iPad Rocks-State of the Union

Hey World Family-high points to President Obama’s State of the Union Address:

More Pell Grant money and a $10,000 per year for 4 years tax deduction for families with young people in college-Yeah!
Reduction in student loan debt and ending debt after 20 years, 10 years if you work in public service!-Outstanding!!!!

$30 billion of returned TARP money going to small community banks to encourage loans for small businesses-YES!

Increasing exports by double in 5 years-Very cool!

Investment in green energy technology-we’ll get back to that one.

Investing in improving infrastructure across the country-Huge yes!

Freeze on government spending beginning with the 2011 budget on everything but defense, social security, Medicare…ok, that should work.

Investing in building more nuclear power plants-WHAT?! I guess we’ll keep dumping the waste in Indian Country on Yucca Mountain, right?

Investing in improving education…we’ll, after the ‘Every Child Left Behind” act, I don’t know how anyone could do much worse. Let’s see on that one.

Homeland Security…hmm…

Nuclear arms disassembled-cool

Clean coal-what the %^#@& is that? Oh, yeah: technology that doesn’t really work well and costs $7 billion per plant that releases more mercury into the air that a regular coal plant…hey, at least it’s not CO2, right? Throw the Republicans that still don’t believe in climate change a bone. Wow, talk about the queens of de-nial…
Does it ever occur to any of these guys that what goes into the air goes into the water…and us? I suppose not…

Overall, pretty good IF Congress will cooperate. He talked about people putting aside their petty arguments…oh, and one more thing that President Obama mentioned…

Hey Supreme Court…you blew it! Congress: fix it, NOW! Yeah, he said that.

Corporations are not people. They don’t vote, they can’t do jury duty, and often are run by those who otherwise wouldn’t have the same rights as other American citizens. The Constitution starts with “We the People” (got if from the Iroquois Confederacy, like so much of our system of checks and balances); Corps are not people. Period.

‘Nuff said on that subject. I give the president a thumbs up…now let’s see what happens; actions speak louder than words.

iPad LAUNCH

The speculation has ended, the day has arrived: iPad, the newest device from Apple; a nifty little pad that pretty much does everything an iPhone does except, well…the phone part. Obviously, you can do all the usual MMS, IM stuff and all the apps that work for the iPhone will work on the iPad: 120,000 of them! If you have already downloaded them to iTunes, then they will go on your iPad! Sweet!

It is very light (1.6 lbs), and cute (9 by7 inches, give or take, and around a half inch thick), and has a battery that can put up with 10 hours of continuous work (that impressed me) and a big screen with people touch sensitivity and LED pictures that are stunning.

Who will want this starting at $499? Falcon sees a market. I have to be honest: I love my iPhone, but sometimes, I would like to see things bigger. Falcon is not a spring chick anymore, and the eyes aren’t what they used to be. I think Baby Boomers and seniors will love this toy: it makes all your apps functions bigger, you can read books on it like a real book, only you control the size and the lighting automatically adjusts so that you don’t burn your eyeballs out in inappropriate light.

It’s super portable, works at any angle, and even has an external keyboard (or you can use the screen) that will let it stand up for ease and flexibility. As a constant multi-tasker, I will adore this feature.

Depending on your line of work, this would become your best electronic friend. I can see apps like the Film Budget one being really handy out in the field writing and recording things on the large screen while not being weighed down. It is smaller than the legal pad I normally would have had.

Email, work apps, movie watching, games become so much easier. Music (including hook-ups for external speakers) WiFi as well as 3G capabilities (extra) a cute case (I hope that’s not extra-and they should design additional cool cases for it like the iPhone), USB recharging, and versatility make this product attractive. I know there are other book-readers out there, but this does so much more than that. You can read the paper on the web so much easier. I will get through NYT so much faster this way, and easier on my body and my eyes. I think a lot of people will love that.

The way you view photos is pretty cool, it will make looking a production pics a snap! Sorting becomes seamless. Imagine being at an event, hooking the camera or SD card up, and sorting right away, and sending to everyone! It makes the process simpler.

Social networking becomes easier than ever. Maps are highly detailed with more features, and I am going to assume it will do directions on it, since the iPhone already has apps for that. For me, that is huge. For those with visual challenges who walk and need directions, this will show them clearly how to get there in a size they can see! That is empowering.

I can see those with physical handicaps or challenges finding this product a joy to work with. If apps can be added that helps them explore and find more to do, enjoy, and advance, that would be incredible.

The Calendar, Notepad, and Contacts pages look great! Again, easier for Boomers, Seniors, and those who just want to see it bigger.

The price point? Well, it’s pretty good. I wish the 3G difference wasn’t’ so much more pricey than the WiFi, but otherwise, I think it is fairly priced.

As a tablet, it is outstanding!I don't think it is for everyone, but many will like what it can do, and the size of the images will be very attractive to gamers. Portability is nice.
UPDATE: Falcon found out this device has no camera. This is one of those situations where you needed an average mom in the room-WE WANT A GOOD CAMERA! We don't want to carry around one more thing! If it had a camera, you can take goofy pictures with your friends and immediately look at them on a large screen. Great for picnics, sports, events, spontaneous moments of delight. This is a problem. I wonder if you already have a 3G account, do you need another separate account, or do they just add the device to the account you have? Hmm...
Peace,
Falcon and Dove