Living with my UK iPad for 4 weeks. The big bad iPad and iPad app review

I've been using the iPad that I purchased in the USA for about 4 weeks now. I thought I would follow on from the introduction I wrote a couple of weeks ago and post a much more detailed review, not only of the iPad but also of some of the apps I've been using. The first thing I want to say is that I love it, I really do. It's just such a gorgeous piece of tech and so intuitive and easy to use that you find yourself wanting to use it instead of your laptop or even desktop pc. Without exception, every single person I have shown it to has loved it. They've marvelled at how much the larger screen adds to the experience and just how easy it is to type on it and use the apps. I was using it on a train the other day and must have had 10 people come up to me and ask if they can have a look at it. It's really hard to convey in a review like this how much fun it is to use, when it launches in the UK on the 28th May I urge you to go to your local Apple store and try one yourself, you will be hooked. Note: All the screenshots I've used in this review are taken from my iPad. In order to be as realistic as possible I've avoided press shots released from the manufacturers and have relied solely on screenshots taken by myself. The Keyboard - WordPress App for iPad For my money, one of the biggest advantages of the iPad is the bigger keyboard. When in landscape mode and resting on a desk you can almost type as fast as when using a laptop. The keys are spaced just far enough apart for this and it makes text input so much easier. The above screenshot is from the WordPress iPad app (iTunes link) which is free and as you can see it's fairly basic but does the job. However it doesn't handle images well and I can't help but get the feeling that they rushed the release out so I'm expecting more functionality in the next update. Having said that it's perfectly possible to write a full blog post using it, in fact I did just that with my previous review. YouTube for the iPad As with the iPhone, the iPad gets a YouTube app as standard. Only this time it's much easier to browse, search and view videos thanks to the additional screen size. As you can see from the picture it's layout is different from online but takes advantage of the iPad perfectly. iTunes for the iPad As you can see iTunes has been reworked for the iPad. At the moment it just shows music, films, TV programmes, podcasts and audio books but when the iPad launches in the UK on May 28th it will also include apps and of course iBooks. For now though it does the job perfectly and once again the interface is so very easy to use. As usual with iTunes you just need 1 click to purchase too, perfect. The quality of movies and tv shows is amazing too, especially in HD. I took a screen grab of Monsters Inc. that obviously won't do it justice due to screen limitations here but I was seriously impressed with the quality. The screen is just big enough to use as a media player too, you can easily sit holding it on your lap watching comfortably. Monsters Inc. iPad screen grab Email for the iPad Unlike the email app on the iPhone you can now view all of your email folders on one screen while viewing a preview of the email to the right. As you can see from the screen grab I can access my email through Gmail and it takes seconds to set up and import your emails/folders etc. The interface is just once again, near perfect, one tap to reply, forward or delete etc. it just works so well. My only complaint with email (and it's the same on the iPhone) is that you can't save attachments separately. But this is part of a wider issue with the iPhone and iPad and their lack of folder structure. And maybe one argument why the iPad won't replace your laptop just yet. Notes for the iPad As you can see the Notes app that comes as standard has had a slight redesign to take advantage of the larger screen. It's still very basic but does what it says on the tin. Calendar for the iPad The calendar screen is beautiful. Designed to look like a traditional desk top diary it looks just lush. You can toggle between day, week, month or list view too and use the slider at the bottom of the page to quickly get to the date you want. Calculator for the iPad Bizarrely there is no calculator app as standard on the iPad. However, as you can imagine there are already lots available in the app store. I use Calculator for iPad (iTunes link) which set me back 59p and does the job very well. Weather HD for the iPad This brilliant app only costs 59p and is nothing more really than a weather forecast. But it looks just gorgeous. Whenever you open it you get a graphical representation of the weather outside where you are now (or anywhere you set it to) and it looks beautiful. This is the app I always show people to showcase the HD screen of the iPad. Obviously you can't tell in the screen grab above but it's a video and it's super sexy. Get it here (iTunes link) for only 59p. Bento for iPad I've only just installed Bento (iTunes link) the other day so haven't gotten round to using it much yet. It's received lots of positive reviews for it's iPhone version and the iPad app is even better. It comes with 25 database templates which you can customise any way you want to track projects and events as well as contacts and much more and it's good value at just £2.99. Kayak Flights for the iPad Now this is a perfect example of how to create an iPad app. Instead of trying to create a mobile or "light" version of their homepage, travel comparison site Kayak (iTunes link) have built an iPad app that makes full use of the iPad's large touch screen and intuitive controls. It's incredibly easy to use and full of rich features. At the moment it only compares flights, but I'm sure there will be other Kayap apps coming soon. Oh and best of all, it's free. Mashable for the iPad If like me you read Mashable daily you will probably be frustrated as to how long it takes to load the site. It's so full of widgets, plugins and ads that it takes forever. So great news that it's come out with an iPad app that as you can see from the screengrab simplifies the browsing and reading process. Grab it here (iTunes link), it's free. Maxim magazine for the iPad One of the real benefits of the iPad I think will be the ability to read traditional magazines online. The large colour screen will make that possible but in addition you will (hopefully be able to play rick media embedded in the magazine, (think songs or videos) as well as clickable hyperlinks and other interactive fun stuff. The Maxim magazine iPad app is a good start but there is definitely room for improvement. When opening the app you can either view it just as a "flat" magazine or as a more interactive experience designed for the iPad. If you choose normal layout then you turn the pages of the mag and the iPad displays each page in full, just as if you were reading the paper version of the magazine (above). In portrait mode the screen is just about big enough to read but you may struggle with small sections of text. The downside to this is that you can't pinch and stretch the page, it's set at a standard resolution. Nor is there any hyperlinks of video embedded, it's just as if you're reading the paper magazine, you even get all the ads. Much better is the iPad layout (above) where the articles and features are produced specifically for the iPad. Photo's are full size, you can stretch and shrink the screen and there are even videos included. A much richer experience. You can get the Maxim magazine iPad app here (iTunes link) and it costs £1.79. Worms HD for the iPad Months ago, I installed Worms on my iPhone and it was useless. The size of the screen meant it was pretty much unplayable. If only my iPhone had a bigger screen, i thought back then. Well I'm pleased to say that Worms HD for the iPad (iTunes link) is brilliant. The big screen means there is hardly any scrolling to be done and the touch interface is just perfect for wiping out those little slimy suckers. Game play is just as good as it ever was and it's only £2.99. Asphalt 5 HD Asphalt 5 HD (iTunes link) is a perfect example of how you can immerse yourself in a game using your iPad. You simply grab hold of the iPad and tilt it left or right to steer when racing. The controls are superb and before you know it, you're in the game gurning and pulling faces in an attempt to win the race. Graphics are gorgeous and the gameplay is addictive and very simple. It's only £3.99 too. TVCatchup.com TVCatchup.com isn't an app it's a website where you can watch live UK tv. It's very clever, you just signup from your iPad (takes 10 seconds) and then you can watch over 50 UK channels live. Yes it's that easy. The quality is remarkably good also and even on my rubbish 1MB wi-fi connection it streamed with no buffering or slowdown. Take a look at the screengrab I took of Alien Resurrection last night. It's by no means perfect but it's definitely watchable and with a HD service coming soon I've bookmarked this site as I'm sure I'll be using it again and again. In fact I am now, its's lunchtime on Sunday the 9th May and as I write this review on my study I have my iPad propped up on my desk so I can watch the F1 and do some work. Lovely. So there you have it, my thoughts about using the iPad for 4 weeks or so. Lots of people have asked me if it will replace the laptop and I have to say I don't think so and I don't think it was ever designed to. There are a lot of people who call it simply a big iPhone, and it is. But let's not forget that the iPhone is brilliant so that's no bad thing. Finally, I can't over emphasise how much of a difference the larger screen makes. The iPhone frustrates me when trying to enter any kind of data but the iPad delights me every single time. You can pre-order the iPad from tomorrow (May 10th) in the UK for delivery from May 28th. I recommend you do so. UK iPad pricing: 16GB Wi-Fi only £429 32GB Wi-Fi only £499 64GB Wi-Fi only £599 16GB Wi-Fi + 3G £529 32GB Wi-Fi + 3G £599 64GB Wi-Fi + 3G £699 Pre-order a UK iPad exclusively from the UK Apple store from Monday May 10th 2010. What I'm listening to right now: Philadelphia