henryj-SUN
Senior Member
There are 7 smart phones in my immediate family so I am quite familiar with them. I find, for my old eyes, that one device does all simply does not fit. I believe electronic devices will continue to converge and the day may come when I will not have a stand-alone computer, tablet, camera, phone, GPS and iPod. I would not line up today to buy Garmin shares anymore than I would Kodak. However, for a Canadian who regularly crosses the border, an expensive smartphone and data plan or a 3G iPad just to get a GPS is a big pain in the wallet. There are no cross border providers, roaming fees are not for casual use and short term data plans and replacement SIM cards are still a pain. That's why I got the wifi iPad2 and Garmin 1350LMT instead of one device. I have not had a laptop since I retired more than 10 years ago so felt somewhat disconnected on the road. The iPad has been a perfect addition to our tech stable. Wifi is widely available and free at campgrounds. Even some SP like IA and SD advertise it, although we couldn't get a signal at our sites and I didn't try getting closer to the gatehouse. Most of the RV campgrounds we were in this summer had free wifi or none--not surprisingly, "give us your credit card number" is becoming an exception. For an American without a smartphone, who rarely crosses the border, a 3G iPad might make sense because you can then choose free wifi or use the cellular signal even while moving--you get everything except the phone.
One thing to understand about both smartphones and tablets is that they are appliances for consuming information. Virtual keyboards are a useful stand-in for the real thing for texting or short emails. The 10" iPad screen allows for a full size virtual keyboard and it is infinitely more useful than one on a smartphone. However, editing text and switching to the virtual alternate numerical and symbol keyboards while also using the QWERTY, while fast, still really gets in the way. True touch typing is impossible because you cannot rest your hands on the virtual keyboard without registering a key press. But for consuming rather than producing... I keep the iPad in the living room and will web browse, read email, and even pay the bills on it and not miss the desktop in the office at all. It's not that an iPad is better than a laptop, it's just smaller and more mobile. For us, it is the perfect device on the road. For travel, I keep it in a full slip on cover and stash it in a pile of clothes where it stays cool and gets a smooth out-of-sight ride compared to being in the truck.
The SOC website, and others look exactly the same on the iPad and navigating with gestures is a natural and pleasant way to get around a web site. Posting works as expected, but the virtual keyboard makes it a bit more tedious. The only glitch I've found is that the iPad seems to respond differently from my desktop to the SOC login cookie. It will not save my SOC login, although it saves all others like Amazon, Cabelas, ReserveAmerica and even banking. After messing around for awhile I discovered that if I didn't bother logging out, I would be logged back in automatically the next time. At least I don't think SOC would keep me logged in for days.
I don't play any games, but have some useful apps like a pdf reader and keep both my camera manuals on the iPad--much better than paper because of the instant and accurate search function. iPhone only apps are not particularly useful on an iPad because they stay small screen. A 2X button expands most into an unreadable pixelated mess. I did have Woodall's iPhone app and it was quite good even at its small size, but developed a glitch after I installed some other apps and now doesn't open anymore. I also have the SD card reader and HDMI adapter so can quickly upload the day's photos and preview them on the iPad's excellent screen or the HDTV. I use the iPad to back up photos and then don't erase the SD cards either so at least there is one level of redundancy. The photos can be transferred to my desktop computer just as easily from the iPad or the SD card. I do no photo editing on the iPad or even photo selection--just previewing. There is no substitute for an extended keyboard, mouse and widescreen monitor. I use Aperture for organizing, cropping and most tweaking and occasionally PS Elements as well. On a 4–5 week trip I'll take up to 1500 photos and then select 200–400 to print. I never leave photos on the iPad or card and I don't use online photo services except for SOC photos. I've used the iPad camera to take one photo and, while it's better than some phones, it's not a DSLR. Like I said before, a tablet or smart phone is an appliance for consuming information—a computer is a tool for producing information. After 6 mon. with an iPad, I've found that I "need" both.
Henry
One thing to understand about both smartphones and tablets is that they are appliances for consuming information. Virtual keyboards are a useful stand-in for the real thing for texting or short emails. The 10" iPad screen allows for a full size virtual keyboard and it is infinitely more useful than one on a smartphone. However, editing text and switching to the virtual alternate numerical and symbol keyboards while also using the QWERTY, while fast, still really gets in the way. True touch typing is impossible because you cannot rest your hands on the virtual keyboard without registering a key press. But for consuming rather than producing... I keep the iPad in the living room and will web browse, read email, and even pay the bills on it and not miss the desktop in the office at all. It's not that an iPad is better than a laptop, it's just smaller and more mobile. For us, it is the perfect device on the road. For travel, I keep it in a full slip on cover and stash it in a pile of clothes where it stays cool and gets a smooth out-of-sight ride compared to being in the truck.
The SOC website, and others look exactly the same on the iPad and navigating with gestures is a natural and pleasant way to get around a web site. Posting works as expected, but the virtual keyboard makes it a bit more tedious. The only glitch I've found is that the iPad seems to respond differently from my desktop to the SOC login cookie. It will not save my SOC login, although it saves all others like Amazon, Cabelas, ReserveAmerica and even banking. After messing around for awhile I discovered that if I didn't bother logging out, I would be logged back in automatically the next time. At least I don't think SOC would keep me logged in for days.
I don't play any games, but have some useful apps like a pdf reader and keep both my camera manuals on the iPad--much better than paper because of the instant and accurate search function. iPhone only apps are not particularly useful on an iPad because they stay small screen. A 2X button expands most into an unreadable pixelated mess. I did have Woodall's iPhone app and it was quite good even at its small size, but developed a glitch after I installed some other apps and now doesn't open anymore. I also have the SD card reader and HDMI adapter so can quickly upload the day's photos and preview them on the iPad's excellent screen or the HDTV. I use the iPad to back up photos and then don't erase the SD cards either so at least there is one level of redundancy. The photos can be transferred to my desktop computer just as easily from the iPad or the SD card. I do no photo editing on the iPad or even photo selection--just previewing. There is no substitute for an extended keyboard, mouse and widescreen monitor. I use Aperture for organizing, cropping and most tweaking and occasionally PS Elements as well. On a 4–5 week trip I'll take up to 1500 photos and then select 200–400 to print. I never leave photos on the iPad or card and I don't use online photo services except for SOC photos. I've used the iPad camera to take one photo and, while it's better than some phones, it's not a DSLR. Like I said before, a tablet or smart phone is an appliance for consuming information—a computer is a tool for producing information. After 6 mon. with an iPad, I've found that I "need" both.
Henry
Thanks for taking the time to do the write up. 
