For the past year, my nieces — and now, my daughter — have been absolutely in love with what I consider the best interactive storybook on the iPad: “The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore”. It’s based off an animated short, that just so happens to be nominated for an Academy Award. Previously, you had to purchase the short, but now that the nominations are out, they’ve put it up online for everyone to enjoy.
Posts tagged iPad
Gah! Do I really have to wait a whole week to order the iPad 2? I suppose I’ve waited this long… what’s another week, right?
(Answer: after reading all about it — too damn long, that’s what.)
Source 
Yesterday, I had the chance to fiddle around with an iPad. There were a number of conclusions I arrived at in my fifteen minutes with the device:
- Undeniably fun to use. It looks good, handles snappy, feels like “the future”. (Which, if I recall, was the same response the iPhone generated upon it’s debut a few years ago.)
- Can’t type a lick. I had a real tough time typing. Could I get better with time? Probably. But unlike the iPhone, it’s not a matter of teaching my thumbs a “new” way. I am a touch-typist (95wpm, WHAT!) and the fact is — there aren’t any keys. The only way to type (correctly) is by looking at your fingers. Which leads me to…
- Consumption, not creation. If you’re using it for watching, reading, surfing — it’s perfect. You’d be hard pressed to find a better device to sit with and check email, browse photos, watch a TV show or baseball game (MLB app is very purdy). However, if you think you’ll be able to easily whip up a proposal or spreadsheet with their iWork “apps” — or, hell, type up simple post like this — you’re gonna be disappointed, and will need the extra ducats for that keyboard.
- The Kids. If this thing wasn’t $500+ and unable to withstand a few drops on carpet without shattering, I would say this is the ultimate children’s book. My niece loooooves to play with my iPhone, so I can only believe it would be even more enjoyable for her to use a much bigger iPhone. Painting, storybooks, spelling games — all of these would be perfect for their little hands on this thing (as evidenced by this 2.5 year old).
- Need vs. Desire. When it comes down to it, I just don’t need it right now. I live in an apartment and am never 10 feet from my computer. If someone were to hand me one, I would be happy to take it… But do I see an instance where I would really need it? No. As of today, it basically replicates the things I use my phone for — just a bit better and/or prettier.
That said, I’m mighty curious where it’s going to be in two-to-three years. For those of you out there who have had the chance to play with it — your thoughts?
My favorite review of the day, by Xeni. The little things she describes (along with the comics and the Harry Potter-esque book potential) is what makes me excited to see the next few revisions of the product…
