
Like the rest of the world, I have been scratching my head around the recent Apple iPad announcement. Frankly, there are some attractive factors around this announcement, as well as some disturbing lacks. But I read a comment from the SimpleMobileReview.com site this morning that I really think hits the mark:
CarolinaBeemN
January 29, 2010 | 9:04 am
It’s all about marketing. While you have everyone’s attention you attempt to change the game and make everyone think less is more. I concur with Bastiaan’s point. This has been something that has frustrated me since I had my iphone (granted, previously state web browsing claims were not made). Most if not all companies will take the path of least resistance (creating proprietary fiefdoms) and tell you why their product is the best product. I think the ipad will uncover many weaknesses in the Apple consumer product market (with claims as stated above). The door may be open for a smaller more agile player in the market to 1 up Apple with their own device. Only time will tell.
BTW:
- A true technologist stays true to technology, regardless of who produces it. All you [insert company name here] zealots beware! 
(bolding added!). - Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic
Digital Magazines
I think the statement above is really true. We each have to make a value judgment as to which technology/ecosystem is valid for our own individual needs and then be true to that. There are NO choices without compromise in technology. As well, I think Apple has clearly shown that a great software interface can trump better hardware. So, I decided to evaluate the iPad as a potential solution for me personally. As I have already mentioned, I have and use a Sony Reader Touch and I love it. I don’t see any need to change it, but perhaps I would be willing to consolidate devices. And, I don’t purchase DRM protected books, so I really don’t care about the higher prices that Apple is pushing. All my books are already in ePub format, so that is a no braining. There are already solutions for the Touch that support it outside of the new iReader app, which appears not to be open to accept books not purchased from Apple. I also have and use an iPod Touch, which I use primarily for audiobooks from Audible.com, because there is currently no viable player for the Android platform. I also use the Touch to dabble in interesting, but not intense games. And yes, I am intrigued by the thought of playing them on a bigger screen. The third thing I use the Touch for is for reference. I have Spanish-English and Portuguese-English dictionaries, geographic atlases, star and planet charts, and a myriad other such apps loaded and available at need. This might be interesting as well on the iPad, with a bigger screen.
Zinio Electronic Media
The other main thing that I do on a regular basis is read magazines. For the last 3 years, I have refused all media that is not electronic. No magazines, no trade journals, no weeklies that are not digital in format. I receive several of these as monthly PDF downloads and this makes them available on my Droid, my PC’s, and they could also be used on an iPad. My other methodology for regular monthly magazines is through Zinio.com. Through this medium, I subscribe to some 15 magazines that are delivered on a regular basis (mostly monthly) and I can choose to have them downloaded automatically to a number of my PC platform (Windows and Mac supported), or I can access them on the Internet via a Flash-enabled web browser and read them that way. They are full color, and many now support embedded links and digital media to enhance the experience. I recently download the new Zinio app for the iPod Touch, so I know that it will also most likely be available on the iPad. Let me show you what this looks like to the end user.
  
At this point in time, not all magazines are available for the iPhone/Touch. In order to fit to the smaller screen, they actually give you a view of the ‘too small to read’ magazine page, which you can pinch or zoom, but of course it will be blurry and then it allows you to flow it down to just text, so that you can follow the article. This graphic shows the process on the Touch.
Other Platforms?
 I would love to have the same application on my Android phone. However, I am not holding my breath, and in a way, I don’t really care. Why? Well, Steve Job, with his well-known ‘reality distortion field’ has informed us that we don’t need Flash. For that reason, the iPhone/Touch will never get flash. True, they do support HTML5 (as does the Android) and eventually, some day, we may see functionality that can replace Flash, with much less overhead. However, I do not expect this anytime soon. On the other hand, Adobe has already announced that they have Flash running on the Nexus One and the Droid. We are just awaiting its arrival! Why is that important? Well, Zinio also has the ability to serve magazines OTA via Flash, and it’s really a nice way to read without having to worry about downloading the whole magazine. And because it is Flash, it fits the platform as needed, and has proportional zooming as shown above. This is an example of how it looks on a 1024x768 screen, which is the horizontal resolution that the iPad will feature, although it will not be able to use Flash. For me personally, this is an indicator that I might want to wait for a 10†Tablet running Windows 7 so that I can use my Mobile Broadband USB, or perhaps preferably, Android, as that will give me much superior battery life. I am going to wait to make any decision. What do you think you will decide to do?
