Tuyen’s Blog

     

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I_really_want_to_need_the_iPad.zip (355 KB)

So the announcement came a couple of days ago and everyone is deciding (or has already) whether to get the new Apple iPad in March/April. Let me start by saying I really like the device. Looks slick, great screen, great UI, and the few apps that were demo'd look really good. Let's not forget the price of $499 which blew me away - very affordable given what the device does. Imagine all the eBook readers, portable DVD players, digital picture frames, etc. that already cost between $100-$300. Those devices are pretty much screwed.

As part of Steve Jobs' demo, he talked about a third class of product between the iPhone and a laptop. He said this new class needed to do a few things much better than either of the other two. To some extent, I agree with him that the iPad does do certain things better - photos and eBooks in particular. But I guess they don't do them better enough for me to buy yet another device. I split my time between two indispensable devices - my laptop (Macbook 13") and my phone (iPhone 3GS). If I were to lose either one of these, my productivity is pretty much shot. However, a tablet computer just hasn't made itself indispensable to me just yet.

So if not adding a new device, what about replacing one? Well, the iPad can't replace my phone because it's too big and can't make phone calls (VOIP, maybe?). As far as my laptop goes, I don't really do much on it besides email, web browsing, word processing, spreadsheets, occasional presentations, image manipulation, and some light HTML. I guess the iPad can handle all of those save for the image manipulation (is there an app for that? basically Photoshop light) and HTML (also, an app for that? Dreamweaver light?). But the biggest thing that I need is to be able to access a file system where I can create folders, move files around, etc. Without that it's impossible for me to replicate my day to day job on the pad. I toyed with the idea of getting this for my mom or wife because they don't do much besides email and web browsing but both like to watch videos online and without Flash support, they'd still be using their desktops half of the time.

All in all, I'd love to buy this. If I had all the money in the world I'd buy two. I'd also buy a 60" Kuro Elite, Tesla Sedan, and NetJets fractional. All of which fall into the "nice to have but not needed" category.

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Waiting at the entrance to Mountain Winery for the Tears for Fears concert. Not a fan but at least the venue is nice.

Here's a shot at last year's concert. Low light situation on Gen 1 iPhone. Let's see if the 3GS does any better.

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UPDATE:  I uploaded the .mov file earlier for this post and noticed that there were some artifacts in the video when watching it on Posterous versus in QuickTime.  To see the .mov click the download link below the Posterous video player.  I've also uploaded the same video to YouTube to see if there were any artifacts.  What do you think?

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IMG_1194.MOV (12466 KB)

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Click here to download:

IMG_1187.MOV (4185 KB)

I'm pretty impressed. Though it's no where near HD quality (not supposed to be), it's more than adequate for casual video. Plus, how often are you gonna be carrying an HD camera in your pocket versus your cell phone. Also, below is a pic I took. Improvement is slight but also noticeable.

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It seems appropriate that on the day I get my shiny new iPhone 3GS that the Wall Street Journal reports that Steve Jobs underwent a successful liver transplant about two months ago. The story goes on to say that Jobs has recuperated well and is set to return back to daily work activity at the scheduled end of June. Nothing more I want to say other than glad he's doing better.  It's always great news when a cancer survivor bounces back.

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Had lunch in SOMA today. Took some shots from the garden patio of Crossroads Cafe. I can tell a noticeable difference when taking photos after upgrading to the iPhone 3.0 software. Can't wait to see how the photos look on the 3GS.

       

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I_am_digging_the_improved_came.zip (3614 KB)

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Jesus Diaz writes a rant over at Gizmodo re: iPhone 3G owners (currently in contract) who are pissed about not being able to get the new iPhone 3GS at the fully subsidized price. To summarize, he's calling us whiners and that we should suck it up. Here's why he's wrong.
 
To his point - Yes, we are in a contract we freely agreed to. Yes, the cost of the iPhone 3G was subsidized by AT&T so that we could get it at the lower price. Yes, businesses like AT&T need to make money, too. But "whining" is the market's way of telling companies like AT&T and Apple that we demand better. It's how innovation is born and how we are able to enjoy things like iPhones. AT&T should listen to its highly profitable and highly engaged customers who stick with its service despite it being subpar. Apple should listen to its loyal customers who line up to buy its products by putting pressure on AT&T or better yet, by NOT renewing its contract with AT&T and allowing all major GSM based service providers (T-Mobile and Verizon) to have access to the iPhone and thus force competition on price and service quality. Don't hate on the whiners because without us, you'd probably have to pay full price for the iPhone 3GS AND have a 2 year contract like when the original iPhone came out. Or worse still, we'd probably all be using Windows Mobile phones because no one "whined" enough and demanded a better solution.

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