Apple - New Phone and Tablet

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » January 20, 2011, 6:03 pm

Hesten wrote:Which programs do you guys use for reading comics on the iPad? And I'm talking scanned comics, not from Marvels website

http://www.comiczealapp.com/

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/comic-ze ... 90983?mt=8

Comiczeal4, accept no substitutes! It's the best. I reviewed it here somewhere.

Boogahz · Post by **Boogahz** » January 20, 2011, 9:26 pm

I have only been using the comixology apps. The frame by frame transitions are nice for reading on my touch. I haven't visited my scanned comics in too long...

Ransure · Post by **Ransure** » January 27, 2011, 3:53 pm

I have been using Stanza... OMG its awesome, I stopped reading comics on the PC about 4 years ago and stopped Y the last man at issue 30 something... caught up this week and read 3-4 issues before bed instead of reading my nook...

Love customizable sides for page turns and swipe down for brightness...

Winnow, whats the proggy your using have on Stanza? I tried couldreaders and it sucked.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » January 27, 2011, 4:34 pm

Ransure wrote:I have been using Stanza... OMG its awesome, I stopped reading comics on the PC about 4 years ago and stopped Y the last man at issue 30 something... caught up this week and read 3-4 issues before bed instead of reading my nook...

Love customizable sides for page turns and swipe down for brightness...

Winnow, whats the proggy your using have on Stanza? I tried couldreaders and it sucked.

Probably not a whole lot. It has excellent controls for sizing the pages hold/lock position (to get rid of margins and make pictures take up full screen, has very nice auto organizing into folders for series of comics. You just upload similarly named comics (same name with diff issue numbers, and it automatically places them into folders for you with nice thumbnail browsing of covers and various sorting. Some nice zooming features, etc.

Stanza is a great app, If it's working for you, no need to change. If you clicked on the link above and nothing looks like it would add to stanza, no need to switch.

Ransure · Post by **Ransure** » January 28, 2011, 1:22 pm

I can see Stanza's organization getting to me as I add comics... also its slow as ass to upload stuff... does this do uploads any easier?

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » January 28, 2011, 3:21 pm

Ransure wrote:I can see Stanza's organization getting to me as I add comics... also its slow as ass to upload stuff... does this do uploads any easier?

I'm not sure how stanza does it but with ComicZeal, you use iTunes, click on apps, select ComicZeal and then browse to the comics you want to add. It doesn't get any faster as it's only limited by the speed of your USB connection. The actual sorting takes place on the iPhone/iPad when you load the App again for the first time.

Here's some screenshots I tool of Comiczeal awhile back when I reviewed in on VV:

[Show]: As you can see, it puts same series comics into folders automatically for you. It will also tell you what page you left off for any comic you've started reading. There are multiple ways to display your comics. I like the one that shows the folder with # of issues inside. Once you get into the folder it will display the page you're on for a particular comic and of course open up to that page.

If you have and straggler comics you want to catagorize, you may create new folder and assign comics to that folder or an existing folder.

This is the lock screen indicator. Lots of comics are scanned with the white margins on the tops and sides...all you need to do with Comiczeal is pinch-zoom to the size you want (eliminating margins for that particular comic) hold the zoom for a second, and it's locked in for the rest of the comic.

You can set Comixzeal to try to determine the most neutral background color for each comic or set it to black/white, etc yourself. Page turning is great. You just slide your thumb or finger onto the edge of the screen and it turns the page....you can also tap or slide to turn pages. Just barely moving your thumb or finger onto the screen from the side is the easiest way and you'll find it the most efficient way to turn pages if you are reading a lot of pages.

As for uploading, all you do is click on Apps in iTunes and browse to the issues you want to add.

ComicZeals is a combo iPhone/iPad app so you only have to buy it once and it works on either device.

There is a massive thread on comic readers here:

http://www.avforums.com/forums/ipad-app ... aders.html

Comiczeal is still there best but there are some alternatives. Seems mostly that Comiczeal excels at importing, clean interface, and auto-organizing. ComicZeal is also due foe a major upgrade from reading the developers message board.

Hesten · Post by **Hesten** » February 28, 2011, 4:11 am

I finally bought the Ipad, was a pretty nice sale 100$ off for the first 100 to buy one that week.

I guess ill try Comic Zeal....i use CloudReader and ComicBook at the moment, and while both are nice, i cant seem to sort stuff in series, which is kinda bad when you load 200+ comics on it

.

I have not jailbroken it, i dont mind paying for my apps, and to be honest, not THAT many Apps or games that you really need. Hell, i spend like 25$ total now on apps and games after 4 days of playing with it, and the only apps i miss now are a dictionary (cost like 40$, ridiculously overpriced, but cant find a cracked version, so no point in jailbreaking just for that) and the newly released Speedball 2, that i will probably buy, fairly cheap

But which apps do you guys use that you cant live without? Always open for tips.

Boogahz · Post by **Boogahz** » February 28, 2011, 11:39 am

The apps I use are on the iPod Touch, but they should be the same on the iPad:

eWifi - better wifi locator than the one that is included.

DC Comics, Marvel, Image, Comixology - Comic reader apps with plenth of free comics and previews. Does great panel to panel transitions, and you can read your purchased comics online as well.

News360 - pulls current news from multiple sources

Deutsche Welle News Portal - Can set it up to save stories for offline reading. Also has links to their live stream and videos. Especially like the live streaming, since few companies offer this channel around here anymore...well, for less than 10 bucks a month at least

WoW Armory - very useful app. Found several upgrades and such while not logged into the game while browsing the Auction House

ESPN ScoreCenter & Eurosport - Keep track of scores and live commentary for many sports

Those are my "most-used" apps.

miir · Post by **miir** » March 2, 2011, 4:12 pm

Pretty lacklustre Ipad2 announcement.

Fairweather Pure · Post by **Fairweather Pure** » March 2, 2011, 10:35 pm

IPad 2 is an evolution, not a revolution.

There's nothing there I need to upgrade, so I'll wait for the next one. It looks like I'll be getting every other upgrade, just like with my iPhone. I skipped iPhone 4 but both the wife and I will be upgrading to iPhone 5s.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » March 2, 2011, 11:34 pm

15 Million Ipads sold in 9 months in 2010

9.5 Billion in Revenue

"most successful consumer product ever launched"

'nuff said

Coming up on a year later, the iPad still amazes me. I freaking love the thing. You don't sell 15 million of anything in 9 months if the people that bought the first ones don't love them.

iPad 2 is everything the original iPad is plus more (well less in weight and thickness). Can't go wrong. If you can afford one, it's so worth getting. Android tablets are still years away from being worth a damn with no chance in hell they come close to the thinness and battery life of the iPad.

Bottom line is that I use my iPad every night even though I have multiple high end computers, both Mac and PC, TVs, etc. and I never even take the iPad out of my home unless I go on a vacation.

It's a badass device that just got even better. No real need to update from original iPad but if you don't have anything or are thinking you're going to buy some Android piece of shit tablet, it's a win for sure.

Watch the iPad 2 presentation with Steve Jobs:

http://events.apple.com.edgesuite.net/1 ... index.html

Interesting video he plays about ten minutes in about the used and what they've observed about the iPad over the first year.

I really like the new HDMI mirrored out Cable which is also backward compatible with the iPad and iPhone 4. Any app...meaning not just video so you can stick any app you're using on the big screen up to 1080p. I'll be getting that.

Also, if you want to see how cool some of the iPad apps are becoming, check out the Garage Band demo for iPad around the 48 minute mark.

miir · Post by **miir** » March 3, 2011, 1:05 am

I really like the new HDMI mirrored out Cable which is also backward compatible with the iPad and iPhone 4. Any app...meaning not just video so you can stick any app you're using on the big screen up to 1080p. I'll be getting that.

Haha $40 for a fucking cable.
Keep chugging that apple cock.

Boogahz · Post by **Boogahz** » March 3, 2011, 10:09 am

miir wrote:
I really like the new HDMI mirrored out Cable which is also backward compatible with the iPad and iPhone 4. Any app...meaning not just video so you can stick any app you're using on the big screen up to 1080p. I'll be getting that.
Haha $40 for a fucking cable.
Keep chugging that apple cock.

while you keep cupping sony's balls!

miir · Post by **miir** » March 3, 2011, 10:18 am

Boogahz wrote:while you keep cupping sony's balls!

You do know that I really only 'defend' sony in the video games forum to break up the 360 circle-jerk.
I actually care very little about someone's individual choice in video game console.

I also like taking cheapshots stupid consumers who blindly buy into Microsoft and Apple marketing.

miir · Post by **miir** » March 3, 2011, 12:36 pm

most successful consumer product ever launched

Haha, you're clearly just a fucking sheep that blindly believes everything that Jobs says.

Let's use Job's real quote on some other consumer products.

The PSP Go is maybe the most successful consumer product ever launched.
Rubik's Cube is maybe the most successful consumer product ever launched.
The Macbook Air is maybe the most successful consumer product ever launched.
Final Fantasy XIV is maybe the most successful consumer product ever launched
The Nintendo Wii is maybe the most successful consumer product ever launched

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » March 3, 2011, 1:22 pm

I'd pay 499.99 just for the cable!

Animalor · Post by **Animalor** » March 3, 2011, 8:08 pm

They addressed the gripes I had last year about the product with the iPad 2. Still not going to buy one though.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » March 3, 2011, 8:47 pm

Animalor wrote:They addressed the gripes I had last year about the product with the iPad 2. Still not going to buy one though.

The primary thing I'd like to see improvement in now is in the filing/access system for apps. I believe that will be addressed in iOS 5.0 with a whole new UI from what the early rumors have been hinting at. The app icon pages and folders are getting a little old.

Otherwise, iPad 2 really is way ahead of the fat/low battery Android 1st gen offerings which will still be trying to match the original iPad.

Xoom is getting bad reviews, mostly saying it's a "half baked" product. It's fast!

Should i believe Matt Buchanan's opinions about if non-Gizmodo-readers (normal) people want to know beeps and squeeks about their new computing experience...

or the guy who's team has sold fif-fucking-teen million iPads - with the only specs mentioned are storage space and if it works on a cellphone network or not.

Giz readers (and, apparently, Giz writers) just simply, positively, *do* *not* *understand* NORMAL people.

at the end of the day, an extremely tiny number of people in the portable computing market read Gizmodo, and those that do not DO NOT give a tinker's cuss about CPU speeds, RAM conflagurations, or any of the other things that give geeks hard-ons.

Does it just work?
Can i use it without a 14 year old nerd's help?
Does it do what i want without friction?
Does it do something amazing I didn't believe you could do in a 8.8mm thin package? (make music, video chat, surf the web, read emails with pictures, watch videos, play games, last seemingly weeks on a single charge?)

if the answer is "yes" to all of those things - then it will sell to the non-Giz crowd.

Do i need to know anything technical to use it?

if the answer is "yes" to this - IT WILL NOT.

That doesn't mean that there isn't a market for Android devices. There is. But that market is like 1/100th the size of the whole market. That doesn't mean Android sucks. its doesn't. it is getting better all the time.

Just do not believe Android is useable by the mass market because it is not and will not be when you hold it up next to an iPad.

Photo Booth on the iPad is the new Lotus 1-2-3. Accept it or not - it doesn't matter. 2011's iOS vs. Android sales numbers will be the proof. (Edit comment)

Animalor · Post by **Animalor** » March 3, 2011, 11:45 pm

I'm not buying *any* tablet, not android, iPad, WebOS or Playbook.

They're nice and all but I still prefer the feel, usability and versatility of a real computer.

Zaelath · Post by **Zaelath** » March 4, 2011, 1:17 am

Winnow wrote:
Do i need to know anything technical to use it?

if the answer is "yes" to this - IT WILL NOT.

That doesn't mean that there isn't a market for Android devices. There is. But that market is like 1/100th the size of the whole market. That doesn't mean Android sucks. its doesn't. it is getting better all the time.

Just do not believe Android is useable by the mass market because it is not and will not be when you hold it up next to an iPad.

Photo Booth on the iPad is the new Lotus 1-2-3. Accept it or not - it doesn't matter. 2011's iOS vs. Android sales numbers will be the proof. (Edit comment)

This bloke is an idiot. Android is already outselling iOS in mobile http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/An ... _share.php
and there's no reason to believe it won't be able to get in on the iPad market with Gingerbread, if there is a market.

The constant contention of Mac geeks that it's intuitive and doesn't require any technical knowledge only applies to those still under warranty and users that don't really use the devices, just have to have them.

The only reason I think a lot of these other devices will have trouble finding a market is because there isn't one. They don't do anything other devices already do just as well, for less cost, and with less restriction, other than being iShit.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » March 4, 2011, 10:04 pm

(Mashable) -- In a refreshingly honest statement, Samsung's mobile division VP Lee Don-Joo admitted that the iPad 2 made some parts of Samsung's 10.1-inch Galaxy Tab look "inadequate," and the iPad 2's pricing might force Samsung to lower the price of its tablet.

"Apple made it very thin (...) We will have to improve the parts that are inadequate," Lee Don-Joo told Yonhap News Agency.

We feel that a bit of information might have gotten lost in translation from Korean to English, as we definitely don't expect Samsung to pull the 10.1-inch Galaxy Tab from the market and release a thinner version. It's more likely that Samsung simply sees the iPad 2's thinness as a big challenge for its future tablet models.

The other part of Lee Don-Joo's statement is clearer and far more telling. "The 10-inch (tablet) was to be priced higher than the 7-inch, but we will have to think that over," he said.

Samsung, unlike some of its competitors -- for example, the Motorola Xoom -- won't try to compete with the iPad at a higher price point just because some of the hardware of its tablet looks better on paper and that, in our opinion, is the right approach.

Apple has set the price for its tablet in the $499 -- $829 price range (with the cheapest 3G-sporting option being priced at $629), and any Android tablet will have a hard time competing with the iPad 2 at a price too near the upper end of that spectrum.

Enjoy your Android tablets people!

Fairweather Pure · Post by **Fairweather Pure** » March 6, 2011, 12:57 pm

Animalor wrote:I'm not buying *any* tablet, not android, iPad, WebOS or Playbook.

They're nice and all but I still prefer the feel, usability and versatility of a real computer.

Do you mean laptop or PC? Because the iPad has rendered laptops completely moot for me on a personal level. They're cumbersome for what I do on a casual basis. The iPad is absolutely fantastic for taking to work, surfing in bed or on the couch, reading, and goddamn, pretty much everything everywhere. The one click instant power on and power off alone is enough to beat out a laptop for my personal needs. When I want to do "real" work or play, my PC is where I'll be. A laptop will never fill the PC gap for me but the iPad easily fills the role of a laptop.

Btw, I'm not trying to sell you one or tell you that your opinion is wrong. I'm just relaying my overwhelmingly positive experience with the device. When I read opinions like yours, I just want you to know why people love the iPad so much. I mean, there are real, solid reasons (and it's not just because it's Apple).

I watched 8 hours of Lost streaming on Netflix while I worked yesterday. 8 hours and I had 77% battery life at the end of the day. (brightness all the way down, used speaker at about 80%). The battery life on the iPad continues to amaze me.

I may have spoken too soon on skipping this version of the iPad. My wife thinks she may want her own iPad, so she would get my first gen 64G wifi iPad and I would get a 2.0. I told her it's entirely up to her since I really do not have to have this version and am content waiting until the next revision. We received a huge tax return this year and I think it's burning a hole in her pocket, lol.

EDIT: That 8 hours was not taking into account things like lunch and running around the hospital for various things. On Sunday I ran it 8 hours straight, without pause and it still had 54% power using the same settings as above. I watched another 3 episodes of Lost compared to the previous day.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » March 6, 2011, 4:58 pm

iPad doesn't replace a PC. It's primarily a multimedia/entertainment consumption device although it also excels in areas like travel apps, shopping, communication, etc.

If you're going to write a paper or program, go do it somewhere else. That's not the point of the iPad and it has never been marketed like that...and sold 15 million because it's fucking awesome at what it does with zero hassle.

Other tablets will fail...or those that buy them are fail because they don't focus on what makes the iPad great...ease of use, fuck ton of hassle free apps (no, android apps/store aren't anywhere near Apple's yet), design...incredibly thin while at the same time blowing the fucking doors off other fatter Android tablets in battery life.

Streaming Music, Videos, Games, Surfing, IM/video communication, shopping, using focused apps, away from your desk. iPad = godly device

It's nice not to be tied down to your desk and a netbook/laptop is not the answer. Observe their sales dwindle as people who actually use IPads are able to show them slowly to the skeptics that are still mostly clueless about tablets.

I wouldn't' try to talk someone into an iPad. I give them as gifts to people I care about. I will get a chuckle watching people try to buy other current Android pads as they don't understand the purpose of tablets if they are buying a fat, low battery, much less worry free device and then complain about them. It'd be like buying a PS3 for playing online FPS games. (poor controls, crappy UI, bad online experience (but Android plays flash!...which I've found to be almost meaningless in my experience of using the iPad) Hell, price isn't even an issue. Apple's competition is having a hard time trying to match prices for a crappier product. It's not like the old PC days where you could actually get something better for less by going elsewhere.

Fairweather Pure · Post by **Fairweather Pure** » March 8, 2011, 1:46 pm

I'm officially getting a new one. My wife made the decision today. I'll just get one at Best Buy like I did last year, along with the new Smart Cover. Then, I'll backup and purge my old iPad so my wife has a clean slate. I'll be getting another 64G wifi model. Man, my current iPad still looks brand new!

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » March 8, 2011, 2:22 pm

Fairweather Pure wrote:I'm officially getting a new one. My wife made the decision today. I'll just get one at Best Buy like I did last year, along with the new Smart Cover. Then, I'll backup and purge my old iPad so my wife has a clean slate. I'll be getting another 64G wifi model. Man, my current iPad still looks brand new!

I'll probably impulse by it Friday but I haven't checked into if it can be Jailbroken yet. Different CPU in there now.

iOS 4.3 is already JB but I'm curious about the new Chip/s

On the other hand, I don't care so much about jailbreaking the iPad. The way I use it is primary for apps that I've already bought.

BTW, your Air Video recommendation awhile back is the best one you've had. I read yesterday that it now has Airplay built in with the latest version so you can stream it to your home theater with ease.

Funkmasterr · Post by **Funkmasterr** » March 8, 2011, 2:35 pm

When I was going to Japan (interim clearance got shot down) I was planning on getting a Macbook Pro. A laptop would never replace a PC for me, but in that kind of situation where mobility would be a lot more important, a PC just wasn't practical. Now that I am staying here (at least until I try again in September), I still want something I can use around the house for fun games, internet browsing, and other shit I usually do on my phone but would prefer a bit more screen real estate for.

I don't see a laptop being practical for this, even one as thin/light as a Macbook, because to be honest the bulk of my usage will be either sitting/laying in bed/on the couch, or sitting in the garage or out on the deck. I never saw a usage for a tablet but as I spend more time fucking around with my phone for this kind of stuff, it's starting to make sense.

That being said, I read up on all of them and I plan on picking up a Wi Fi 64GB iPad2 this Friday. In all honesty, I would prefer something with Android. I like being able to customize shit a bit more, I like open source, and in general I just like how it works. That being said, the place they are behind Apple considerably still, is apps. There is absolutely zero debate here, Android is very lacking in that department, ESPECIALLY when it comes to games. I'm very confident it will get there eventually, but I highly doubt it will be during this generation of tablets, and I have no intention of waiting another year to see what it's like next gen (although I may end up buying a new one if the improvements on either side are that big).

I don't think there will be any real competition for Apple in the tablet market until the Apps available for Android basically mirror what they have. I also think that if you really believe there isn't a market for tablets over laptops, you're fucking insane. I do a ton of side work fixing computers, setting up home networks, etc, and the amount of work I've had related to showing people how to use their iPad or get a certain app working on it lately has been fucking astounding. As a point of reference, a friend of mine (wetstone was his rogue in EQ) bought one for his girlfriend for Christmas. I was over there the other night, and of the 7 people living in the house, 5 of them have iPads, and he's soon to be the sixth.. And this seems to be a pattern I'm noticing.

Anyhow, long winded, but I'm buying a iPad. I'm a hypocrite, and I hate myself for it, but I'm gonna use the living shit out of the thing.

Fairweather Pure · Post by **Fairweather Pure** » March 14, 2011, 2:21 pm

iPad 2 totally sold out, 70% to new buyers. I guess people were waiting for the second generation afterall!

http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2011/03/13/ ... ew-buyers/

I ordered mine online from the Apple Store because I didn't want to fight the crowds or worse yet, come home empty handed. I look forward to trying out the new version. I've heard good things!

Funkmasterr · Post by **Funkmasterr** » March 14, 2011, 2:30 pm

I waited in line at Best Buy, I was there a hour before they started selling them and was 65th in line. I'd guess by the time they started selling there were 350 people in line, and when they got to me they were already sold out of some of the 3G models.

I love the thing, it hasn't left my side since I got it. Makes much more sense than a laptop for me. The new cover is awesome too, btw - a must buy IMO.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » March 14, 2011, 10:47 pm

I was busy this Friday with guests so had no time (and don't like to anyway) stand in line for one. I called around and they were all sold out.

I'll probably end up getting an iPad2 but with the estimated wait times, it looks like I'll be getting it in more like a month or more from now as I want to walk in and pick one up instead of ordering online.

That will give the jailbreak time to mature and also possibly avoid any first run issues. Sounds like glue drying issue from the iPhone 4 and possible light leaks are the only issues so far and not common.

Aabidano · Post by **Aabidano** » March 15, 2011, 7:52 am

iPad doesn't replace a PC. It's primarily a multimedia/entertainment consumption device although it also excels in areas like travel apps, shopping, communication, etc.

Still having trouble seeing why I'd want one, everything it does I seem to be better served with a real computer,my phone or a TV.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » March 15, 2011, 12:20 pm

Aabidano wrote:
iPad doesn't replace a PC. It's primarily a multimedia/entertainment consumption device although it also excels in areas like travel apps, shopping, communication, etc.
Still having trouble seeing why I'd want one, everything it does I seem to be better served with a real computer,my phone or a TV.

Same here if I was at my desk. It's a device I use all over the house, bed, couch, etc when I'm not at my PC.

Why the hell would you use it when you're sitting in front of a PC?

It's also drop dead simple to use so some non tech types probably would prefer using it instead of a PC.

All I can say is I have all sorts of PC power, both Windows based and Mac at my disposal and the iPad still gets used every day.

Before I had one, I wondered exactly what i'd do with it or if it would get used. Maybe play around with one at an Apple store first to see what you think.

Fairweather Pure · Post by **Fairweather Pure** » March 15, 2011, 12:53 pm

Winnow wrote:Why the hell would you use it when you're sitting in front of a PC?

I use it in conjunction with my PC all the time. Even though I have 3x24" monitors, I use the iPad as if it were a book or magazine next to me. I thumb through comics with it while waiting on DLs and stuff like that. Also, while I'm waiting for something during a WoW or other gaming session, I surf using the iPad instead of alt tabbing. I also use it as my movie viewer when I am gaming on my PC. At other times, I'll stream an old favorite from Netflix and keep it propped up next to me while I'm on my Xbox. It's funny because 5 years ago I used to play video games on my laptop while I watched movies on the big screen, now I do the opposite.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » March 15, 2011, 4:23 pm

Fairweather Pure wrote: I use it in conjunction with my PC all the time. Even though I have 3x24" monitors, I use the iPad as if it were a book or magazine next to me. I thumb through comics with it while waiting on DLs and stuff like that. Also, while I'm waiting for something during a WoW or other gaming session, I surf using the iPad instead of alt tabbing. I also use it as my movie viewer when I am gaming on my PC. At other times, I'll stream an old favorite from Netflix and keep it propped up next to me while I'm on my Xbox. It's funny because 5 years ago I used to play video games on my laptop while I watched movies on the big screen, now I do the opposite.

Those are good uses if you don't have two PCs or if your xbox/ps3 isn't near your PC. I'll sometimes have my iPad up streaming quotes during the day while at home by my PC.

I find plenty of use for it.

I had guests this weekend who also had their own iPad. No Laptop or swapping chairs, kick back in easy chair and hand iPad around or check mail on iPad, etc. Ease of use/portability and great for multimedia.

Fairweather Pure · Post by **Fairweather Pure** » March 18, 2011, 11:27 am

My desktop is separate from everything else in the house. My wife and I have our desks in the basement. Well, not the basement since we have a bi-level home. Let me just grab a photo and post it.

Here's my house. You can see in the bottom level right out to the back yard. We have our desks here.

And here is how our desks are configured. We are butted up next to each other. My wife works from home and my hobbies have grown significantly since this pic was snapped, but you get the idea.

What the hell, here are some pics of my PC setup now. You can see my iPad is an integral part of it! Actually, so is my laptop.

EDIT to add my secret stash:

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » March 18, 2011, 11:37 am

Cool house Fair but there's no way I could have those huge open windows in my living room at night. Call me paranoid but I would think someone's watching me from outside. Do you have shutters or something? Those must be great for natural light during the day.

Fairweather Pure · Post by **Fairweather Pure** » March 18, 2011, 12:04 pm

Behind the house are thick woods that go up a very steep hill. There are houses on that hill that I can kind of see in the winter, but in the summer when all the leaves fill in you can't see anything at all. The location of our home is pretty much what sealed the deal. We're in a circle drive with a single inlet. The only people that come here are the people who live here, and we're towards the back of the circle, surrounded on 3 sides by thick woods, and we're set back a good ways from the road. We can see 1 house from our living room, and that house is on a hill. I counted our windows once and I think it was 132...ish. Our house is only 1700 sq ft!

Here's a view from the road.

And here's a view out our front windows. It helps that we're up higher on a hill, so people cannot get a clear view of what's going on in the house.

We have no curtains at all except our bedroom (back of the house) and my girl's room (shades pulled in the pic posted). It takes some getting used to, but living in a fishbowl is actually pretty fucking cool. Especially during thunderstorms, blizzards, and summertime when everything is lush and green. It sucks for Kinect in the daytime though! You just can't do it! We're used to it, but when other people come over, it takes them some time to adjust. My sister in law is a little creeped out at night in the summer with all the woods around the house.

Boogahz · Post by **Boogahz** » March 18, 2011, 12:18 pm

Couple more monitors and you can seal yourself off from the world

Funkmasterr · Post by **Funkmasterr** » March 18, 2011, 12:23 pm

Boogahz wrote:Couple more monitors and you can seal yourself off from the world

Fairweather Pure · Post by **Fairweather Pure** » March 18, 2011, 12:31 pm

Boogahz wrote:Couple more monitors and you can seal yourself off from the world

That's what my Man Cave will be for! Well, we're still unsure if we want to add on or move. We're strongly favoring adding on, in which case I'll get to design and build my Man Cave from the ground up!

I really do enjoy my current PC setup when I get a chance to use it. I was considering upgrading to 30 inch monitors, but that would honestly be too big for my area. I've been playing with the idea of running them all in a vertical configuration for a change of scenery and just to try it out.

masteen · Post by **masteen** » March 19, 2011, 4:49 pm

Fairweather Pure wrote:

No wonder you think everything's amazing... you're rich. Everything IS amazing if you're rich and white in America. For the rest of us, it's a big ball of shit.

EDIT: All I wanted was your seekrit stash, but the vault and lappy weren't getting along so well.

Fairweather Pure · Post by **Fairweather Pure** » March 19, 2011, 5:23 pm

I'll never forget something mother said to me once. She said "We can't afford the best of anything, but we can afford the middle ground of almost everything".

Rich people buy 100,000$ cars and vacation overseas. I buy video games, movies, and drive a vehicle from 1994 and live in a 150k house (that ain't even worth that anymore). The fact that you would even put me anywhere near that category shows that you don't know what rich really is. The only real benefit that my family enjoys over the majority of our peers is the absence of debt, and that took 5 years of sacrifice to accomplish. I also lived a pretty hard life from age 24-30, FYI. Basically, what you are looking at is the result of 15 years of my wife and I working our asses off. I guess wealth is subjective though, so have at it. My real strength and happiness comes from my amazing wife and kids though. I really do have it all, but I've worked hard to achieve everything I have and I fucking deserve it!

Sorry if you think your life sucks. Come on over and we'll have a LAN party! I'll buy the steaks!

Anyway! I just checked my iPad 2 status and it said it will be delivered April 6th. They must really be backlogged! I ordered the day of release (mid afternoon though).

EDIT: It is great being white though! Although, my wife is half Japanese, so I'm not sure how that figures into your equation...

Fairweather Pure · Post by **Fairweather Pure** » March 19, 2011, 5:27 pm

Also, you don't need to image quote the entire post!

masteen · Post by **masteen** » March 20, 2011, 6:19 pm

Yeah, that quote didn't turn out right. I only wanted your stash and name brand PC.

I was (attempting at) being a little facetious because our lifestyle is the one that is currently under attack as being too luxurious.

Fairweather Pure · Post by **Fairweather Pure** » March 20, 2011, 7:11 pm

I usually have Nutter Butters down there too!

I got my first "hands on" with the iPad 2 display at BB. It definitely makes the first one feel like a "generation 1" model. It's noticeably lighter and faster. They also had a Xoom display set up practically right next to it. I was able to play with that for about 5 minutes and it crashed twice in that amount of time. No shit. I couldn't believe it. It reminded me how when a really popular movie comes out and some scrub company makes a shitty ripoff and makes the box art look as much like the popular movie as possible in hopes that people would rent it when the more popular version was out of stock. Needless to say, Apple doesn't have anything to worry about (yet). I look forward to the day when they do though!

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » March 20, 2011, 8:38 pm

Fairweather Pure wrote: I got my first "hands on" with the iPad 2 display at BB. It definitely makes the first one feel like a "generation 1" model. It's noticeably lighter and faster. They also had a Xoom display set up practically right next to it. I was able to play with that for about 5 minutes and it crashed twice in that amount of time. No shit. I couldn't believe it. It reminded me how when a really popular movie comes out and some scrub company makes a shitty ripoff and makes the box art look as much like the popular movie as possible in hopes that people would rent it when the more popular version was out of stock. Needless to say, Apple doesn't have anything to worry about (yet). I look forward to the day when they do though!

I'm getting one but want to purchase in store. Considering the big time demand and component delays due to the quake, it looks like it might not be until May or June that I get one unless I get lucky. First time I can drive to a store and buy one I will.

Funkmasterr · Post by **Funkmasterr** » March 21, 2011, 9:54 am

Bought a damn iPhone4 last night. Apple is going to be the end of me.

Fairweather Pure · Post by **Fairweather Pure** » March 21, 2011, 10:38 am

Funkmasterr wrote:Bought a damn iPhone4 last night. Apple is going to be the end of me.

You should've just waited for the iPhone 5!

Funkmasterr · Post by **Funkmasterr** » March 21, 2011, 10:45 am

Fairweather Pure wrote:
Funkmasterr wrote:Bought a damn iPhone4 last night. Apple is going to be the end of me.
You should've just waited for the iPhone 5!

Well, Verizon is going to be getting rid of unlimited data plans this summer (probably around the time the iPhone 5 comes out), and that doesn't sit well with me, so I decided to just go for it now. Plus my two friends wanted to get phones right away and I got on a family plan with them, with a teacher's discount, so I actually cut my bill back from what it was at T Mobile.

Fairweather Pure · Post by **Fairweather Pure** » March 21, 2011, 10:50 am

Yeah, I know where you're coming from. Sometimes, the stars align and you just have to upgrade. Besides, the Phone 5 is still just a rumor at this point. It's not like there's a release date, stats or anything else out there yet.

Funkmasterr · Post by **Funkmasterr** » March 21, 2011, 11:30 am

Yeah, and it will most likely be like all other Apple iterations, a upgraded processor, possibly LTE (which makes the bandwidth usage limits even funnier), and that's probably about it. I'm really loving this phone, and Apple's app store is going to put me in the poor house. They have Final Fantasy 1&2 and SECRET OF MANA for this phone!!