Tech Talk

It seems like the iPad hype is far from over, even after it has already been released in the market.

But before you get your hands on  this latest electronic gadget, here are some things you might want to know about the iPad.

(From CNN’s Before you buy: 12 things to know about the iPad)

The price
Not really the first on the CNN’s list, but I’m sure it is one of the major concerns of many. The price of iPad ranges from $499 to $899.

The more expensive ones of course would have more features, such as larger storage space, so there will be more spaces for your music, videos, and what-have-you.

Also, the less expensive ones connect to the Internet with Wi-Fi only, while the more expensive ones connect through Wi-Fi and through AT&T‘s mobile Internet network.

The iPad keyboard
By now, you may have already know that the iPad does not have a keyboard, so how do you type on it?

The iPad’s keyboard is a graphic that pops up on the device’s touch-sensitive screen. A feature that is too familiar to iPhone and iPod Touch users.

The touchscreen feature allows the iPad users to type by touching the pictures of the keys on the screen. It is about the same size as the one you have on your desk, only, you can’t feel the keys.

The iPad versus the laptop
Many are already familiar with laptop and the convenience and mobility it affords many laptop users. So how does iPad differs from the laptop?

The laptop computer, which is obviously heavier than a laptop, has its own keyboard. And while some laptops would have touchscreen features, it is something that many laptop models is really lacking.

The iPad differs in that, it falls into a category of its own which the slate or tablet computer, because of its compact size. It doesn’t have keyboard, and therefore, navigation through it would be via touching the screen like how you operate an iPhone or an iPod Touch.

iPad versus Kindle
Before the iPad fever, there were the e-readers like the Kindle where users can read digital books. It has already become popular and in fact had its own cult of followers before the iPad came to be.

Then came iPad. It can also like an e-reader, and then plus some more. For one, the iPad has color display, in contrast to Kindle which only comes in black-and-white.

This difference then would depend on your personal preference, and perhaps the kind of material you are reading.

iPad best function
With all those features, one would ask, “What does the iPad do best?”

Among other things, the iPad is designed for reading digital books, browsing the Web, and watching videos. It is also good as a portable gaming device, of course, you can choose from the hundreds of games for sale at the iPad App Store.

It doesn’t have a DVD player, but iPad users can download videos from Apple, or stream them from the Web.

Lastly, the iPad (as the article said), is better for readers and not really much a delight for those who are writing long articles and messages… such as blog writer.

These are just some of the things you might want to know before buying your iPad. Read the complete list from the CNN report by John D. Sutter.

You might also want to check the iPad competitors.