Technology As A Journey, Not a Destination

So I have two Acer AspireOne netbooks that I have tried, unsuccessfully, to auction on ebay.  One is running Windows 7 Home Premium that I upgraded via a USB flash drive.  The other is running Ubuntu Netbook Remix.  The more I use them, I realize that the size of these netbooks is not particularly great.  There was a time when I really enjoyed taking them into bed or sitting on the couch with them for just web browsing.  Before I got a macbook, I always had bulky laptop computers that were just too big to sit comfortably with.  The Macbook changed that, but then made me crave smaller.  The size of the Macbook 13″ is just perfect for portability, but sometimes you need something smaller.

Taking a laptop into bed to read is a hassle and an annoyance for your spouse.  Whether that is a full-size laptop like my Macbook or the Acer Aspire netbook, it’s still a pain.

It had been a while since I even turned on either of the netbooks, so I decided tonight to grab one and try to work on some learning in Moodle that I am woefully behind in finishing.  The Windows 7 machine, for some reason, decides at the most inopportune time to install updates and restart.  Then it decided that it couldn’t  update anyway, but that’s a rant for another time.

As I was working on those, I realized that the size of the screen just wasn’t right for reading the tutorials.  I was forever scrolling and moving and it just irritated me to no end.  So I grab the iPad to see if that would work.  Well, some of the tutorials were in flash format, so that scratched that idea.  However, the size of the iPad was perfect for what I needed.

In the end, I needed to use my Macbook, but I was left annoyed by the fact that the two devices I wanted to use wouldn’t work for me.  And then I realized that this whole iPad type device is still the first of its kind.  As it progresses and people try to outdo each other, I’m sure in about five years these devices will see as archaic as the floppy disk.

The iPad has arrived, in fact on release day.   I’d like to say I’ve been so busy playing with it that I haven’t had a chance to update this blog because of that.  The truth is, I’ve been moving from Blogger to WordPress and that has been an adventure.  That will be the topic of future posts, my WordPress dilemma.

Back to the iPad… At first I was sort of ho-hum about it.  It set in its case for several days before I did much work on it.  I installed a couple of apps and called it good.  My five  year old son, though, is completely in love with it.  I found some cool apps, even paid for a couple.  The color by number app was his favorite.  I took it to work and showed it off, which was a huge hit.

But as I’ve played with it more, I’m seeing a great deal of potential.  I find myself reaching for it when I want to check something on the web, send a quick e-mail, or update Twitter or Facebook.  It’s just a neat little device to take on the go.  The streaming Netflix is the best, though.  It’s not a replacement for my laptop by any stretch.  Typing is just slightly better than on my Droid or an iPod touch.  The full screen keyboard is better, but I am just not as proficient with it as I am with a traditional keyboard.  Could by age, or habit, but either way, I wouldn’t want to type too much on it.

I purchased the iWork suite, and have played with that a bit.  If I could figure out if it’s possible to use it with Mobile Me, I’d be a lot more impressed.  I’m not sure if that’s something I’m missing, but as a whole, it’s just iWork.  I suppose if you’ve never used iWork before, it could be exciting, but I very rarely get excited about word processing, spreadsheets or presentations.  Yawn.  So in all fairness, it would have to be pretty spectacular for me to rave about that.  How the documents actually get off of the iPad is what has bothered me.

If Google Apps would let you edit documents, I’d be a lot more sold.  I don’t know whose deficiency this is, but it irritates me.  Of course, I can’t edit Google Docs on my Droid either, so it’s not like it’s anything with just Apple.  Something is not quite right, and I imagine as it gets more popular this will resolve.  I have seen that fly past in Twitter a few times, so it’s not just me.

I see a lot of potential in this device.  It’s just not quite 100% yet, but it’s certainly light years ahead of anything else out there.  It’s just a very different way of working with a “computer.”  It’s hard to explain  until you’ve tried one.  Give me Google Docs integration and I’ll seriously consider ordering some for student use.

I was one of the “crazy Apple fanatic” people who ordered the iPad on launch day.  I don’t know, something about this product seems to be a glimpse of the future and I wanted to be a part of it.  I have read the pros and cons of the device.  These articles range from positive to negative, to wandering off into absurd analogies.  I am a recent fan of Apple, less than a year in fact.

What prompted me to purchase the iPad was that I now regret not having owned an iPod until three months ago.  I went through several portable music devices, and only recently discovered what an amazing piece of technology the iPod is.  Looking back, I could have enjoyed this experience for several years.  Instead, I had a player that performed almost as well as the iPod.

What I’ve noticed with the Apple products I’ve found so far is that they don’t really do anything extraordinary.  What Apple products do is work really well.  I have owned all ranges of computers, from desktops to laptops to netbooks.  The mac has moved to my #1 favorite computer to use.  In fact, I find when I have to use Windows XP now, I’m just frustrated.

I also own Windows 7, and it is a dramatic improvement over XP.  In fact, I have Windows 7 on a netbook.  I have experimented with Windows 7 in a tablet version.  There’s just something missing.  I watched part of the keynote introduction of the iPad and what Mr. Jobs said is absolutely true – netbooks don’t do anything well.  This is true, but with one exception: my netbook with Windows 7 is great for streaming Netflix when I’m laying in bed.

So I look at the iPad and all of the things it supposedly can’t do.  It can’t take pictures, doesn’t have an external usb connector, doesn’t have a phone app, and on and the list goes on.  The one thing I find frustrating is the whole flash thing.  After reading this article, though, it made much more sense to me.

I hope I’m not disappointed.