iPad 3/The New iPad.... more like the iPad 2S

Is Steve Jobs watching this rollout? I would imagine that he kept hoping Tim would say "And one more thing..." because in my opinion, this announcement was just not very compelling, and certainly not "revolutionary". As I watched the announcement unfold, the phrase "And?" (from the recent commercial for Coke Zero) kept coming to mind. I just wasn't feeling any excitement.

So what was Tim Cook trying to get us all excited about? Well, the "new" iPad, of course. Yeah, no more model numbers. So we go from the iPad, to the iPad 2, to the "new" iPad. What will next year's model be called? Perhaps the "newer" iPad? Or the "even better" iPad? Lame. (And as an Apple mobile device lover, I just hate having to type that word here)

The key improvements

The Retina Display: This seemed the be the lynch pin of the presentation. They certainly spent a lot of time talking about it. Which I find a little wasteful considering the Retina Display has been around for two years with its introduction with the iPhone 4. The 2048x1536 resolution at 264 pixels/inch is fantastic to be sure. Greater color saturation will make photos and video look better as well. I imagine iPad 1 users will jump to the new iPad but would people upgrade from the iPad 2 just for that? Perhaps Apple is targeting those iPad 1 users and those who are still trying to decide on their first tablet purchase.

The new A5X Graphics Processor: To make the new Retina Display "pop", they had to improve the processor to a Quad Core Graphics chip that can drive all those pixels without seriously draining battery life. The A5X (not the expected A6 chip) is designed to do just that. I get the feeling that this chip won't do much for general application performance but is really just a powerhouse to support faster graphics processing. Nothing wrong with that!

4G/LTE and Tethering Support: As I said in a previous post, this is the one thing I was hoping for! And it is finally here! Of course, it should have been in both the iPad 2 and iPhone 4S, but whose complaining (okay, I am). The LTE speed (for those who live in an area that has it) will be a big benefit for power users of the device. And the ability to use the iPad as a Personal Hotspot to support five other wireless devices will be much accepted (the costs of which will be up to your carrier, of course). I think this was inevitable. I wonder how the Personal Hotspot feature will impact battery life though.

LTE does suck up battery life (as most Android users with 4G/LTE will attest to). So Apple has tweaked the battery in the new iPad so that even with LTE, you will still have 9 hours of battery life (10+ hours if running 3G). This will be a welcome benefit to those LTE users who currently have to buy extended batteries for their Android phones.

Improved Camera with 1080p: The new 5 megapixel camera is nice but more of a 'duh' in my book. It should have come with the iPad 2. But Apple likes to improve its cameras with every new device release, so this comes as no great surprise. Basically, this is the same camera that ships in the iPhone 4S so people will enjoy using the iPad as an overly large camera for both stills and HD Video at 1080p. The new auto face-detection and auto image stabilization will also be appreciated.

Updates for iWork and iLife: These improvements are pretty much par for the course. GarageBand got Smart Strings, a Note Editor, and a cool new feature where multiple iPad users can collaborate in a "jam session" that can be recorded on a single iPad as separate tracks. I can see a lot of musicians trying to see how this can enhance their creativity. iMovie can now generate 'movie trailers' which should be fun. And the new iPhoto app will offer 'photo journals' that can be stored in iCloud and shared with non-Apple users via a web browser. All very nice (but not limited to just the new iPad device).

Siri with Japanese support: Okay, so if you speak Japanese, you are going to love this new feature. But otherwise, it is just another language Siri supports. It has yet to be really tested in the real world to see how well it works. Just ask Siir users in Scotland about their experiences with language recognition. I wonder how Siri will handle the various dialects in Japan.

iCloud streams movies now: iCloud is just going to expand its reach as more and more developers begin to figure out how to utilize the Cloud in their applications. The fact that Apple will now stream movies from the Cloud is just a natural extension of what it does now with media. It's a good thing, especially if it has adaptive streaming to handle varying bandwidth availability at the device level for those of us who won't be using LTE.

Apple TV supports 1080p too: Oh yeah, the new Apple TV device, which supports NetFlix and other streaming sources, will now hook up to your HDTV device in full 1080p! While this is not historic or revolutionary, it is what I would expect from a streaming media device in today's world. If you are one of the many who are 'unplugging' from the likes of Comcast, AT&T UVerse, and DISH Network in favor of getting all your entertainment over the Internet, then this is something to pay attention to. For $99, it is well worth the investment because it also allows you to stream all the media on your PC/Mac to your HDTV (photos, music, and video).

To wrap things up

I don't mean to say these improvements aren't very nice. They are all nice enhancements. And that if I had the device, I would certainly be taking advantage of them. But they just seem like a small step up -- like where the iPad 2 should have been from the start. The top four items on the above list were all things that users like me were clamoring for about this same time in 2011 when we were all waiting for the iPad 2 announcement.

The app improvements and the updated iOS 5.1 I will get on my iPad 2, so I do not really consider them germane to discussing the value of the "new" iPad. I will get to enjoy the new features of GarageBand, iMovie, and iPhoto without the new device. And sure, the camera icon visible on the lock screen is great (but of course you still need tech gloves if you live in colder climates to swipe the thing).

For those of us who shelled out the cash for a 3G 64gb iPad 2, I cannot justify the cost of upgrading to this new device. The only compelling enhancement is 4G/LTE. The Retina Display is all nice and fine, but unless you are an iPad Gamer I don't think the display alone is worth the cash. I think I'd rather wait for the iPhone 5 with LTE support and just tether my iPad 2 to that when I need the speed boost.

I can't help but wonder if Apple has 'jumped the shark'. It has been a full two days since the announcement, and I am still thinking to myself "And....?"

Geeking out at the Chicago Comic Con!

Well, I just returned from my third Chicago Comic Con at the Convention Center in Rosemont, IL (just outside Chicago). As usual, big crowds, lots of vendor booths selling all kinds of collectibles, comics, swords and props, action figures, and a decent list of celebrities offering autographs, photo opportunities, and if you're lucky a decent conversation. (One of these days, I am going to get to the San Diego Comic Con)

The Convention started on Thursday, August 11 and ended today (Sunday). My son Ryan and I got 4-day passes so we could take our time and see everything. We even got my wife Christi to come with us on Saturday (I threw in a one-night stay at the Hyatt next door as a bonus). This is her first Comic Con (I got her to go with me to the Las Vegas Star Trek Con last summer -- another 'first' for her).

The Con this year seemed a little smaller in some respects than last year. I think that is partly because last year, there was a large Star Trek (and to some extent Star Wars) presence here and that really brought out the crowds. But don't get me wrong, there were still thousands of people there, especially on Saturday. Plenty of people dressed up in costumes, plenty of collectors looking for great deals on merchandise, and plenty of people looking for their favorite celebrities at booths and panels.

This year the big draws were Bruce Campbell, Felicia Day, Patrick Stewart, Christopher Lloyd, and most of the cast from Buffy (James Marsters, Charisma Carpenter, Julie Benz, Nicholas Brendon). Other celebs that I saw were Vivica Fox (Independence Day), Tia Carrera (Relic Hunter), Lou Ferrigno (The Incredible Hulk), Louis Gossett Jr (Officer and a Gentleman/Iron Eagle), Mimi Rogers (Austin Powers), Gil Gerard & Erin Gray (Buck Rogers), Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca), Ray Park (Darth Maul), and Pam Grier (Foxy Brown/Smallville).

The floor was pretty filled with vendors and displays, and I think the Artist Alley was the largest I have seen over the past three years. Comics were the majority of vendor booths present, but there were a lot of action figures (mostly Marvel and DC stuff) and weaponry and the like. There was a tattoo artist this year (I met his girlfriend while waiting for photo op tickets). I thought that was interesting.

Star Trek Represented

This year, there are only a few notable Trek celebs in attendance: Patrick Stewart (who had to back out of last year's Con at the last minute), LeVar Burton, and Daniel Stewart. On Friday, Ryan and I stood in line to get a photograph with LeVar Burton who played our favorite engineer Geordi LaForge on Star Trek: The Next Generation. Then on Saturday, I had the opportunity to get LeVar to sign that photograph and to speak with him for a few minutes.

Then about an hour later, I attended his Q&A Panel and live-tweeted the event. You can check out all those tweets at @rpeete on twitter.com. He was very genuine and funny. Did you know that the VISOR was screwed onto his head? Yep! Two screws on either side! He said after about 45 minutes, he always ended up with a headache, and seeing out of that thing was difficult.

There was also a running joke throughout his panel with people asking him to dance, because of a comment made an hour earlier during Patrick Stewart's panel when Sir Patrick said LeVar had some killer dance moves and that everyone should ask him about it. Well LeVar elected not to demonstrate any "moves" and pretty much said that he had his ways of reeking vengeance on Patrick and I quote "Patrick's bald head will be MINE"

Unfortunately, I was unable to attend Patrick Stewart panel. The main ballroom for his panel filled up before the line got to the doors. They would not let me in. What!!? Don't they know WHO I AM? Guess not! Hmmph!

StarGate SGU

Another highlight for me this year was meeting Alaina Huffman, who played Lt. Tamara Johansen the medic on the show. She was the only person from Stargate at the Con this year. Ryan and I took a photograph with her on Friday afternoon and then spent quite a while talking with her at her booth later that day. She was very personable, spoke equally to both me and Ryan, and shared her good news: she is pregnant with her fourth child! She is expecting a son (I thought she looked pregnant at the photo-op but knew better than to say anything). Her youngest is a boy and he is very excited to be getting a baby brother as his two other siblings are older girls.

Among other things, Alaina and I talked about the cancellation of SGU and she was candid about feeling "bummed" by the initial negativity by Stargate fans regarding the show. And even though there were many who liked it, she thought that perhaps that negative minority was a lot more vocal than those who quietly enjoyed watching the show. We agreed that SciFi shows with a balance of tech/SFX, action, and character development/story are the best. It was a shame that SGU did not get the chance to realize its full potential.

When I asked her what she is working on nowadays, she mentioned that she is the main baddie in the upcoming Alphas TV show this Monday on SyFy. She said it was a lot of fun to do, so I encourage everyone who reads this before Monday evening, August 15th, to check it out.

Other Celebrity Panels

Bruce Campbell, Felicia Day, Patrick Stewart, and Christopher Lloyd were the big draws for the Q&A panels and were assigned the Large Ballroom A. Bruce was hilarious albeit most of his humor is definitely for adult ears, which was a little distracting since I was sitting next to a bunch of kids ages 8-13. He was definitely different. He was actually giving out dollar bills to people who had gotten tattoos of Evil Dead and other shows he was connected with via a little fashion show he held up on stage. Towards the end of his panel, he had a woman come up and talk with him and then asked her boyfriend to come up and join them. Then the boyfriend proposed to her on stage. It was pretty coo that Bruce and the guy had set this up.

I only got to hear the last 15 minutes of Felicia Day's panel but she was awesome! Very engaging with the audience and answered questions very openly. She was quick to point out that she is NOT going to be in the next Avengers movie (evidently Josh had made some passing comment about it).

SEXY NERD GIRL

You may not have heard of Valerie Lapomme and her video blog (VLog) called the "Sexy Nerd Girl" but I do subscribe to her YouTube channel and find her pretty entertaining and funny. She is a self-avowed sci-fi, fantasy, and gaming fangirl who loves Star Trek, Star Wars, Harry Potter, Nintendo games, and pretty much anything geeky. Her vlog posts are usually 2-3 minutes and altogether wacky (and sometimes a bit on the adult humor side).

I noticed Valerie's booth on Friday and tried to set up a time to interview her for Treks in SciFi (a weekly podcast and web online community that I love). But that girt was busy! She was all over the Con doing her own interviews! In fact, I saw her interviewing the guys at the Extreme FX booth and got off a quick photo. Her booth was giving out small posters, business cards, and other free stuff. And they were holding a raffle for a Sexy Nerd Girl T-shirt (which you can buy from her web site).

So, I met her staffers at the booth as I visited it probably 6 times between Friday and Saturday and each time, Valerie wasn't there. I told them all about Treks in SciFi and they were pretty excited to know that we all love her Vlog! They told me that Val was entered into the Comic Con Costume Contest on Saturday night but Steph said she didn't win. So we decided to give it one more try on Sunday morning.

Success! I finally got to see Valerie on Sunday morning! The first thing I noticed is that she is taller than me. Looks like she might be 6'1" compared to my 5'10" stature. But the smile gave her away. She is pretty friendly and wanted to know a bit more about the Treks in SciFi crew. So I explained that we were going on our 6-year anniversary, and since many of us are followers of her vlog, I wanted to know if she would record a little greeting for the podcast. She readily agreed!

So we discussed it a bit more and her camera crew rolled the tape! We made a short little clip for the podcast which they promised to send to me for inclusion in the Treks in SciFi Anniversary special this fall. Awesomeness!

One cool thing was that as we talked, they asked how I watch her Vlog. I told her that I used my iPad most of the time to view it. Well, Valerie had never seen her show from an iPad. So I brought my iPad 2 out and we watched her latest post on it right on the convention floor. That was pretty sweet and she was pretty pleased with how it looked.

So I will keep you in the loop when the video is finally available (I wonder if she will use any of the footage on her channel). And if you are a SciFi fan and you aren't listening to the Treks in SciFi podcast, then you should go over to iTunes right now and subscribe. It is awesome! And the online community is a great place to hang out. Look for me there!

Collectibles

Well, I have to admit that this year I did not buy as many collectible items as I have in the past. I did, however, pick up three large prints from Lightspeed. Two were Babylon 5 prints -- one of all the ships in the show autographed by all the Captains and the other was a nice print that included all the primary cast members in the series. These were for Ryan, who I have turned into a major B5 fan.

For myself, I found a very nice print of Kirk, Spock, and Kahn that is autographed by both Shatner and Nimoy. Unfortunately, Ricardo Montalban passed away about a week before this was created so it does not have his signature. But even still, it is an awesome print that depicts one of my favorite Trek movies -- The Wrath of Kahn.

Other than that, we got some miscellaneous stuff: t-shirts, Star Wars Lego guys that Ryan didn't have, and an awesome Star Fury model to put together. I also found some cool mock-up ID badges and parking passes so I now have a Hogwarts Parking Pass on my car.

I saw an awesome Captain America shield for sale at $500. I was sorely tempted but in the end, decided to walk away from it. But that shield might be in my collectible future if I see it again next year!

.........


Well, I guess that is about it for my Comic Con report. Ryan and I had an amazing time there this year, and staying overnight at the Hyatt was a nice little getaway bonus for the family.

I missed not having my "Treks in SciFi" buddy Rico Dostie there with us this year (but hey, maybe he can come out here in the Fall for the Trek Con). By the way, this will be the last Convention for Leonard Nimoy (I heard that from his agent who also manages LightSpeed. Nimoy was at the Vegas TrekCon this weekend and it was his last Creation Entertainment Con)

Until next time, "Live Long and Prosper"!

The iPad 2 -- so what's the big deal!?

So there I was, sitting at a table with some friends beside me and several other friends on a Skype conference call.  Why? Because we were all excited about the latest Apple announcement: the new iPad 2 is coming!  On March 11th! And you better get your chairs, blankets (here in Chicago at least), and snackage ready to stand in line (at 5PM no less)!

So why should I consider such a crazy thing!  I already have -- and LOVE -- my 3G iPad.  It does so much stuff I sold my NetBook and rarely have to use my personal laptop for my computing needs.  So is it worth it to go through all the inconvenience to have the new iPad in my twitchy little fingers on March 11th?  Do I just order it online using my existing iPad and let them deliver it (free shipping) several days later?

I mean, "What's the Big Deal?"

Those of you who know me personally are probably already saying, "Dude, you know you want it so just go ahead and get it."  In fact, one of my friends responded by saying "Do it! You're only young once!"  (I am 50 years old, LOL).

So I guess since I am apparently very young still, I might be taking my friend Ken's advice.  Not to mention that my wife would love to have my 1st generation iPad.  But why would I want to make another technology investment (i.e. lay out the cash) for this thing?

I use my iPad for a lot of work activities.  When I say 'work', I mean not only my full-time IT job, but all the work I do with youth ministry, theater tech, blogging, and just the regular stuff we all do daily (finances, communications, office automation, etc.).  It gets LOTS of use and I push it to the limit.  And of course, I use it to unwind after doing all that work stuff -- music, videos, streaming video, news, online shopping, games, photography, and keeping track of my family tree.  It even helps me with my Klingon Language training (no snickering in the back row!).

So why the iPad 2?  Because I can do all of that stuff faster and hopefully more efficently.  I can also do more things that today are either not possible or require jumping through multiple hoops to accomplish. And the lighter weight and thinner form factor will delay my eventual carpal tunnel problems.  (And yes, because it is cool!)

Here are some of the features that I see are most beneficial to me (your mileage may vary):

1. The faster A5 Chip.  I cannot stress how important having a faster processor is.  Having a dual-core CPU will allow me to use some of the newer features of the iPad that require more muscle.  And it will make my current tasks flow much faster.  I hate delays in app execution and I anticipate this will be signficantly reduced.  Fast = Good!
2. Ligher and Thinner.  The new iPad will be 15% lighter and about 33% thinner than its predecessor.  In fact, it will be thinner than the iPhone 4.  While this will mean I have to buy a new case (the wife inherits my current cool cases), the ability to handle the device for longer periods without fatigue or awkwardness will be an advantage.  I carry the iPad around practically everywhere I go so this is important to me.
3. Front and Rear Cameras.  I utilize online conferencing frequently to communicate with friends, family, as well as church workers, my youth group, and so many others.  Having the ability to conduct two-way video conferencing via Skype (and now FaceTime) will be huge for me.  I will no longer have to use my laptop for those calls, making me more flexible regarding when/where I can collaborate with others.  The 5 megapixel HD rear camera will be nice for photography, and now I can take the shot and edit it (avoiding my current process of taking the picture with the iPhone and then transferring it over to the iPad for better viewing and editing).
4. Faster Graphics.  This will make video and gaming applications run more smoothly and with greater rendered detail.  While gaming is not a primary use, it will be nice!
5. Gryoscope.  This addition to the hardware will make the iPad respond better to orientation changes and to gaming behavior.  It will also work along with the accelerometer for more accurate precision and sensitivity for those apps as well as location-based services/applications.
6. 65,000 iPad-specific Apps:  This is a big thing for making the choice for going for the iPad rather than another tablet device.  No tablet is worth much if the apps that meet your various needs do not exist.  And in my opinion, iOS is the best mobile/tablet operating system currently on the market.  (Android is cool, but it ain't iOS yet.)

I won't lie:  I really want a white iPad this time too.  So I appreciate having the choice.  And while you will be able to also choose between a 3G model using AT&T or Verizon, I will probably take the AT&T version because it supports the ability for 3G use in countries outside the USA.  And the AT&T data network is faster than Verizon's -- as long as the network is available.  I am a bit disappointed that the iPad 2 does not support 4G.

So I guess I am going to have to deal with the lines at 5PM on the 11th (or figure out some other ingenious method for getting my iPad 2 on Friday).

Or, maybe I will calm my 'instant gratification' urges and just buy it online (and lay in the fetal position in the bedroom until the UPS guy shows up).

Chicago Comic-Con this weekend!

Sometimes you just have to let the 'inner kid' out to play! (Of course, some would say I do that entirely TOO often but that's a topic for another blog post)

So I have a three-day pass to the Chicago Comic-Con (Wizard World) and I am really excited about going. I could not attend the San Diego Comic Con (the BIG Daddy!) so this will have to do. And, I get to bring my son Ryan along with me to share in the 'geeky goodness' (as my friend Rico would say). I haven't been to a 'con' in a very long time so this is going to be a real good time.

We have our Green Lantern t-shirts, our wristbands, and our cash and we are heading out on Friday to explore every inch of the place (and maybe watch some panel discussions if Ryan can sit still long enough). And I get to go back on Saturday to hang out with a bunch of gaming buddies! Woot!

There will be plenty of celebrities there: Ray Park (Darth Maul), Nichelle Nichols (Lt. Uhura), Chris Heyerdahl (Stargate Atlantis), Michelle Rodriguez (Lost), Kristanna Loken (Terminator 3), Doug Jones (Silver Surfer), Billy Dee Williams (Lando), Daniel Logan (Bob Fett, SW Ep II), Scott Campbell (Spiderman Artist), Michael Hogan (BSG), Edward Olmos (BSG), and Margot Kidder (Lois Lane). And there are lots I did not list here.

I went to the opening on Thursday late afternoon to get a quick preview. There were already a lot of people there and about 1/3 of the booths were still in a state of flux but there were tons of exhibitors already set up with just about everything you can think of. I saw some handmade Katana Blades that were amazing (but out of my price range). And there must be hundreds of artists in Artist Alley. Wow! I scored some N.C.I.S. Identification and Vehicle badges for my wife (she loves that show).

Just to be clear: I will not be wearing Spandex or costumes. Believe me, you do NOT want to see me in Spandex! But I will definitely get a photo of me with the 501st in full stormtrooper armor! Hmmm.. maybe Vador will be there too!

Bring it on! And Live Long and Prosper!