The iPad has been out for a little over a week now, and I thought that I would give you my quick review. I got the iPad the day of release and have been using it on a daily basis. There is much to love about it, and a few things are left to be desired.

The screen is the most important part of this device, and it is wonderful. Bright, with vibrant colors, and very responsive to touch. That being said, the glass is both a blessing and a curse for the iPad. It helps show off the display, but at the same time it’s an oily mess after just minuets of use. I understand Apple wanting to keep the price down and keeping the packaging simple; but come on, include a polishing cloth! With the screen being so reflective, it makes it nearly impossible to see out side on a bright sunny day, even with the brightness turned all the way up. Another problem to me is the screen resolution, 1024 x 768 is not good for a device like this… I would prefer a widescreen resolution.

The multi-touch is very responsive, and much easier to use than the iPhone. The UI is very intuitive and one of the most responsive out of any modern computer. Apple kept to the simple design interface that was introduced with the original iPhone, with a few minor improvements. iPhone OS is looking long in the tooth, and is starting to get cluttered.

The lack of multitasking might be a deal breaker for some, but with the future release of iPhone OS 4 this will be addressed. For me, I don’t think of their solution as multitasking and much as suspending apps for latter use, which they can do now. Another feature of iPhone OS 4 that I have been missing from the beginning is folders. This will be an added addition to the iPad and iPhone.

Back to the iPad, after a week I have only charged the battery twice, making this one of the longest battery life devices I have ever used. With normal use, you can easily get the touted ten hours of battery life, if not more. As I mentioned earlier this device is supper snappy, and responsive, something you would not expect from a device with such great battery life. One of the biggest problems for me was the added weight from the battery. At 1.5 lb., it gets hard to hold after just a few minutes.

The apps are very nice looking, and well thought out. The iWork apps are also a great addition to the app store. All this benign said, the price for some apps is a large barrier and some are just out right over priced. With the price out of the way, another problem is just how buggy all the apps are. This is partly the fault of Apple because they didn’t seed developers with ipads before launch. The overall bugginess of the apps will improve with time, as will the lack luster selection of apps in the app store.

Over all my impressions are very good. The iPad is less of a revolutionary device and more of a evolutionary device. It has it’s place, and while some say it is more of a toy, I have replaced my laptop with it. I can use my desktop computer for doing the heavy lifting and my iPad for the more day to day work, including writing this blog post.

I have been working on the home distribution center, and think it is finally done! From Top left to bottom right: We have the DSL modem (delivering 12Mb/s down), the phone/cat5 distribution and inbound phone line, N wireless router, video and security camera distribution and inbound satellite, audio distribution, the OOMA VoIP line, and the networked RAID server.

For those of you keeping count, there is two phone lines going to every room via cat5. Six modulated channels (four separate satellite channels and two security cameras) going to every room via coax cable. Nine hard wired Ethernet devices, not including the VoIP box, and typically seven wireless devices. Currently distributed audio to three rooms, with plans to add more.

There is the server which house all our music and video collection, documents and programs, and is accessible from any of the computer in our house.

The space next to the router is to add a second router for public use. This will keep our computers and data safe from quest that visit the house.

All of this jam packed in a little, easy to access space out of the way. And I still can’t find a good job

A real sad group of people runs time Warner Cable and I feel sorry for all its customers. As once having the pleasure of doing business with Time Warner and other cable companies, I know that there is just no getting through to them. Comcast services the area where I live now and let me tell you that they are no better!

A few weeks ago, I was looking to cut costs wherever I could, so I called up Comcast to see what cable internet plans were available in my area. Once I finally talked to someone (a task in its self), I was told that there were two packages available. One at 6 Mbps and the other at 8 Mbps, priced at $49.99 and $59.99 respectively; Furthermore, I was told that the service in my area is fiber to the home! (I will eat my hat if it rely is fiber to the home) To put all of this into prospective I currently am a DSL subscriber and am happily (at least now) paying $39.99 monthly for 12 Mbps.

The point of this small rant is that Comcast, Time Warner and other cable internet companies are ripping there customers off and think that said customers don’t know any better. Here is the kicker. The community of Wilson, North Carolina has had enough of the nickel and dimming that Time Warner has been doing to them, so they set out to make their own high-speed internet provider. Greenlight, the internet provider created to compete against the monopolistic Time Warner, offers a range of packages to its customers from $35, 10 Mbps plan all the way up to an unheard of 100 Mbps for $300. This severely undercuts Time Warner’s business and instead of innovating, they teamed up with Embarq to stop Greenlight by having it banned by the state Government.

This industry rely needs some innovation, and competition. There are countries all around there world that are getting unimaginable internet speeds at pennies in comparison to what we pay for here in the states.

Attention all Facebook friends and family, this is just a reminder that there has been a re surge in the Facebook exploit, Koobface. Koobface is a nasty worm that’s being spread on social networks like Facebook; however, you can get it without being a member of Facebook. What happens is you will get a message that appears to be form one of your friends, asking you to take a look at a “funny video” or a “video of you”. You would click on the link that would take you to a YouTube like site to see the video. Upon arrival to this fake YouTube site you will be instructed to install an update to your player, thus installing a backdoor Trojan on your computer. Whatever you do, never click on links that you are not familiar with, and never install software unless it comes directly from a vender’s site. If you have received a similar message from a friend on Facebook, chances are they have been infected by the Koobface worm.

This should go without saying, NEVER click links from people you don’t know, and NEVER install software from sites that are unfamiliar!

Also, I have been seeing a serge in the Anti-Virus 2009 worm. If you came across a site that pops up a window that says that you have been infected with malware, NEVER download the software that they say will remove it. These pop-ups are fake and are trying to get you to download a Trojan!

Be safe and responsible out there, don’t contribute to the problem!

UPDATE:
The White House is asking the public what they thing about the digital transition. Voice your opinion before it is to late! This is the responsibility of the American people! Click Here

Well it is official; the digital transition was delayed until June 12, 2009. I do not understand what the government hopes to accomplish by delaying the digital transition. Think of it like a band-aid, tare it off now or wait until later, it still hurts the same. If they delayed the transition because the coupon program has run out of money, then add more money to the coupon program. By delaying the transition, they are confusing an already confused public. June will roll around and nothing will have changed, people are still going to be confused. This transition has been delayed long enough, going all the way back to 2006.

There are some things to keep in mind, as we now get closer to the digital transition.

- Your TV will continue to work after the digital transition; however, if your TV doesn’t have a digital tuner you will need a converter box if you do not have cable or satellite.

- The coupon program is low on money; however they are still taking applications. As coupons expire, money will be reverted to the system.

- You do not need an HDTV to receive digital broadcasts; however, you will need a HDTV to receive HD broadcasts. With that being said all modern HDTV’s have built in digital tuners. Having a digital converter box will not give you HDTV, you must have an HD set.

- Digital gives you better picture, in fact, in some cases better than DVD quality. You get better sound with the ability for 5.1 surround sound. You also get more channels, with the ability of the broadcast stations to multi-cast. Most, if not all of your stations are broadcasting in digital rate now!

It is time to make the switch, and we cannot delay it forever. Are you ready?