Dennis Dube

I'm a fan of anything that can get me through this line faster!

I love flying. It’s always a great opportunity to finalize some work, catch up on reading and do a little networking. After relocating from Atlanta to California a few years ago and making a number of cross country trips to see friends and family, I think I can pass the time (and be productive) as well as anyone.

There’s only one part of flying I can’t stand. The line at security.

Take off your jackets, shoes, unpack your computer, empty your pockets and stand in line for what seems like an eternity (especially if you fly out of Atlanta or San Francisco). And that’s the easy part. When we travel with our kids, it adds multiple levels of complexity and I’m always interested in finding a way to simplify the process.

And I just found one more way thanks to Steve Jobs. The iPad.

Yes, my love of the iPad keeps growing stronger by the day. As I first saw via Mashable, the iPad is TSA-friendly. Now honestly, those aren’t two terms that are normally associated: TSA and friendly. I didn’t believe the initial report, especially since I’ve been asked to unpack my Amazon Kindle every time I’ve tried to take it on a plane. Side note: When TSA scanned the Kindle, they told me I had to unpack my computer. I told them it was an E-reader. They didn’t get the difference.

Earlier this week, I tested Mashable’s report while traveling from the Oakland airport. I had the iPad in my laptop bag along with my iPhone, Blackberry, Logitech presenter, mouse, magazines and numerous cords. I waiting for security to stop me. Completely stunned, we rolled through security. Bless you, Steve Jobs.

This week’s experience has shown me one more reason why the iPad will replace my laptop when I travel.

As for now, though, I’ve got to put my shoes, coat and belt back on. Hey, so when will Apple start designing clothes?

While raving about the iPad earlier today with Jeff Hilimire, he asked me what I thought about typing on the device. As you likely saw in my earlier review of Apple’s latest device, I’m surprised at how quickly I can type and shared that assessment with others.

Which prompted an interesting question: “Do you hunt and peck or use traditional methods of typing?”

Yep, always been a hunt and peck guy – always will be. That’s not to say I haven’t tried. My father was always a big advocate of the Mavis Beacon school of typing and I’ve tried several programs on the topic in the past.

But since the early 90′s, I’ve hunted and pecked my way through – somewhere between 61 and 70 words per minute.

And now I think the iPad, with it’s predictive text and virtual keyboard, have made me faster. My friend shared that sentiment from others who type in the same untrained fashion I do….they are typing faster than ever. To top it all off, he then found himself lamenting his traditional method of typing and wondering if he could switch to my non-traditional methods.

Steve Jobs promised the iPad would change computing. Here’s one more example.

I’ve spent the past few days with my iPad and have read a ton of reviews on the topic. Here’s my initial impressions.

Screen: After several years with the iPhone, I’ve lost the memory of when I first purchased the device in 2007. I still remember the initial impression of the amazing screen. Taking the iPad out of it’s box was no different. The screen blew me away (although the default background made me think it was cracked – a tense moment).

E-reader(s): I currently own a Kindle and don’t envision myself picking it up again anytime soon. Although the iPad screen isn’t as easy to read as the electronic ink in Amazon’s device, Ive actually found myself preferring the Kindle app to the iBooks program.

Version: I bought the 32GB edition for $599. I locked in on that size early on and then debated between the 3G and Wifi only capabilities. Ultimately, based on how I would be using the device I determined the Wifi would meet my needs. I’ll use this device primarily at home and as an AT&T customer (shameless plug for my company), there are more than 7,000 hot spots where I can download the latest content, watch videos or update a blog.

Pros:
Screen – as mentioned above
IPhone applications – these can be utilized on the iPad, giving it 100K+ apps out of the box
Intuitive sidebar buttons – especially if you are accustomed ti using an iPhone
Typing – The first few days suggest I can type as fast – or faster – using the iPad keyboard
Early innovation – Scrabble, for example, changes how the device can be used and, likely, will alter future gaming capabilities
Clearly superior to other handheld gaming devices (PSP or Nintendo DS)

Cons:
Funky placement of the headphone jack
iPhone apps don’t look great on the iPad – most either need to be optimized for both devices or require a new app
Lack of a webcam which means no iChat or Video conferences, although I would expect it to be introduced in a future version of the iPad
Some print publications (see: Time magazine) have outlandish prices ($5/issue)
Creating content is not ideal, although I am authoring this blog post from the device

Verdict: I’m an early adopter of technology and am already pleased with the purchase. Every single person I’ve shown the device to is impressed and interested in the device. I haven’t regretted a single moment spent with my new toy.

Ultimately, the future of this medium will be driven by apps, adoption rates and, ultimately, sales volume (iPad sold 300K on opening weekend). Although some might believe 300K is below or doesn’t meet expectations, it’s important to note this surpassed the opening weekend of iPhone sales (270K).

Here’s to the future.

What about you? Did you buy one? Want one? Did Apple have a “good” opening weekend or was it lackluster?