While Apple has been chided for endlessly calling its devices “magical,” few words are better to describe this iPad 2, which is one-third thinner, 15 percent lighter and twice as fast as the original.
It is simply the best vessel on which to casually consume content — an experience that has dropped users more completely and comfortably into the Web than any other device in history.
The iPad 2 now has front- and rear-facing cameras. The quality of the video camera is commendable although much less so in low-light conditions. Paired with Apple’s new iMovie app ($4.99), the iPad 2 is an all-in-one video capturing and editing device.
The front-facing camera allows the iPad to join the suite of devices linked to FaceTime, Apple’s video chatting software. Users can place video calls to other Apple devices, including the iPod Touch, iPhone and Mac computers. The FaceTime experience is slick and the quality of the video calls over WiFi is excellent.
Both the front- and rear-facing cameras on the iPad 2 allow users to take still photographs, but the quality on both is less than poor.
The iPad’s best feature continues to be Apple’s industry-leading app ecosystem. Apple boasts more than 65,000 apps built for the iPad’s 9.7-inch touch-screen display.
Apple also upgraded the iPad’s Safari Web browser to make navigating around the Internet snappier. Pages load much faster than on the original iPad. Users of the original iPad should see a similar bump in speed when they upgrade to the new software version made available earlier this month.
One of the most exciting things about the iPad 2 is the innovative cover designed to protect it. It works seamlessly with the new tablet, snapping on and snapping closed using magnets. Opening the cover automatically turns the iPad 2 on, saving the few seconds that were required to wake up the previous version. When the cover retracts and folds up, it serves as a stand in two positions — one perfect for typing and one for watching video. The covers come in 10 versions ($39 to $69).
The iPad 2′s only compelling competition, the Android-based Motorola Xoom, hit the market late last month without the features that were supposed to make it an iPad killer: support for Flash video, microSD cards and Verizon’s next-generation 4G LTE wireless network. (All of those features are coming “soon,” though, through software upgrades.) And it dropped with a gulp-worthy price tag: $800. Placed next to the iPad 2, the Xoom looks clunky and bloated. There is no better tablet on the market than the iPad 2.
From www.statesmanjournal.com
