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This video from Mashable is probably the best overview video that I've seen on the new iPad. The best news is perhaps that the iPad2 is now $399 making it more affordable for schools. Other features: the New iPad will let you connect 5 devices through the mobile hotspot feature You can create and share photo albums using the new app iPhoto (looks like all of us can get this one) of course the new "retina" display lets you have higher def viewing the iPad is thicker but supposedly has longer battery life The biggest ripple is that Apple proclaimed that the iPad has taken us to the "post PC era." They need to hold on, of course, as Google glasses aren't here yet. The changing form factor of computing devices is not over, I predict, but some sort of tablet device is probably in our future. After all, isn't that an iPad Captain Kirk is using there on the Enterprise? Photo credit: Film Junk: top 10 Star Trek devices in use today .

I love to see how others have their iPads laid out. I actually have my iPhone and iPad with prominent apps in the same places so I never have to hunt. Here are my screens and notes about current rationale for how I organize things. Even if you have a Droid or something else, the apps and the concepts may help you as you decide how you're going to organize things. Your 5 Important Electronic Desktop Decisions Having an organized, productive workspace is important. You have 5 very important electronic desktop decisions that can have a big impact on your life and your focus: Your computer desktop Your browser start screen and toolbars (I use firefox browser sync and a custom igoogle page.) Your mobile phone start screen Your tablet device start screen Your media diet (thanks Mark Hurst - author of Bit Literacy: Productivity in the Age of Information and E-mail Overload for this one.) Your media diet is what media sources will I attend to daily In this post, we'll tal...

My iPad has really become my device of choice. When I boot up my laptop it is for work, but my iPad, that is for quick this or a quick that. I have found that it is very important to separate my screens. I like to "Pareto" everything. This means that I hunt for the 20% of apps that do the 80% of my functions and put them in one place. I used to have a screen for everything but I found that I either searched for it or spent a lot of time sliding to find it. I also find that 20% of the apps give me 80% of my distraction. I keep those OFF my home screen. If I am going to live with this device it has to work for me and be easy. So, I am going to share with you my home screens and the folders on that screen in the hopes you can find something that helps you. We have work to do. The more we can focus on work during work hours, the better job we do and the less we have to work during personal hours. Here is my home screen and the folders. My Home Screen (the Pareto Platform) And, ye...

Home Screen of my Flipboard Flipboard is a phenomenal reading app for the ipad and was the big reason I begged my family to give me one for my birthday. However, because so little content is really produced FOR the flipboard, you have to know how to add it. You only get two screens of content (for now) so use it well. To get Started ... To follow these instructions, you'll need to download Flipboard onto your iPad . A look at what is on my flipboard.... Before we begin, let's take a look at screenshots of my two Flipboard screens. The sources of information are printed in the top left corner of each board.   Sharing from Flipboard Before we get to the reading part, you can share content within Flipboard.   What you can do depends upon the content source. If you're reading from Facebook, your like and comment buttons show. If you're reading from Twitter, you have retweet, retweet with comment and favorite. Google reader gives the sharing feature...

It is official. I'm officially asking for an iPad for my birthday. Flipboard is the killer app that has pushed my hand. I spent the morning setting this up for Mom and Dad. I was curious because now over 5% of my traffic from this blog is being read on Flipboard. I see why it is the #1 ipad app. Amazing. I've explored the Flipboard alternatives and the bottom line is that there aren't any. Nothing comes close. Just take a look at what this does with my school news blog ! I've been an iTouch fan for a long time. Because I have a mi-fi card, I'll definitely just get the wi-fi version.  Bottom line is that Flipboard makes the iPad irresistable, particularly for content producers, executives, principals, and those who need to stay abreast of trends. With the Japanese earthquake perhaps limiting production of the iPad 2 , we are ordering today. Related articles Flipboard Valued at $200 Million? Another Sign of an Upcoming Bubble? (crenk.com) Flipboar...

News and Current Events is a Top Use of the iPad Some rights reserved by Tojosan A new study about reading habits on the ipad which surveyed more than 1,600 people was released by the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute (RJI) at the University of Missouri. who found that "keeping up with news and current events is the most popular use of the Apple iPad." (press release sent to me via email. Their findings: "Of the more than 1,600 survey participants: Three-quarters of respondents spent at least 30 minutes a day consuming news on their iPad, nearly half said they spend an hour or more. iPad users are predominantly well-educated, affluent men between the ages of 35 and 64 who tend to be early adopters. A positive iPad reading experience is influenced by age and traditional media habits. Overall satisfaction and time spent with the iPad is very high." What are the Essential Apps for Teachers on the iPad? Craig Nansen My "go to guy...