I'm not one to post about technology, but I do appreciate the technological advances made by Apple Computer. Apple observes what works and what doesn't (tablet PC and net book) and is able to imagine new ways for technology to enrich our lives. They put their amazing engineers to work and define new ways for us to work and play.
Introducing the iPad. It is everything that I wished my Amazon Kindle had been before I quit using it. I bought the Kindle hoping that it would solve several specific problems I had with reading.
My illness has caused significant carpal tunnel syndrome in both wrists. I have numbness and weakness which makes it difficult to hold books, especially if they weigh anymore than a light magazine. Reading in bed is nearly impossible because of these problems.
I also want to be able to read lengthy medical PDF files without managing unwieldy printouts. I dislike wasting paper and trees on something I may read only once.
I hoped the Kindle would also address my poor eyesight. The common text size of many books cause eyestrain and fatigue. Larger text might help.
My great hope was that the Kindle DX would solve my reading problems. At first I was satisfied with the DX, but soon the slight irritations I experienced began to grow into bigger irritations. Eventually I stopped using it altogether.
What was the problem? The DX was too heavy and designed so poorly that I couldn't compensate for the extra weight by resting it comfortably on my belly. There were buttons right where your hands needed to be for extra support. The bottom of the unit had the plug zone and buttons that made it uncomfortable on your belly for any length of time.
The PDF reader did not allow modification of the text in any way. For example, I couldn't zoom in to a small text box to see the details. I also found the highlighter to be buggy, along with the unit itself, especially if you forgot to plug it in for any length of time. The text size worked great for me but could have gone larger for others with more significant vision issues. I eventually stopped using the Kindle DX.
Enter the iPad into my life. I've been using it a few days. It rests so comfortably on my lap and seems lightweight compared to the DX. It also includes a wide black band around the entire screen that has no buttons. The one exception is one button at the bottom of the screen that changes applications or brings up the search window.
So far, it is very easy to rest the unit in my lap, on one knee, or my belly. My hands hardly have to hold the unit at all and when I do hold it for any significant time the black band allows me to change my finger positions enough to avoid hand fatigue. It is also very comfortable to hold in one hand.
It handles text beautifully. There are several fonts to select depending upon your reading preferences. You even have a option for a sans serif font if that is easier on your eyes. Neither the iPad nor the Kindle have font sizes that that get large enough for vision impaired individuals. However, the iPad allows the user to zoom in on text, both as a regular option in most software as well as through the accessibility settings. There is also the option to speak text for vision impaired users but I found it very distracting on both the Kindle and the iPad.
In terms of durability only time will tell. If the iPhone is any guide the iPad should be well built. My friend just dropped her iPhone into a flushing toilet and it worked just fine after it dried!
-- Post From My iPad
