the iPad and you can use it in either orientation, so may make sense to have 2 ports).

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by woodworthjohnca

Will it run the Kindle iPhone app?

Probably (Apple states that 'most' iPhone apps will run on iTab), but Amazon will need to tweak to take any advantage of the larger screen, and perhaps redesign entirely. (iPhone apps run on iTab either at iPhone resolution - 320x200 - or can be scaled up, with resultant pixellation)