After purchasing and using my new iPad 2 for a week, I’m here to share a few tidbits about the good and the bad. The version I got is a black 16GB Wi-fi only iPad 2. In my opinion, those who should be considering get an iPad should fall in the following categories:

a) don’t own a decent laptop
b) don’t own an iPhone 4
c) want something to take on the road for emailing, word processing, and surfing the web
d) bored with a lot of $$$ to spend

If you don’t fall into any of those categories, the iPad may become redundant and somewhat useless to you. In my situation, I spilled hot coffee on my Macbook Pro (2 years old) keyboard a few weeks back and now certain keys don’t work and the laptop fails to go to sleep. So basically for the time being (until I get to replacing the non-functional parts), I have a desktop laptop with an external keyboard and mouse.

I had originally planned on getting a 13″ Macbook Air 1.86GHz with 4GB RAM but after chancing upon this iPad 2 (that I am typing this post on now) at Walmart, I knew that I had to grab this opportunity and buy the damn thing — even if I end up just selling the guy on craigslist. Well, temptation struck after the third day of staring at the package and I opened the sucker. Now let’s get into the review.

Speed-wise, the iPad 2 is super fast, no complaints there. I intend to use my iPad 2 for the following tasks:

1. Facebook
2. Browsing web, blogging
3. Reading magazines, books, news
4. Replying e-mails (I have online businesses, so replying clients = everyday)
5. Casual entertainment (games, watching TV shows)

Basically everything besides heavy duty tasks like designing with Photoshop/Illustrator and recording music. I do those taks on my handicapped Macbook Pro at home. For the five tasks I mentioned above, the iPad 2 is totally adequate. Facebook via an app like Friendly or MyPad is awesome, you can do status updates, reply comments, etc. easily. Even upload a photo you took with the iPad 2 within 30 seconds time. Safari is super fast so browsing the web is simple. You can watch youtube videos (I recommend through Safari rather than through the slow Youtube app supplied) and shop online seamlessly. I check my favorite news sources through Flipboard, a sweet app with awesome layout design. You can also use Pulse or other RSS readers for customizing your reading experience. Replying e-mails = quick and painless. Games are endless on the iPad 2, some awesome ones like Maelstorm or Infinite Blade (sp?). I use an app called AirPlay to watch a bunch of video files (movies, TV shows, etc.) on my 1 TB external hard drive at home via Wi-fi. So I’m not using any space on my 16GB drive on the iPad 2. The output of the video files on the iPad 2 = awesome.

Oh, forgot to add that I bought a Zagg Logitech keyboard/case:

This guy uber helps with typing blog posts like this and replying e-mails quickly. In terms of Wi-fi versus 3G model, you can find tons of articles debating this topic. I went with Wi-fi because.. well because it was the only one of its kind left. Black versus white? You decide, again check the plethora of articles online debating this matter.

iPad 2 = victory if you fall in one of the 4 categories above and are looking to use it for the 5 categories in list 2. Feel free to add your thoughts and/or refute me hehe

Warning: This post is specifically for those who own an iPhone 3G (or iPhone 3Gs).  If you own an iPhone 4, the information in this article is much less relevant.

I just jailbroke my iPhone 3g –version 3.0.1– a few days ago (after owning this iPhone for more than a year).

What got me to finally jailbreak my iPhone?

Well, there are some pretty sweet benefits that you could either 1. never do without or 2. would have to pay a bunch of money to acquire.

Here are some such benefits:

1. Video Recording - With Cycorder, you can record videos on your iPhone, now you can capture those memorable or funny moments on video (pretty crappy quality but still better than not having this function at all).
2. Customizing the Interface – Using a program like WinterBoard, you can completely customize and redesign the look of your iPhone interface, even altering such icons as the Wifi or Unlock buttons.  You can also apply some pretty spiffy wallpapers and themes.
3. Sweet (Free) Shortcuts – There are some really awesome shortcuts that EVERY iPhone user should be using.  For example, multifl0w allows you to multitask and run background applications similar to Dashboard or Expose in Mac OS X.  Also, QuickReply allows you to be much more efficient with replying text messages than the default way — a must have.
4. Try New Apps Without Paying First – Because jailbreaking your phone allows you to download free apps, you can try out applications before paying for something you’re not even familiar with yet.  In the past, I’ve bought a few apps that I ended up not even using — a waste of money.
5. Makes You Cool – Don’t you feel more hip now that you can show your buddies the sweet new apps you installed (free)? 

If you’re interested in jailbreaking your iPhone, be forewarned that it is no trivial task for an everyday person (that is, when you start running into small problems along the way).  Here are some tutorials that will help you.

Any other cool benefits of jailbreaking that I missed?

Or more accurately, voice over IP to take over the world?

Have you ever used Skype on a mobile device?

As I wrote earlier this month, I bought an iPhone 3G in Hong Kong and have been totally digging the experience.  One of the applications I use daily on my iPhone is Skype.  It is a free application and works wonders in my life.

I have been using Skype for several years but only recently did I begin making calls via Skype on a mobile phone.  My cousin Gary introduced me to the concept of being able to call countries all over the world at a very low rate (sometimes free of charge) via Skype on iPhone.  It’s simply awesome.  A few sweet scenarios:

1. Skype to Skype (free of charge and phenomenal clarity). My girlfriend Michelle is based in Dubai, so we use Skype frequently to chat via wireless internet (at home or outdoors).  I kid you not: the clarity of conversations via Skype to Skype on iPhone is significantly clearer than a cell phone to cell phone conversation.
2. Skype to (enter country) mobile/landline phone. With wireless internet and an iPhone, I can basically call most countries in the world at Skype’s fixed rates.  The company even has calling plans priced at USD $12.95 per month for unlimited calls to selected countries.

I believe that as wireless internet becomes increasingly ubiquitous all over the world, voice over IP will slowly replace traditional phone networks. Companies like Skype are then going to take over the communications world.

Sidenote: I think Skype is going public early next year… stock investment anybody?

I visited Hong Kong last week and was haunted the entire time by a desire to just give in and shell out $500+ USD for an iPhone …and it didn’t help that people all around me were using the device left and right.

So… I got one on my last night there.

Needless to say, I am totally content with my decision.  I purchased an unlocked 8GB iPhone 3G model (unlocked meaning I can pop any SIM card in and can use the phone pretty much anywhere in the world on any network). I’ve been using the first generation iPod Touch for two years already, so I’m already totally acquainted with the interface.  Here’s a quick pros and cons list on the phone:

Pros:

• Totally scalable. Because there are so many developers all over the world passionate about Apple and the iPhone, there are literally thousands of applications built for the iPhone (kinda like Firefox).
• No better way to surf the net on-the-go. If you’ve ever used Safari on an iPhone or iPod Touch, you know damn well there’s no better mobile browser out there.  Simple and awesome.
• All-in-one and all good. With most all-in-one electronic devices, the applications all end up being mediocre at best.  Kinda like a restaurant that sells Korean, Indian, and Greek food.  But the iPhone is a true exception.  Phone, SMS, internet, games, everything works seamlessly.

Cons:

• Price. The price is steep for an unlocked iPhone, and if you want to bind to a network, you get a cheaper locked phone but you’ll be paying a chunky amount every month for the service.  As always, the decision to go with Apple will leave your wallet in tears.  But IMO it’s worth the investment if you’ll be fully accessing its features.

Your thoughts?