Apple iPad - first thoughts

So Apple has come out with a "new" product and they sure generated a whole lot of hype about it. I put "new" in parentheses because this product is simply a play off of the iPod Touch. The new product is called the iPad and it looks just like a large iPod Touch. The iPad is a tablet device that looks to be greared as a media tool. In other words, this is not going to replace your main computer.

The iPad will feature a 9.7" touchscreen LCD and comes in at about 1.5 lbs. It's very thin at just one-half inch. Storage doesn't look too bad for a device like this. Options will range from 16Gb - 64Gb flash memory. It will be powered by an Apple processor that runs at 1Ghz. Connectivity options are slim. There is a proprietary 30-pin Dock connector as well as a SD card reader, USB port, speaker, microphone, bluetooth, wireless, and optional 3G connectivity. Screen resolution comes in at 1024 x 768 which should give it a crisp image.

As seen from some early tests, and in the live show, the device looks to be very fast and responsive. However some are reporting that the onboard keyboard could be better. The interface runs off of the iPhone 3.2 operating system so those that own an iPhone will be very familiar with everything. There is no phone support for this device and there is no integrated camera. There is not multitasking either, meaning you can't listen to music while browsing the web. This device will also not support Flash so if you visit Hulu often you're out of luck here. These are some pretty big cons for the device and most in the tech industry were disappointed that these features were left out.

As far as the software goes, it will be able to sync up with your iTunes. It will also include an e-reader function and you will be able to purchase books directly from the iPad. You'll also have support for loading pictures and videos. Apple has also re-done iWork and optimized it for the iPad. There is also a calendar feature as well as a Mail program.

This device is not revolutionary by any means. It just looks like another toy to have. Some, including myself, question the need for yet another device to carry around. Between our laptops and smartphones we can do everything this device can do and more. Because of the iPad's limitations, we cannot dump our laptop and/or smartphone in favor of the iPad.

My conclusions? The iPad is a slick toy to have. In its current form, it will not serve as a replacement for any device we currently carry around. The price isn't bad, but it's not great either. Apple is doing pretty good right now with hyping up their products. They are riding the Apple fad hard and doing a great job at it. This device is sure to sell very well in the beginning. I will be interested to see how it is faring a year from now. For the iPad to really be a success, Apple needs some pretty significant changes to this device. Until then, my advice would be do hold off on the iPad. Pictures and video of the iPad are below (courtesy of Engadget). Check them out and I will try to have another post up sometime soon.

Zeroes and Ones

So, zeroes and ones. As you can see that's the title of my blog, or at least part of it. The first part is zeon. I simply grabbed 'ze' from zero, and 'on' from one to get the word zeon. Interestingly enough, zeon is actually a religious term as well. In a religious sense, it is the hot water added to the chalice by the priest during the Byzantine Rite Eucharist to commemorate the water that flowed from the crucified Christ's side when pierced by the spear. But for this blog, zeon is for zeroes and ones.

Why zeroes and ones? Well, that's how computers work. From the GPS device to the laptop to the mp3 player. From the mouse cursor you see on the screen to your favorite youtube video. They all work on zeroes and ones. Zeroes and ones, also known as binary code, are simply a system to represent computer processor instructions. These instructions are actually electrical signals that go on and off. We use zero to represent an off signal and one to represent an on signal. Computers process these signals extremely fast and after those signals are processed we get the output, or results, from those signals.

So there you have it, a very simple rundown of how technology works. So the next time you turn on your desktop or laptop, or power up that GPS, remember, it's just a bunch of electrical signals.....zeroes and ones.

So now you know the origin of my blog title. Most future posts will focus on technology. Of course, I'll throw in updates of my life and family as well. If you have any questions or suggested topics you want me to cover, just let me know in the comments section or shoot me an email or Facebook message. My goal is to add a new post once per week, maybe more if time allows!

Sarah and Tempie

My first official post is actually going to be about my wife and daughter. I married an amazing woman 5 1/2 years ago. Her name is Sarah Mae. She's way up there on the list for greatest people to ever live. I love our life together and I'm looking forward to the many years to come!

We had our first baby on September 19, 2009. Her name is Temperance Grace, or Tempie. She's a beautiful little baby and has brought us a whole heaping of joy. I love her a bunch and it's so much fun to see her grow and learn things. A couple of new things that have happened over the last couple of weeks. First, she's finding the range in her voice.....that's a whole lot of fun...I think! Second, she's got her first tooth coming in!

I've got a few pictures below and I hope you enjoy them. I'm sure there will be many more to come. Check out our Facebook pages for more pictures!

 

 

About this blog

Hello everyone and welcome to my blog! It seems as though everyone is getting into the blog world these days so I thought I would be unique and start one myself. If you're wondering what's up with the name, it comes from the way computers process things. I'll go more in depth on my first official post.

So, what will this blog be about? Mostly about technology. I'll talk about what's new, what's up and coming, what's phasing out. I plan to keep it simple too. That way, if you're not tech savvy, you won't feel lost when reading what I have to say. I'll also share some things about me, my ridiculously awesome wife, and my beautiful daughter.

What that said, please bear with me for a bit while I figure out Blogger. I hope to have this thing up and going soon. I also ask that you forgive any typos or grammer issues that may come up. Just let me know and I'll correct those things. I feel like I'm pretty close to genius, but English can trip me up sometimes. I plan to add new posts 3-4 times a month so stay tuned for the first relevant post.