Born Free Leap'n Lions RV Club Info & Discussion Forum

Scott Bass, in a recent post, mentioned that he purchased an iPad 3G for use in his BF and gave it praise for use in an RV.

Any others using one in their travels that would be kind enough to tell us what they think of the iPad (pluses & minuses)?

I'm hoping to win one from an online giveaway.

Thanks, Bill

Bill: What is an ipod ? is anything like a Smith-Corona ?

Ha, ha Bill. Or a Royal? Actually we've moved beyond the iPod and now are thinking iPad.

Bill

Bill, the conventional geek view of the iPad is that it will replace a laptop, but not just yet. The things the current version lack make it a bit limited. Here are some of the standard positive/negative items discussed:

Pros of Apple iPad:
■10 hour battery life
■Built in Speaker and microphone
■Awesome App Store
■Interface is very much alike to iPhone/iPod Touch
■User-friendly to read newspaper, eBooks, magazines
■Uses home Wi-Fi
■Supports third party apps without modification

Cons of Apple iPad:
■Camera and flash is not supported in iPad
■GPS is not supported completely .
■Can’t load flash enabled videos.
■No USB support.
■No SD card reader built-in.
■You won’t able to connect iPad to TV because there are no HDMI output

Bottom line: It is a great device as is, but if at all possible, try to wait to get a future version that has the limitations resolved.

Well the other thing about the iPad is it costs around $800.00 for the upgraded version but you can purchase a Netbook (same size screen and batterylife) for under $300.00 and have a "real" computer. Just my .02 cents worth!
Steve

bbwolf is right on in his response.

However my job requires me to carry both a lap top and Ipad, I travel for business 200 days a year, not in BF, all by air.

The application for navigation on the Ipad is excellent cost $85.00 and is updated every time you turn unit on.

There are 6 models of the ipad 3 just for wifi and 3 that have wifi and wireless capabilities. The difference in the 3 categories is how much stuff they will hold.

The advantage of the wireless vs a standard computer with wireless is there is not contract to use wireless, you can cancell and sign up at any time (only committment is for 30 days @ $30.00 unlimited useage), so if you are going on a tripl you can add and not have to worry about a reoccuring charges.

I have an iPad and love it. It is not a full replacement for a computer but I now carry it instead of the laptop. More and more stuff is being written for Ipads and Iphones. The reason is mobile is the hot area and the iphone is so large an installed base that developers and companies can not ignore it any longer. So the lack of flash has only been an inconvenience. I do carry my laptop with it as well but it usually stays in the closet. The nav feature is worth it weight in gold. I saw on a sign board just the other day that the road would be closed. I looked for the iPad not the GPS as I could see much more of the surrounding area to figure out a detour.

Is it a complete replacement, no. But, Intel lowered its forecast and netbook sales have fallen and iPad sales have taken off. It is much lighter and the battery lasts a full day. I bought the camera adapter so Ic an upload and use my regular camera. Works much better than my phone for a picture.

Thanks for all the responses so far - very informative. Any others?

Bill

Our children have IPads, their children have them; wish we did. Isn't that the way! Would have been perfect for our recent 50 day 7500 mile BFT trip. Use inside or out. Read books-magazines-newspapers online or stored, use Wikipedia, do EMail, show photos to people, find travel maps, locate campgrounds, make all kinds of reservations, navigate, search web, buy stuff and have it sent ahead, use Skype to call family (w/o video camera yet) basic word processing, play games draw and sketch with stylus (touch screen), listen to music. Use on wi-fi and/or cell system (subscribe to cellular data plan only when needed if you wish). All in a 7.5" by 9.5" by .5" superlite package with a georgeous bright screen. A great American designed product. What's not to like!

Bill, this article is aimed at traveling internationally, but there may be some interesting observations in it about the iPad.

http://gizmodo.com/5619750/eight-great- ... h-the-ipad

Bill, based upon my experience with the 3G iPhone on our last two BF trips, the 3G iPad is number 1 on my wish list for travel. With the 3G iPhone I was able to access the internet any time I had decent cell coverage, which was most of the time. I frequently could search while we were driving and used it for access in campgrounds that had a fee for wifi. The bigger iPad screen would be a big plus for extended use. Plus, it is just a cool device!

Judy Harris

For years we have traveled with a laptop with WiFi, but have been frustrated with poor WiFi reception at campgrounds. Those with aircard equipped laptops using cell phone networks make out much better, but most aircard plans cost between $50 and $60 a month for the contract, which has to run for two years. So we've never gone this route. Now comes the iPad. The contract is half that of the aircard per month (or close to it; I have trouble keeping up with all the ATT pricing variations) and, best of all, when you are home and don't need the service, you can turn it off, then start it up again when you hit the road. Can't do that with an aircard. You have to keep paying out the $50 to $60 a month for a service even if you don't need it for several months. I do agree with those who say wait for the next generation of the iPad, probably due out within the first six moths of 2011, as it will no doubt be much improved over the current version. However, if you have to have one now, on our last trip we met an RVing couple who each had one!!! Now there's a vote of confidence. As for those who say get a net book because they are cheaper, these run operating systems other than Apple, meaning they are more prone to crashes, require more tech support, and are more prone to viruses.

bcope01 wrote: I'm hoping to win one from an online giveaway.

Thanks, Bill

If it's the AARP sweepstakes giveaway, I'm afraid you're out of luck!

I'm winning it!