Steve Holden's Blog

Analysis Of "New" iPad Application Size Increase Claims

As a "new" iPad owner, one of issues outlined as a possible negative impact of having a Retina display was that application memory storage was going to be much bigger.  Since my plan was to move from iPad 2 with 16-GB to the new iPad with 16-GB, I was a little concerned since I seemed to have between 500-MBs to 1-GB free.

So, after a couple of recent updates where I noticed "Retina display' updates listed in the new feature list, I decided to try and track file sizes as updates were happening.  Here is the first sample of applications updated:

And this is the summary of increases for these apps:

• Stitcher v4.8.1 (13.9-MB) went to v4.8.2 (14.1-MB)
• Wikipanion v1.7.5.4 (2.5-MB) went v1.7.6 (4.9-MB)
• Khan Academy v1.01 (1.8-MB) went to v1.1.1 (1.9-MB)
• iThoughtsHD v3.3 (7.1-MB) went to v3.4 (12.7-MB) 
• The Weather Channel (TWC ) v2.3.2 (8.2-MB) went to v3.2.0 (97.7-MB) 

My second sampling included (less than a week ago):

With the following analysis:

• USA Today for iPad v2.0.8 (3.7-MB) went to v2.09 (6.6-MB)
• Redbox v2.4.0 (2.4-MB) went to v2.4.1 (2.8-MB) 
• Bible v3.8.1. (8.6-MB) went to v4.0 (15.9-MB)
• Where's My Water v1.4.1 (20.8-MB) went to v1.5.0 (38.1-MB)
• Google+ v1.0.10 (17.4-MB) went to v1.0.15 (17.7-MB)
• iThoughtsHD v3.4 (12.7-MB) went to v3.5 (12.6-MB) 
• Toodledo - To Do List v2.1.19 (5.5-MB) went to v2.2.0 (19.5-MB)  

So, it does appears that in general 'new' iPad applications are larger, and based on my sampling it looks like about 1.5x larger on average.  Most of the applications I tracked are all new Retina-savvy applications, but they also have other upgraded capabilities, new features, fixes, etc.  As the saying goes "correlation does not mean causation."

It was interesting that the iThoughtsHD most recent update went down in size (but did increase when it added "Retina display" feature).  Also the Google+ application is not Retina-savvy  per the application notes but it did have a small increase between versions.

The impact to my own iPad seems relatively minor since I seem to have between one to two GBs free (mostly changing based on music or video uploads) since moving from iPad 2 to new iPad.  I'll keep monitoring and will do an update post if something significant turns up.

Thoughts?!?

 

My New iPad Review

There are a lot of reviews on the new 3rd generation iPad.  Here are some of my thoughts after 48+ hours of use:

• The screen is amazing. The Retina-display is probably worth the upgrade all on its own. One thing that is very noticeable is that iPhone 2x applications are much clearer and crisp than on the iPad 2. 
• The dictation software with iOS 5.1 for iPad is surprisingly good. I have used it a bunch of times vice typing for both emails and web searches.  It has been 99% accurate for me.
• The camera is a great upgrade from the iPad 2.  I used the camera a lot with the iPad 2 and was pretty disappointed with the quality.  This was one area that I wanted to see some improvement in.  I'm pretty happy with the ~20 pictures I've taken so far (inside & outside).  I do need to play more with it, but for now I'm very satisfied.

A couple of other things to mention:

• Upgrading from the iPad 2 to the new iPad was pretty successful.  One issue I've had pretty consistently is that you do need to delete all network settings after an upgrade to get the iPad to work consistently on my Wi-Fi network.  I had this problem going from the original iPad to the iPad 2 last year, and again this year when I upgraded my son's iPad to my old iPad 2.
• It is also kinda interesting that some applications move over with no new user/password logon issues but then others require re-entry of user name/password.  I guess re-entry is probably better from a security perspective, but it does slow you down if you are using a bunch of complex passwords like I am across many different services/applications.

Bottom line: As someone who has used the original iPad (16-GB, Wi-Fi) , and then the iPad 2 (16-GB, Wi-Fi), I definitely think that the new iPad (16-GB, Wi-Fi) is an excellent upgrade for me. I'm very happy with the purchase. 

Increase in Tablet & eBook Print Advertising?!?

I noticed this morning in the Sunday Union-Tribune (5/1/2011) what seemed to me to be an increased number of  tablet and ebook advertisements:

• Best Buy: Kindle with Special Offers ($114); Acer Iconia Tab A500 ($450); NOOKColor ($350)
• Office Depot: ViewSonic 10.1" Tablet ($300)
• Staples: Dell Steak 7 ($400); BlackBerry PlayBook ($499); Motorola Xoom ($600); Amazon Kindle ($189 plus $25 gift card); NOOKColor ($249)
• Target: Kindle with Special Offers ($114)

I do think both the Kindle and the Nook are great ebook readers based on what I've heard from others about them.  I am still very happy with the new Apple iPad 2, so I don't think I'd seriously consider any of the other tablets at this time.  And since I like my iPad 2 for reading books, adding an ebook reader to my technology toolkit probably won't happen.

My usuage pattern for the iPad 2 are still pretty much the same since I purchase the original iPad: ebooks/PDF reading, email, web browsing, personal GTD, casual gaming, and consuming podcasts/music/video.  

Are you using a tablet?  If so, which one, and what are you using it for?

Will The Motorola Zoom Replace My Apple iPad?

I got a question from a friend asking if I was considering replacing my Apple iPad with a Motorola Zoom now that Best Buy is running ads for them.

The short answer is no.  I am still very happy with my iPad and use it every day as my primary personal "knowledge navigator."

After reviewing the Best Buy ad (the Zoom is expected to be released Feb. 24), I think the things that are attractive about this device:

• 10.1" screen
• 32-GB memory
• Adobe Flash support
• Front (2-MP) & rear (5-MP) camera for pictures & video capture
• Andriod OS
• 3G upgradeable to 4G LTE

Some things that are big negatives for me:

• $800 price range
• WI-FI can only be used after paying for a 1 month data subscription with Verizon

The other thing that is going to be hard for iPad users who are comfortable with using iTunes as their primary media sync tool (podcasts, music, movies, etc) is finding that same experience in the Android/Zoom eccosystem.  There are some good alternatives like doubletwist, but they are different.

The other big negative is going to be people's investment in iPad applications.  I know that is going to be something I'd have to consider because I do have some key applications I've purchased and use everyday that paying for them over again isn't very appealing.

Tech Tracking #003 - Android, Gune, MacWorld, WordPress, Etc.

Here are some tech items I've been tracking:

• PaulaD has published a list of “50 Free Android Apps that Will Make You Smarter & More Productive".
• Gune is a mobile search service/platorm that searches 14 sites in a single interface. 
• Victor Cajiao at Typical Mac User Podcast is speaking that this years Macworld 2011.
• "Teach Yourself WordPress 3 in 10 Minutes" by Chuck Tomasi & Kreg Steppe is at the top of the list at WordPress.org
• Cox Cable is now offering “Ultimate Internet” using Docsis 3.0" ... cost could be up to $100 a month 
• Electronics West is Feb 9-10, 2011 in Anaheim, CA.
• Microsoft & T-Mobile are teaming up to offer a 2-for-1 deal for the new Windows Mobile HTC HD7 phones.
• You can take FileMaker Training Series for FileMaker Pro 11 remotely via GoToMeeting (50% off).
• ScotteVest has a new Sport Coat & Revolution Jacket - plus a special edition leather jacket.
• MindMeister's iPhone app is now FREE and the iPad app is $7.99 ... great online MindMap application.

Battle For The Living Room - Round 1 Roku

Over the last couple of months I've been trying to decide what the best device was to purchase that would allow the family to access the "most" digital content in our living room.

Some things that mattered:

• Access to Internet content: NetFlix, Amazon, Hulu, Pandora, podcasts, etc
• Streaming media from the local network
• Ability to play media from local storage
• Reasonable up front cost, upgradeable, viable roadmap, track record of improvements
• Technical features: easy GUI, upgradable, Ethernet, WiFi, and HDMI

The choices were pretty competitive in many ways -- Apple TV (new & old), Roku, Google TV, Western Digital WD TV, Game Players (Xbox, Wii, PS3), Boxee Box, etc with each having many good points but also a number of issues that just couldn't be over come.

My decision was to go with the Roku XDS Streaming Player 1080p that is currently on sale at Amazon for $99.  It seems to be the one that hits most of the requirements with the only big issue right now is that it does not seem to play well in the Apple ecosystem with video, but you can reportedly stream audio from existing iTunes collections to the device.

After I get the device up and running (it should arrive in a couple of days) I'll send out an updated review.  If you have done a similar analysis, I'd love to hear what decision you have made.  If you have any suggestions or hints on how to better use a Roku device, I'd like to hear that also.

 

Tech Tracking #001 - New News, Mobile, Video, Security, Books, Training, Etc

Here are some new items I am tracking --

• MaximumPC has a good list of Microsoft Windows Phone 7 feature and tech stats
• Amazon’s cloud services continue to see improvements: new lower S3 storage pricing, increased HTTPS support, Mechanical Turk upgrades, etc.
• NVIDA has announced GeForce.com as their new home for latest drivers and other resources.
• If you use QuickBooks 2011, then you might want to check out a new book from O’Reilly.
• Zimbra Desktop 2.0 is out: open-source, multi-platform collaboration tool now with social media integration.
• ScotteVest has a new Expedition Jacket with 37 Pockets (it looks great for camping,  hunting & hiking)
• Mac OS X v10.6.5  Security Update 2010-007 has a lot of fixes include ~55 just for Adobe Flash
• computertechnician.net is a site run by a non-profit to list “different degree & school options as well as career, job & salary information”
• The Winter Quarter for UCLA Extension's Computer Science & Information Systems courses and certificate programs starts 1/5/2010
• SANS On Demand's 2011 Course Catalog has been announced (video, hands-on exercises, test prep, etc)
• Dynamism has announced availability of the Sony Vaio Y Series laptop & the Viewsonic Viewpad 7 tablet

Getting PDF Feeds Automatically On Your iPad

With the release of Apple's iTunes 9.2 and the iBook 1.1 application release for the iPad (this also works reportedly on any iPhone or iPod Touch with iBook 1.1), you can now get PDF files automatically downloaded into the iBook application.

 

Here is how I was able to get it done:

1. Subscribe to a RSS feed in iTunes that provides you PDF content.  For me that was Make Magazine, Beatweek magazine, and premium content from Manager Tools.
2. Then hook your iPad to your computer and do a Sync.  After the sync is done, go to the iPad icon in iTunes and select the Podcasts tab and make sure your iPad is syncing to the RSS feed content. If the feed like Beatweek is selected in the Podcasts tab you won't see anything in the Episode list since a PDF isn't according to Apple a media format like MP3 or MOV.
3. Now go to the the Books tab on the iPad and check Sync Books.  Depending on your preference you can select All Books or Select Books to sync.  I used Select Books and then checked the books I wanted.
4. Then you can do a Sync and your PDF's will be in the iBooks applications on the iPad.

I did notice two "bugs" or "issues".  The first, only PDFs that appear to be listed in the Books Selection area in iTunes are PDFs that have been downloaded since iTunes 9.2 was released.  I haven't been able to seamless get older PDFs to load in this manner. The second, the feeds now show up in your Podcast list in iTunes.  If you go to a podcast feed with PDF files, the PDFs are listed there (--:--), and if you click on them the screen goes blank trying to play them like an audio or video file.  Just tap once and you should be able to exit out.

Before this option, I have been successfully using GoodReader for PDFs reading, but this new iBook method is pretty compelling as it can be setup to be automatic.  These two bugs are pretty distracting though, and hopefully they will get addressed soon.

Thoughts? Comments? Let me know!

An Apple iPad ~2 Month Later Review & Update

Here is a follow-up update to my one week review of the Apple iPad.

Overall, I am still extremely happy with the device.  It has become my primary personal device when I'm at home eliminating my Microsoft Windows 7 TabletPC I was using before the iPad.  I have also travelled with the iPad twice since the initial purchase, and I have found it a great device for reading material (books, PDFs, magazines, saved offline web content, etc) and for consuming videos (podcasts, TV shows, and movies).  Taking the iPad on travel vice the personal TabletPC has also meant that I had over 6 pounds less in my backpack than normal.  This made travel much more enjoyable.

NY Times' BOB TEDESCHI recently did a review on his impression of travelling with the iPad.  The only thing I found different from Bob article is that TSA at both San Diego (SAN) and Washington Dulles (IAD) wanted the iPad in a seperate container to scan vice stored in my backpack.

Things that continue to make this device enjoyable:

• Excellent form-factor, screen, and battery life
• Internal speaker is well suited for casual listening
• Consumption of media when and where I want to is ideal
• Applications customized for the iPad are compelling

The one thing I did have to figure out was how to seemlessly as possible listen to "new" news and video podcasts directly on the iPad without having to do a regular desktop sync.  I tried using Safari and Google Reader to manage the feeds but playing MP3s in Safari has proven to be buggy for me.  Safari would play them for a while but then become unstable and quit, especially for large shows over 15 minutes long.  I then moved those specific news and video podcasts to my desktop iTunes to get the subscriptions loaded on the iPad.  Once loaded you can then play them from the iPod application.  But if you want new podcasts you need to click "Get More Episodes ..." which then launches the iTunes application.  You then need to click on the Free icon for the newer podcast items you want to download directly.  The Free icon then changes to Get Episode which when you click on that icon will download.  You then need to application context switch back to the iPod application to play the new content.  It works but definitely not seamlessly.  But the benefit of using Apple's iPad and iTunes applications on the iPad is that you can listen to content and launch other applications.

The biggest negative continues to be lack of multi-processing. Switching between applications is fast but swapping context is mentally challenging.  Plus, I'd love to be able to run Pandora in the background and then go about whatever else I'd like to do.

 

My top ten most used 3rd-party iPad apps seem to be:

1. TweetDeck (Twitter app)
2. Kindle (eBook reader)
3. iThoughtsHD (MindMap tool)
4. Evernote (online notes and reference library)
5. Toodledo (projects and tasks management)
6. Goodreader (PDF reader)
7. The Weather Channel MAX+ (check the weather)
8. Dropbox (online, multi-computer file storage)
9. Atomic Web (multi-tab browser)
10. QuickVoice (audio recorder)

 

Next on the list is to consider trying out some of the remote access solutions to see how well you can run a Mac or PC from the iPad.  If you have a favorite then please let me know.

One Week With The Apple iPad Review

After experiencing the Apple iPad for the last week, I thought I'd outline my thoughts on the device that seems to still have a lot of buzz and interest.

In a nutshell, I am very happy with the iPad and I believe that it is a compelling device that fits in well between laptops/desktops and mobile phones.

I believe this device is going to help me be more effective with reading, podcast & audio book listening, and consuming professional content in eBook, PDF, and other standard formats.  I expect it will also help me on the organizational front with more ubiquitous access to reference material, project support data, and communications services.  Plus, it will be a fun device to decompress with casual games, videos, and music.

No device is perfect -- says the former Newton & still TabletPC laptop fan. As I outlined in a previous blog post, I had some concerns with the hardware and software as proposed by Apple for iPad v1.0 before picking up the device. 

The good news is that as far as I can tell there isn't anything new that the iPad can't do that wasn't already publicly announced before it was released. So, I don't have any buyer's remorse. I know there are now confirmed Wi-Fi issues, but I haven't experienced those with the Wi-Fi networks I have available to me.

Things that are great:

• The screen is awesome.
• Battery life is equally impressive.
• Bluetooth keyboard support is solid.
• Surfing the web is fast and fluid on the screen with the pinch-to-zoom working as expected.
• Books via Amazon's Kindle application are readable and easy to consume over hours of reading.
• Physically the device is solid and feels good in your hands.
• Goodreader.net is a very nice $0.99 application for reading PDFs.
• The interface and applications run fast -- so the custom Apple A4 processor was a very good idea IMHO.
• The built-in Apple iPad applications are well designed.  The Email application with support for viewing a large number attachment formats is especially functional.
• Native 3rd party iPad/HD applications look spectacular on the device. Some of the ones I've been using include: USA Today, Reuters, TweetDeck, The Weather Channel, Zino, Evernote, Toodledo, Kayak Flights, Dictionary, ABC Player, Yahoo! Entertainment, Sudoku Tablet, YouVersion Bible, and Box.net.
• On screen keyboard is significantly better than my previous iPod Touch experiences.
• Internal speaker is better than I expected and so is the microphone.
• Doing a one on one demo with someone is pretty powerful for sharing and viewing information. The built-in Photos application is especially noteworthy as a good example.
• Maps with Wi-Fi geolocation is remarkably accurate.
• I haven't really ran into situations where multi-tasking would be an issue, but I can think of one area I am going to run into problems -- browsing in Safari and then wanting to post via TweetDeck.

Things that are not so great (from a consumer perspective):

• Screen gets smudged very easily, but cleans up well.
• Can't subscribe to podcasts directly in iTunes on the iPad.
• The iPad could lose a half-a-pound in weight, and be more portable plus easier to hold over a longer period of time.
• Pricing on new iPad specific applications is way to high in my humble opinion. Kudos to many of the application developers I currently use for creating 'free' upgrade versions.
• The 2x upscale for standard iPhone apps leaves a lot of pixelation issues that distracts from the experience.
• Safari has crashed more than I expected when consuming media files directly from sites like podcast RSS feeds.
• I don't like having to sync to iTunes to get Contact updates.  You can get Google Calendar updates directly via CalDAV.
• iBook prices appear to be on average more expensive than Amazon Kindle prices.  For instance, David Allen's "Getting Things Done (GTD)" is $9.99 on Amazon and $12.99 on Apple's iBook store.

Things that are not great (from my own Enterprise work perspective):

• No DOD PKI CAC support so you can't sign emails or read encrypted emails.  You also can't use many DOD sites without DOD PKI CAC support in the browser.  Plus at my organization, VPN access and authenticated WIFI is not currently possible without DOD PKI CAC support.
• Currently there is no way to encrypt the whole device and/or all the application specific storage areas.  This will be a problem as Data At Rest (DAR) requirements become more prevalent and no longer optional.  I've heard rumors about possible 3rd party solutions being released soon that solves this type of problem but nothing definitive as I post this review.  If anyone knows anything about future iPhone/iPad DAR solutions, then please let me know.

Other than fixing the items that are not so great, what could Apple do for improving iPad 2.0 hardware?  Here are a few suggestions:

• More Bluetooth device support (i.e. networking, GPS, DOD CAC PKI, etc),
• Integrate a native USB port,
• Add an SD Card slot, and
• Drop the price for all units by $100.

I'm sort of ambivalent on adding the camera from a video conferencing/chat perspective, but I think the camera as a sensor to capture location views, barcodes, snapshots, etc would be useful.

With recent news of the iPhone/iPad OS v4.0 coming out soon there is a good chance that many of the software issues will be either solved by this v4.0 release or an earlier v3.x release.  Given that the current release date for iPad support for v4.0 is Fall 2010, I'd expect a hardware update for the iPad when this actually comes out.  Regular Fall releases for new iPad hardware makes more sense for Holiday Sales, and future iPad release will probably be part of Apple's traditional new iPod releases usally in September or October.

The one thing I have not had a chance to try out but would like to is using the iPad to remotely connect to Windows or Mac systems.   I think this could be a big business area for Apple when the 3G version comes out.  With this feature, businesses could leverage the iPad for mobile computing solutions like access to intranet applications, sales presentations, eLearning, etc outside their internal physically controlled Wi-Fi networks.  The only reason I haven't tried them out is the three that look good for evaluation had prices ranging from $15 to $35.  Apple and their developers really need a 'demo' option for items in their AppStore, especially for applications with high price tags. Spending money to do multi-product evaluations is not that appealing to me.

Another thing worth noting is that there is definitely going to be more iPad-like products coming to the market in the near future. I think some of these will be pretty competitive, especially those with Google's Android and more than likely Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 Series.  The big change, when compared to the past, is that the iPad is based on an operating system geared for being mobile, and the full blown operating system software like those on previous TabletPCs is not the right answer for devices in this middle ground between laptops/desktops and mobile phones.

Want to learn more? One of the better Apple iPad consolidated tips, tricks, and pointers articles is posted at HowToGeek.com (link via Kreg Steppe @ FriendsInTech.com)  Another tool that looks interesting is a Google Docs editing tool called Office2Pro that was recently reviewed on one of my favorite mobile technology blogs JK On The Run.

If you have any comments, then please post them below and I'll definitely respond.  If you have any questions that you'd like to have answered, then you can send me email at: [email protected] or send me a Twitter message (@sholden) or on direct message on Facebook (sholden).