i-Volution

And I'm not even an Apple fan-si. I had a 2G iPhone long before everyone in this city has one (and I mean everyone) but I was so unimpressed with it (how do you type on that darn thing?) I sold it within a couple of weeks. But now, I'm semi-reformed and my latest obsession comes in the form of what's known as the iPad (which, incidentally, has been hovering at the top of my Flavour of the Week right below Yoga for a couple of weeks... so yeah, that is Major). 

Some of you might remember when the iPad was first announced, people (mostly in North America) were sniggering at its name because, when translated into non-North American lingo, it practical means "iTampon". (Apple is, after all, run by blokes like Steve Jobs). But hey, guess who's having the last laugh now? The tablet computer has already taken a huge bite into the global netbook/notebook market and its share is likely to skyrocket further when the newer version(s) come out in the (near) future. Its reach is expected to be a lot wider than the iPhone (you don't need a service provider with the wifi only version) and let's face it, what is the competition out there? Samsung? Yawn. Toshiba? Comatose. Sony Vaio? It would have been a realistic competitor if only its keyboard is, like, usable. 

But I am digressing a little here. The thing is, the iPad is just The Future. It has a fantastic screen, runs lots of apps and, seriously easy to use. And it is not evevn that heavy. Battery lasts forever and its virtual keyboard is totally usable. I've already downloaded several apps onto it ... mainly reading stuff including Kindle - as opposed to all those coin and cookie pushing games ... I mean, what are these games about? But for me, the HIGHLIGHT of owning an iPad has to be the ability to read Marvel Comics on it (oh yes, I am so excited by that that I am actually blogging about it...)



Who's Side Are You On?



For US$1.99 (only), I am able to download comic books that would have otherwise cost me about 10 times as much in this town. So I immediately downloaded the entire Civil War series and was/still am completely taken by how great the artwork/colour look on the screen. I shall never be bored again during my puke-inducing daily commute to work! (Last Friday, for instance, when trapped in an hour-long traffic jam with three other colleagues, out came the iPad and we played a game of Trivia Pursuit - what a great way to kill time instead of each other in that confined space!)  

The BBC app is also fantastic. Leveraging on its radio and TV services as well as its Internet, the Beeb is able to offer users live radio broadcast, TV clips as well as instant news. How fantastic is that?

I also think that kids in the future will only need to carry an iPad to school because there won't be any need to lug text books to their classes. And all the homework will be done on and stored in the computer. Just how cool is that? It probably will make doing homework actually fun. 

So in my humble opinion, this  gadget is a great leap forward ... an Evolution! A Revolution! An i-Volution! Only I completely made up the last word...