Ipad questions

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  • Hombre_Lobo

    Yo qbn,

    I'm considering getting an ipad, but have a few queries.

    Firstly, is there much point in getting an ipad 2? It seems that the ipad 1 runs all the apps the ipad 2 does (albeit a little slower). Of course apple could release apps that need the extra horsepower if the ipad 2, but I don't see that happening soon.

    Can it play most video formats? Like mkv, divx avi etc (i understand apple say .mp4 / mov only but ive read that it can play others with apps)

    Anyone know of a good itunes alternative?

    Anyone tried the flash plug ins? Like iswifter etc

    Looks pretty sweet from what ive seen.

    Thanks guys! hope you can help.

  • Atkinson0

    2 has face time I think?

    And...hang on, I thought you knew everything?!

  • Dillinger0

    Try eating it.

  • akrok0

    1. depends how much you want to spend. maybe the 2nd one has a tiny bit longer battery also.

    2. well, not sure if there's a VLC apps. (that would be nice).

    3. don't know.

    4. no.

    5. your welcome.

  • BattleAxe0

    I have iPad 1 , and have not even updated it to iOS5 , it all comes down to what you use the most. Few apps actually require ios 5 ,

    i was able to play a variety of video formats with the CineXPlayer App ( divx, avi etc)

    my brother has iPad 2 , the extra cpu power is very noticeable in anything 3D , apps and games alike

    the camera is something I thought I would not need but its more convinent to have it , i still use iphone 1 email it to self to get it on ipad( fkn dino i know ;)

    if u jailbreak lots more itunes and app store alternatives

  • moldero0

    not sure how much more $ 2 is over 1, but i have the 1st Gen iPad and could really use the 2 cams on the iPad 2, (well the front facing cam for skype anyway). + I ran into a few apps in the past that looked really cool but only ran on iPad 2.

    as for the flash thing, i tried the photon browser, I didnt like it, besides running slow its a mouse vs finger browsing issue (mouse events, crap like that): http://www.qbn.com/topics/667067…

    video, I have to convert everything via visualhub to mp4 although if I recall correctly .m4v works too after converting with handbrake + it keeps your chapters in tact (if ripping from a dvd), so hitting the "next" button on your iPad movie player takes you to the next chapter instead of the next video file on your playlist.

    hope that helps brada!

  • plash0

    we have both apple and android tablets and by far i gotta vouch for the Asus Transformer. The Transformer Prime, which is the first Android tablet to use the new Nvidia’s quad-core Tegra 3 processor is shipped with Android Honeycomb, yet it’s upgradable to Android ICS when released for tablets. It also has 32 or 64GB of storage,(with SD card slot expansion) 1GB of RAM, and a high-res 1280×800 10.1″ LED-backlit display. oh dont forget the 18 hour life battery (with keyboard)

    I've put my ipad on the shelf for storage and is used only for testing.
    note that the only thing that my ipad does is connect to the cellular network; this isnt much of a problem with the transformer since i use my EVO as a hotspot to get online.

    http://www.geek.com/articles/gad…

    official site
    http://eee.asus.com/en/eeepad/tr…

  • fyoucher10

    I have the iPad1 and my wife has the iPad2. iPad1 noticeably slower than the iPad 2 but not terrible. Having FaceTime is a plus, but that's if you use it already or even use iChat. It also feels heavier than the two (it's very light in general but when you're reading a book holding it up, you'll noticeably feel the difference after an hour). The one thing I do like in the iPad one is that it's a ton easier to turn it off or turn the volume up. iPad2 has the curved edges and unless you have lady fingers, I find it difficult to touch those buttons and depress on the iPad2. iPad1 also feels a lot sturdier but probably because it's thicker.

    I'll sell my iPad1 to you for $400, if you're interested. It's the 32 GB with 3G and Wifi. Anywho, lemme know if you're interested. It's in perfect condition.

    • thanks for the info dude. Unsure what im getting at the mo but thanks for the offer!Hombre_Lobo
  • gramme0

    I have no issues whatsoever with my i1. My parents are probably moving out of state soon, so some time after that an iPad 2 with Facetime might be more useful. Till then, if I really want to see someone's face from afar, I'll just use Skype, or my phone.

  • Hombre_Lobo0

    @plash

    Thanks for all that dude!! So you've got both the ipad and the transformer but prefer the transformer? Why is that?

    How do you find watching videos compares on them both? (i ask because of the very different aspect ratios and resolutions),

    I actually just looked at a review of that prime before checking this thread again. Looks really nice. Although it doesn't seem to have that big of a performance over tegra 2, and one review said the responsiveness had improved, but not but a significant amount, I suppose its early days though.

    I like android a lot, but when I had a go on the transformer (tegra 2 one) in a shop I found it a bit laggy (the other high end android tablets were like this too). Which is annoying, its dual core so it should be smooth.

    Its a shame because I much prefer androids approach, open source, do what you like, but if the interface isn't fluid it isn't as enjoyable.

    Very tough call, both are ace. Would love your feedback, thanks again mate!

  • omg0

    lol on wanting Flash.

    • after you play with all the apps on the iPad, you'll be like, Flash?omg
    • Lol, sites i frequent have flash based content you see.Hombre_Lobo
    • Flash to me are still the most interesting sites design wize with more possibilities, it just sucks finger browsing flashmoldero
    • @hombre_lobo - majority of ads maybe Flash. your sites need to upgrade beyond Flash.omg
  • autoflavour0

    we have the 1, and my folks got the 2 for so we can skype..

    both are good..

    that said, generally speaking, it just seems a bit odd to be dropping cash on something which is already superseded ..

    granted its a bit cheaper, but in 2-3 years time, it will seem ALOT older..

    • yeh I think its probably a wiser investment to get the 2, for resale value alone.Hombre_Lobo
  • plash0

    my experience with honeycomb has been fantastic. now i can not comment on the in store demo tablets since i don't really know the environmental conditions they run through. but in response to the transformer 101 (first gen). holy cow, i love it!

    in terms of software availability both Android and iOS platforms have a plethora of options and connecting to cloud based services is norm. (A3, google music, docs,TV, vnc, even svn). both tablets are quality but what really sets apart the Transformer is the customization aspects which on my ipad is non existent. What do i mean? well, with android, you can customize the OS to your liking. (very rainmeter like) due to the open nature of the os, wielding the display to your liking is a piece of cake. I got an information HQ on my displays/deskops. for example, it gives the run-time environment on all my servers, my storage(a3) and my game servers(minecraft) without ever touching a key/screen. connecting to my phone/wifi and the Transformer with my desktop is a no setup process. google has made this link as simple as simple gets. Streaming video is a cake walk but even so VLC is available.

    now i do bring it outside (on occasion) but that's the thing, for us, this isn't really an outside device. in our house hold, we use it as an everywhere device(that's got a good ring to it; "the everywhere device").the bathroom, kitchen, couch, bedroom and if im on the go i bring my labtop.but even so the keyboard that connects to this is absolutely freaken great! (and it's always a smile when you pop the screen off and hand it to clients for closer inspections of document/ work)

    the 32/64 gig internal storage, optional SD card reader or usb inputs help in bringing movies along. (vlc, that shit can read any format). the 18 hour battery life (shit charges full in 1 hour) and the dual / quad cores help in normal frame rates, browsing the web or simply resetting computers/servers while i take a poop (tmi?).

    anyway. like i said, for peeps in our field, ipad and android is a need for testing and whatnot. but i by far use the transformer way more. my ipad is sitting on a self only to be powered for testing.

    one more thing. next time you're out and messing with the transformer. try a reboot. see how it runs. i don't have response lag on mine and it shouldn't do it in the demos but like mentioned, i have no clue what people are doing to it in the stores.

    • yeh i should have rebooted it. good point. A second visit to the shop maybe needed.Hombre_Lobo
  • raf0

    iPad 2 is slimmer and a little lighter—still too heavy for a tablet imo.
    It has cameras if you need them for video-chatting.

    The 2 is very slightly but noticeably faster, even in web browsing. There are lots of apps that let you play any video file without conversion but some higher-res movies stutter on iPad 1.

    Other than that, they're the same thing. For browser testing the 1 will suffice. I am only upgrading to 2 because I need to have one to regularly take photos of for a sleeve brand I am launching.

    • thanks raf, good to know about the video stutter.Hombre_Lobo
  • Hombre_Lobo0

    @plash,

    that is awesome information! You're very helpful dude! Thanks.
    You've put a spanner in the works now man! The transformer does look sweet and its cheaper and its open to customization and no itunes!

    How do you find video playback compares between them? does the ipad 1 struggle with HD files? (like raf says above)

    Do find the ipad interface smoother and more responsive or are they equal?

    I know there are more apps for the ipad, but one thing ive thought is that I dont really see what apps i would use. I use evernote, movie players, the browser, games occasionally, but not many.

    I know I'd be happy with either, but trying to work out whats best for me. Thanks again dude!

  • Hombre_Lobo0

    You've put me in quandary plash. A QUANDARY!

  • plash0

    as for video play back, i have no issues with playing movies in hd. i normally go at 720p (1366×768; 16:9) since that's more than enough for crisp images. also it helps on the size so i can pack more movies per sd card. with the 263mm screen, the image is great for in-flight movie watching. i wouldn't go full 1080p since with the size of the screen you really can't interpolate but im sure it'll do fine; just seems like an overkill. also did i mention it has an miniHDMI out port. so yeah, on top of sending videos to your tv wireless or bluetooth, you can also plug that sucker in. which come in handy with that 8 mega pixel back camera (1.2 mp front). on the prime, i think 5mp on the 101

    The interface (android) I love!! like super fucken ace love. i wasn't expecting too much since i really want most of my devices to be transparent. as in i don't want to notice them (not opacity altho that helps) The transformer comes with modified honeycomb os which is interesting and its not too modified, just clocks and desktop items (all aesthetics) which can be turned off or reset to oem. ASUS offers the free ICS update when that is available for tablets. (basically updates itself like apps)

    Android is wonderful!! I love being able to fine tune. Im not trashing iOS because it does great too. but coming from a dev side, it's great being able to link into any api.

    the response is silk dude and i have loaded desktop widgets that go online for data. im impressed. basically if the widget doesn't load (ie a server timeout) it doesn't hold up the motion, the widget simply displays null. which only happens to my game server b/c those
    users are jackasses and like to crash the fucker from time to time.

    (quick side note. how deep i can connect form the tablet. i can load in real time the chat stream from my minecraft server and even send text/chat to it.)

    while we're on apps, yes there are more on the app store but that doesn't really say much since yes there are more fart apps for the ipad.( and the app store has been around longer) in saying that, Android is supported by most devs on the app store. i say most simply because Android is still new but at this point its becoming a standard. i have yet come to the point where i simply cant do something on android. (i have on the ipad) and i am starting to feel that you can connect to any protocol. via xml, http fucken local port .. there is always a way to logon to a server.

    I use evernote too, love it. i use trillian (cloud based IM) love it. and google docs (really love it!) gmail is wonderful on the tablet. (get the keyboard is really is worth it)

    i love tablets. i really did not know how much i use it until i got my ipad. but that gave me the "tablet" experience. I didn't really know how much i can do on a tablet until i got the transformer. I get less sleep now because of it. too fucken useful.

    ok quick list of devices that the transformer has on board. a G-Sensor, Light Sensor, Gyroscope, GPS receiver, 10 point tracking (10 fingers at once.), 2-in-1 Audio Jack (Head Phone / Mic-in) mini HDMI 1.3a port, 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR , Micro SD Card Reader, Internal Microphone and of course Stereo Speaker plus the external keyboard attachment which again is definitely worth the price ($150 here in the states) which add more battery, more inputs and a full keyboard. the sucker comes with everything! (sorry for the long post)

  • CALLES0

    i wanna touch you

  • ArmandoEstrada0

    get the 2, future proof your purchase as much as possible when apple decides that iOS6 only run on iPad 2 or higher. As far as video, i use AirVideo. Work like a charm even play movies over the internet when I am away. Its $3.
    http://www.inmethod.com/air-vide…

    If you have a AppleTv then u can play to your TV. Loves....

  • Hombre_Lobo0

    @Plash

    You are the wind beneath my wings. Thanks for all that info dude! very useful!

    So you have the keyboard too? awesome. It is a consideration as I could get an ipad 2 OR the transformer + keyboard for the same price! Plus you can install ubuntu on the transformer for full desktop functionality!

    Have you tried playing hd files on the ipad? Does it deal with them ok?

    Thanks again mate, I expect to receive an invoice in my mail :)

    • (ubuntu running on an sd card/usb, not installed per say)Hombre_Lobo
  • plash0

    The ipad does play HD movies but the frame rate will drop the longer you use it. (the price of having have a gig ram) (also the larger the resolution the more memory it will need.) 720p is the target for both devices and keep in mind multi tasking (application depended) is big point to take into. The performance will drop on the iOS since the dual core on that ipad is basically split by dividing more than half to the OS.

    On the transformer, the android had the foresight to build in native multithreading support called asynchronous tasking (classes). from what i understand all the way back to android 2.3 (gingerbread) they could support up to 8 cores and the ice cream supports 12.this basically allows us to back sample future hardware and still take advantage the newer tech. (i am very impressed with that)

    all in all, next year tablets will be mainstream. we got 4 cores by the end of the year. 8 core slated for 2012 and by the end of that year i wouldn't be supervised to see the first 12 core tablet. keep in mind these aren't your i7s but i bet soon enough we'll see the first tablet render farm.

    • correction: price of having *half* gig a ram.plash