Thursday, April 8, 2010

First impressions...

Yes, I got it. Yes, I'm using it to write this review.

The keyboard is alright. My biggest gripe about that is the lack of dvorak, which is apparently coming.

Lack of multi-tasking is not much of an issue so far, though I am enjoying the push notification of my IM client and will probably enjoy the further developments when they come out with OS4

Full keyboard > touch > tiny keyboard > mouse. Thus I prefer the virtual setup to the scrunched confines of a net book.

I'm using it more than makes sense due to novelty, but it'll be pretty useful anyway. It delivers on the promise of the couch laptop. Good on the couch, in bed, in a car, on the john. I'm not a regular flyer, but it'd be perfect for that too. None of the heat of the MBP, and it fits where that won't.

Fit and finish are good for first gen. No major issues there.

Battery is far better than my phone. Charges slower though.

No flash is a bummer for soccer highlights, but it's really a feature not a bug. I'm okay suffering for a bit in order to push the Internet away from Adobe's grasp. HTML 5 ftw. If YouTube didn't already support it, I'd be more bummed.

As I suggested earlier, the platform is open if you're a web dev, as I am. I've already made modifications to some of my apps. I might end writing a native app for work at some point... Time will tell.

In the end, the thing I'd just plain cool. It's worth a few days' pay. If you'd need to work longer than that to afford it, spend your time investing in your human capital, not playing with new gadgets... =)

Things that would make this better: tethering off the 3GS. Dvorak keyboard. iTunes UEFA and EPL season passes. More iBooks (Or at least the few obscure ones I want). Don't care much about camera or multi tasking. More HD app ports...

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