Product Testing
Features Make iPad a Winner -- Hands Down
By John M. Williams
What is the essence of Apple’s iPad? This unique
tablet -- the result of high-end hardware, superior design ingenuity and the
power of touch-screen technology -- is a new way to view media.
Recently, I had an opportunity to test the iPad for three
days. A visually impaired friend had lent it to me and wanted my opinion of it.
I love this upgraded version of Apple’s iPod.
The iPad's features include support for playback of
closed-captioned content, a voice-over screen reader, full-screen zoom
magnification, white-on-black display and audio. Therefore, the iPad is
accessible to people who are blind, visually impaired, deaf, hard of hearing
and cognitively challenged. The features also make it accessible for seniors.
The iPad is extremely easy to use and very, very sensitive
to touch. Users with disabilities can view whole pages in portrait or landscape
on the multi-touch screen that features vibrant colors and sharp text at a size
that’s actually readable. When you rotate iPad to landscape view, the page
you are viewing also rotates and then expands to fit the display. Quadriplegics
can let their fingers do the surfing.
The iPad has a touch-screen keyboard built right in, but
it has a flaw.
Although the "Pages" application is designed for word
processing, the virtual keyboard, though spacious, doesn’t suit
touch-typists. For a lot of typing, those typists will need a separate
keyboard. Most convenient are the plentiful Bluetooth keyboards, which connect
wirelessly.
When I first saw the iPad, I was impressed by its
smallness and thinness. People with disabilities should be too. The screen is
9.7 inches measured diagonally; the iPad itself weighs 1.5 pounds and is 0.5
inches thick. The slight curve in the back makes it easy to pick up and
comfortable to hold.
It also is extremely sensitive. With just a slight
fingertip touch, I was able to read an off-the-shelf book, type, check e-mail,
look at photos, play music and browse the Web. The tasks seem endless and are
quickly accessed.
You can use iPad for up to 10 hours while surfing the Web
on Wi-Fi, watching videos or listening to music.While surfing the Web on a 3G
data network, you can get up to nine hours of battery life.At one point, I
forgot to charge the battery after nearly 10 hours, and it died. After a
two-hour charge, I was able to use it again.
The dock connector port on the bottom of the iPad allows
you to dock and charge it. It also lets you connect to accessories such as the
iPad Camera Connection Kit and the iPad Keyboard Dock. You’ll find many
accessories designed to be compatible with the dock connector port.
All iPad models come with built-in 802.11n Wi-Fi. If you
want to extend your network coverage, choose iPad with Wi-Fi + 3G and sign up
for access to 3G data service. The IPad will be available in a 3G model with superfast data speeds
up to 7.2 mbps.
The iPad comes with a headphone jack and a built-in
microphone, and its carrying case can be used as a stand that holds the tablet
at an angle for watching videos and slide shows or for typing on the onscreen
keyboard.
The iPad supports English, French, German, Japanese,
Dutch, Italian, Spanish, simplified Chinese and Russian.
The iPad has other flaws. It is difficult to use outside
when the sun is bright: I had to shade the screen with my hat. You can’t
use it for multi-tasking, and it does not have a built-in camera. Future
versions should have multi-tasking capabilities and a built-in camera.
The iPad starts at $499 and rises to more than $800.
I would label the iPad an assistive technology product.
John M. Williams can be reached at
jwilliams@atechnews.com. His
website is www.atechnews.com.
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