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[jarosh]

so apparently the ipad has a glitch where soft subtitles on videos are displayed at half their size. and this has never been fixed. really fucking annoying. i'd rather not transcode all my video files just so i can burn in the subtitles. we're talking about ipad compatible m4v files here.

is there a free or cheap video player app out there that essentially just mimics the ipad's native video functionality but displays subtitles at the correct size? can be really barebones otherwise. vlc surprisingly doesn't work.

 

[Keyser Soze]

I've been thinking about whether the iPad 2 is really worth it, as with the hype and the adrenaline rush of the announcement dying down there doesn't seem to be anything overly compelling. Yes I like the A5 chip, and, yes, I like the form factor and HDMI mirroring, however that's it. Therefore, surely it makes more sense to buy the original iPad? The only real issue I have with this is that the added weight may cause wrist sprain / ache, which is annoying considering this is a portable device.

When held in one hand (book reading), both products are going to feel heavy anyway a while. The change in in weight is nothing. The difference between the iPad 1 (Wi-Fi version) and iPad 2 (Wi-Fi version) is the same 9 1Pound coins, so it is not really noticeable unless you are really trying to look for a difference.

 

[Darko]

I've been thinking about whether the iPad 2 is really worth it, as with the hype and the adrenaline rush of the announcement dying down there doesn't seem to be anything overly compelling. Yes I like the A5 chip, and, yes, I like the form factor and HDMI mirroring, however that's it. Therefore, surely it makes more sense to buy the original iPad? The only real issue I have with this is that the added weight may cause wrist sprain / ache, which is annoying considering this is a portable device.

you can use the adapter on the original ipad

 

[LCfiner]

you can use the adapter on the original ipad

but it won't mirror. that's ipad 2 only

 

[MSIMagus]

I've been thinking about whether the iPad 2 is really worth it, as with the hype and the adrenaline rush of the announcement dying down there doesn't seem to be anything overly compelling. Yes I like the A5 chip, and, yes, I like the form factor and HDMI mirroring, however that's it. Therefore, surely it makes more sense to buy the original iPad? The only real issue I have with this is that the added weight may cause wrist sprain / ache, which is annoying considering this is a portable device.

I was in the same boat as you and I just bought an Ipad. I looked at it this way, I was able to get an Ipad 1 for $460(with expedited shipping) with a bunch of accessories. Meanwhile the Ipad 2 would have ran $700 then you would have to buy the accessories which since the Ipad 2 is so new you can not find used of course. Add in taxes and you are around $800. So essentially you are paying $350-$400 for those small extras. Add to this that it seems the Ipad 2 will probably not be powerful/different enough to have many games unique to it and that the Ipad 1 has a HUGE back log as it is. It made so much more sense to just save the $400ish and get an Ipad 1, enjoy the backlog and enjoy the games that still come to it and then when the Ipad 3 comes out next year upgrade. Most people think the Ipad 3 is going to be the real game changer, so why not wait for it? I can either sell this Ipad for a few hundred still most likely, gift it to my little brother or keep it around so both me and the wife can use one when we want.

 

[Joel Was Right]

I found a solution to all my complaints about the iPad internet browsing experience. At first, I started to look at prices for laptops but when I realised that I would be tempted to purchase a mid-high range machine, I put the idea off. Then it hit me. I have a 32inch television beside my bed with my desktop a similar distance but on the foot of the bed. Thankfully the machine had a HDMI input port at the back, so I just hooked it up to my TV. I'm now in my bed, browsing GAF on a big screen. My iPad at the moment is being used as a mousepad, but will be taking it with me tomorrow when I leave home - reading the news on the train and generally acting like the fake hipster I am. Ordered a long HDMI cable and a Wireless Keyboard/Mouse combo for the total price of £23, saving me £400-500 on the potential laptop idea

 

[LyleLanley]

Just shipped off my iPad. Good night sweet prince.

 

[Priz]

is there a free or cheap video player app out there that essentially just mimics the ipad's native video functionality but displays subtitles at the correct size? can be really barebones otherwise. vlc surprisingly doesn't work.

http://www.subvideoplayer.com/ipad/

I've been using this for a while and I'm happy with it. It processes a file very quickly and the resulting vids play silky smooth on the iPad (vs. trying the original files on vlc and any other iPad player which were a klunky sluggish mess). The iPad part is $5 to the guy who did it and well worth it, the software to convert your vids is free.

For the people sperging about $5, the required link:
http://theoatmeal.com/blog/apps

 

[japtor]

I've been thinking about whether the iPad 2 is really worth it, as with the hype and the adrenaline rush of the announcement dying down there doesn't seem to be anything overly compelling. Yes I like the A5 chip, and, yes, I like the form factor and HDMI mirroring, however that's it. Therefore, surely it makes more sense to buy the original iPad? The only real issue I have with this is that the added weight may cause wrist sprain / ache, which is annoying considering this is a portable device.

I'm upgrading cause the speed cause it's my main complaint about the iPad...but for someone that hasn't lived with one it's hard to say whether it'll be a big deal or not, so yeah you might as well get one for cheap, particularly right now since people seem desperate to sell. Worst case you probably won't lose much if anything if you don't want it and sell.

The weight may or may not be a big deal. I saw some site mention 1 vs 2 not being a huge deal, unless you compare with 1 + case vs 2 + smart cover, then it's possibly a substantial weight difference.

so apparently the ipad has a glitch where soft subtitles on videos are displayed at half their size. and this has never been fixed. really fucking annoying. i'd rather not transcode all my video files just so i can burn in the subtitles. we're talking about ipad compatible m4v files here.

is there a free or cheap video player app out there that essentially just mimics the ipad's native video functionality but displays subtitles at the correct size? can be really barebones otherwise. vlc surprisingly doesn't work.

I'm not sure it's a glitch as much as it just seems to use it's own subtitle font settings. I remember a subtitle size setting somewhere...but I can't seem to find it now. Maybe it was just in a particular app, but the sizes weren't too wide ranging, like tiny to slightly larger and slightly larger than that.

 

[rc213]

Man now that I have an iPad I really wish more Apps were universal because this 2x crap doesn't cut it for a lot of my apps.

 

[Absinthe]

but it won't mirror. that's ipad 2 only

Waiting for a jailbreak app for this for sure!

 

[hyp]

discovered a cool app called lifelike craig HD which basically turns craigslist into the classified section of a newspaper. works really well, is highly rated and 99 cents for a limited time.

http://www.lifelikeapps.com/lifelike-craig-hd-for-ipad
http://appshopper.com/link/lifelike-craig-hd-craigslist-for-ipad

 

[ChackanKun]

Ok guys, which is the best App to read comics?

ComicBookLover
Comic Zeal 4

Or maybe another one?

 

[jax (old)]

Ok guys, which is the best App to read comics?

ComicBookLover
Comic Zeal 4

Or maybe another one?

Comic Zeal 4

 

[ChackanKun]

Comic Zeal 4

Yet ComicBookLover is free. Is it worth paying for Comic Zeal having that one available at no cost?

 

[JonCha]

I can either sell this Ipad for a few hundred still most likely, gift it to my little brother or keep it around so both me and the wife can use one when we want.

This raises the main issue. Yes the feature set is practically identical between the two models, but I like keeping up with the latest model of Apple products - bar Macs, which maintain their price a little longer - so I can resell them. I'm thinking at the moment that buying an original iPad will mean I'll still have to pay £200+ for for the iPad 3, and that's assuming it's going to be the same £425 price for the base Wi-Fi model.

The weight may or may not be a big deal. I saw some site mention 1 vs 2 not being a huge deal, unless you compare with 1 + case vs 2 + smart cover, then it's possibly a substantial weight difference.

I actually quite like the Smart Cover -- there doesn't seem to be anything really like it for the iPad. There's the Yogi for iPad, but I don't like having cases that attach onto the bag that add any kind of thickness and change the design (this is why I've never 'got' iPhone cases that cover all of the back with some entirely different design).

 

[LCfiner]

Ok guys, which is the best App to read comics?

ComicBookLover
Comic Zeal 4

Or maybe another one?

comic flow is free. easy to add files to it. supports collections and creates a webdav server for wireless transfer

 

[MSIMagus]

Anyone have a clue why Itunes on my PC makes my purchases with my credit from gift cards yet on my Ipad it just charges me directly?

 

[Tobor]

Anyone have a clue why Itunes on my PC makes my purchases with my credit from gift cards yet on my Ipad it just charges me directly?

The only way it would do that is if you had two separate accounts. If both are logged into the same account, it will use the credit.

 

[MSIMagus]

The only way it would do that is if you had two separate accounts. If both are logged into the same account, it will use the credit.

Nope just the one account so no clue why its charging me vs using my credit.

 

[Stumpokapow]

comic flow is free. easy to add files to it. supports collections and creates a webdav server for wireless transfer

Does Comic Flow suffer from the "iPad backups take an enormous amount of time when you have a few dozen comics loaded on your device" bug like ComicZeal?

 

[Tobor]

Nope just the one account so no clue why its charging me vs using my credit.

Did you gift an app? Gifting can't use existing credit. Other than that, I feel like you're missing something.

 

[MSIMagus]

Is credit for the App store and Itunes different? That is the only thing I can see that I am doing differently, on the pc I am using Itunes and on the Ipad App store.

 

[Tobor]

Is credit for the App store and Itunes different? That is the only thing I can see that I am doing differently, on the pc I am using Itunes and on the Ipad App store.

Nope, it's the same. Are you sure the card is being charged? My brother thought this was happening as well, but I explained to him he needed to wait for the receipt and it would show "billed to store credit".

 

[MSIMagus]

Nope, it's the same. Are you sure the card is being charged? My brother thought this was happening as well, but I explained to him he needed to wait for the receipt and it would show "billed to store credit".

How long does it take to reflect on your credit? That is what I have been judging by, like I just bought two cheap games to test it out(wanted them anyways)and then looked at the amount and my credit had not changed.

 

[Tobor]

How long does it take to reflect on your credit? That is what I have been judging by, like I just bought two cheap games to test it out(wanted them anyways)and then looked at the amount and my credit had not changed.

I thought that's what it was. Don't worry about it. Apple waits a day or two then bundles your small charges together and bills them. If you have credit, it will always use that first. It does this so Apple can reduce the number of credit card processing fees it has to pay. When you get your receipt, it will say "billed to store credit".

 

[MSIMagus]

I thought that's what it was. Don't worry about it. Apple waits a day or two then bundles your small charges together and bills them. If you have credit, it will always use that first. It does this so Apple can reduce the number of credit card processing fees it has to pay. When you get your receipt, it will say "billed to store credit".

Not sure if this or being charged tax is more annoying ;(

 

[Takamura-San]

I'm having trouble selling my ipad 64g wifi.

Someone cares to share their experience selling their old ipads and at what price.

Maybe i'm doing something wrong.

 

[LCfiner]

Does Comic Flow suffer from the "iPad backups take an enormous amount of time when you have a few dozen comics loaded on your device" bug like ComicZeal?

Nope. That's why I switched to it.

 

[neojubei]

I'm having trouble selling my ipad 64g wifi.

Someone cares to share their experience selling their old ipads and at what price.

Maybe i'm doing something wrong.

Try gazelle.com

 

[MSIMagus]

I'm having trouble selling my ipad 64g wifi.

Someone cares to share their experience selling their old ipads and at what price.

Maybe i'm doing something wrong.

Well while I did not sell one I bought mine for $460(with expedited shipping)off amazon and spent a week or so watching ebay/bidding before I bought this one. In general it seems the price was around $450-$480 then depending on accecories. It seems like it has trickled up slightly since then.

Another tip is to check gametz.com which is a site where you can buy, sell and trade with other gamers. This means you could sell your Ipad for less then you would at Amazon or ebay but still make more.

 

[Blablurn]

i joined the ipad vol 1. party today. bought it for about 315€.

really digging it so far. put some pictures on it and they look sooo good. gonna buy some books tomorrow. using kindle for this.

 

[Tobor]

I'm having trouble selling my ipad 64g wifi.

Someone cares to share their experience selling their old ipads and at what price.

Maybe i'm doing something wrong.

Everyone in my office wants one, so it was easy for me. I said I was selling it for $450 and had three people interested. Sold it an hour later.

New models of the 64GB Wifi are selling for $600, so $150 depreciation for a year of use seems about right to me.

 

[neojubei]

Nope. That's why I switched to it.

I'll have to try comic flow when i get my ipad2.

 

[Stumpokapow]

Nope. That's why I switched to it.

Just remote desktopped to the home computer where I sync apps to download it immediately. That's a gamechanger for me.

 

[evilgreg]

Ok guys, which is the best App to read comics?

ComicBookLover
Comic Zeal 4

Or maybe another one?

Comic Zeal 4. There is no other.

WebDAV? Come on. Also I've never noticed this backup bug that people are mentioning.

 

[Tobor]

Comic Zeal 4. There is no other.

WebDAV? Come on. Also I've never noticed this backup bug that people are mentioning.

If you add a bunch of comics, the next backup takes a while. After that it should go back to normal.

 

[FoxhoundNL]

In the WebDAV server for Comic Flow, what the hell am I supposed to fill in as username? It says in the app what my password should be, but when filling in random crap as username it doesn't do anything lol, anything I'm missing?

 

[commish]

Comic Zeal 4. There is no other.

WebDAV? Come on. Also I've never noticed this backup bug that people are mentioning.

Comic Zeal 4 is pretty much perfect in my eyes.

 

[Blackhead]

I'm still waiting for Comic Reader Mobi to get back in the store. I can't believe Apple really banned the developer for one whole year :'(

 

[LCfiner]

Comic Zeal 4. There is no other.

WebDAV? Come on. Also I've never noticed this backup bug that people are mentioning.

here's the problem with comic zeal importing.

option 1: wireless: use the comic zeal Mac or Windows app to convert the files to cbi and then transfer to the iPad. this conversion takes a long time. the transfer app also crashes out every time a transfer finishes (at least in my experience)

option 2: wireless, completely undocumented procedure. skip the cbi conversion and drag files directly into comic zeal mac app transfer window and then click the sync button to transfer them to the iPad. but now when the ipad app launches, it needs to convert all them into its monolithic database and that takes a lot of time.

option3: USB. using itunes and drag files into comiczeal ipad app storage window. comiczeal ipad app then does the lengthy database conversion stuff. bonus problem: the itunes data storage only shows a single "imported comics" data file and it's impossible to remove or manage comics outside the ipad app.



here's how it works with comic flow:

option 1: wireless. open up comicflow app, get webdav server password. connect to server on mac. drag in files to window. refresh library in app. done. no conversion necessary.

option 2: USB use itunes storage sharing option. drag in files. no conversion necessary in ipad app.

you can collect comics in folders and then copy those over to the app. the app recognizes folders and creates collections for you. in itunes, these folders remain and you can delete them from itunes or the ipad app.

also: ipad backup does not take an extra 30 minutes with new comics because, unlike comic zeal, it doesn't create an enormous, monolithic database file that gets copied over every single backup even if only a single file within it is changed.

sorry for the long winded post but the comic zeal importing procedure has been ass from day one. i tolerated it for a while but there's no reason to put up with in now.

 

[evilgreg]

here's the problem with comic zeal importing.

option 1: wireless: use the comic zeal Mac or Windows app to convert the files to cbi and then transfer to the iPad. this conversion takes a long time. the transfer app also crashes out every time a transfer finishes (at least in my experience)

option 2: wireless, completely undocumented procedure. skip the cbi conversion and drag files directly into comic zeal mac app transfer window and then click the sync button to transfer them to the iPad. but now when the ipad app launches, it needs to convert all them into its monolithic database and that takes a lot of time.

option3: USB. using itunes and drag files into comiczeal ipad app storage window. comiczeal ipad app then does the lengthy database conversion stuff. bonus problem: the itunes data storage only shows a single "imported comics" data file and it's impossible to remove or manage comics outside the ipad app.



here's how it works with comic flow:

option 1: wireless. open up comicflow app, get webdav server password. connect to server on mac. drag in files to window. refresh library in app. done. no conversion necessary.

option 2: USB use itunes storage sharing option. drag in files. no conversion necessary in ipad app.

you can collect comics in folders and then copy those over to the app. the app recognizes folders and creates collections for you. in itunes, these folders remain and you can delete them from itunes or the ipad app.

also: ipad backup does not take an extra 30 minutes with new comics because, unlike comic zeal, it doesn't create an enormous, monolithic database file that gets copied over every single backup even if only a single file within it is changed.

sorry for the long winded post but the comic zeal importing procedure has been ass from day one. i tolerated it for a while but there's no reason to put up with in now.

I don't want to start a debate about which comic reader is the best, but all of your complaints are focused on the sync process. The important part: reading the comics - is far better with comic zeal.

I tried ComicFlow and it was pretty much what I expected for the price of FREE. There was no ability to save the zoom position (I like to fit the page to the width of the iPad in portrait mode - in ComicFlow, you have to reset the zoom every time you turn the page), and other small touches such as ability to lock orientation within the app, adjust brightness within the app (useful for bedtime reading), auto detection of two-page spreads, in-app comic management, etc.

For transfering the comics, I have never had a problem of just dropping a bunch of files into the app during iTunes sync. Sure it takes a few minutes for the app to convert the files after the first transfer, but that never bothered me. I also don't understand the complaint about having to delete the comics within the app itself. It's super easy and you can select multiple comics for moving or deleting.

Also, if you have the dropbox app, you can choose to open .cbz and .cbr files in any of your comic apps (worked with comc zeal and comicflow) - helpful if you're away from your PC and want to add a comic or two every once in a while.

PS - I'm reading through Chew right now and it's amazing. Highly recommended. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chew_(comics)

 

[Buckethead]

Okay so I'm a comics n00b, but what's a good app to load up your own comics?

I'm more visually interested, so prettier apps the better.

 

[Blackhead]

Here's how ComicReader Mobi does wireless since August(?) of last year:

Option 1) Turn on webDAV server on computer. Open ComicReader Mobi's settings. Connect to webDAV server. Stream (yes, stream, not copy) any cbr, cbz, pdf file in a shared folder.

Option 2) Set up ftp server in ComicReader Mobi. Open ftp program on computer. drag and drop.

I just don't see any need to keep all my comics on the iPad. I can't even fit all of them in there any way. Comicbook lover on the mac is much better for organizing. Comic Reader Mobi is not the prettiest, or the cheapest, but it's the best for reading comics.

 

[LCfiner]

I don't want to start a debate about which comic reader is the best, but all of your complaints are focused on the sync process. The important part: reading the comics - is far better with comic zeal.


PS - I'm reading through Chew right now and it's amazing. Highly recommended. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chew_(comics)

The sync process became such a damn time waster and the backup issues became such a problem that I had to move away from comic zeal.

and i liked comic zeal a lot so I had to make a real effort to move away from it and get my comics out of that app and resync everything with a new one

it's certainly the more fully featured reader and it has options for background colors and zooming that other apps do not have. but the basic function of adding and moving files started bugging me so much that I had to look elsewhere.

comic flow is super simple and has no options, true. but when reading, it gets the one thing right that I need, it automatically rotates landscape oriented double pages into landscape mode. that's all i need.

if i had need for keeping custom zoom levels then I'd stick with comiczeal, for sure. but I don't. and its failings with backups and the time consuming sync process is enough to get me to drop it.

 

[dallow_bg]

Where do you guys buy your digital comics?
I wouldn't mind a few older graphic novels.

 

[Xater]

The thing I hate most about the comic apps right now is, that most publishers don't put up trades or older graphic novels. Image seems to be pretty good about it, they at least have a good Walking Dead selection. Marvel on the other hand tries to sell single issues of old ass runs.

 

[Tobor]

The great comic reader debate rages on. Comic Zeal has my sword.

How often are you syncing new comics, LC? Maybe it's because I bought a 64GB model, but I don't sync comics that often. I'm still working through the 3 or 4 gigs I synced a while ago.

The thing I hate most about the comic apps right now is, that most publishers don't put up trades or older graphic novels. Image seems to be pretty good about it, they at least have a good Walking Dead selection. Marvel on the other hand tries to sell single issues of old ass runs.

Both Marvel and DC need to wake up and start selling collections. Buying single issues is stupid.

 

[LCfiner]

The great comic reader debate rages on. Comic Zeal has my sword.

How often are you syncing new comics, LC? Maybe it's because I bought a 64GB model, but I don't sync comics that often. I'm still working through the 3 or 4 gigs I synced a while ago.




Both Marvel and DC need to wake up and start selling collections. Buying single issues is stupid.

around every couple months for new comics. but the transfer process was so much slower than I thought it should be that I ended up looking for a new app. plus the backup process. ugh. you can skip it sometimes but that's an extra pain and then when you hit an OS update you can't skip it at all and it can hours before you can finally update the OS.

the next version of comiczeal needs to fix their database bullshit.


since i didn't need any of the advanced comiczeal reading options, the switch was an easy decision.

 

[jon bones]

so i'm on the fence about xoom vs ipad2 and i have some questions:

assuming i'm 100% (but 0% knowledgable) about jailbreaking

-is there a GREAT browsing solution out there? with easy to tab browsing, etc?

-how is emulation? mainly interested in ps1 + scumm

-how do the comics look on an ipad? do they fit to screen OK or do you find yourselves having to scroll around to view the images at a decent resolution?