To iPad

I broke down and got an iPad. I ended up not getting the 3G one but opted for the 64gb wifi
one. It is very cool. As i said in my previous post it is the device I have been waiting for. It is very slick in it's design and functionality. Yes it is like an oversized iPhone but the extra screen-estate allows the apps to be easier to use. In the Fall when OS 4.0 is released for it it will truly rock.

I've heard many complain about no USB port but honestly I don't see the need for one. I think Apple's solution with the adapter that connects via the charging port is great. You can use it when you need to. The Apple USB port will allow you to use items, other than just a camera, with the iPad. There are also apps out there that let you transfer your files to the iPad via wifi.

I have found using the iPad is one of the most natural computing devices I have used. It may be because I'm used to using the iPod Touch or I'm a geek and love gadgets but when I picked it up for the first time it just felt right. Typing on it isn't bad at all, though I do tend to hunt and peck, it seems to go faster on the iPad than on my laptop.

Will the iPad replace the laptop? Probably not but it will give you a supplemental device that is easier to carry with you and make some tasks easier to do that you would normally do on a desktop or laptop. I don't see doing whole projects or designing web sites on it. But blogging, getting ideas down, sharing ideas with others and tasks like that the iPad is well suited for. It is also great for reading PDFs. I HATE reading PDFs on a computer. To me it's just not comfortable. I got the GoodReader app and it makes reading PDFs like I think it should be. It is like holding a book in your hand and you can turn it to a comfortable angle and read. It is also great for reading comics.

Will it replace your iPhone or iPod Touch? Probably not. The iPhone and iPod are easy to transport. You put it in your pocket and go. You can pull it out just about anywhere and hold it in your hand without any trouble. You can't do that with the iPad. Both have their uses but I don't think the iPad will will replace them for their convenience.

Apps

I have gotten a few apps for the iPad that I think are pretty cool. One of the coolest sketch apps out there is Sketch Book Pro. This is a very neat app for drawing and sketching. You can do quick doodles and get an idea down and save for later or you can take your time and do a full blown picture with layers, shading and other effects.

GoodReader is the best PDF reader I have found. It has great functionality that allows you to pull PDFs from various sources including a network, Dropbox, any URL and shared drives.

Marvel Comics app is a very nice comic book reader. There are a couple other comic readers that carry independent comics too but for most of your favorite super heroes you can find them on the Marvel Comic app.

As an amateur astronomer I have found Star Walk to be one of the coolest apps out there. You can set your location and it will show you the night sky, stars and constellations you can view from there.

For weather I use the tried and true WeatherBug. I like the interface and find it very easy to use.

And for Twitter I use Twitterrific. It is a great app and very easy to use. It has a nice clean interface also.

These are just some of the apps I like and I'm always looking for more cool ones to add so let me know which apps you like to use. Overall I love my iPad. I think Apple got it right.

Valentine's Day Card

This year for Valentine's Day I created a card for my wonderful wife. I didn't like any of the cards I saw for sale so I decided to make one. I did a couple doodles and thought, "Oh that would make a cool heart."

I scanned the image into the computer, took it into Illustrator and created a vector line drawing. I then duplicated the one side and flipped it over to make the other half of the heart. It didn't quite fit like I wanted it to so I tweaked the lines until I liked it. I then duplicated it a couple times and created a blue "doily". I duplicated the blue "doily" and made it pink and rotated it 45 degrees. I used one of the sketch brushes on the main heart and turned it a deep red. I then brought the image into InDesign and wrote the inside (No, I'm not going to tell you what it said). I printed it on one of Neenah Papers classic crest, white, linen finish papers. The final product was a hit.

Lion E-vite

Last year the company I work for full time did an event in Animal Kingdom in Disney World. One of my jobs was to create an e-vite for it to be sent to the clients.

After discussing with our event planner what they were going to be doing we decided to feature an African theme. After all they were going to see a presentation of the Lion King.

The central icon for the Animal Kingdom is the Tree of Life, so I knew I would have to have the baobab tree on the invite along with a lion. After thinking about it and playing around with different ideas I decided to go with an African sunset, the animals gathering at the tree and the lion watching over it all. Below is the illustration I created in Adobe Illustrator as my base image.

Using this image I modified it for a flash invite, a card with a gift (the long image below) and reminder card (which had text to inform the clients about the event). Each one worked well by itself but stayed consistent to remind the clients of who sent it and what the event was.