This year for my birthday my daughter and wife went together and totally surprised me with an Apple iPad 2. I absolutely had no thought of it for a birthday present. Quite frankly I didn't know that much about them. I am an Internet junkie and do not travel much. So I am usually home or at the office and I have Internet at both locations. iPods are very difficult to find in local stores so they bought it straight from Apple who shipped it from China (yes I know) and it arrived about 11 days after my birthday. They had a nice leather University of Oregon case for it that was wrapped up so I could unwrap it on my birthday. My wife and I then went down to our local Best Buy so I could see what they looked like and what they could do. I also bought a book at Costco titled "My iPad 2" that had wonderful instructions fully illustrated on how to operate it. While I was waiting for it's delivery I had to move most of my music from Windows Media Player to iTunes so when it arrived I could load my music on it. I like Windows Media Player so I have most of my music on both platforms on my desk top computers. I also need Windows Media Player for my MP3 player my wife got for me a year ago on my birthday. I have a lot of music so it took several days to load each of my CD's on the iTunes platform.
On Monday it arrived! ...... and I love it. I have loaded up many applications and organized them as follow:
Music:
1. iTunes from my CD library. It's a portable juke box with over 2000 + songs.
2. Pandora Radio from the internet programed to play my favorite kinds of music.
3. My favorite Bob Dylan web site.
4. I have also book marked "AllMusic" for it's vast info on music and artist.
Internet:
iPad can pick up the internet wherever there is Wi-Fi. I have Book Marked all my favorite web sites.
Travel:
1. Google Maps application.
2. "Yelp" Locate restaurants, hotels near where you are etc.
3. Live Tracking for airlines
News, Sport & Weather :
Applications for Drudge, Real Clear Politics, National Review online, Politico, The Hill, National Journal, USA Today, Medford, Mail Tribune, Fox News, etc.
Applications for the Weather Chanel and ESPN and College Football scores
Book Downloads:
1. Kindle
2. iBooks
3. nook and
4. OverDrive
I even downloaded a book from Kindle on the Music from John Ford Movies called "How the West Was Sung"
Movies:
1. Netflix..... I can stream movies and I tried it out on "Some Times A Great Notion" (filmed in Oregon) and got a great picture.
2. Internet Movie Data Base
3. John Wayne on DVD
4. The web site that lists all my DVD movies.
Pictures:
The iPad 2 has two cameras that take and store pictures that can be emailed
Email:
I have programed the iPad so I can send or receive mail from both of my email accounts.
To say the least, I have been having fun. I even downloaded a great picture of Monument Valley for my wallpaper.
Thanks, Girls, a great birthday present!
