Needless to say I had a fricken amazing time in Orlando. Universal treated us like kings and it was SO much fun.

I wanted to blog about something I did differently this time in regards to covering the event for MuggleNet. It all came down to having a Sprint Mifi card, which gave my MacBook, iPad, and iPhone SOLID 3G internet access wherever I was.

During the press conference, I was able to upload high-res photos of the stars directly to Twitter (example). I’d take the pictures, pop my camera’s SD card into the MacBook, and send them online.

At the nighttime Grand Opening I shot little bits of video on the iPhone and uploaded them directly to Twitter (example). I first attempted to do this with AT&T’s 3G connection straight from the iPhone but it kept failing. I can only blame that on AT&T’s network. I turned on the Mifi and it worked like a charm. I was basically a walking wireless base station that whole night.

Instead of bringing my laptop to the nighttime Grand Opening – and looking like a huge nerd – I brought the iPad and used the iPad Camera Connection Kit to upload high res photos from my SD card to the iPad to the internet right in the park. Even though this picture didn’t turn out great, it grabbed 12k views – I think it went somewhat viral as it was “in the moment”.

In today’s internet-reliant world, instant is everything. Getting the high-res pics up – and some decent iPhone video – were icing on the instantaneous cake.

I live for doing this live coverage kind of thing. It’s so much fun to serve the community.

I’ve been playing with my precious, sexy iPad for a week now. I’m going to try to keep this review as fanboy-free as possible because nobody wants to watch me go “omgomgomg”.

… Is it too late since I already called a computer ’sexy’?

Overall, I’m VERY happy with it. There’s something really really nice about relaxing with this thing. It’s so simple and unobtrusive. It’s clear why all the ads for the iPad depict the user kicking back on a couch – that’s EXACTLY where you’ll want to use it (or a bed).

The apps are really what make the iPad shine. My favorites so far are USA Today, Sneezies HD, ABC Player, Flight Control HD, and Pages. I plan on picking up Plants VS Zombies HD soon too.

The large screen makes all the difference and separates it from an iPhone/iPod touch. It’s ridiculous to call it a iPhone/iPod when we all know that size, in the case of technology, makes a big difference. It’s the reason people upgrade their TVs or insist they get a laptop a certain size. It’s the reason you want more ram, or a bigger hard drive, or a faster processor. BIGGER IS BETTER. Oh, and that big size means BIG battery – hello, solid 10 hours of use on one charge!

With all the extra screen real estate, app developers have more room to work with. With this screen, you can comfortably read a book or a newspaper, experience a vibrant/interactive game, watch movies comfortably, draw, etc. I never read or watched a thing on the iPhone because the screen isn’t one you want to stare at for more than a few minutes. I really can’t wait to see new apps come into the App Store over time. And iPhone OS 4.0 will be brillllliant on this.

Some miscellaneous positives:
- It doesn’t get hot. This is part of what makes it nice to relax with. Unlike a laptop, the iPad can sit on your lap for as long as you want and still be as cool as when you picked it up. Even if you watch a movie, this baby is CHILL.
- The screen is beautiful. Video – like digital copies of DVDs and the ABC Player – really show off the capabilities.
- I quickly picked up good typing skills. The catch is you have to have the iPad angled the right way to type optimally. The fact that it supports bluetooth keyboards is convenient. The case I bought angles it at just the right position for efficient typing speed and accuracy.
- I LOVE THE 3RD PARTY APPS.
- Multitasking – which will be available in OS 4.0 – will make this thing near perfect.

Now, to make this as fair and fanboy-free as possible, I will try to compile a list of BAD things about the iPad:
- some sites don’t work how they should because they need Flash. This is the problem everyone is talking about. I don’t use any sites regularly that require flash so this doesn’t bother me much. Moreover, a lot of companies seem to be listening to Steve by supporting devices that don’t include Flash.
- the screen smudges more than the iPhone’s does. annoying when you view the iPad at an angle and see smudges.
- it’s a little heavier than I expected.
- they should have introduced folders with this. The Weather, Stocks, Voice Memos, and Calculator apps are missing and this is likely because they didn’t want to clog up the screen with apps. I’m guessing they’ll add these smaller apps once folders are available in OS version 4.0.

That’s about it for now. I’m eager to start reading books on this and seeing how it is on the eyes. I stare at screens a lot as it is so I’m not too worried about my eyes going crazy about another screen.

Have you used/purchased an iPad? What do you think of it?

Now that we’ve all had time to let the news sink in, here are my thoughts on Apple’s iPad.

I want to mainly comment on this commonly heard observation: “It’s nothing special because it’s just a giant iPhone [or iPod touch]“.

If you think that, consider this: what if the iPad and iPhone release dates were switched? During the original iPhone introduction keynote, the audience crapped themselves at the sight of Steve Jobs using his finger to control the phone. Everyone was blown away by the technology they had created for a mobile device.

If the iPad was announced in 2007, I’m betting the large majority of people would’ve called it a must-have product. We would have all gawked at the multi touch, the portability, the beautiful screen, the apps, etc etc.

And if Apple announced the iPhone/iPod touch yesterday, people would’ve considered iPhones/iPod touches to be even more incredible than the iPad. “omg,” they’d cry, “all that incredible technology in the 2007 iPad can now be found in something that’s 1/3rd the size!”

So yes, the timing of the iPad is poor. Apple should have released the iPad first so that they could shrink all that technology into the iPhone/iPod touch. When it comes to technology, getting smaller is more impressive than getting larger.

One last thing to remember: people were skeptical about the iPhone when it was announced. I remember one of the main complaints was about the screen. People thought it would be crap because we’d get our fingerprints all over it. How little a concern is that now?

Point: it’s a 1.0 device that the general public haven’t touched.  Until we do, we can’t fairly judge.  Reporters who have played with it (who I trust to be honest with opinions) say that the most impressive part is – surprise surprise – actually holding and using it.

I’ll probably be getting the 16 or 32 GB one with 3G. The ability to be online anywhere for $30/month with unlimited bandwidth AND no contract is “magical and revolutionary” in itself.

Because I am a (proud) nerd, please find my Apple Tablet predictions below. This is based off of David Weiss’s Prediction Score Card.

Steve Jobs will be formally announcing the Tablet and all of its features tomorrow, January 27th starting at 10 AM PT. I’m very excited to see what they’ve come up with. And to pre-order it.

After they announce it, you all should come back here and admire how right I was about (mostly) everything.

- Tablet announcement: Yes
- Table price: $600 – $800 WITH a data plan.
- Table screen size: 10 inches
- Cell Phone Internet Capability: Yes (let’s hope Verizon)
- Tablet SDK: No – they’ll use the iPhone’s
- Tablet apps only from App Store: Yes
- Tablet runs existing iPhone apps: Yes
- Tablet OS is a new OS: Yes
- Book, Newspaper, Magazine content: Yes
- Video, Music, TV: Absolutely
- Built-in camera: Yes
- Tactile Keyboard (emits a physical response when pressing keys): Yes
- Supports Flash: Yes
- Tablet ships: March 2010
- The name: Either iSlate or iPad. I’m leaning more towards iSlate.

Additionally at the event tomorrow:
- iPhone 4.0 announcement: Yes
- iLife/iWork updates: Yes

By the way, if you feel so inclined to comment on this post, you’ll notice that there’s a new captcha box on the form (you type in letters to verify you’re not a robot). This is to prevent spam, which I was getting a crap load of.

I recently discovered the wonders of the two biggest location-based social networking games being used right now: FourSquare and Gowalla.

I’ve been what one would consider a “regular user” for about 24 hours now and it’s pretty addicting.

Basically, here’s how both work: you are at Starbucks. You load up your FourSquare and/or Gowalla app. You “check-in” to the location. Depending on which application you’re using, you’ll also be able to see what other people/friends have checked in there, read tips about the place from others who have visited that exact location, and more.

Each app keeps track of where you’ve been. If you visit the place more than anyone else, you become the mayor. People can steal that mayor title from you if they visit the place more times than you do.

Unique to Gowalla is a fun items feature. People can leave items at any place they check in, then other users who go there can find and collect them.

Unique to FourSquare is the ability to earn badges and achievements.

My point: I think these services are going to be big in 2010. Both are simple, fun, and easy. They’re essentially a more fun way to tweet.

I encourage everyone to give ‘em a try! If you had to pick one, use Gowalla.. it’s prettier. You’ll be ahead of the curve when they go mainstream in a year or two. Start by just checking in to everywhere you go… you’ll find why it’s addicting.