5 Things To Do with an iPad

David Gilder    Gadgets and Stuff     Apple, Computers, Internet, iPad, Technology

The top five functions I have in mind for an iPad

Portable portfolio for artists and web designers

Instead of lugging around a large art portfolio, load it all onto the slim and portable iPad.  This is especially handy for web developers, because you can show off features of dynamic web pages in your portfolio using the built-in web browser.  This also benefits multimedia producers and film students, as you can carry your reels with you everywhere!

Watch a movie in bed without disturbing your spouse

Ah, no more tiny iPhone screen shoved close enough to my face that I can count the individual pixels.  No more balancing a laptop precariously on my chest, trying not to overheat myself or drop it while the disk is spinning.  An iPad gives me a larger view and lighter weight, in a quiet and cool device.

The Internet

Well, it’s kind of a gimme, as this is the primary intention for iPads.  I benefit from living in one of the country’s most connected cities, so pretty much anywhere I go around here is going to have free Wi-Fi. This brings the weighty question of 3G iPad or Wi-Fi only.  I essentially don’t need 3G, but I can see it being very useful when traveling.

Maps and directions

Here is where 3G would be required, as the AGPS isn’t available in the Wi-Fi-only version of the iPad.  For travel, the data plans from AT&T actually make a lot of sense, as you can purchase a month of service contract free.  Even better is the ability to activate/purchase these contracts from the device itself.  So if you suddenly find yourself on an unexpected trip, you can just activate the iPad 3G connection for a month instead of purchasing internet access through hotels or travel stops.  The AGPS should work even when you don’t have an active contract, so you would still be able to use it for driving directions on road trips.  Is it worth the added expense for having what you want in a single device?  That’s the big question, isn’t it?  My wallet hasn’t decided yet.

onOne DSLR Remote server

This is more of a fantasy, as I do not know for sure that onOne will put together an application to do this for the iPad.  DSLR Camera Remote allows you to connect your camera to a computer, and then control it from an iPhone.  I would like to be able to do this with an iPad instead of a computer.  As the iPad has no USB ports, I’m guessing they would need to have a custom cable that could attach to the dock port or use a wireless grip to communicate with the camera.  It would be nice to have the wireless setup, so the iPad could be carried around while dressing the set and give the freedom to hand-hold the camera during shooting while still checking results on a large screen.

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