I’ve had my iPad2 for almost a month now, but it’s only today that I had the chance to write a review for this popular gadget. So without further ado, I’ll get on with the juicy details.  My iPad2 specs: White, WiFi+3G and 16GB.

Reason for purchase: The WiFi version is way cheaper, so you may be asking why I got the 3G, my response is that I plan to use this iPad2 as my primary mobile internet device. And knowing how much of a hassle and how dangerous public WiFi’s are, I need the 3G feature to make sure that my iPad2 will have internet connection whenever and wherever I carry it. Some of you might ask why I chose the smallest available hard drive space (16GB)?

It was my intention to stay within the acceptable range of my budget, and I don’t need that much space on the iPad anyway, because my workhorse laptop has 650GB that I don’t even dream of filling up.

Discount: When I got my iPad2, I was able to negotiate my way into getting a free D-Link Router worth P2000, so in a way, I got a P2000 discount compared to it’s street price.

Package Includes: The iPad2 main box was neatly and safely covered within an outer box.  What I got from the cute white Apple iPad2 box were the white iPad2 unit, a manual, a USB cable and the included charger. I was disappointed that it didn’t even have a basic earphone set included.  Upon unboxing, just like other Apple devices (I used to have an iPod Touch 4th Gen), the first thing to do is to connect the iPad2 to a computer with iTunes installed for basic registration and start up.  Only after the registration will you be able to test and use the iPad2, which means that if you are buying one, you can’t test it at the store.

First Impression My first impression was that it was a just a big screen version of my iPod touch 4th Gen. However within just a few minutes of using it I can’t help but be impressed by the craftsmanship, sturdiness and overall aesthetics of the iPad2. With it’s smooth touch screen, browsing through websites, e-mails and social media was a breeze. Trying out some games also allowed the iPad2′s graphics to shine, I enjoyed some of it’s 3D games, and also played an MMORPGs for iOS devices -Pocket Legends. My initial impression was that the iPad2 was OK, however when I tried out some music apps, and how genuine and well made some are, I realized that I wasn’t just contented, I was happy that I got it.

iPad2 good points::
- No waiting time for boot ups
- Intuitive and fast interface
- High quality graphics
- Can be used for high quality video calls (Skype etc)
- Stable internet connection
- Portable and Sturdy
- Multitude of apps that will cater to most needs
- Great battery life
- Flexible, can be used for work, gaming, social networking, browsing, etc…

iPad2 bad points::
- A lot of basic functionality are unavailable, you will have to pay for apps…
- You need a lot of expensive accessories to do the basic things like printing, connecting to a TV etc…
- You need a lot of money to completely enjoy the device
- The pictures taken by iPad 2 are hideous, they have the same quality as a 7 year old vga camera phone (videos look better though).

Conclusion: I have been enjoying  my iPad2, and up to the time of this post, I feel the purchase was worth it, and I would recommend this device to anyone who needs a mobile internet device, most specially if you are a musician.

After almost a month of waiting, Asus finally decided to replace the Laptop. I was hoping for a refund but wanted to give the Asus 1215b a second chance because my wife really wanted a netbook. Sadly when we went to the store to test the replacement, the same

touchpad problems

appeared after a few minutes of testing. And ofcourse that was the last straw – we demanded a refund.

Sadly the store does not have an inch of respect for customers and their rights, and up to now, after more than a month of stealing our money – we are still waiting on the refund. When we call them to follow up the clerks act like jerks and can’t even properly address our concern. As of this writing we have already filed a complaint with DTI and hopefully something will happen, if not, I will be forced to visit the head office of DTI to personally file a complaint.

So to all prospective buyers that will be passing by Gilmore – it’d be wise to get reputable laptops from reputable stores. That is the important lesson I learned out of all this hassle.

I got a nice deal with my new HP Pavilion G series Laptop, it was purchased at a nearby mall, much cheaper than what they offer in Gilmore. We also bought an iPad2 and got a lot of freebies at a discounted price from another mall, so if you think you will save some cash if you purchase off of Premium PC Depot… you are dead wrong.

That is why if I have extra money I would never splurge it on the latest gadget. I’d rather spend it on a Branson vacation package for my family. Although a vacation is only a few short days, the memories we would be bringing home from that experience would be a lifetime treasure. Studies also show that people get the most benefit from vacations compared to gadgets.  That is why if you have money to spend this holiday I advise that you go on a vacation rather than spend it all on overpriced and overhyped gadgets.

1. Internet Connection: S U P E R – S L O W! Unbelievable! We used to have Globe and we had “downtime” problems with them but at least the speed you get is equal to what they commited. When we switched to Smart Bro (the one with Antennae), everything was smooth sailing from the next day installation to the day we moved out of our apartment. Now that we moved and want to use this old PLDT account – I am utterly disgusted at the intermittent connection and the unbelievably slow download and upload speed. The plan claims to be at 1MBPs but I rarely get download above 20kbps, and most of the time, our internet connection is down. I was getting double the speed with our 384kbps SMART Bro connection!

2. Customer Service: Waste of time and money! Wait time at their support lines will take around 30 minutes to an hour. Reps don’t know what they are doing and have on many occassions put the phone down on me. I have also asked to speak with a supervisor countless times and I was only able to reach ONE! If you think that’s bad, try going to their business office! I waited for 3 hours to do a transfer of ownership. I have been asking for a month now for a technician to check our connection here at home but NOT ONE has shown up. At least in Globe they show up after 2 weeks!

Conclusion:
I want to give PLDT until July to show me that they are worth our money. The only reason I am keeping PLDT is because of the old Phone account that we’ve had for many years. But if this kind of service and connection goes on until July, we will definitely move to a greener pasture.

PLDT MyDSL: 1 out of 10 (I don’t even like the telephone, sound is too weak). If I were you, don’t even think about wasting a single Peso with this company – they seem to have forgotten what got them on the Telco business – their customers!

Here are the technical specifications of the product.

http://www.bloomenergy.com/products/data-sheet/