Tag: ipad2

I am conflicted about this.

On the one hand, these people need to be mocked for ‘suffering’ from what have been accurately described as ‘First World problems.’

On the other hand, I think that some of these people are ‘suffering’ in a deliberately ironic way, in the justified hope that a little fake whining can often bring in the real whiners, too.

On the gripping hand, I already have an iPad 2*, so I can take a detached view on this sort of thing anyway.

Moe Lane

PS: Here.  The Salvation Army.  They help people with real problems.

Continue reading I am conflicted about this.

Slowly but surely, I turn the iPad2…

…into a real computer. This keyboard/case thing works, if a bit cramped; but no more so than if it were a laptop.

Now I just have to figure out how to get around the “device draws too much power” problem that comes from plugging a Flip Camera directly into the Camera Connection kit (which is a prerequisite to seeing whether the Flip really does produce video that iMovies will deign to recognize)…

GoodReader works fine on the iPad2.

It’s a PDF reader that works properly and can download PDFs from my various online RPG libraries – and with a remarkable lack of fuss for an Apple product.  The interface for reading those PDFs is likewise intuitive to use; I haven’t done any marking and/or editing yet, but it looks like it’ll be helpful there, too.  If you were planning to use your iPad 2 to store gaming documents (and have them on hand for games), GoodReader looks like a good bet at five bucks.  I may even be able to cut down on my print library a little.

I mention this largely because I routinely use this forum to scream about the iPad’s frustrating unwillingness to do things that are really very, very simple: so it’s only fair to note when it works right, too.

PSA for Apple Store employees.

When a harried-looking man carrying a whining and crying young boy stops you and tells you that he needs an USB hub that can connect to an iPad2, do not ask him what an USB hub is.  When he explains to you what one is, do not ask him why anybody would need one of those*.  When he explains to you why, and you tell him that you have no idea what you could sell him, the act of the man then turning around and walking out of the store is an indication that there will be no sale today.

Do not follow him.

I hope that this feedback helps!

Moe Lane

*Because I’d like to download video camera movies… well, hell, I’d just like to download video camera movies, period – which is apparently something that Apple doesn’t want me to do, ever.  But assuming that I ever can, it’d be nice to do it without simultaneously draining battery power, yes?

…Well, the iPad’s nice for Netflix.

But as a tool for fast and easy video editing/publishing?  Well, it’d be nice if iMovies would remove the thumb from its electronic tuchis long enough to explain exactly WHAT KIND OF VIDEO FILES AND CAMERAS IT WILL DEIGN TO RECOGNIZE.  I don’t know: possibly I’m just spoiled by using real computers all the time, but I take the quaint attitude that you’re not supposed to just guess what cameras will work with a given piece of software.  For that matter, I also apparently have this strange, non-Apple notion in my noggin that enabling your software to work with non-Apple blessed formats makes the software more valuable.

Dammit, if I had known that this particular brand of tablet was going to be like this, I would have gotten one that doesn’t try to force you to buy an iPhone.  Which are about to get locked out of the guerrilla recording game anyway; I can think of at least twenty national governments who would happily acquire and use technology that would automatically disrupts iPhone video and photo recording.  Including our current Presidential administration*, most likely.

Grr.  Arrgh.

Moe Lane

*That would be the Democratic one, for the benefit of future researchers.

Moe Lane

iPad2/Skype recording bleg.

I’m in the process of configuring the iPad2 for work use, and I’ve run into a snag: I can download Skype for it, no problem – but I use Powergramo to record Skype calls for interviews, and it doesn’t seem to have a Apple version (yes, yes, I know: I will be typing variants of this statement for as long as I have an iPad2).  What should I be looking for that will do the same job? – I need something that records both ends of a Skype call, with separate audio tracks for each person on the call.

And what do iPad2 people use for audio editing, since they’re apparently not allowed to have Audacity?