A Review on The iPad 2

North Georgia Chief Information Officer Dr. Bryson Payne was among the lucky few to have received an iPad 2 early.

In an interview with The Saint he provided a review of the device. Some of the comments have been shortened for space considerations.

Q: What were your first impressions of the iPad 2?

A: I didn't think I would be as impressed as I am with the new iPad 2. With the addition of the cameras (front- and rear-facing), plus the increased speed, built-in screen-sharing and the ability to show your iPad's screen on a TV or projector) have won me over pretty quickly. The potential for innovation in both academic and administrative settings is astounding.

Q: Is it really that much better than a first-generation iPad?

A: The front-facing camera really takes the new iPad 2 to a new level. The first time I saw a screen shot of the Cisco WebEx video conferencing app on the iPad 2 I thought it was as close to a "killer app" as I'd ever seen. You can conference with up to 25 people and you can share files and documents... As I saw it, I thought meetings at North Georgia would never be the same.

Q: You mentioned the Cisco WebEx app - what are your other favorite apps on the iPad 2?

A: I love the Citrix Reciever. This Citrix app allows you to access a virtual Windows desktop from your iPad, and it's surprisingly usable. You can edit documents, print, save files, and more right on a virtual desktop. I like the features in iBooks, the Kindle app, USA Today and other news apps for keeping well-read and up-to-date. . . The one app I'm waiting for is a great notes app. There's still no outstanding iPad 2 stylus-type note-taking app. I still carry paper and pens alongside my iPad 2 to jot down quick notes, and that just feels wrong.

Q: Apple has to be holding something back for the iPad 3 - what features are missing, or is there anything that could be better?

A: I have only three complaints about the iPad 2, and none of them are deal-breakers for me. If future iPad versions allow you to set up everything on the device itself without an old-fashioned desktop or laptop in the way, it could truly stand apart as a replacement for those devices.

Second, the speaker is located on the lower back of the iPad 2. You have to cup your hand somewhat awkwardly around the back when listening to video or audio to get the full volume.

Third, while the new magnetic cover definitely has a cool factor, it doesn't feel as sturdy as the "old" iPad case for standing the iPad up on its own, and you have to be careful not to pick the iPad up by the magnetic cover.


Q: Is there anything else you'd like to share about this innovative device?

A: I think it's going to be a great launching pad for innovation in the classroom and on the administrative side of the university alike. It's certainly got the right tools for collaboration, and I can't wait to see how North Georgia takes advantage of technologies like the iPad 2 over the coming year.

Q:  What about recommend us an easy-to-use iPad 2 Converter?

A: iPad 2 Video Converter Mac is your best choice to convert videos to iPad 2 on Mac OS X.

and  As a powerful converter, iPad 2 Video Converter can easily convert kinds of videos to iPad for playing. The input format includes AVI, MP4, MKV, FLV, MTS, M2TS, MOD, H.264/AVC, RMVB, HD TS, HD MOV, WMV HD, etc. Best iPad 2 Converter allows users to enjoy videos with its large and high-resolution screen freely.

New iTunes Movies Features Attempt to One Up DVD

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is testing new features in iTunes with an eye on the digital distribution of a film becoming its primary one. As it stands now, iTunes movies are generally just that – the movie, with the majority of the special features relegated to a Blu-ray or DVD. But with a few new releases, Sony is “quietly testing” features that will be exclusive to people who purchase a movie on iTunes, such as the ability to clip scenes from their movies to share on social networks as well the ability to search for certain words in the script. It’s their hope that features like this will entice people to purchase on iTunes instead of DVD while simultaneously acting as an experiment to what’s possible within the digital medium.

The first movies to put these features into practice are The Other Guys, Salt and Resident Evil: Afterlife. So if you buy (not rent) The Other Guys on iTunes, you’ll see a search button that allows you to search for any word in the script, find it, then jump to that scene and clip it out to share. The Clip & Share feature is also available on Salt and Resident Evil, but they don’t have the script search.

Mind-blowing add-ons? No, but they do represent the intent of studios like Sony, which declined comment, to offer differentiating value on digital platforms from that on DVD, where extras are often nothing more than a collection of additional short videos.

It seems like each and every Blu-ray you buy these days comes with a digital copy and, almost always, that digital copy is downloaded from iTunes. That makes it pretty obvious movie studios believe the digital distribution of their movies is becoming more and more prevalent. Which, of course, it is, especially when a 10-year-old can grab a HDMI wire and run it from his laptop to his living room television.

Personally, I’m old school. If at all possible, I like to have something physical in my hand. But that’s slowly going away. With the testing of features like these, it seems inevitable that studios will eventually just put up full releases, complete with extras and interactivity, up online. It saves them a whole bunch of money.

What do you all think of this trend? Are there any features you can think of that would make you buy a movie on iTunes before buying it at a store?

If you want to convert AVI files to iTunes to transfer AVI Video to iPad, iPad 3G or new-generation iPhone, iPod? Here AVI to iTunes is the best solution for you.

AVI to iTunes, actually an easy-to-use but powerful iTunes Converter, can easily convert kinds of videos to iTunes for transferring to iPad, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPod, iTouch, Apple TV, etc. The input format includes AVI, MPEG, MP4, MKV, MOV, FLV, RMVB, VOB, MTS, M2TS, MOD, H.264/AVC, HD TS, HD MOV, WMV HD, etc.

AVI to iTunes Mac is your best choice to convert/transfer AVI Video to iTunes with superfast speed and high quality.