Review of LiveScribe Pens

This is a short and personal review of the LiveScribe pens, originally written to help a friend interested in buying one. There are three versions of the pens available: "Pulse" - which is version 1, and "Echo" - an upgrade "wired" version, and the Wifi pen (the pen is also called a "Livescribe Sky" , but this name can't be used in the UK  for trademark reasons)

 

The Livescribe website gives you a lot of information about the pens.

 

http://www.livescribe.com/uk/

 

(the support pages are useful to look at too, especially if you want to dig deeper than just the promotional stuff)

 

The Echo pen, and the stationery, is available from Amazon (and other suppliers) and also (until recently at least) from PC World. You can't buy direct from LiveScribe in the UK, so far as I can see. If you look around on the net there are some savings to be made (mainly on the stationery etc), though not massive ones.

 

I can be helpful, I think, by making one or two remarks.

 

First, forget the "Pulse" pen. I don't think is manufactured anymore, though it is still supported. In most respects it is exactly like the Echo.

 

On the face of it the Echo and the Wifi differ only in that Echo is wired (you have to plug it into your computer to download your pages). However, it is a bit more subtle than that.

 

First, let me tell you how they work.

 

Basically the pen - which is a standard biro with built in technology, including a tiny camera - must be used with the special paper which has tiny "micro-dots" printed onto it, for your notes to be saved. There are A4, A5 and notepads available, also sticky notes and some other stuff. Each set of notepads has 4 versions (1,2,3,4) and you have to use a set at a time - by this I mean you can use a no1 A5 and a no1 A4 at the same time, but if you use two A5 No1s at the same time the pen will think that you are using just one notebook and you'll have a lot of problems with pages overwritten. When you have filled one no1 book of a particular size, you have to archive it (i.e copy it to the computer and delete it from the pen) before you can use another no1 book of the same size. You can also print your own paper - though you need a colour laser printer to do so.

The magic is that the pages are saved on the pen, and you can record audio as well as writing, and they sync with one another, creating a "pencast" - you can see this in the little videos on the LiveScribe website. You can therefore play these back, and share them with other people - a bit like recording a simple video/powerpoint - very good for explaining maths problems (!) If you have recorded audio you can tap the page with the pen and the audio will play from the point when you wrote the particular word or number or whatever.

 

The pen can also does some clever things like act as a calculator, by using a calculator printed on the special paper, or even by just writing "calc" and then your calculation. There is also a piano application. (Draw a keyboard and play your tune).  Other applications can be purchased and downloaded (but there aren't many). There is one, for example, which will transcribe handwriting - it works with the Echo pen but not the Wifi (yet - this is promised).

 

The Echo pen has to be synced by cable with a particular computer which has the LiveScribe Desktop software installed. There is also a very clever piece of software called LiveScribe Connect - this enables you to set up commands on the pen, which - when synced - can send your page to someone by email, or send the page to another service like Evernote, a folder on your computer, or Dropbox.

 

The Wifi version more or less abandons the Desktop and Connect software (there is just a simple programme you can use to setup your pen) and syncs with Evernote, which is an excellent service for saving every kind of note or document which you can imagine. Evernote is not owned by LiveScribe, and reading the reviews there have been some teething problems in connecting the two services. The Wifi pen has a smaller set of commands and applications than the Echo pen, which can be a little disappointing for a previous Echo user, but which I think is unlikely to trouble the new user. Livescribe are promising to increase the feature set - but these developments don't come quickly.

 

What does work brilliantly with the Wifi pen is the syncing of the notes with Evernote. Every note you take on the special paper is uploaded and appears on your PC, phone and tablet so long as you have Evernote installed. The audio is uploaded too.

 

I've had an Echo pen for a couple of years and it works brilliantly, but the Desktop/Cable approach has always been a bit frustrating as it takes a few extra steps to get the pages in the book out of the pen and onto the computer. (There's always the risk of losing the pen before it is synced). I'm sure I would have used it more if I'd not had to plug it in to sync, and then copy or transfer notes to somewhere else (in my case, mostly Evernote). I've only had the Wifi for a few weeks. When it first came out last year there were some negative user reviews, but the worst issues seem to have been dealt with, so I went for it. It has worked more than fine, and the wifi syncing is great, though I have had one page where the sound but not the text was uploaded. Livescribe helped me sort this out through their user forums, and there's been no repetition of the problem.

 

The pens are available in different memory sizes, starting at 2 GB. I have never done much audio recording, and the 2 GB has always provided more than enough. The paper products are not cheap, and you have to buy them in packs of 4, but they do create a good discipline in note taking. Refills for the pen are easy enough to get. Again they are not cheap, but the refills seem to last well.

The charge on the pen seems to last for ages, though I guess the Wifi battery life is shorter than the Echo. And Oh yes, if you get one, don't forget to switch on the pen before you take notes.

How to connect to wifi

This tip is to show you how to connect to a wifi source, such as when you are away from home.

Skip to Step by Step if you want to miss out on the explanation.

First things first

1. Most wifi connections are closed - that means you need to login with a name - which is the name of the wifi network (connection), and a password.

The name is often the brand name of the router (the box that connects everything up) or it could be the name of the company or the place where you are using the connection. The password is the same for every device that connects to the network.

2. Some wifi connections are "open" - that means you don't need a password to connect to the network.

3. Some wifi appears to be open, and you can connect to the network without a password - but there will be a gateway - usually a webpage for which you will need a user name and a password. This username and password is yours - and is usually used in places where you have to pay for connection or where connection is time limited (such as hotels, caravan sites - examples may be btopenworld, the Cloud, Caraweb, and Tesco free wifi, for which you still need to create a user id and password. )



What you need to do.

Firstly, you have to make sure you can "see" the network. Your device will probably have wifi switched on, so your device will be looking for wifi, but sometimes, for extra security, the wifi network may hide its name. In any case, you need to know (or be able to guess) the name of the wifi network in order to connect with it.

[The technical term for the name of the network is its SSID, but you probably don't need to know this].

Next, when you can see the network, you need to select it and connect to it, and then, if required, enter its password. Usually you do this the first time you connect only, and in future the device will connect to the network automatically.

Thirdly, you might find when you open a web page you are presented with an requirement to enter your own name and password.

---

Step by Step

Here are step by step directions for a Mac. On other devices (iPads, iPhones, windows computers) the procedure is the same, but may look very different.

1. Make sure wifi is switched on your mac.

 

When it is on, you will have a list of wifi networks.

The padlock means the network is "closed" - in other words it needs a password.

The radio wave symbols show how strong the signal is.


2. Select (click on) the network you want to connect to.

[In this case, I've chosen a network called "Creme-Fraiche" which must belong to one of the neighbours of mine.]

 

Type in your password.

Make sure you type it EXACTLY.

The tip below is useful if the password is complicated, long or hard to remember.

 

You should now be able to click "Join" and connect to the network.

IN MOST CASES, THIS WILL BE ENOUGH.

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But, just in case …

I can't see the network on the list of wifi networks!

There are two main possibilities.

1. The network signal is not reaching your computer. - Check that wifi is ON and if necessary try another part of the building. (avoid walls, and electrical equipment).

2. The network is hidden.

If this is the case you will need to enter the name of the network as well as the password.

Go back to the "wifi" symbol and click on "Join Another Network".

Enter the network name.

There may be no additional security, but if there is, you will need to know not only what kind it is (or guess!) …


And also its password.

 

What are the advantages or disadvantages, strengths or challenges of having a Mac as your home computer, especially if you use PCs at work, and considering you already a user of apple hardware, namely the iPhone and the iPad? 

 

 

 

Here are some observations of mine which I hope will be helpful. I've written it as a sort of blogpost, which this may become in due course. 

 

Firstly, it is important not to exaggerate the differences. In broad terms the operating system of the Mac (OS X (ten)) and of the PC (Windows) look very similar, and organise files in much the same way with a directory (folder) structure. The general user may not notice many differences at all - except perhaps that the desktop looks different. Files can be read and edited by both systems, and peripherals (memory sticks, printers, cameras) work with both. It is important to be aware that there are exceptions to this general principle (as there are with different editions of Windows) but in broad terms it is true to say that what you can do on a PC you do on a Mac. 

 

Secondly, and this is a connected point, the major programmes which are available on Windows are also available on the MAC. MS Office and Photoshop indeed started life on the MAC but are now available on both. In other cases there are strong equivalents on the Mac for familiar PC programmes - and some programmes come as part of the Mac system such as iPhoto, iMovie, PhotoBooth and iDVD which you may have to buy separately for a PC. 

 

Thirdly, as a balancing point, the user needs to be aware that there are differences, which may, in particular circumstances be considered disadvantages. The systems have their particular strengths. The Mac has long been the preferred computer of creative professionals, especially those working in graphic computer arts, such as photography and publishing. Many writers and journalists too, opt for the Mac. However, the Mac has not traditionally been the home computer of choice for serious gamers.The PC has been a workhorse, solidly established in offices. Accounting software, in particular, is more strongly represented on the PC. MS Office on the Mac has never included Access, the database programme. It is however, possible to run almost any PC programme on the Mac, using additional software which creates a "virtual" windows environment. 

 

Fourth, moving to a Mac does involve climbing a bit of a learning curve. The buttons appear in the left not the right top corner of the window, and they work in a slightly different way; the menu bar at the top of the screen changes with the application you are using (there is no menu bar on the app itself); the keys CTRL CMD and ALT work in a slightly different way and are positioned differently too; in most programmes you centre text not with CTRL-E, but with CMD-| (though MS Office (un)helpfully sticks to the windows usage). There are a few little things like this … You soon get used to them. 

 

Fifthly, Apple do not provide you with anything they don't think you need, which sometimes can be a bit of a surprise. Their devices have fewer slots and buttons than others. No place for a memory card in an iPad, no possibility of replacing a battery in an iPhone, no CD/DVD drive in most of the latest computers. If you really think you need these then you may be affronted that Apple haven 't give you more slots, connections, buttons, drives - but they calculate that you probably won't need them, and your device will work much better without something else to go wrong. 

 

However, even having made these points, there are three BIG advantages of using a Mac. 

 

BIG ADVANTAGE ONE - THE APPLE ECOSYSTEM

For some this is the big objection, but Apple stuff works together so well. Many aspects of OS X have been drawn from iOS (iPhone/iPad) and are very familiar. Reminders on the Mac syncs with Reminders on the iPad and the iPhone, as does Notes, and the Calendar if you so set it up. If you use Pages, Keynote or Numbers, these sync through iCloud too. Photos you take on your phone will, through photo stream appear on your computer within seconds (all of these services can be disabled of course). You can even use Messages on the Mac to send iMessages (texts) to your iPhone and iPad - and send files and photos - via your wifi networks (no text charges). 

And none of this stops you using Google Mail or Maps or other services like Dropbox and Evernote. 

 

BIG ADVANTAGE TWO - THE APPLE HARDWARE 

Don't get me wrong - everything Apple makes is not perfect - but in general terms the quality of both the Hardware and the Operating System leads the market, rather than follows it. After years now of using a Mac, I have almost forgotten how often PCs crash, or how spongey keyboards can be, and how unresponsive mice, or trackpads are. Apple computers are generally more expensive if you only compare the specs, but they work much better. They look good and they work well. Most Apple devices, including computers, are almost entirely sealed units which you can't add cards to, or memory or drives - at least not inside the box. The software and the hardware are built together, so you rarely get problems with drivers, and the software makes use of the capabilities of the hardware. 

Security too, is much better. Mac's don't have virus blocking software, and while the user should always beware bogus emails and "phishing" scams, viruses are almost non-existent on the mac. 

 

BIG ADVANTAGE THREE - THE WHOLE EXPERIENCE

And finally, and this cannot be under estimated, the whole mac experience is very good. 

And the icing on the cake is the service which comes with the MAC. You can buy an extended warranty, called AppleCare, but the aftercare in general is excellent. You can go to an Apple Store and get advice and guidance, including courses and tuition. For some of this you have to pay, but a visit to the Genius Bar with a problem is free and the staff are very helpful. This kind of service just does not exist elsewhere. 

The hardware may be more expensive, after all, the cost includes this kind of service, but the software generally isn't. The equivalent of MS Office on the Mac - Pages, Numbers and Keynote - costs about £30, while non-discounted MS Office is about 10 tines that. The design standards of both the operating system and the hardware are high, so that ergonomically using a mac is a pleasurable experience. It is, I guess, like the difference between driving a BMW and a lesser car. Both may do the job, but its a lot nicer with a mac. 

 

And finally … 

 

WHICH ONE TO BUY?

 

To answer this question you need to decide what your needs are. 

Do you need a large screen? Are you likely to want to keep the Mac in one location? If so, consider the iMac - the desktop version. If you already have a large monitor, you might consider a MacMini which is unusual in that it has lots of slots and drives and is just a box to connect to your own peripherals. 

Do you want to be able to use the mac in different locations, perhaps away from home? Then consider the MacBooks. The MacBooks with the "retina" display are extremely good - but expensive. The other MacBooks still have a CD/DVD drive. 

Do you want something super light and portable and are not too concerned with how much storage space it has? Then have a look at the MacBook Airs. 

 

My recommendation - if you can afford it, the best all round machine is the 13" Retina MacBook pro. Stunning display, powerful machine. (A close second is there MacBook Air, but this is a bit underpowered as a main computer).  

 

WHAT ELSE WILL I NEED? 

 

Aha! You are getting the idea. (Apple seem to make their money out of cables). Depending on which choice you make, you may need an external CD/DVD - only the Apple one works, and that's about £60. You may also need suitable cables if you want to connect the MacBook to an external monitor. They generally run at about £20. If you go for a MacBook Air you might want an external drive for photos and music, though that's something you may already have, and you may need to buy some software. I strongly recommend Pages, Keynote and Numbers. You may also want to get MS Office, which is expensive, though there are educational deals, such as from Software4Students (ab0ut £40). AppleCare is probably a good idea, too, as most Macs now are not serviceable. 

 

Oh and by the way, there are lots of websites, including Apple's own site, which include guidance on transitioning from a PC to a Mac. 

 

I hope this helps!

My ten predictions for the iPad - UPDATED: 8.5 / 10 !!

Updated at 8pm GMT … I only got one prediction completely wrong.

It is with something like childish excitement that I am looking forward to the announcement this evening (UK time) of the next iPad.

I had what was probably the first iPad in Stoke-on-Trent (got it from New York a month before they went on sale in UK) and I was 28th in the queue at PC world when no.2 came out.

So you can see I am a bit mad …

I have no inside knowledge of any kind, just a gut reaction based on reading of various sites, so here are my predictions.

Come back later - after the announcement - to see if I have any insight at all.

1. Name. iPad 3 (though "HD" for half a mark)  WRONG!

2. Price. Same price as current iPad 2 CORRECT

3. Processor, memory etc - better, faster (though not quad core) CORRECT

4. Screen. "Retina" display CORRECT

5. Camera. Improved.  CORRECT

6. Siri. Included - because of next point …  Partly Correct

7. Microphone. Also improved not mentioned - but there must be some upgrade to enable (6)

8. Size. A bit thicker CORRECT

9. Storage sizes. As iPad 2: 16. 32, & 64GB CORRECT

10. iPad 2 - to continue, at lower price point and narrower range of options (only 16 GB available) CORRECT

There are other possibilities which I won't stick my neck out on. Will this be 4G/LTE? YES Not of much interest in Europe yet. Will there a 7" iPad and a new Apple tv be announced? Possibly. No & Yes. Though I don't think they will be available yet. Yes & Wrong. When will the iPad 3/HD be available? Soon, perhaps immediately on pre-order. Yes. Will the home button disappear? No. Correct.

All this has come from my avid reading of the rumours. Not rocket science this … which makes me think that there will be something which is left field, unexpected. Let's see. Only partly right -  the name, and the immediate appearance of the Apple tv were a little unexpected (especially the name).

Not bad, eh?

 

Changing the Wallpaper

A couple of weeks ago I decided to change the wallpaper on my computer.

Now, when I log in, I see a stern and determined, bearded face staring intently towards me. There is no doubting the resolve in the eyes. It is a face which invites trust, but also has a certain edge. It is a face not to be denied, not to be resisted. And a left hand touches the chin, the edge of the beard, as if to indicate both thought, and decisiveness.

It is, what they call, an ‘iconic’ image.

But it is not a religious icon. It is not a picture of Christ or one of the saints. It is a black and white photograph, taken in 2006. It is an image of a man who died on October 5th 2011, the technological inspiration and entrepreneur, the founder of Apple, Steve Jobs.

So why would I, a religious man, a priest of the Catholic Church, have a picture of a business man - even a successful one - for his computer wallpaper?

Well, firstly, and I must be honest here, it is because I love the stuff he created. First it was an iPod, then when my old computer needed replacing it became an iMac, then an iPhone … It almost embarrasses me to continue. Like a religious convert, I have become an Apple geek and, in my worst moments, look down with technological snobbery on run-of-the-mill laptops and mobile phones. In my defence, I have to make clear that these are not just the most beautifully designed gadgets, gadgets which have broken new ground and have been widely copied, but also ones that work extremely well and without doubt help me in my work.

But in addition to the worldliness of my purchases, the devout might also complain that Jobs is an unworthy hero for a Christian minister. After all, he could be ruthless in his determination. Even his admirers admit he could be difficult to work with. And his own religious beliefs seem far from Christian. He became a Buddhist, and said “Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking.”

In a sweet irony an evangelical pastor in the United States summed up the dilemma. He tweeted that Jobs, an unbeliever, would now be suffering in the fires of hell. Unfortunately (for the pastor) he forgot to delete the automatically inserted conclusion of his message: “- sent from my iPhone”.

I, despite my adherence to dogma (which Jobs so clearly rejected), cannot share the cruel certainly of the American pastor. For good reason. God’s judgment is precisely that, and is not for me to pronounce.

I do believe what my Church teaches, that on death we proceed not straight to heaven, but immediately to God’s judgment. And he is a just and merciful judge who rejoices in human achievement and laments human frailty. In Catholicism we recognise that there may be those who come before God not in soaked in wickedness, yet not ready to enter immediately heaven. We call this sensible dogma “purgatory”, an occasion for preparation for eternal life.

And I also believe that those who do not embrace the Christian faith, may nevertheless in this life have a glimpse of its truth.

In a moving biographical speech in 2005, Jobs said:

“Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important.”

Or as St Paul wrote “Death where is your victory? Death where is your sting?”

 

 

The iPad is here! 2. The shortcomings

I love my iPad. Don’t forget that, because in this post I want to mention some of the negatives - the things I consider to be the shortcomings of the iPad.

There’s been a lot of negative stuff out there and I’d like to comment on it a bit. I should also make it clear that I speak entirely from the viewpoint of my own needs and usage. Of course, like any other device its worth and usefulness will depend upon the individual user.

So first of all I have to say that some of the criticism which I have read is pretty thin. The biggest one appears to be the lack of Flash - but this has had no impact at all on my usage. The related criticism that it has no video it simply not true. I watch video on it all the time. (They meant no flash video, I presume - but there plenty of others). The criticisms about the lack a (front facing) camera is a minor gripe, and the lack of multitasking - another complaint that has little impact on me - will be corrected by the end of the year.

I do have my own criticisms, however, about things which matter much more to me.

The first is a small matter, but a niggle none the less. The ipad has a rounded back, which means it rocks when placed on a flat surface. This makes it impossible to use the on-screen keyboard unless the ipad is held in the hand or placed on a suitable case or riser. A flat back, or even a couple of simple clip out  legs of the kind that keyboards often have, would have overcome this difficulty, but as it is the user has to find some kind of workaround.

The second is the screen. Now don't get me wrong, in most circumstances it is stunning. It smudges easily, but wipes clean very easily too. Given this 'feature' I am little surprised that there was no cloth supplied with the iPad (well at least not with mine). The real problem is that in bright sunlight it is very hard to read. This is not so much because of the brightness of the screen, but because it is highly reflective. This, no doubt, gives such impressive results in normal lighting, but if I just want to read in the garden on a Sunny day, it is far from ideal. I’ve dicovered a simple transparent sleeve - which you can buy for pennies from Staples - help a great deal. No doubt someone will come up with a hood or screen cover of some kind that will more elegantly (and more expesively) deal with this problem.

The third complaint is linked to the one which follows, and that is that there is no simple way of printing. Yes, there are 'apps for that' which sort of work, but only sort of. They are using tricks and workarounds, but without an anchor in the operating system itself it is very hard to overcome. An email purported to come from Mr Jobs himself says that ‘print is coming’ but it isn’t here yet.

The fourth complaint is more fundamental, and this is the file system, or lack thereof.  
This is a little complicated, but is worth a careful explanation. This is probably only an issue for anyone using the ipad for work. Those using it to watch video, listen to music, surf the net, post to facebook and catch up with emails (perhaps most users most of the time) will be totally unaffected.

The iPad, like the iPhone and iPod touch does not have an open file system. That is to say that you cannot see the folders where the programs and data are kept. Individual applications can save their own files, but applications can't see the files of other applications (this is called 'sandboxing'). Now the iPad has slightly opened up this system. There's a nice feature where a file from one application can be sent to another to be opened. So, an email attachment might be opened and edited by another suitable application. Another feature allows you to send and receive files through USB, but only via iTunes. This is an odd feature in several ways.  It only relates to applications which allow it, and you can transfer files from iPad app to computer, or vice versa, but not from app to app. This is oddest in the iWork apps. In Pages (brilliant in so many ways) a document created on the iPad can be 'exported' in either doc, PDF or Pages format. But this just means that the 'exported' document then sits in the iPad Pages folder which is visible to iTunes. From there it can be imported to the PC or Mac. This is odd. It means that I can create a very attractive pdf which I can email to someone or transfer to my desktop computer by USB cable, but I can't read it in GoodReader or try and print it in PrintBureau ... unless I email it to myself, then using Open With ... Dialogue in the Mail app, open the attachment with the desired application. Cumbersome.  Sort of manageable on a wifi network, but potentially expensive on pay per gig 3G.

I really hope this will be changed soon, especially as the flatfile system of Pages is  already creaking under the 20 or so documents I have already created.

Now, as I say, this is only really an issue if you really want to do some solid work with the iPad. And it is not a fatal flaw in the iPad. There are a number of apps which can read from and often write to services like Dropbox and Google Docs, and even MobileMe, which save your files ‘in the cloud’ and so make them accessible from anywhere, but so far the ‘Office’ apps, while they can do spreadsheets and word documents, they don’t have anything like the elegance or power of Pages, Keynote and Numbers (which, incidentally, can import Excel files but can’t export as Excel). There’s a bit of a gap here which needs overcoming.

There’s is just one more gripe, or perhaps it might be an aspiration. At the moment to use an iPad you must have a Mac or a PC in order to sync and update and deal with some other processes. You can download purchases from iTunes through WiFi, and even mount the iPad as a drive, but you can’t quite do without the desktop or laptop. I’m sure that there are many users out there who would be very satisified with only an iPad, if only that were possible.

Overall, these are, perhaps, rather bitty complaints, and none of them seem insuperable in some software update or app development. I don’t think any of these are what might be called ‘a deal breaker’. I would not agree with those who say that because the iPad is version 1.0, it is not yet complete, an unfinished piece of work. This was true of the first iPhone, but not of the iPad. Certainly there will be apps that appear to do tasks that can’t yet be done. There will be software and firmware updates that plug gaps and enhance functions - indeed we know that OS 4.0 is already on the way, first for the iPhone then for the iPad in the autumn. I’m sure too that there will be improvements on the hardware - a front facing camera, flat back (!), more storage - but I honestly see these as developments, not as an indication that the iPad is incomplete.

My next (and final) post will be about what I have already used the iPad for - and how it works for me!

The iPad is here! 1. The wow factor.

The iPad is out in the UK today (May 28th), but I have been fortunate (yes, really fortunate) to have owned one for some three weeks.

In a few blogs I thought it might be interesting to give some reflections on this exciting piece of technology.

In this post I'll look at the wow factor. Next I'll consider some shortcomings as I see them, then finally I'll explain how I have already put the iPad to use.

Perhaps the first thing to say is, yes, it is exciting, VERY exciting. Ok, I am an ageing geek, and a recent convert to Apple, with all the fervour if any neophyte. So don't take my word for it. Let me tell you about the reactions of people I have showed it to. People are just wowed by it. My 78 dad has put it high on his wish list. The IT department at the school where i am chaplain took it round the departments demonstrating its potentiality with enthusiasm. People who casually ask for a glimpse are surprised and impressed.

But what is so good about it? After all, isn't it just an extra-large iPod touch, a mega iPhone without the phone? It may look impressive, but is it really useful? What can it do that is not already done by iPhone or Laptop? And aren't there other Slate devices?

Well let me make clear this is not the device to end all devices, just ad the iPhone wasn't the phone to end all phones. But just as most smartphones now have the look of the iPhone about them, so I am really convinced that the iPad has set a new paradigm which will be widely copied.

Why? Well, it’s not that the iPad is perfect (more of that in a later post). But it is very impressive.

Graphically the iPad is stunning. The colours are bright. Images are crisp and striking. It's what people notice immediately when they see the iPad for the first time. Video is really good. I've watched many episodes now of Spooks with great pleasure. Tvcatchup (the iPhone site) streams live TV beautifully, and the new BBC iPlayer beta (released only on 27th May) is similarly wonderful. The YouTube app is great too.

Surfing the web is a dream. The screen size (about A5) gives a great view of a whole page, and zooming in is easy. The text is very readable and photos great. When you surf the web you realise how great a difference the size makes. While the iPhone made the mobile experience of surfing the web manageable, the iPad makes it pleasurable. It would not be an kind of exaggeration to say that this is the best web surfing experience available. If I want to surf the web - this is the device of first choice.

And from that flows some excellent apps which draw content from the web. News apps with a high photo-content excel. IMDB is also outstanding. There are also apps such as Elements, a kind of Cd Rom (remember them?) of the periodic table which combine encylopaedic data with web links to external sites, such as Wolfram Alpha. There is plenty of scope for more, and they will be great.

As a book reader, too, the iPad functions extremely well. The iBooks and Kindle apps work beautifully (iBooks has more features, though Kindle has far more books). Turning pages, leaving bookmarks and notes and even looking up on the dictionary (iBooks) are supported. There is little need to consult help files or installation instructions - the interface is simple, inutitive and effective. There is also an excellent app FreeBooks which draws on public domain titles. It is also possible (using iTunes and iBooks) to create your own books, though I've yet to find an epub book creator that really works for me (you really need the epub format to use book readers well) Perhaps epubs, like PDFs will become standard file types for text editors in the future.

The maps app is very impressive, again illustrating what a difference the screen size makes even with basically the sane set of features as we have been familiar with on the iPhone and iPod touch.

The mail and calendar applications similarly enhance familiar functions from the iPhone and just make them, well, easier and more pleasurable. Though perhaps they also create expectations: I'm probably not the only one who's tried to move from week to week by swiping the screen.

Sitting on the desk, the iPad looks a little like one of those photo frames, and while that may seem to undervalue the device, it also indicates another use of the device which it does wonderfully well. As a way to display your photos, it is just great, and there are already some very powerful photo-editing apps available which mean that as an accompaniment to a photographer on the road - including the professional - it is very usable.

The overall experience is just, well, very impressive. My Dad desribed it as ‘magical’ and I don’t think he’d seen Steve Jobs keynote (I don’t think he even knows who Steve Jobs is).