First moments with the iPad

My first few moments with the iPad were pretty normal as far as any Apple product goes. The packaging is nicely done, displaying the ‘goods’ right away, giving you a sense of something great is to come. Starting the device for the first time brought up the regular “connect to itunes” icon, after connecting, it allowed me to skip syncing and start to play.

The first app I opened was safari, and I went to a few of my favorite websites. Browsing is quick, surprisingly quick actually.

I then decided that I wanted to download some apps – which is a problem, since I’m in Canada, and the app store isn’t available here yet. I have a dummy iTunes account that I use whenever I need to connect to the American store (not very often). The first few apps I downloaded were CNN News, WordPress, iBooks (which I quickly deleted – more on that later), a free game (deleted), Twitteriffic, and TweetDeck (Twitteriffic remains – Tweetdeck, i don’t like).

I’m usually pretty good with electronic gadgets, and the iPad was no different. After I had been playing with it for a short while, I started to notice that it fits very well in the way that I sit, a lot like a book, or a magazine. The photo to the left is an example of this – I naturally came into this position, holding the device like this (I didn’t know this photo was being taken at the time).

After having the iPad for a few days, I’m starting to see where it will fit in my life. I can see it fitting in as a business tool – I used it in a meeting yesterday to show a client a website (the awe factor helped). I’ve also been using the Amazon Kindle app for reading (something I don’t normally do – maybe its the novelty?). I’ve also been keeping the iPad by the living room couch, to surf and play games while I’m watching TV.

Thus far, I’m very happy with my iPad. I can see that it is still in its infancy, the app store seems lacking right now, and something about the UX seems missing. Though, the potential is there, the tools are there (hardware – processor speed). With a little bit of time, I can see this little device becoming something huge – maybe not iPod huge, but Apple is certainly breaking new ground.

I will write more as I find new uses for the iPad!

One feature that NONE of them covered was Push – until last night – when BeeJive’s most recent iPhone app update was released. It was music to my ears when I saw on Twitter my friend Cristina posted that the update was available.

I updated almost instantaneously – and have not been disappointed. This app is fantastic and I highly suggest you purchase it if you’re looking for a solid IM app for the iPhone, that has push support.

Click here to buy.