Letters of Mass Construction

Ooh Shiny iPad 2

It took awhile for Apple to ship it to me but my iPad 2 finally arrived on Monday. Now I am not saying I rushed home at lunch like a complete salivating technology geek (okay, I did rush home and there might have been some drool) but when FedEx notified me it had been delivered I think I let out a little squeal of excitement. Luckily, I live very close and was not forced to break any driving laws to get home and back.

I ordered the white one. Something about it looked shinier (I think I may suffer from some rare dragon disease which forces me to hoard shiny objects). Upon removing the iPad 2 I have to admit I was completely shocked at how light it was. I really didn’t think they could make it noticeably lighter. I was wrong. It isn’t Kindle light but it is significantly easier to use the iPad 2 as an e-reader now. I like to read in bed before I don’t fall asleep (my sleep patterns are worse than a musicians, except maybe Marian Call who I don’t think actually sleeps) and the iPad 2 is way more comfortable. I can actually hold it one-handed now.

Part of the comfort is do to the fact the rounded back is gone. Ergonomically it is far more pleasing. I am also pleased to see that whatever weird battery life infection my iPad 1 caught with the new iOS upgrade is missing from my iPad 2 (since my wife inherited my iPad 1. I am hoping Apple fixes the battery bug soon. Of course, in true Apple fashion they haven’t admitted they have a bug. All of the people posting on their forums are making shit up).

Apps feel like they are loading faster but I have to be honest I never really had a problem with how fast apps loaded before. Apple still hasn’t included a way to print to all printers so this is going to be a problem for some people. I love the new smart cover I bought for it. I hated having a bulky cover. I was able to change over my unlimited AT&T wireless account without a glitch (I did see several web sites saying you could just swap sim cards. Do not do this without calling AT&T. They need to register the new iPad 2).

I use my iPad to do everything now. I am on it more than my home computer. I have written most of my new novel on it and almost all of my WordPress blogs. The size was a big deal to me but it wasn’t why I decided to upgrade. I did it because you could mirror the iPad 2 to a TV or projector screen via a HDMI cable. When I heard this was going to be an added feature I knew I had to upgrade.

Let me tell you, as a teacher, this feature was freaking awesome. I have an astronomy program, a great art museum app, and an awesome Roman history app. I hooked them up to my projector and smart board for some awesome lessons. The potential to now use my iPad in class as a teaching tool is limited only by my funds to buy cool new apps. Trust me, when I tell you manipulating the Roman Coliseum in 3D was a far more captivating way of teaching then me showing them a picture.

I am happy I upgraded. I understand for some people the changes were not substantial enough to warrant a new one but they were for me. In fact, I am probably going to have to keep Sheri out of my classroom because she is going to take one look at me using my iPad 2 on the smart board and we will be upgrading hers also.

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