The release of Apple’s iPad tablet computer sent the tech world spinning. Everyone wanted to hold it, touch it, play with it and yes, buy it. Now that it’s available for the masses, will it really revolutionize the way we read? According to some early reviews, it seems this little piece of the future is the ideal device for one of the most old-fashioned activities: reading.
Kindle and Sony Reader customers are quite possibly raising an eyebrow in curiousity over the iPad. After all, the iPad is more than just a reader, but does it really perform?
Here’s what I know: only two weeks in hand, my Kindle froze and – despite repeated resuscitation attempts – died in my lap. From then on I swore off electronic readers. Books won’t crash on you. Their batteries won’t run out and they don’t need a WiFi signal to turn the page. On the flip side, books can be heavy, they take up space and they collect dust around the house. Since you’re likely carrying your laptop when you travel or arming the kids with the portable DVD players for the long car rides, who needs another book to schlep? Enter: the iPad.
A combination book reader-movie-player-game-player-note-taker, Apple’s new product is bringing back the fine art of reading thanks to pictures, colors and a little creativity. Part laptop-part iPhone, the iPad takes the weight out of the computer and adds a bit of bling to the standard iPhone capabilities. No, it can’t call home for you, but it can put all those books you’ve been dying to read into one easy-to-carry platform so you don’t have to drain your cell phone battery or recharge your DVD player to pass the time.
I still believe there’s no substitute for books, but I can appreciate the iPad’s place in the reading world. There isn’t anything fun about trekking your 5-pound copy of “War and Peace” through the airport, but there’s something intoxicating about opening the yellowed pages of an old book or feeling the crisp corners of a new book in your fingers as you turn the page. However, if technology is changing the way we read then bring on Apple’s iPad.
While reading makes a comeback in the electronic age, watching a movie on HD is still a perfect way to spend a rainy Sunday and working out with your Wii Fit is still posh. But, what about all those old books that are stacked up at the house? Take all the books you have and swap them at Swap.com for DVDs and video games. Then, turn down the lights, pop some popcorn and watch your favorite flick — some things will never go out of style, even with the iPad in the world.
Swap.com Mobile is a free iPhone is app that lets you scan items into your HAVE and WANT lists, manage your account, see what you can get for your stuff, and participate in swaps.
