CARRIER: AT&T and Verizon. The
iPad 2 Is not carrier locked and can be used with any
carrier by replacing the SIM card (except the Verizon CDMA iPad 2 which will not be ablet
o switch to any carrier using a GSM
network)
RATING:
PRICE:
iPad 2 Full
Review
The iPad 2 has a new design and it is improved over the original
iPad. It's 33 percent thinner and up to 15 percent lighter and it feels more comfortable in your hands. The
iPad 2 is much faster than the original iPad due to the new dual-core A5 processor. It
really makes a difference whenever you are watching movies, surfing the web, gaming or making FaceTime video
calls.
The new and improved iPad 2 hadles multitasking much better and you can have multiple applications open
in the same time. The gameplay on the iPad 2 is improved, it is smoother and more
realistic.
The
iPad 2 comes with a fron-facing camera and a rear facing camera which is now a standard for most of the
tablets. The quality of the two cameras is not so great, but you can still use the front camera for video
chat with your friends.
The
iPad 2 Smart Cover (which comes optional) is very cleverly designed, magnetically
attaches to the iPad to protect its screen. When you open the Smart Cover your iPad wakes up instantly
and when you close it your iPad goes to sleep automatically. And that's not all, the Smart Cover
transforms into a stand which you can use to watch movies, play games or surf the web. It comes in ten
bright colors.
Multi-Touch.Everything’s at your fingertips
Technology is at its best when it feels completely natural, almost like there’s no
technology at all. That’s Multi-Touch on iPad. You use your fingers to do everything, so everything you do
— surfing the web, typing email, reading books, and swiping through photos — is easier and a lot more fun.
How does it work? When your fingers touch the display, it senses them using electrical fields. Then it
instantly transforms your taps, swipes, pinches, and flicks into lifelike actions. Just like
that.
Wi-Fi and 3G. Two great ways to stay connected.
Every iPad is built with advanced 802.11n wireless technology. It automatically finds
Wi-Fi networks, which you can join with a few taps. iPad is also available with 3G connectivity on either
AT&T or Verizon Wireless networks. So if you’re somewhere without Wi-Fi, such as outdoors on a camping trip
or on the road, you can still surf the web, check email, or get directions.
Gyro, accelerometer, and compass. iPad knows your every move.
With the built-in accelerometer, you can rotate iPad to portrait or landscape, or even
upside down, and whatever you’re watching, reading, or seeing adjusts to fit the display. And now the
accelerometer, three-axis gyroscope, and compass all work together. They sense which direction iPad is heading
and how it’s moving. So games, maps, and other apps know your every twist, turn, tilt, and 360. It’s an epic
win for gaming. And it’s just the beginning of better-than-ever iPad apps.
Video mirroring. What you do is what they see.
Video mirroring is new for iPad and for every app, web page, presentation, video, movie,
or photo you want to show a big audience. Just plug in the Apple Digital AV Adapter or Apple VGA Adapter (sold
separately) and your HDTV or projector becomes a bigger version of your iPad. One plug, that’s it. Everyone
sees what’s on your display — even when you rotate iPad from portrait to landscape or zoom in and out on
photos.
AirPlay. Your movie-photo-music stream.
All the great stuff on your iPad — your music, photos, and video — can now stream
wirelessly to your HDTV and speakers via AirPlay-enabled speakers or Apple TV on a Wi-Fi network. With just a
tap on the AirPlay icon, blast some tunes, have a movie night, show off some photos, or watch YouTube. And go
big.
AirPrint. Print everything wirelessly.
Print your email, photos, web pages, and documents right from your iPad over Wi-Fi.
There’s no software to download, no drivers to install, and no cables to connect. With just a few taps, you can
go from viewing something on the iPad screen to holding a printed copy.
What is the same as
the original iPad:
Size is the same
Screen resolution is the same
There is still no SD card slot
Same storage options (16GB, 32GB or 64GB)
What is new on the
iPad 2 as compared with the original iPad:
Thinner and lighter
Faster dual-core processor
Apple doubled the RAM in the iPad 2 from 256MB to 512MB
Front-facing camera
Rear-facing camera
Smart Cover - magnetically attaches to iPad2 to protect its screen (optional
feature)
iPad
2 PROS AND CONS
PROS:
Very fast, the screen is incredibly
responsive
It's slim and can easily fits into any tote or
backpack
Fast dual-core processor
Front-facing camera and rear-facing
camera
Smart covers protect the screen
(optional)
Multitasking support (you can have more than just one
application open in the same time)
The Apple's app store is huge, it has about 70,000
apps (lots of choices)
Battery life
is excellent (8-10 hours)
Has access to Google Books, iBook, Nook and
Kindle
Has a new button for locking the orientation of the
screen which is a nice feature
CONS:
Lack of flash support (cannot access many flash
websites)
Battery is built-in, so you cannot replace it if it
goes bad
The screen gets
fingerprints on it very easily (you might want to get a screen protector)
In direct sunlight the
screen is hard to see
Cameras are low
quality
Virtual keyboard is a
bit tiring to type on
If you need to display video to external
monitors, projectors or TVs you need to purchase separate
accessories such as a VGA adapter, HDMI adapter, etc. These will add to the cost of the
tablet
No USB
slot
No SD card slot (if you
want to import pictures from your camera you have to get an adapter) + there is no option for expandable
storage so you are stuck with the storage that your iPad 2 came with (16GB, 32GB or
64GB)
File storage is very
inefficient and you need a file mnagement application to keep trask of your
files
No HDMI output ( if you want to output data to a
projector or HDTV you need to get a special adapter)
No stereo speakers
iPad 2 Video
Reviews
Where can you find the best deals on iPad
2 Tablets?
Amazon usually has the best prices and free
shipping.
Up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi-Fi, watching video, or
listening to music
Up to 9 hours of surfing the web using 3G data
network
Charging via power adapter or USB to computer
system
Input/Output
30-pin dock connector port
3.5-mm stereo headphone minijack
Built-in speaker
Microphone
30-pin dock connector port
3.5-mm stereo headphone minijack
Built-in speaker
Microphone
Micro-SIM card tray (Wi-Fi + 3G model)
Sensors
Three-axis gyro
Accelerometer
Ambient light sensor
Three-axis gyro
Accelerometer
Ambient light sensor
Location
Wi-Fi
Digital compass
Wi-Fi
Digital compass
Assisted GPS
Cellular
Audio Playback
Frequency response: 20Hz to 20,000Hz
Audio formats supported: HE-AAC (V1 and V2), AAC (8 to 320 Kbps),
Protected AAC (from iTunes Store), MP3 (8 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3, and
4, Audible Enhanced Audio, AAX, and AAX+), Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV
User-configurable maximum volume limit
Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound pass-through with Apple Digital AV
Adapter (sold separately)
TV and Video
Video mirroring and video out support: Up to 1080p with Apple
Digital AV Adapter or Apple VGA Adapter (cables sold separately)
Video out support at 576p and 480p with Apple Component AV Cable;
576i and 480i with Apple Composite AV Cable
Video formats supported: H.264 video up to 720p, 30 frames per
second, Main Profile level 3.1 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in
.m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; MPEG-4 video, up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30
frames per second, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps per channel, 48kHz,
stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; Motion JPEG (M-JPEG) up to 35 Mbps, 1280
by 720 pixels, 30 frames per second, audio in ulaw, PCM stereo audio in .avi file
format
Mail Attachment Support
Viewable document types: .jpg, .tiff, .gif (images); .doc and .docx
(Microsoft Word); .htm and .html (web pages); .key (Keynote); .numbers (Numbers); .pages
(Pages); .pdf (Preview and Adobe Acrobat); .ppt and .pptx (Microsoft PowerPoint); .txt (text);
.rtf (rich text format); .vcf (contact information); .xls and .xlsx (Microsoft
Excel)
Languages
Language support for English (U.S.), English (UK), French (France),
German, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
(Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Danish, Swedish, Finnish, Norwegian, Korean, Japanese,
Russian, Polish, Turkish, Ukrainian, Hungarian, Arabic, Thai, Czech, Greek, Hebrew,
Indonesian, Malay, Romanian, Slovak, Croatian, Catalan, and Vietnamese
Keyboard support for English (U.S.), English (UK), French (France),
French (Canadian), French (Switzerland), German, Traditional Chinese (Handwriting, Pinyin,
Zhuyin, Cangjie, Wubihua), Simplified Chinese (Handwriting, Pinyin, Wubihua), Dutch,
Italian, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Danish, Swedish, Finnish,
Norwegian, Korean, Japanese (Romaji, Ten Key), Japanese (Kana), Russian, Polish, Turkish,
Ukrainian, Estonian, Hungarian, Icelandic, Lithuanian, Latvian, Flemish, Arabic, Thai,
Czech, Greek, Hebrew, Indonesian, Malay, Romanian, Slovak, Croatian, Bulgarian, Serbian
(Cyrillic/Latin), Catalan, Vietnamese, Tibetan, Macedonian, and Cherokee
Dictionary support (enables predictive text and autocorrect) for
English (U.S.), English (UK), French, German, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese,
Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Danish, Swedish,
Finnish, Norwegian, Korean, Japanese (Romaji), Japanese (Kana), Russian, Polish, Turkish,
Ukrainian, Hungarian, Lithuanian, Flemish, Arabic, Thai, Czech, Greek, Hebrew, Indonesian,
Malaysian, Romanian, Slovak, Croatian, Catalan, Vietnamese, and Cherokee
Accessibility
Support for playback of closed-captioned content
VoiceOver screen reader
Full-screen zoom magnification
White on black display
Mono audio
Environmental Requirements
Operating temperature: 32° to 95° F (0° to 35° C)
Nonoperating temperature: -4° to 113° F (-20° to 45°
C)
This video features the new tablet from Motorola - Motorola XOOM. It is one of the first
tablets to run Google's Android 3.0 (Honeycomb). Click here to see a full review of Motorola XOOM.
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