Sorry, I don't do impressions, but I'll tell you what I think of it.

Size - Very nice and light.

Screen - very sharp! Much easier for me to read it than my iPhone..but that's to be expected. I haven't seen or experienced any Some Reports of Backlight Bleeding on iPad 2. Perhaps I got a good screen manufacturer?

Camera - Just took 2 pictures, both indoors with 2 overhead recessed lights with 45W bulbs in each. You tell me...but I don't particularly care for the quality.

Front camera:
Click for large view

back camera:
Click for large view

Speed - I can't compare to the original iPad, but dang, it's fast! Faster than my 3Gs iPhone.

Mail app - I really like how it handles the mail. Much more easier and better than the iPhone one, probably due to the size of the screen to allow more options?

Safari app - Again, I like how this handles multiple windows over the iPhone version, and I'm sure it's due to the screen size.

iBooks - Of course I figured I would like this. MUCH better than the Kindle!! I was so tired of clicking on the navigation buttons just to turn a page. And what's cool is that my Kindle books synced up with the iPad Kindle app and it acts just like iBooks for the most part! So with the iPad, you get the best of both worlds - Apple & Amazon books!

Pages - Pretty neat, haven't really played around with it much.

We bought one game RealRacingHD, and wow...it's very cool. We'll try more later once we figure out which ones are good.

Nightstand app - got this based on Leicaman's suggestion and I like it. But since I didn't get the dock (again, based on Leicaman's suggestion), not sure how many times we'll use this.

Planets app - wow..MUCH better on the iPad! And we got it just in time...one of Dusty's Science project is a paper on Saturn.

CNN app - I like this one! Very well done.

What I would like to do is find a good news source that gives local news too so that we can drop our local paper. Also, the comics...gotta read my daily comics! Any ideas?

Thinking of getting Garageband & iMovie. I don't do keynote things right now, so no need for that.

iPhone apps on the iPad - (Facebook, etc) - why don't they make these for the iPad? Blowing them up 2x is a bit on the ugly side.


Periphials - all I got was the hdmi connector just in case. I also picked up the gray Smart Cover. It's pretty cool.


We have the original AppleTV, so I can't do airplay and I don't have a compatible airprint printer. How can I set that up? I thought I saw a thread on it, but can't seem to find it.

AS far as the camera quality.. that's almost to be expected from a camera of that quality. They just don't do low light very well. Take a pic in strong lighting and it's a completely different story....
At least that is my experience with the iP4 camera... which must be a close cousin if not identical twins.

Yeah, the cameras are pretty crappy for pics. (Same ones used on my iPod Touch 4G …bright light is your friend!) They are perfectly good for video though.

Does your paper have a twitter feed for their stories? You can use Flipboard (Free) for a kick-ass news reader. It also works with google reader if you have an account (for RSS feeds) Oh, and it works with Facebook too. I use it most of the time for FB.

I bounce between Flipboard and Reeder (Awesome RSS/Google Reader App) for my news.

THanks for the review, John.

Yeah, I don't get why Apple installed such crappy cameras, when the competition has better ones. Oh well must be part of Apples upgrade path, you know iPad3 will have 5 mega pix cameras The back camera shoots 720 p HD, I guess thats in video mode only ? ?

Well, you are probably right but you know what? I am fine with it. The iPad 2 serves my needs just fine. I could wait around and get 500GB HD, super hi res monitor, 6 core processor, and 8GB ram.....OR....I could get one now and enjoy what I have

The iPad 2 serves my needs just fine.

Thats all that matters John - enjoy.

Hey, try and see what the HD video, is about ?

[quote=carp
Hey, try and see what the HD video, is about ?[/quote]

What do you mean? 720p is HD

I mean the back camera is supposed to shoot in 720, video - still shots are -via- the 1 pix camera mode.

See if the HD comes out in the video - compare that to the still shots you just took?

WHO is that unMasked man !??

My iPad doesn't have any cameras, and I couldn't really be happier with it. It's become my daily computer. Poor iMac goes days without being touched.

Same here with my original one. Back in august when I proposed getting it iwas advised to just wait until Feb for the new and improved one that would handle Flash. Ad have a camera.

Just think of all the use I have had for these months. When I do sit at my iMac I have to erase hundreds of emails to keep currant.

Love my iPad I.

Might get the iPad 3 this Christmas.
Dave

I still think that Apple will keep on the same schedule for the iPads -- March is the time frame. Remember, Steve said it is the "Year of the iPad 2". If they did update this year, I think it would be the first product updated in same year. So I am not buying into the rumors

I agree John

Apple seems to major upgrades every 12 to 16 months. With iPods seem to be for the holiday season. The yearly WWDC seems to be for software upgrades, with minor updates in between.

The iPad NEEDS better cameras—maybe not for everyone, but for certain people:

* People who want to take high-quality stills, not just video, and not just casual quick memories. Good, multi-MP still photography. I’m one of those people.

* AND who also don’t already have a good camera. (One probably a lot more portable than a tablet.) Luckily, I’m not one of those people—I have an iPhone 4.

Wait... people who WANT good stills, can afford an iPad, but don’t yet own a camera... That’s about 4 people on the planet.

OK, then I guess it’s OK that the iPad’s cameras are for video

P.S. I actually use the rear cam a lot for FaceTime. Showing the other person what you see is surprisingly useful—one of those things that’s not obvious until you use it.

True.

As for me as a construction superintendent. We constantly take photos and email them, to architects, engineers and inspectors - not to mention conference calls 2 to 4 times a week.

Before - I would have to run out in the field take the photos - run back to the office, upload from camera, massage the photo using MS crapy photo editor. Fashion an email with explanations, attach the photo, click send <-- wait for response, normally the next day - which is a day late.

Now with iPhone4, I can do all of that from the field - With the iPad larger screen, makes that even sweeter, with FaceTime even better yet <-- only problem is they need to have Apple products.

Anyway, doing that process in the field will save me hours a day.

Neat! Sounds like a great use. The photos are even geotagged (if taken outside, anyway).

Right. and geotagging really does help to, more so in civil work. Plus now days civil work is being done by 3D GPS to begin with, so that would tie in even better.

That would be great, but think we are heading to the iGirl thing.

Dave

Easy come, easy go. Just sold it. Got more money from selling it, dang it, wish I had bought more! Anyway, my wife had decided that she didn't really want one yet as she was still using her iPhone more than the ipad and I wasn't sure that I really wanted one right now.

I am trying to use less electronics lately because I felt that I was spending more time on them than with family

Well, if she's happy with what she has there's no need to buy something you don't use all that much. Does she use your Mac much, or does she mostly use the iPhone?

I use my iPad so much that I've already decided to skimp out on my next iMac's specs. No need for the 27" screen if i'm barely going to look at it.

She has a 1.2ghz iMac g4, the lampshade one. She uses both Sometimes she'll use my iMac.

We bought it as a replacement for her iMac but I guess it was too soon

Wow, still rockin the lampshade eh? I do find it a little tedious doing certain tasks on the iPad compared to a desktop. Luckily none of those tasks are in my daily needs category. If they were I would likely feel different about my iPad.

Yeah, love this iMac. Granted, it's not the fastest or runs the latest, but it does the job. And the monitor can be moved around. I really wish they would build new ones

Yes, I find the picture quality not that great, but I still love it. I use imovie on my mini mac all the time . If you use it on your ipad2, Please post how that works for you, it would be great to edit when I am out of the house. I found a case that I love better than that gray cover you have. This is leather and it can adjust to whatever level you want upright for viewing and down lower for typing ,it straps on anything so you can use it in your car. Worth checking out! I came across promo code so drops price to 39.99.

Hi
I totally agree with you i have also iPad 2 and i am satisfy with it. Well its main function is something different than clicking pictures.