Marianne Schultz

the musings of a geeky girl

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iPad accessories: Cloak case by Quirky

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Yesterday I mentioned that I could envision having 2 cases for my iPad – one silicone skin-type case without a cover for reading and other casual use around home and another one with a cover to protect it while I’m traveling with it. For the latter, I’ve come across one contender so far – the Cloak by Quirky.

Quirky is unique company that accepts product ideas from anyone and provides a process and method for the Quirky community to refine the ideas and bring them to production. Those who influence the product as it’s being developed earn credit to be applied to purchasing Quirky products. I’m not extremely active with Quirky in influencing product ideas but I have purchased two of their products so far: the PowerCurl, which is a power cord manager for Mac portables, and the Beamer, which is an iPhone case with a built-in flash/light (this case is still in production and I haven’t received it yet). The PowerCurl has made the short list as permanent staple in my gear bag to complement my MacBook Air and I’m working on a full review of it.
For full disclosure, if you buy these any of these products through these links I’ve given in this post, I earn credit with Quirky.
The Cloak is a hard rubberized folio-type case for the iPad. When closed, it will encase the iPad while still leaving the ports accessible. The front cover can be flipped around the back and has a pop-out stand so that the iPad can be propped up vertically on a table. The front cover also acts as a stand for the iPad in landscape orientation, using a neat locking mechanism to secure it at the desired angle. The Cloak will come in different colors – so far it looks like it will come in black, blue, olive, and pink.
If you commit to buying the Cloak now during the pre-sale period (you won’t be charged until it ships), it costs $36, and the price goes up to $42 once enough purchase commitments have been made to make it out of the pre-sale period. If you’re looking for a unique case for your iPad that offers good protection and flexibility, check out the Cloak. I’m thinking a black one is now on my shopping list…

iPad pre-order frenzy

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Today is a big day for Apple fans (at least those in the U.S.) who want to secure an iPad as soon as they’re available. Pre-orders kicked off this morning at 8:30 am EST and I interrupted my morning get-the-craziness-out-of-your-system-so-I-can-work play session with the dogs to get one. After a few minutes of mad clicking and frantically searching for the in-store pick up option, I pre-ordered the 64GB 3G model and also reserved a 16GB wi-fi one to pick up on April 3 for the hell of it.

The beauteous order confirmation email

When the pre-orders were first announced, Apple stated that only the wi-fi versions could be pre-ordered and I only found out last night via Twitter (thanks, mac-fusiongirl!) that the 3G version could be pre-ordered as well. To be frank, that threw a bit of a wrench in my plans since I had planned to pre-order a wi-fi version to tide me over until the 3G one was available (after which I’d return or eBay the wi-fi one). I hadn’t counted on the 3G version being available for pre-order but I am quite happy that I was able to secure on in advance and I still might pick up the wi-fi one I ordered as well so I have *something* to play with on April 3.
I didn’t order any accessories for it like the keyboard dock or the case (I read over at iLounge.com that the case feels a bit cheap, surprisingly). I want to get a sense of how I’ll use it before I pony up for those. However, I can picture wanting two cases for it. One silicone/other skin case to make it easy to hold and for light protection around the house, and another one high-quality one with a cover that could double as a stand for use when traveling. Ideally, I’d love some kind of portfolio case with a notepad on the other side or something. Yes, it may sound cheesy but I have a thing for paper and pens (shopping for school supplies as a child was heavenly for me) and would like a case that does a little more than just hide my iPad.
I’m still counting on being able to somehow use the SIM card from my current AT&T 3G modem (I’m thinking I might find a shop that can duplicate the SIM to a blank MicroSIM instead of cutting the SIM so it will fit). If that fails, I suspect I’ll be taking advantage of the $14.99 250MB month-to-month plan from AT&T in months when I expect I’ll be out and about and will need it. I really can’t picture needing to use the unlimited data plan unless I am traveling without my MacBook Air for an extended period.
Did you order an iPad today? If so, which one? Did you order any accessories to go with it?

Why so much iPad hate?

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Even as an Apple fangirl, I will be the first to admit that the iPad isn’t for everyone and that the iPad lacks features that would make it more appealing and useful for many. But why all the hate? It’s one thing to legitimately define why you don’t like the iPad (and I think Gizmodo has a great article here comparing the iPad to other tablets and its shortfalls are clearly evident) but it’s another to completely bash it simply because it isn’t for you. Why bother? Do those who bash it simply because they don’t like or want it hope to change the minds of those who do? Or is there some other chest-beating and roaring message behind this behavior that I’m just missing?

I really like Apple products for the most part (if you couldn’t already tell). I don’t own everything they’ve ever made and I don’t make it a point to buy everything they put out. Yes, I have 2 Macs, 2 iPhones, an old iPod laying dormant in a drawer (which reminds me that I need to sell it) and some peripherals. I don’t have an AppleTV, a Mac Pro, Aperture, and a whole bunch of other things that Apple makes. Not everything that Apple makes is perfect but the products I do have work for me. That’s the key thing right there – I have all of these things because I like them and they function (most of the time) in the way that suits my needs the best.
If you’ve been reading my blog regularly, you see that I don’t bash Windows products. I have used them (I used to own Windows-based computers up until 2003 after leaving my very first Mac from college behind for my dad to use) and have always had to use them at work. I admit that I may get snarky about them sometimes (I recently complained about having to install Vista on one of my Macs simply to use one application that I couldn’t get to work under CrossOver and has no Mac equivalent) but that’s usually out of bitterness when something does does not work as it should. I’ve owned phones made by RIM, Sony Ericsson, Nokia, and Palm. Consumers have tons of choices out there. I make my choices based on what I need and the features of what’s available. If I don’t like something, I don’t go around crying that a product sucks, will never sell, or that it’s stupid just because I don’t like it. And I certainly don’t insult people who will buy a product that I don’t want or need, which is what I’ve been seeing a lot of in the Mac-related forums I visit, unfortunately.
I know that Apple is one of the most prominent companies in the consumer technology space now – the iPhone, the success and growth of its retail store chain, and the overall performance of the company in relation to its checkered past prior to Steve Jobs’ most recent return, all make it an easy target for pundits and consumers alike. Apple is a company that likes control – they want their products to work a certain way and provide a specific user experience and they do limit and close down their products to ensure this. If you don’t like it, buy something else. Bitching about it certainly won’t change how Apple does things – it’s certainly been working for them with a stock price hovering around $200 per share and $24 billion in the bank.
I definitely don’t advocate not speaking up when you think something is wrong or when you feel a company has not delivered what has been promised in a product or service. But the iPad isn’t even available yet and you don’t have to buy it if you don’t want it. It does look like a large iPod touch and it doesn’t have a camera or any USB ports. It doesn’t multi-task and it appears that it won’t show Flash so far. Does these facts really make you angry? Do you really feel the need to ridicule those who want to buy it? If you answered yes to either of these questions, the only useful and polite suggestion I have for you is to seek a some therapy from a professional. If a single product that’s not being forced on you in any way, shape, or form causes you to act like a schoolyard bully, well, I think that says a quite a bit about the type of person you are, and I have no desire to make your acquaintance, to say the least.
Oh, and the sanitary napkin iPad jokes were lame about 5 minutes after the tablet’s name was announced. I can’t believe that the word that has this definition according to Merriam Webster titillates so many people:

Function: noun
Etymology: origin unknown
Date: 1570

1 a : a thin flat mat or cushion: as (1) : a piece of soft stuffed material used as or under a saddle (2) : padding used to shape an article of clothing (3) : a guard worn to shield body parts against impact (4) : a piece of usually folded absorbent material (as gauze) used as a surgical dressing or protective covering (5) : a component of certain brake systems (as disc brakes) consisting of a plate covered with a frictional material b : a piece of material saturated with ink for inking the surface of a rubber stamp 2 a : the foot of an animal b : the cushioned thickening of the underside of the toes of an animal 3 : a floating leaf of a water plant 4 : a collection of sheets of paper glued together at one end 5 a (1) : a section of an airstrip used for warm-ups or turnarounds (2) : an area used for helicopter takeoffs and landings b : launchpad c : a horizontal concrete surface (as for parking a mobile home) 6 a : bed b : living quarters

Really? I thought I left the obnoxious boys who giggled anytime they heard the word “bra” or anything else related to “girl stuff” in my 7th grade class far behind.

/rant over. Now it’s time to search through my stash of gadgets that I no longer use to see what I can sell to help fund my iPad purchase. First on that list is that old iPod nano…

Yes, I’m going to buy the iPad and it may even replace my MacBook Air…

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Of course, I was glued to my computer yesterday watching multiple sites providing live coverage of Apple’s event. From the overwhelming number of rumors in the past few months, everyone pretty much knew what was going to be announced, though the actual design of the tablet and detailed specs hadn’t been pinned down. I actually screamed like a sweaty teenaged girl at a Jonas Brothers concert when Steve Jobs first held up the iPad on stage. Fortunately no one but the dog saw this bit of highly undignified behavior. And the dog was not amused.

Could this be my new Preciousssss?
As I mentioned on Twitter yesterday, I am going to buy an iPad. No, I don’t need really need one given that I already have 2 Macs. For me, it will probably be an ebook reader first (I had been toying with the idea of getting a Nook recently and I used to own a first-gen Kindle). It *could* replace my MacBook Air (my secondary Mac I use when traveling or to spend the day working at a cafe or the library) if a few things happen:
1. Easy access to my iDisk and MobileMe OTA synchronization

Now, I can’t see Apple *not* making the MobileMe synchronization happen. Plus, the iPad should already be able to use Apple’s existing iDisk app anyway, so the iDisk access should be a non-issue. However, what will be key for me will be the ability to open and edit documents stored on my iDisk (I’ve previously ranted about how this isn’t possible on the iPhone, which still drives me crazy). This is how I already use my iDisk – I store work documents exclusively on my iDisk so that I can access them from my desktop or my MacBook Air without needing to worry about document version control. (Before you start to worry, my iDisk is backed up regularly in case Something Bad happens on Apple’s end.)

2. Excellent document editing capabilities

I know Apple demo’ed iWork for the iPad yesterday, but I’d really need to get my hands on it to see how well it worked for me. However, iWork may not even be an option for me since I use some relatively complicated Excel spreadsheets for work and I’m not even sure that Numbers could handle them without losing some of my formulas and macros. I’m hoping that Dataviz (the developers of the Documents to Go app for the iPhone and other platforms) will optimize their app for the iPad, AND that Apple allows 3rd-party apps to access iDisks (or some file storage on the iPad itself).

3. Decent text entry functionality

I saw the on-screen virtual keyboard and it looked like it was pretty quick, though those announcing the iPad and demonstrating it at the hands-on event afterward had the benefit of getting used to it for a good while, I bet. I definitely do not expect to be able to type 90+ words per minute on the iPad as I can on a full-sized mechanical keyboard, but I’d like to be at least as fast on it as I am on my iPhone, on which I’m about half as fast as I am on a regular keyboard.

I’m sure I won’t be patient enough once the iPad is released to confirm these things before I go ahead and buy one. I am, after all, an Apple fangirl.
I’m eyeing the 64GB version with 3G. I had expressed hope yesterday on Twitter that I could use my existing SIM card from my AT&T 3G modem in it to avoid paying for yet another internet connection, though the iPad will only take “micro* SIM” cards (I have never seen one of those in person) and my 3G modem’s SIM card is a standard sized one. Now, if AT&T will give me a micro SIM version of it and I can get a regular-sized SIM adapter for it, that might work, though I don’t think AT&T will be nearly that cooperative in my devious plan to avoid giving them more money.
I’ll head to my local Apple store to see an iPad in person as soon as they’re available. I already know it will be VERY hard for me to not buy one of the Wi-Fi only versions but I will try to stay strong.
Will you get an iPad?
*I have a sneaking suspicion that Apple did this merely to make it hard for people to use their existing SIM cards from an iPhone or other device.
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