My station, WIBW, issued iPads to all reporters and anchors and I'm lucky to be among the recipients!
Right now, there's no specific mandate on how we are to use it for our news operations, though there are some evident, useful applications.
I'm probably not the first to say, I love my iPad! I have used it only a few days now, but already, it has revolutionized my work life.
I love that it feels like it's always up and running. I get up in the morning, grab the iPad right next to me and with one touch, and a passcode, it's up! No longer waiting endless minutes for the computer to boot up. Those few minutes are really useful, when I'm squeezed for time in the morning and try to get a quick view of the day's top stories.
Needless to say, I love the apps. Just the concept of apps. I like searching for new ones, testing them and just collecting them. It's human nature, we're hunters and collectors.
Right now, I have news apps, like those from ABC, CNN, CBS, NPR. ABC's is pretty cool at first sight, with the spinning globe. I really enjoy the Topeka Capital-Journal app, it looks just like the paper. The best thing is that it once it's downloaded, I can access it offline and flip through page by page. I guess I'm old-fashioned, but I like that feels just like reading a paper! It's the one thing I can read when I am on the road and don't have Wi-Fi.
Finally, the iPad is so light, my MacBook now feels like a brick! And that one was a significant downsize from my previous laptop, which pretty much felt like a brick wall.
The only thing that my iPad hasn't mastered is that it can't quite detect when I'm lying on my side and reading it. The tilt makes it display in portrait mode when it should be displaying in landscape mode.
Right now, I have downloaded the apps from CNN, Skype, NPR, ABC, CBS, Yelp, Zite, CJ, Fandango and USA Today, Jamie Oliver's recipe app and Cows vs Aliens (though that one's not for me). Let me know if you have any apps, especially free ones, to recommend!
