First look at the iPad 2: Is it worth the buy?

The iPad
This week I want to give a rundown of the iPad and iPad 2 and whether or not it is worth spending the rest of that sweet financial aid disbursement check on.

The iPad came out last April, and it has had a fair bit of success. The new model, fittingly named the iPad 2, boasts a 10-hour battery (the first model did as well), faster processing power, two cameras for Facetime (a Skype-like app) and pictures, more graphics power (they allocate more memory to graphics and video) and a thinner design. It also has a wonderful magnetic outer casing that allows for tight fitting covers (called a Smart Cover by Apple).

But do you need one?

The answer is a resounding... maybe. If you do not have an iPhone, look into getting one.

I do not recommend on any account, though, for anyone to buy the iPad 2. In fact, I think they should have kept it in their super secret technology vault at Apple.

Without more RAM and a sharper resolution screen, there is not enough difference to justify the cost of a newer model.

The older 16GB + WiFi models go for around $300 on eBay, which is at least $200 less than the new ones.

They are a good investment (again, the older ones) for those who do not have an iPhone. There is a Blackboard app, but Ole Miss doesn’t support it yet. Nonetheless, the iPad is great if you don’t have any Apple products outside of an iPod and want to get your feet wet with the Apple buzz.

It is also an awesome alternative to carrying a laptop around.

Having an iPad would allow you to go to the library, study sessions, the Honors College study rooms or classes and be able to quickly look up information, your Dropbox files (if you followed my advice last time) and documents (including PDFs and PowerPoint slides) from Blackboard. You can check email and even type papers using many of the word processing apps, all on the go and without the hassle of carrying a laptop.

There is no waiting for it to boot up or resume from sleep. Just tap the home button and type that paper due in 30 minutes.

I do not recommend the 3G models, though, as we have plenty of WiFi points around campus.

Happy Apps
I don’t spend hours playing iPhone games and using apps. I use it to kill time before a professor shows up, I listen to music when I am walking to class, I check my email and I play “Words with Friends.”

When I found out that there was an app that could possibly make me healthier and heal my psychological problems (which is a bucket of stories for another day), I decided that a little thing Apple overcharges for is pretty phenomenal.

But when something seems too good to be true, it usually is.

I downloaded “Happy Apps” from the iTunes store. The app is a happy little compilation of timer-based color changes that can do different things.

The app claims that it would “unlock the body’s natural healing ability through color stimulation of the cells.”

I was perplexed, and I knew instantly that I could not test it on myself, as that wouldn’t constitute a real scientific study because I already doubted the app’s abilities.

So to test the app, I ran a study on four people I know of different genders, races and ages. I didn’t tell them what the purpose was.

I chose to run the app that controls mood by having the person keep the device in their line of sight for 30 minutes while the colors changed, and at the end, they should have felt much happier and full of joy.

Before I started, I had them record their happiness at the time on a scale of 1-10 (I did not look at it until after the test).

Fifteen minutes later, I had them use the app. They ran the full course, and immediately after I asked them to rate their happiness again.

The average score before was a 7 out of 10, and the average score afterwards was a 5 out of 10.

When asked if the people noticed a difference, they uniformly responded that they were tired of staring at an iPhone and were ready for some sleep.

So, if you need something to make you fall asleep, “Happy Apps” might work for you. But as for achieving its goal, it is not winning, as Mr. Sheen would say.