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iPad 2 First Look
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Design
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Extremely thin.
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Lighter by just 0.2 lbs, but you can feel the difference.
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Feels good in your hand, but "slick". I feel like I might drop it at times, but don't.
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Controls wrap around the back and take some getting use to
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Cables still dock straight in, so there is an odd "gap" at the back edges.
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Mic hole larger and in top center.
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Performance
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1GHz Dual Core A5 Processor. 512MB of RAM
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Battery seems to drain faster even when in sleep mode. I haven't had enough time to compare useable battery life as it hasn't cycled yet.
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Boot times from cold boot are faster
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30 seconds iPad 2, 0:45 sec for iPad.
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Spotlight searches are considerably faster
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App performance seems about the same
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Need to wait for apps that take advantage of dual core
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Safari seemed about the same to me despite the benchmarking
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Games I also don't notice a difference.
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Display and Graphics
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Specs are the same as original iPad. 9.7-inch LED-backlit with IPS technology. 1024-by-768-pixel resolution at 132 pixels per inch (ppi)
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The brightness range seem to be extended. Darker at low brightness and brighter when in middle.
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Text does seem to be slightly "crisper"
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Off angle viewing is better too.
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Sound
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Speaker seems to be about the same, possibly a little more "Tinny", but hardly discernible.
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Cameras
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I wasn't expecting much, but they were a disappointment even from that.
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Less than 1MP resolution for both cameras
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640 x 480 resolution for front. 960 x 720 rear.
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In moderate to low indoor lighting all my shots were riddled with noise with both video and stills.
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In outdoor light the rear camera still has some noise and that soft "muted" or blended edges.
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Outdoor daylight video looks great.
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Facetime is also good on the iPad, but the image in my testing was still pixelated. Slightly better than on my iPhone 4 though.
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Smart Cover
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Very neat design, almost looks fused to the iPad when locked in place
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Latch works as advertised.
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Stand mode is much more stable in the vertical and more solid than I thought it would be in "keyboard" mode.
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Stand also works great as a "pistol" grip for 1 handed operation and shooting video/snaps.
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Floppy when rolled around to back when in use. Doesn't have magnets on the back
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Tends to "slam" down when closing. Not sure it will harm the iPad, but feels abusive.
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No protection for the back, so I'm afraid to set it down. Might go for a skin for the back.
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Final Thoughts
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Thoughts on storage size
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I think 32GB is the minimum except for a few cases (web and email device only).
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For those who don't already own an iPad this is a great upgrade.
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If your a current iPad owner and you have to have the latest and greatest you can find ways to appreciate the new features and justify spending the upgrade costs.
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If your happy with your iPad I can't find a compelling reason to recommend an upgrade
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Closing
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Keep emails coming. Audio comments.
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281-622-4269 or 281-Mac-I-Am-9
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PLEASE LEAVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS
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MacCast Forum
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Follow me on Twitter
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