I was given the Ipad 2 for my birthday, and at first I thought I wouldn't really have a use for it, but after playing around for about 2 hours on it, I realised it was actually a great electrical item to have. Similar to an iPhone, it almost does the same functions as one of these, but with a bigger screen and generally as something to be used at home or in an office. The battery life is pretty good for an iPad, as I have kept it turned on for 3 days and it hasn't run out.
The slim design of the Ipad is great as it can easily fit within your satchel or bag if you are carrying it to work or school with you. However, I would suggest getting a cover for it, as like any Apple product, they are always at risk of being scratched easily, these can usually be bought at a relatively cheap price of the Internet in a variety of styles and colours. The iPad itself also has a choice of colours, whether it be white or black. The touchscreen is pretty much always responsive and if you turn the screen it will turn with you.
The material used to design the iPad seems pretty strong with a protective seal over it, as the front cover has never been scratched and nothing has happened to my screen as of yet. There are two cameras on the iPad, with one positioned at the front and the other at the back of it, to allow you to shoot from either perspective. This can be really handy if you want to shoot a picture of yourself and somebody, as you are able to see the picture being taken using the front camera.
The graphics used on the iPad are great, with most being HD, and extremely clear and detailed. Many of the free apps used on the iPad are also really well done and the phrases underneath showing you what a particular app is called are really clear and easy to read. Camera quality is also pretty decent on the iPad, as out of the pictures I have took, they have not been grainy or been unable to see what is going on. Although, there is no light feature provided on the iPad, so you will be unable to shoot within the dark. This is pretty much the same for the video feature.
The most important part of the iPad itself must be the apps though. With a range of apps to suit your needs and preferences, the iPad has something for everybody. With a handy calender, it shows you the date and allows you to schedule your meetings or events for the day, it sets off little alarms when you need them, lets you repeat events for paritcular days or lets you invite people who have Apple products.
It has a new feature called messages, which is similar to the Blackberry BBM feature, in that it will let you send free messages to other iPhone/iPad users who are on your Contact list. This is particularly helpful if members of your family have Apple products, as you can call text them at any time, and can see if they have read the message or not.
For those who love to read Newspapers, a new app called the Appstand has also been put into the iPad and this lets you read newspapers on your iPad. Although, most of the newspapers make you pay for thier downloads, so if you do not want ongoing subscriptions to the newspapers, these are probably not of any use to you.
Apple has also included the Maps feature, which ensures that wherever you are, if you are near an Internet connection, you will be able to see your position on the road and help you work out where you need to go, or give you directions on how to get there. The Notes feature they have is also great if you suddenly think of something important but have no pen and paper, you can just dot it down on one of your Notes pages. Multiple notes can also be created so you can make various lists or memos.
I use the camera and Photobooth on a regular basis and they are pretty fun. For just snapping photos of family and friends, its a great thing to have and with Photobooth you can further the fun with messing about with the pictures and using loads of effects.
If I am on a long train or car journey I use the iPad to watch videos and listen to music. It can store quite a bit of music and videos, and this is pretty helpful to me. Battery life isn't really a problem with iPads as even when I watch movies for about an hour it is rarely lowered more than 10%.
The iPad also has the ability to check the Internet through its browser Safari, which does have pretty fast speeds but can be annoying if you play a lot of Flash games or watch a lot of Flash videos as none of them are available on the Ipad. But there are millions of tv shows and games to download from the App store, so you can always watch or play something from there.
The thing that most people think of when they think of Apple though is their App store. A place where you are able to download almost any app whether it be useful or useless. This normally has fast download speeds although you would need an Internet connection to access it. Usually, most of the apps have free demos though, which is handy if your not sure if you really would use it, and can get a taste of what it is like before actually purchasing it.
Many of the games available on the iPad are also great. From singleplayer to multiplayer, from young to old, you can find a game for almost anyone. Most of them are free to! My reccomendations would be Godfinger, Fruit Ninja and Templerun, if you are looking for games that are mostly free/have demos but pass the time with great fun!
