Carol Botteron <botteron@alum.mit.edu> on Fri, 01 Jun 2012 16:39:47
-0400:
I don't have "the ultimate" answers, but:
>I'll be taking a train ride (3 days each way) and want to be able to read
>without lugging lots of books. Not sure whether the train will have wifi
>but if I'm somewhere that does, I'd like to be able to check my email.
>
>(1) Should I consider any device other than an iPad?
>Someone suggested a Kindle Fire.
I have a cheap Android 4.0 tablet. Apart from the openness of the
operating system, it has nothing in favor of it. Especially its power
consumption when idle (switched to stand-by, not entirely off) is
hopeless.
>(2) Which models of iPad can do what I need? I probably don't need the
>fanciest. Can they run for 3 days without needing a new charge?
I have an iPad 2, and I might prefer it over a New iPad.
I have not yet seen a New iPad, but the higher screen resolution seems
a gimmick to me. (I don't need better-than-Full-HD at that size, and
it does need more computing power (therefore power) than mine.
The increased RAM may be a boon, but I haven't yet run into the limits
of mine.
You'll need to consider the amount of internal storage space, as it
can't be extended.
Text-only books won't take much space, but graphics will.
If you want to take pictures or even videos, reserve that space (and
maybe offload to Dropbox or whatever when you can be on-line.
Battery life depends on your use. Stand-by and communication are
remarkably economical, but graphic activity visibly drains the
battery.
You may be interested in the products of <http://www.hypershop.com/>,
notably its HyperJuice external batteries.
>(3) Will I need to purchase a monthly "data service" to read email etc.
>away from home?
I'll leave that question to others. I have purchased mine with a
two-year data subscription from my 3G provider, at a notable discount.
>(4) What retailers do you recommend (or recommend against)?
I'm in Europe...
>(5) At home I have a MacBook Pro (my 5th Mac since 1987) attached to
>my DSL modem by a cable. What would I need to use an iPad at home?
You could connect the iPad to your Mac using a cable (to USB, both for
synchronization and charging). You could also go wireless at home.
--
Chris Laarman
