To Mini or Not to Mini, that is the iPad Question

I ordered the iPod touch the day Steve Jobs announced it September 2007. I payed $329 and it was worth every penny.

5 years later and you can buy the bigger, better, 2 camera iPad Mini for exactly the same price (in Canada). 

Portability 

The iPod touch is portable. The full size iPad is not. You need a bag. The iPad mini will fit in a jacket pocket.

Retina Display

The iPod touch and the full size iPad have retina display. The mini does not. Once you go retina (or an ereader like the Kobo on Kindle), you really notice those little squares.

Decisions Decisions

So, should you get the $300 iPod touch, the the $330 iPad mini or the $500 iPad with Retina Display (aka 4th generation). Or should you get one of the junkers made by the competition.

Movies

If you will be using your tablet to watch movies, there is a lot of wasted real-estate. So smaller 7 inch tablets would do just fine (unfortunately, no Netflix on the cheap Blackberry Playbook). Unfortunately, the iPad mini keeps the same ratio as the iPad full size, so those black bars will still be visible, defeating, in a sense, the whole point of smaller tablets.

Recommendation

Not knowing your needs or resources, here is my recommendation: Get an iPhone. For kids, a 4 inch retina display iPod touch. If you can afford it, for home use, an iPad retina display (for reading in bed or on the can). The iPad mini fills a niche because it will fit in your jacket pocket. In the fall, winter and spring, you can take it everywhere, just in case. You can use it to show off pictures, for example. The competition has better 7 inchers for less money, but they lack software (aka games). 

If the iPad Mini had retina display, it would be a much tougher decision. But it doesn't. That said, I own an iPad first generation and use if every day (ditto for my iPhone 4s). However, I'm totally counting my pennies to buy the new iPad with retina display. Those little squares are getting annoying.


 

Breaking News Urgent Alert: iPad Only Newspaper The Daily is Dead at Age 1

Today, The Daily exclusive iPad newspaper, I call it the exclusinewsipadapp (but it hasn't caught on), was found dead. Cause of death unknown but self inflicted wounds aren't ruled out. There was plenty of blood and gore and even a NFL football reference.

The logic behind the birth of the iPad exclusive newspaper (exclusinewsipadapp) "The Daily", was this: Why publish your electronic newspaper on the Internet, accessible by hundreds of millions (are we at billions yet?) of computers and devices, when you can restrict your content to one product?

Well, just like every other news organisation, The Daily has now created an iPhone app. You could read regular online newspapers with iPhone/ipod touch, but it does require pinching. Too lazy to pinch? There is an app for that.

After the geewiz wears off on your iPad, the logic of an app version of the news stops making sense. Fine if you fly or subway alot and have the organizational skills to download new content before your trip, but if you have Internet access, why bother with old news? Webpages look great on an iPad (or any other tablet). And we aren't stupid, we know the content in The Daily can be found in the web versions of Newscorp papers.  

Obviously iPad owners on planes were too much of a niche for Fox's Newscorp (and advertisers) and the iPhone beckoned. The problem for The Daily is there are plenty of iPhone news apps out there (because they make sense, kind of).

I'd like to point out that this blog is 100% web and iOS (iPad and iPhone) compatible. It even works on Blackberry! If you are going to fly on one of those airlines without wifi, print the pages you are interested in. When you get back online, the ads will be different, but it is very important that you click on the ads, otherwise that would be stealing. And if you crossed state lines it is a federal offence. Bring extra copies for the passengers in first class (I need richer readers). Anybody with Parkinsons or twitchy fingers would be ideal. But make sure you scare them into reading the online version (because, once again, you are stealing and in direct and indirect violation of the digital millennial copyright act if you read a paper version of this blog and don't click on one of my ads. If none of the ads interest you, then download Mad Men from iTunes (or subscribe to AMC) and we'll call it even. 

Tablet Wars

I like wars wear humans don't die. Although if people lose their job and the country doesn't provide a social safety net, they could actually starve or freeze to death (or if they lose their healthcare benefits and are/get sick). But lets agree that fewer people will die in the tablet war than in, say, the American Civil war. That's a safe bet, I think (people do die mining for all those rare minerals... ).

Prices including New Brunswick's 13% HST.

-32GB iPad2: $699.47 (taxes incl.).
-32GB Sony: $678 (taxes incl.)
-32GB Blackberry Playbook: $677.99 (taxes incl.).
-32GB Motorolla Xoom: $565 (taxes incl.)
-32GB Toshiba: $565 (taxes incl.)
-16GB Samsung Galaxie Tab: $565 (taxes incl.)
-32GB Acer Iconia: $452 (taxes incl.)
-0.5GB Viewsonic View Pad: $334 (taxes incl). 
-6 inch,1GB Kobo eReader, Touch Edition: $158.20 (taxes incl)
-6 inch Kindle (at Staples): $179.67 (taxes incl).
-3.5 inch, 32GB iPod touch: $360.47 (taxes incl).

-Future 7 inch 6GB colour Kindle: $282.50 (taxes incl), subject to change (and regional availability).

As you probably know, HP has decided to stop making the HP Touchpad. Then they decided to sell them for $100 and $150. Now everybody wants one, and people are paying between $300 and $400 on ebay and various sites like Craigslist and Kijiji...

iPad Podcast Wars

You know what would be cool, a weekly podcast/netcast about the iPad. But not from anywhere, from California. Oh wait, that already exists. In fact, there are at least two!

This Week in iPad (Santa-Monica (near Los Angeles))


And iPad Today (Pentaluma, outside San Francisco)


If California ain't your scene, perhaps you would prefer the once in a while iPad Show from Michigan


A solo effort from Boston by Macsfuture.com : iPad Podcast


An other solo effort: iPad Possibilities (the latest episode: MP4).

J'ai un iPad

Kobo eReaders Now $128!

Is 2010 the year of the ebook? Yes. For those of you too cheap for an iPad, an who insist a perfectly good 3.5 inch, genuinely pocket size, iPhone or iPod touch is too small, than the Kobo may be for you. If you weren't keeping score, June early adopters forked over $149 for the privilege of reading books on Kobo's non-wireless ereader. However, Amazon just launched a US$139 (plus $10 for delivery to Canada) Wifi only Kindle (shipping in September if you order today).

Reasons not to buy an eReader:

1. You work for Canada Post.

2. Your province only gives a sales tax rebate for the paper version of books (I'm talking to you New Brunswick)

3. You library is backwards and doesn't loan electronic library books (Ottawa and Calgary, amongst others, do, but they ARE NOT compatible with the Kindle).

4. If it weren't for book stores, you'd never get out of the house.

5. You have a crush on the cashier at your local bookstore.

Kobo is owned in part by the"good people" at Chapters-Indigo.

More from me on the Kobo.

PS. If you get a Kobo, get the black one. Oh, and can we close the libraries yet?

Can't see this email? Read on the web » Add to safe list » Send to a friend » eReading: anytime. anyplace. Get the Kobo eReader this weekend - now $128! Where to Buy» Designed by booklovers for booklovers, the Kobo eReader includes: E Ink technology and adjustable font sizes - makes reading easy on the eyes Read right out of the box – comes pre-loaded with 100 FREE eBooks Sync N'Read – The Kobo eReader includes the Kobo Desktop Application which means you can shop for eBooks, organize your library and download eBooks right away! Contact Us Visit http://www.kobobooks.com/companyinfo/contact.html or send an email to: help@kobobooks.com Follow Become a fan Follow us blog.kobobooks.com Questions? Find help at: http://www.kobobooks.com/companyinfo/help.html Your security is important to us and we take great measures to protect your personal information. For details, see our Privacy Policy. ™ Kobo is a trademark of Kobo, Inc. © 2010 KOBO Inc. All Rights Reserved.

iTunes Canada avec films du Quebec!

La donation sur iTunes

Fini la discrimination chez Apple et iTunes, nous les Canadiens pouvons maintenant louer des films dans notre langue (le français; lien iTunes). Il y a même quelques films québécois dont La donation (lien iTunes)!

Mise-à-jour 23:45: Il semblerait que les gens chez iTunes sont fières de leur coup.

iTunes aux Canadiens français: speak white

****Mise-à-jour 2010-08-03: Les films iTunes sont disponibles en français! ****

"Ce qui est décevant c'est que le contenu est uniquement en anglais! En France ils ont des films français et il me semble que ça ne serais pas si compliquer d'ajouter les film de la France sur iTune Store canadien. Mais si on considère le temps que a mit eBay pour passer en français au Canada on peut croire que dans long temps iTune Store pourrais commencer à sortir des films français sur le Store ce qui diminuerais beaucoup les ventes du service VOD de Vidéotron." (Commentaire de Janvier 2010 sur un article de 2008)

Je ne comprends pas pourquoi Apple manque autant de respect envers la population francophone du Canada. Si Sony peut offrir des films en français sur son PlayStation Store et si iTunes France peut avoir des films en français, me semble que ça ne doit pas être si compliqué que ça mettre des films en français dans le iTunes store canadien.

Ceci-dit, les Belges et les Suisses francophones (ou non) ne sont pas plus avancé que nous, car il n'y a aucun films dans leur magasin iTunes.

Apple, si vous voulez faire affaire au Canada, parlez notre langue!

****Mise-à-jour 2010-08-03: Les films iTunes sont disponibles en français! ****

To ebook or not to ebook

Paper is a relatively cheap way to read stuff. The infrastructure is already there (paper mills, printers, roads, trucks, book stores, lamps, garbage collection, land fill sites), so the marginal cost of an additional  paper book is relatively low.

For many book publishers, the infrastructure to publish and distribute ebooks isn't there yet. So, counterintuitively, the marginal cost of each ebook is relatively high.

From a reader's point of view, here are the advantages of ebooks:

-They don't take up space.

-You can buy an ebook anywhere (and I mean anywhere), any time.

-Popular English language books and classics are easy to find.

-Moving forwards, "out of print" books will still be for sale and available. 

-Price comparison is easy (Kindle Store, iBookstore, Kobobooks, Fictionwise), you don't need to factor in shipping, just the sales tax (Kindle doesn't charge it to Canadians).

-They sometimes cost less than a paper book.

-Easy to transport. You can have your entire library in your pocket.

-No paper cuts, dust, or horrible glue smell.

Advantages of a paper book.

-More selection (especially non-English).

-You can give it away.

-You can show it off (when you are reading it and when you put it on your shelf).

-You can trade it.

-You can loose it without feeling too bad (unlike a $200 Kindle or a $550 iPad)

-You can damage it without feeling too bad (when drinking, eating, using it at the beach or in the bathroom).

-You don't need any special equipment (not an advantage if you already have an iPhone).

-Absolutely no glare.

-Some people think they like the smell and feel of paper books (I don't, in fact, I hate it).
-Many people collect books without finishing them. They may loose that collection joy in the digital format. (This is a pretty week advantage if you ask me, but I've read it in so many forums that it must be true).

-Books don't run out of battery.

I'm an ebook convert. I have the following iOS ereader apps on my iPhone: Kobo, iBooks, Stanza and Kindle. I also read books on my computer, on my laptop and on my TV.

I'm deeply allergic to dust and I move, way, way to often. I also live in a small apartment.

But the number 1 reason I love ebooks is I hate throwing book out. I just can't. It is literally painful for me to do so. My electronic books I can keep for ever!

Ereading options:

Stores: Kindle, Kobo, Finctionwise, jelis.ca, iBookstore.

Devices: iPod touch ($200), Kobo ($150), Kindle ($205 plus tax when shipped to Canada), Sony eReader ($200), Kindle DX ($350), iPad ($550), iPhone ($800), Android based smartphone (HTC: $500). Nook from Barnes and Noble, only in the USA ($150 for wifi only, $200 for wifi with 3G).

I know way too much about ebooks, so if you have any questions about ebooks, please leave them in the comments. I'll respond within 24 hours.

Despite Obama, iPad Converting US Congress Members (Video)

You knew that the Prime Minister of Norway was ruling his country via iPad while stuck in New York City during the Icelandic volcano eruption. But now it seems the iPad is popular among some US Congressmen. Thankfully for RIM, the Blackberry is still the portable device of choice.

(video from MSNBC.com )

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Dignation Proves iPad Wifi Sucks

Ironic that Kevin Rose looses his wifi connection on his iPad (Alex Albreit keeps his on his laptop). In defence of Apple, the ridiculous iPad case may have something to do with it.

David Letterman Has an iPad

I'm having formatting issues, but if you see the picture, click on it to see the April 1st Top 10 things to ask yourself before standing in line for an iPad. The video is from tonights show (April 1st).