[PGamer]

Does anyone here have any recommendations for cases? I don't know if the smart case is the best option or if there's some really good third party stuff available. I'd like something to keep my iPad nice and safe carrying it to school and back really where I could throw it in a bag or backpack and not have to worry about it.

[DopeyFish]

Mobile youtube is fucked on the iPad now. Thanks google... Idiots.

You just needed your ads and that was more important than full screen :(

[NawidA]

Does anyone here have any recommendations for cases? I don't know if the smart case is the best option or if there's some really good third party stuff available. I'd like something to keep my iPad nice and safe carrying it to school and back really where I could throw it in a bag or backpack and not have to worry about it.

I use this. Pretty great.
http://www.monoprice.com/products/pr...t=1#largeimage

[NawidA]

Probably has been asked before, but iPad 2 or iPad 3? I was going to go with the 2...until I saw the 3. :(

3 or wait a month for the mini/air.

[Ken Masters]

Probably has been asked before, but iPad 2 or iPad 3? I was going to go with the 2...until I saw the 3. :(

seeing how retina is now the norm for iPad apps, 100% go with the iPad 3 unless you really need to save the extra cash

[dr3upmushroom]

Does anyone here have any recommendations for cases? I don't know if the smart case is the best option or if there's some really good third party stuff available. I'd like something to keep my iPad nice and safe carrying it to school and back really where I could throw it in a bag or backpack and not have to worry about it.

Came to ask the exact same question, though I'm looking specifically for a sleeve. I'm planning on getting a Timbuk2 Envelope Sleeve, but reading reviews I'm seeing a lot of complaints that the velcro is very loud, which isn't going to fly in a quiet classroom or library. Definitely want a sleeve, I can't stand stand having my electronics in cases when I'm actually using them, but like PGamer I'm going to need something to keep it in when I'm carrying it in my backpack.

Probably has been asked before, but iPad 2 or iPad 3? I was going to go with the 2...until I saw the 3. :(

There's pretty much no point in getting the 2 unless you really don't care about screen quality and you're desperate to save a bit of money.

seeing how retina is now the norm for iPad apps, 100% go with the iPad 3 unless you really need to save the extra cash

What do you guys think about the battery life and the heat issues? I'm getting an iPad to use primarily for school (I realize that they're not as capable as a laptop but I'm starting to do research, and I'm buying it more as a PDF reader than anything, with the occasional word processing or gaming being a really cool plus) and I've actually been kind of leaning towards the 2 for those reasons. The battery especially, I'm not sure how big a difference there is between them but I hear since they refreshed the iPad 2's chip to the smaller die it gets really good battery life, whereas the new iPad really eats up battery if you have the screen too bright and takes forever to charge.

As for the heat thing, I'm guessing that's been overblown to an extent, but I really don't want something I'm holding in my hand to get too warm, and I'm not going to buy a back-covering case to address the issue. I'm not going to be playing crazy games like Infinity Blade though, 70% of the time I'm going to be using it to surf the web or read PDFs, and I'm more interested in games like Waking Mars and Machinarium than anything with super-intense graphics, so maybe the heat wouldn't be an issue at all?

Looking around I see a lot of people saying the 3 isn't worth the extra $100 and a lot of people saying there's no way you should settle for the 2. Looking at them at an Apple Store obviously the new iPad looks a lot better, but in my opinion the 2 doesn't look bad by any means, and it's hard to say how much I'd miss the Retina screen when I don't have it to compare with side by side. I've been back and forth, I'm sure I'll be happy with whatever I get but I wish it was more clearcut which was the better bang for the buck.

[Greyface]

I'm getting an iPad to use primarily for school (I realize that they're not as capable as a laptop but I'm starting to do research, and I'm buying it more as a PDF reader than anything... *snip* Looking at them at an Apple Store obviously the new iPad looks a lot better, but in my opinion the 2 doesn't look bad by any means, and it's hard to say how much I'd miss the Retina screen when I don't have it to compare with side by side. I've been back and forth, I'm sure I'll be happy with whatever I get but I wish it was more clearcut which was the better bang for the buck.

If your primary purpose for the iPad is reading PDFs then the choice is quite clearcut — get the retina iPad.

However if you're going to be doing a lot of research i.e multiple open PDFs, taking a lot of notes, writing papers while referring to those PDFs and so on, then I'd caution that there really is a huge difference between an iPad and a laptop for those tasks. I'd suggest considering an ultrabook with a higher resolution display or the Macbook Pro with Retina display.

[NawidA]

I have never had the heating issue. Maybe my case (the $3 one I linked in my second to last post here) is absorbing it or something, but yeah never felt it. As for battery life, it's the same as any other iPad. It just takes longer to charge because it has a bigger battery.

[dr3upmushroom]

If your primary purpose for the iPad is reading PDFs then the choice is quite clearcut — get the retina iPad. However if you're going to be doing a lot of research i.e multiple open PDFs, taking a lot of notes, writing papers while referring to those PDFs and so on, then I'd caution that there really is a huge difference between an iPad and a laptop for those tasks. I'd suggest considering an ultrabook with a higher resolution display or the Macbook Pro with Retina display.

If I could afford a Macbook Pro that'd be fine, that's way out of my budget though (I'm going to have like $650 to spend on a laptop or tablet max) and being able to hold a tablet to read seems really nice to me, as well as being able to use it in portrait mode. I'm aware of the iPads limitations, but having messed with one I think apps like GoodReader and the new multi-tasking gestures will get me through. It'd be nice to be able to have two apps open side by side, but for my budget the quality, battery life, and portability outweigh that for me personally.

Anyway, I'm doing work with a group and we have a shared Google Docs account that we upload relevant articles to, and I logged into my Google account at the Apple Store and honestly I didn't think the difference was mindblowing. The new iPad looked better I guess, but for some reason text on the PDFs looked really soft. I'm not sure if it was because they had been scaled down in resolution when they were saved to Docs or what, but I didn't like the look.

The 2 on the other hand was noticeably not as sharp, but still readable at full screen zoom.

That's been what I've kind of been asking myself, whether or not I really need the Retina screen. I went to a few sites with pretty small text (Wired was the main one I used) and while the Retina screen is very nice, everything was perfectly legible on the 2.

At this point that's been making it easier to convince myself to get the 2 because I was already iffy on the battery life/ charging time issue and the heat. If those aren't as big a deal as I'm thinking I might go with the new iPad though... like I said, I'm sure I'll be happy with whatever I get, I just need to pull the trigger and get it over with.

[PGamer]

At this point that's been making it easier to convince myself to get the 2 because I was already iffy on the battery life/ charging time issue and the heat. If those aren't as big a deal as I'm thinking I might go with the new iPad though... like I said, I'm sure I'll be happy with whatever I get, I just need to pull the trigger and get it over with.

I got an iPad 3 a couple months ago and to be honest the heat is a complete non-issue. So far the most extreme temperature it's gotten to I'd describe as somewhat warm, and that was playing a pretty graphically intensive game. For doing stuff like reading the web or PDFs it's not hot at all.

I'm not sure what battery issues exactly you're referencing. As far as I'm aware it's pretty comparable or slightly lower than an iPad 2's battery life depending on what you're doing? The battery does take quite a while to fully charge but I just plug mine in at night if the battery's low and it's at 100% when I wake up in the morning. I guess that could be an issue depending on how you're planning on using it.

Considering the impact the retina display has on text I still say the iPad 3 is the better choice pretty easily. I think it's been the first computer screen I've actually felt reading in-depth stuff off of was actually enjoyable.

[PGamer]

PS: I'm still looking for case recommendations if anyone has any.

[BaroqueSampson]

PS: I'm still looking for case recommendations if anyone has any.

I just bought a DODOcase for mine. Basically looks like a moleskine notebook. But the frame is bamboo, all hand-crafted.

http://www.dodocase.com/collections/...r-ipad2-ipad-3

[Nemo]

Anyone know if there's a good native iPad PSX emu? I mean the thing is 4:3, it would be PERFECT for this + dualshock 3 pairing

Playing SNES with wiimote = the perfect "handheld" snes experience. Putting the iPad on the table and then lying on the couch playing with the Wiimote is soooo good.



If only a good PSX emu came out for iPad. PSX4all seems to have some problems with the developer and only iphone :(

PS: I'm still looking for case recommendations if anyone has any.

I've tried dozens of cases but I really enjoy the official apple cover the most (doesn't cover the bottom tho, and is also overpriced to hell but I got it at 10 bucks at a sale)

[Eel O'Brian]

I recently bought the STM Grip case, and I like it a lot. Here's a video review I found which shows it off pretty well:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QkxWPtj6pg

[Vyer]

I like the Grip, but ended up switching to the STM Skinny for a couple of reasons. I found the stand on the Grip pretty cumbersome and not very sturdy, and the hard shell 'flap' was very uncomfortable when holding the ipad 'book style' against my hand.

So I switched to the Skinny, which is pretty much the same thing but with a cloth kind of covering on the hard shell. Still, both are very solid and don't add much additional weight or bulk to the ipad.



Also, if anyone is looking, Apple refurbs currently has a lot of iPads up. the Wifi+3G iPad 2s for 399, 32GB WiFi + 3G for 479. They also have the 16GB current gen Wifi new iPad for 449.

http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/ipad

[LukasTaves]

Anyone know if there's a good native iPad PSX emu? I mean the thing is 4:3, it would be PERFECT for this + dualshock 3 pairing Playing SNES with wiimote = the perfect "handheld" snes experience. Putting the iPad on the table and then lying on the couch playing with the Wiimote is soooo good. If only a good PSX emu came out for iPad. PSX4all seems to have some problems with the developer and only iphone :( I've tried dozens of cases but I really enjoy the official apple cover the most (doesn't cover the bottom tho, and is also overpriced to hell but I got it at 10 bucks at a sale)

Does it works if Ps3 controllers?

[LukasTaves]

I recently bought the STM Grip case, and I like it a lot. Here's a video review I found which shows it off pretty well: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QkxWPtj6pg

Howa, that looks amazing.

I've been looking for a case/stand for a while, this seems exactly what i was looking for!

[jts]

Does it works if Ps3 controllers?

This, the Wiimote layout sucks.

(also, can you use the CC and multiple controllers?)

I guess the Wii U Pro controller will be godlike for this stuff though.

[Nemo]

I use wiimote for the simplicity, CC is supported as well but you got the wiimote hanging ofc

PS3 controller doesn't work AFAIK, definitely not natively but might be workarounds. For games I play (2 button setups) it works fine of course, and games like FF works as well, just don't play something like SFII I guess :)

I want the club Nintendo SNES controller tho... If I can get that I wouldn't even care if it's connected to the wiimote, I would play that bad boy HARD. Is it possible to get it outside club Nintendo?

[jts]

I use wiimote for the simplicity, CC is supported as well but you got the wiimote hanging ofc PS3 controller doesn't work AFAIK, definitely not natively but might be workarounds. For games I play (2 button setups) it works fine of course, and games like FF works as well, just don't play something like SFII I guess :)

That's why the Wii U Pro Controller will rock. 4 button (+ 4 shoulder) layout and no cord. Pretty much like the DS3 actually but I guess it'll use the same connectivity and pairing scheme as the Wiimote so it'll be easily supported.

I want the club Nintendo SNES controller tho... If I can get that I wouldn't even care if it's connected to the wiimote, I would play that bad boy HARD. Is it possible to get it outside club Nintendo?

Only ebay and the likes.

[SteveWD40]

The iCade 8bittty controller is supposed to be out this year, Bluetooth, dpad, 4 face and 2 shoulder buttons...

Would be a dream for any emu that needs no analogue stick.

[Magic Ovaries]

Is 16gb enough disk space for the iPad 3, and can you remove the lock screen without jailbreak?

[bkfount]

This, the Wiimote layout sucks. (also, can you use the CC and multiple controllers?) I guess the Wii U Pro controller will be godlike for this stuff though.

yeah, playing the wii remote sideways is awful. It's probably the main reason I havent got into emulation on my ipad.

[giga]

Is 16gb enough disk space for the iPad 3, and can you remove the lock screen without jailbreak?

If you don't store a lot of music and movies on it, yeah. I stream everything from my computer since the iPad doesn't leave the house.

[bkfount]

Is 16gb enough disk space for the iPad 3, and can you remove the lock screen without jailbreak?

I ran out of room when I had a 16GB ipad, and that was mostly due to games taking up space. It really depends on what you think you will use it for.

[Yaboosh]

Is 16gb enough disk space for the iPad 3, and can you remove the lock screen without jailbreak?

I have never had a problem with 16gb. But I don't store any music or movies on here.

[Medalion]

I have joined the ranks of new iPad 3rd gen owners and have officially retired my iPad 1st gen... never got the 2nd one, but there is enough of a diff to me to justify the purchase finally.

Woohoo go iPad whores!!!!

[Sloane]

Is it possible to record more than 50 minutes of continuous video with the new iPad and, if so, how? It's not an issue of available space or battery life or whatever.

[Number45]

Is it possible to record more than 50 minutes of continuous video with the new iPad and, if so, how? It's not an issue of available space or battery life or whatever.

Everything I've read suggests that there's a file limit size of around 2GB, which equates to around an hour. Not sure if you can get around that by reducing the recorded quality or if it's a file system limitation.

If not, possibly jail-breaking?

[Karish]

Real quick. I have opportunity to buy iPad 2 32gb for $325. Should I get it? I want an iPad. How many years will iPad 2 be good for?

[giga]

Real quick. I have opportunity to buy iPad 2 32gb for $325. Should I get it? I want an iPad. How many years will iPad 2 be good for?

It'll get iOS 7 support. It's a good price. You can easily resell down the road if you want.

[Sloane]

Everything I've read suggests that there's a file limit size of around 2GB, which equates to around an hour. Not sure if you can get around that by reducing the recorded quality or if it's a file system limitation. If not, possibly jail-breaking?

I've read something about 4GB but it looks like it doesn't have anything to do with it, even at lower res the recording stops after less than an hour. Weird.

[mescalineeyes]

It'll get iOS 7 support.

Someone is rocking his crystal ball today!

[hirokazu]

Someone is rocking his crystal ball today!

Well it is pretty much a given.

[numble]

Someone is rocking his crystal ball today!

iPad 2 should get iOS 7 if the new iPad gets it, which has worst performance than iPad 2 in some aspects.

[mescalineeyes]

iPad 2 should get iOS 7 if the new iPad gets it, which has worst performance than iPad 2 in some aspects.

don't confront me with this awful truth.

[SuicideUZI]

Anyone know if there's a good native iPad PSX emu? I mean the thing is 4:3, it would be PERFECT for this + dualshock 3 pairing Playing SNES with wiimote = the perfect "handheld" snes experience. Putting the iPad on the table and then lying on the couch playing with the Wiimote is soooo good. If only a good PSX emu came out for iPad. PSX4all seems to have some problems with the developer and only iphone :( I've tried dozens of cases but I really enjoy the official apple cover the most (doesn't cover the bottom tho, and is also overpriced to hell but I got it at 10 bucks at a sale)

whats the name of the SNES emulator? Also does the wii classic controller work or only the wii mote?

[Cheebo]

iPad 2 will get iOS 7 support because there is no way iPad mini wouldn't get it when it will be less than a year old by the time iOS 7 hits and by all indications iPad mini is just a tiny iPad 2.

[dr3upmushroom]

After comparing the two screens back and forth at Best Buy for awhile, I decided to go with the iPad 2. Then I got home and downloaded some PDFs from emails (at Best Buy I was just viewing ones I had saved on Google Docs) and apparently Google Docs must use some compression or something because they looked much nicer when I actually downloaded them.

Reading on the 2 wasn't exactly awful or anything, but to read comfortably for any longer than a few minutes I had to zoom in, hold it horizontally, or both. The Google Docs PDFs looked sort of blurry on the new iPad at Best Buy, but after having the 2 at home I had a hunch that they would look better if I actually downloaded them. Despite my misgivings over the charging time, heat, and price (which didn't end up being that big a deal, I got a $50 Best Buy gift card for being a student) I returned the 2 for a new.

I'm really liking it so far, PDFs look like a printed page, and there's some pretty cool scanner apps that automatically crop images of pages and save them as PDFs that are going to be a huge convenience.

Now I'm just looking for a good sleeve. I really don't like cases that stay on the iPad (folio cases and whatnot), I want something to slip it into when it's in my backpack that's going to protect it and that I can take it out of. A lot of them seem too thin to me, I don't really care how thick it is when it's in my backpack, so the more protection the better.

[Tobor]

After comparing the two screens back and forth at Best Buy for awhile, I decided to go with the iPad 2. Then I got home and downloaded some PDFs from emails (at Best Buy I was just viewing ones I had saved on Google Docs) and apparently Google Docs must use some compression or something because they looked much nicer when I actually downloaded them. Reading on the 2 wasn't exactly awful or anything, but to read comfortably for any longer than a few minutes I had to zoom in, hold it horizontally, or both. The Google Docs PDFs looked sort of blurry on the new iPad at Best Buy, but after having the 2 at home I had a hunch that they would look better if I actually downloaded them. Despite my misgivings over the charging time, heat, and price (which didn't end up being that big a deal, I got a $50 Best Buy gift card for being a student) I returned the 2 for a new. I'm really liking it so far, PDFs look like a printed page, and there's some pretty cool scanner apps that automatically crop images of pages and save them as PDFs that are going to be a huge convenience. Now I'm just looking for a good sleeve. I really don't like cases that stay on the iPad (folio cases and whatnot), I want something to slip it into when it's in my backpack that's going to protect it and that I can take it out of. A lot of them seem too thin to me, I don't really care how thick it is when it's in my backpack, so the more protection the better.

This is the best sleeve available. I highly recommend it.

[jts]

CPU-wise, we still haven't past through the A5, so the iPad 2 is still as powerful as an iDevice gets.

I doubt 1GB of RAM or quad-core GPU will become an iOS necessity anytime soon, so we'll probably watch all A5* devices get the same updates, with the first gen ones (iPad 2, iPhone 4S) getting one more year of support than the the second gen (despite getting some features artificially removed / not supported).

[Magnus]

Love my Maroo case so far.

Moko, by Maroo, with the Shock Absorbing SG Bumper Design. Everyone who uses mine remarks on how nice it is (thought their frame of reference is basically just seeing all their friends use the crappy normal Apple SmartCover).

http://www.maroo.com/store/Cases/iPad-Cases/MOKO

[sazabirules]

What is the best free Calendar app?

[kr2t0s]

What is the best free Calendar app?

Whats wrong with the stock calendar app?

[sazabirules]

Whats wrong with the stock calendar app?

Thanks...I forgot that was there.

[Vyer]

After comparing the two screens back and forth at Best Buy for awhile, I decided to go with the iPad 2. Then I got home and downloaded some PDFs from emails (at Best Buy I was just viewing ones I had saved on Google Docs) and apparently Google Docs must use some compression or something because they looked much nicer when I actually downloaded them. Reading on the 2 wasn't exactly awful or anything, but to read comfortably for any longer than a few minutes I had to zoom in, hold it horizontally, or both. The Google Docs PDFs looked sort of blurry on the new iPad at Best Buy, but after having the 2 at home I had a hunch that they would look better if I actually downloaded them. Despite my misgivings over the charging time, heat, and price (which didn't end up being that big a deal, I got a $50 Best Buy gift card for being a student) I returned the 2 for a new. I'm really liking it so far, PDFs look like a printed page, and there's some pretty cool scanner apps that automatically crop images of pages and save them as PDFs that are going to be a huge convenience. Now I'm just looking for a good sleeve. I really don't like cases that stay on the iPad (folio cases and whatnot), I want something to slip it into when it's in my backpack that's going to protect it and that I can take it out of. A lot of them seem too thin to me, I don't really care how thick it is when it's in my backpack, so the more protection the better.

retina screen is a great thing. But yeah, it depends on how you are going to use the ipad and if it will be something that will impact your day to day needs. Otherwise, there's a lot of use in an iPad 2. Personally it's hard to go back after that kind of screen bump.

[dr3upmushroom]

This is the best sleeve available. I highly recommend it.

Hmm, that looks really nice but it's like three times the price of the sleeves I've been looking at. I thought about getting SF Bag's iPad Wallet with the shoulder strap, 90% of the time all I need is the iPad, keyboard, and a notebook. I'm trying not to spend a ton of money, I'd probably go with that though if I splurge.

[Husker86]

Hmm, that looks really nice but it's like three times the price of the sleeves I've been looking at. I thought about getting SF Bag's iPad Wallet with the shoulder strap, 90% of the time all I need is the iPad, keyboard, and a notebook. I'm trying not to spend a ton of money, I'd probably go with that though if I splurge.

Ok, it's not the flashiest, but I see nothing wrong with this:
http://www.amazon.com/Verizon-Leathe...izon+ipad+case

It has been available for $3-10 for months now. If it's for throwing your iPad in your backpack, I can't recommend anything else than this simply because of the price. I know you said you want a thick one (this isn't), but I still don't see it getting damaged while in your backpack.

If you don't like it then you're not out much (or can just return it since Amazon is now stocking it).

[rozay]

Real quick. I have opportunity to buy iPad 2 32gb for $325. Should I get it? I want an iPad. How many years will iPad 2 be good for?

iPad 2 should get iOS 7 if the new iPad gets it, which has worst performance than iPad 2 in some aspects.

Probably worth mentioning that it may not have all the features OS7 on an iPad 3/iPad mini will have, if stuff like turn by turn being chopped from the new maps app on an iPhone 4 is any indication.

[Tobor]

Hmm, that looks really nice but it's like three times the price of the sleeves I've been looking at. I thought about getting SF Bag's iPad Wallet with the shoulder strap, 90% of the time all I need is the iPad, keyboard, and a notebook. I'm trying not to spend a ton of money, I'd probably go with that though if I splurge.

In that case I recommend the Tom Bihn Cadet. It's pricey, but it does come with an iPad sleeve, and the features and build quality are top notch.

I got the 13" last Christmas and its the best bag I've ever owned.