In Depth

I've owned my iPad 2 for two weeks on Saturday. I have yet to do an in depth review!

The iPad 2 has definitely exceeded my expectations, especially for my first tablet. It's small enough to take around, but big enough to provide a decent amount of screen. It's also extremely light and it's a joy to carry on much like a very thin book. I already wrote about PhotoBooth, which is definitely my favorite application on the iPad, but now I should probably talk about the other apps!

The YouTube application is very clean and is almost like being on the actual website. Nearly all features can be accessed from the iPad and is perfect for the daily video watcher. For the person who uploads videos, like myself, I'm still contemplating how I feel about it, but it's a step up from the iPhone/iPod Touch application.

The iPhone/iPod Touch bring up another point - if you have any popular game for your iPhone/iPod Touch, you will most likely have to repurchase it for the iPad if you're running off of a 3GS and lower and the iPod Touch. While many applications for the iPhone/iPod Touch can be used on the iPad, the quality is definitely not the same. The applications you purchase for the iPad are specifically designed for the screen, unless you purchase the HD versions of certain applications which will work on the iPhone 4 as well.

The only things I'm disappointed in now are the camera and the lack of a calculator. The image is grainy unless you're in a well-lit area and the calculator is perfect for a college student or anyone for that matter. I say college student, primarily due to the fact that I try and use my iPad more than my MacBook because it's lighter to carry and it's less of a load.

iPad 2 Test Shots

Being the Apple fan that I am, I couldn't resist stopping by the demo iPad at Best Buy yesterday. Apple did a fantastic job of hiding the release date of the new iPad 2 up until two weeks before it was set to come out. Never owning an iPad, I was always content just playing with the demos in store, but this new iPad has me wanting to buy one and I'm certainly glad I waited!

The most significant feature and the best addition, in my opinion, is the addition of the front and rear facing cameras. Being very into taking photos, the cameras as well as the ability to use Photo Booth and Facetime are absolutely fantastic. I enjoy using the Photo Booth application on my MacBook and I enjoyed it even more on the iPad. It's so nice to see you can bring the face stretching and now kaleidoscope distortions to a more portable item.

I'm certainly looking forward to see what direction Apple goes in with the next iPhone model, whether it be an iPhone 5 or an upgraded iPhone 4 model, it'll be absolutely fantastic!

Read more to see test shots from the iPad 2.

Island Adventures

I Hate Coming Up With Titles

Soaring

It was perfect kite flying weather today. So that's exactly what I did.

Inspired

For whatever reason, I had a crazy desire to write a review. While trying to come up with an idea, I remembered a picture that I had taken for someone - a picture of a bag of pretzels.

A few new creations from Rold Gold come in the form of "Everything Bagel" pretzels as well as "Cheesy Garlic" flavored pretzels.

Rold Gold truly did not skimp out on the "Everything Bagel"; Shaped in a circular form to resemble the true bagel shape, you get the taste of garlic, onion, and the salt and poppy seeds are built in. The only seasoning missing from this pretzel that you often find on traditional everything bagels are the sesame seeds. Even without this minor addition, these pretzels pack a powerful kick of flavoring and taste. In fact, you can even forget that you're eating a pretzel and instead believe you're eating miniature versions of the bagels. I give these pretzels an 8/10 on the flavor scale.

The cheesy garlic flavored pretzels do not match up to the caliber of their "Everything Bagel" pretzels. While it's  not exactly new, it's new to the area. The cheddar flavor is barely noticeable, despite the obvious orange color that covers the pretzel nuggets. The bag states that the flavoring is baked in, but there is a definite color difference and obvious powdering as it comes off on your fingers in light dustings. There isn't much to write about these pretzels as they're extremely basic, but they are a quick snack if you are in a hurry. I give these pretzels a 4/10 on the flavor scale.

Just thought I would throw out a few random thoughts on these pretzels that I tried over the weekend. I hope this review will be the first of many.