@Whoever owns an iPad

How has it helped you learn Japanese?

I'm thinking about buying an iPad, so I'd like to know in what ways it's useful. It seems great for language immersion through internet browsing, reading, and video. And while I currently own an iPhone that can already do all these things, the iPad seems to do them much better. For those who own both, I'd love to hear whether you think the difference is significant.

A relevant point is that I'm a graduate student and I'm going to be in school for at least another four years. I spend a lot of time on campus, at the library, and studying/hanging out at friends' homes, and I always bring my laptop with me in all these situations. Even when time is short, I pull out my laptop for some quick immersion or Anki reps when I arrive at class early, have a short break between classes, or if I'm left alone for a while at a friend's home. Perhaps the convenience of an iPad will make this process more efficient.

Besides the iPad's usefulness for a university student learning Japanese, I welcome any thoughts on its practicality for a university student or just anyone in general. Furthermore, I'd like to hear whether 3G is worth it or not. Considering that my iPhone has already has 3G and the availability of wi-fi on campus and at my friends' places, 3G seems unnecessary. However, I'm open to hear other views on the matter.

Nonono, you've got it all wrong. You buy an iPad because it's cool and *then* you try to figure out whether there's something you could use it for :-)

I'm probably going to get an iPad in late August, because that's when I start commuting a couple of hours by train each day. I want to travel fairly light, but be able to read manga, books, watch video and do anki as well as browse the net occasionally. I will definitely not go for the 3G option - Wi-Fi is plenty of internet access for me. I tend to waste a lot of time on sites like this if I have internet access constantly - I'm actually looking forward to my time on the train as I will not have the option of internet browsing.

I definitely don't think the iPad is a necessary device, or even a completely sensible purchase. From a purely practical point of view, I already have an iPhone and a Macbook Pro, so I'm set for mobile computing. Part of the reason I'll get one is that I love technology and playing with new devices, and getting new stuff occasionally helps keep me interested in other hobbies which otherwise might lose their charm over time (like learning Japanese). It just makes the whole process exciting again.

One place where I really do expect the iPad to improve my situation is reading. When I was younger I read a LOT of books. I've probably read more books in my childhood than most people who read a lot read in their lifetime. During my teenage years I gradually became more comfortable reading on an LCD screen and less comfortable reading the printed page. I now never pick up a book and read, but I do like to read on the screen. I can read websites all day. There is, however, no decent platform for reading books on a computer. I really like the touchscreen interface of the iPad as a reading device. The colour LCD screen makes it better than a Kindle (I've never in my life got tired eyes from looking at a screen). The touch interface makes it better than a laptop. The size makes it better than an iPhone. I've tried reading books on the iPad and it is perfect - I look forward to reading a lot more once I have one.

I don't kid myself - I know that it's a luxury purchase, but hey, I prefer to spend my money on that than going out for meals, getting drunk of whatever else people my age do to deplete their funds.

I would advise you to NOT get the 3G version.

Apple just pulled a bait-and-switch and killed their $30/month unlimited plan.
Now you will have to pay per megabyte (possibly with some overage charges).

It's not worth it, if you're already on campus and have wifi everywhere.

Also, I know I've been talking a lot about it lately, but there is a great app
for iPad called iAnnotate that let's you highlight, and add notes to PDF documents.

Here are some youtube vids:

I think reading books (especially PDF books via iBooks or iAnnotate) would be
great. I'm sure many of your lectures have PDF notes as well.

Having your entire book (ePub and PDF) collection on your iPad (or stored in the cloud using Dropbox or Zumodrive) is a great reason to have an iPad. It's a huge relief to not have books take up physical space in your room anymore.

One gripe I have is that Apple didn't port their Dictionary app (Snow Leopard) to iPad. I would have loved to use their japanese-japanese and japanese-english dictionary that come with Snow Leopard on the iPad. You have to buy dictionaries from the App Store. Yeah, I know. Really lame.

And let's not forget the stellar battery life of the iPad. 10-11 hours while playing videos, listening to music, and using Wifi.

Lastly, carrying around a 1.5 pound iPad is much better than lugging a heavy 4 to 7 pound laptop in your backpack.

about how much do those japanese ibooks cost anyway?

I use my iPad more than I use my PC now. I do ALL my Anki reviews on the iPad now, and that alone is a couple hours a day. It's ideal for this; I can flop on the couch and do the reviews, or do them sitting on a park bench, or while doing my daily workout on an elliptical machine, or wherever. You could also do this with an iPhone or iTouch, but the big screen makes it much easier, especially while working out. I would never prop my iPhone up on an elliptical to try to do Anki reviews; I do that every day with my iPad.

I also do my RevTK reviews (that is, RTK reviews using this website) on my iPad; that's another half hour at minimum. I do most of my book-reading on the iPad now; right now I'm re-reading "The Hobbit" on it, for another hour a day or so. It's a great e-reader, slick and colorful and fun to use. The only negative is that it's a tad heavier than a Kindle, but I don't mind -- in some ways that's a plus, as when I prop it up on my elliptical.

I do much of my web surfing on the iPad; the browser experience with a touchscreen is really nice, and much easier than with the teeny iPhone screen. I normally read this forum on my iPad (though right now, as it happens, I'm on a laptop). I take the iPad with me to doctors' and dentists' waiting rooms and sketch people in Brushes while I wait for my kids. (Again, it's much more satisfying than using an iPhone for this.) Yesterday I took it with me on a long drive in which I served as navigator. The 10-hour battery life certainly helps it in that role. I also use the iPad as my dictionary when I'm reading manga and the like. (Currently I use the "Japanese" app for this. I'm thinking about getting the Green Goddess, though.)

There are two general categories of things for which I still prefer a PC or laptop. (1) Extensive writing. I do own the bluetooth keyboard for the iPad, and it works great, but I have not yet bought the A-frame stand for the iPad; once I have that, I will use the bluetooth keyboard a lot more. The built-in touchscreen keyboard is better than the iPhone's, but it's still hard to use; I need a physical keyboard. That said, I find it easier to type some things (like Japanese) with the iPad. I'm always fighting the IME here in Windows. (2) Certain PC games that aren't available for the iPad. Truth be told, I rarely play PC games these days, so this isn't a big deal for me. I play more iPad games now. E.g., I prefer Civilization 4 for the PC, but which Civ do I routinely fire up now? Civ Rev for the iPad, because it's easier just to pick up the tablet and play for a bit, or to play a few turns in a waiting room, or whatever.

Indeed, the "instant on" feature of the iPad is something I appreciate far more than I thought I would. The tablet is just lying around the house, and I can grab it and Google something fast, or do a few Anki reviews, or whatever, without spending 5 minutes watching a PC boot up (or leaving a PC on all day long, which means turning on a noisy window A/C unit in my computer room).

Do you *need* an iPad? It's not a must-have. If you already have an iPhone or iPod, I agree that it's a luxury. But it's MUCH nicer than either, because the screen is so much bigger and better. I have an iPhone, and I don't use it for any apps any more -- just phone calls and camera/video. The screen seems so tiny now compared to the iPad's. I'm not an Apple fanboy -- I prefer Windows PCs -- but the iPad has really changed the way I work and play.

I'm not yet convinced that the iPad is just a toy for adults. After reading this and other reports on how people have been uses their iPads, it seems like it has the potential to be a useful tool.

Edit: I hadn't seen chamcham's and Groot's posts before I posted this reply (including the material above).

@chamcham & Groot

Thanks for the helpful comments. Could I ask you guys how comfortable it is to use the iPad? Also, is it possible to tether an iPad to a jailbroken iPhone using OpenSSH? If your Japanese learning has benefited from using an iPad in any other ways, I'd love to hear that as well! ^_^

Quote:Could I ask you guys how comfortable it is to use the iPad?

For the most part it's very comfortable and a pleasure to use, but I do have a couple caveats. First, I put a Belkin Vue grip case on mine; it's a soft plastic skin that protects the case and makes it less slippery to hold. I got mine at the local Apple store.

Second, I do find it a tad heavier than I would like when I lie down to read and prop it up on my tummy. It's only 1.5 pounds, so it's not a big deal, but obviously a paperback is lighter.

In any other reading position, though, I prefer it to a book. Sitting down, you don't have to fumble with pages. Lying on my side, I just swipe the screen to turn pages. As I mentioned in my first post, it's absolutely a godsend for reading or playing or video-watching while I exercise on an elliptical machine (or treadmill, or bike machine, or whatever). No more fighting with books to make sure they stay open to the right page!

As for carrying it around, it sure does beat lugging around a laptop. So much nicer and easier! In a cramped car or plane, I just push my iPad button and start using it. With a laptop, I have to fold open the screen, boot up the system, find something to rest it on, etc. At first I was worried I wouldn't want to carry my iPad anywhere, but now I've loosened up and I just toss it in my car whenever I go anywhere. I do see people stare at me as I read it in a cafe, or hold it waiting to pick up a kid, or play with it while sitting in a waiting room, or whatever. I get a lot of "how do you like it?" questions.

I can't comment on your question about jail-breaking, as I haven't done that. I guess I'm a rube when it comes to 3G, as I have the 3G model, but I like it. The Wi-Fi in my house is a bit spotty, and it's nice to have 3G when I'm out and about.

Quote:If your Japanese learning has benefited from using an iPad in any other ways, I'd love to hear that as well!

I think I mentioned most of my current uses in my earlier post: Anki, this site's RevTK, web browsing. As I said, I spend 2-3 hours on the iPad doing that stuff every day. I could've added a couple others. I've got several dozen Japanese-related apps: games, grammar apps, kanji apps, samples of e-books, dictionaries. I haven't had much time to explore many of them yet. Some are familiar from the iPhone, and I'm waiting for higher-rez updates for the iPad.

One thing I'd love to use my iPad for would be manga. Amazon has a few English translations of manga available for the Kindle, which you can read on the iPad, but I can't find much in Japanese -- yet. The iPad really needs as manga app, like the fantastic Marvel comics app for reading comics. I'm not a big Marvel fan, but I've actually read all the free comics that came with the Marvel app, and even bought a couple others. The color is so vibrant on my iPad that it makes me really wish I could see a nice Japanese-language manga in the same format! Also, the Marvel app has a clever system of letting you read one frame at a time instead of a whole page at a time; very nice. Anyway, if anyone spots a good app -- or iBooks or Kindle manga -- please let us know about it!

Supposedly, e-books in Japanese are coming to the Kindle/iBooks, but I have trouble finding them still. I keep reading that Amazon is talking to Kodansha and others about publishing Kindle versions of Japanese books. I wish they'd hurry up about it!

Hope this helps.

Popup j-j dictionary in a reader app and I will hand deliver a thank-you note to Cupertino.

And buy an iPad while I'm on the way.

chamcham Wrote:I would advise you to NOT get the 3G version.

Apple just pulled a bait-and-switch and killed their $30/month unlimited plan.
Now you will have to pay per megabyte (possibly with some overage charges).

Apple isn't a cellphone network. I'm sure you meant AT&T, but they are only in America and only if you don't unlock.

Also, it's not a bait and switch since people get exactly what is advertised. Those who got unlimited plans keep them, those who are new subscribers don't. Are you suggesting that AT&T shouldn't be allowed to change pricing ever?

That said, I still think the data contract is a ripoff, even when it was "unlimited" (it wasn't unlimited since you still had a cap). Just jailbreak your iphone so you can tether your ipad to it.

ninetimes Wrote:Popup j-j dictionary in a reader app and I will hand deliver a thank-you note to Cupertino.

And buy an iPad while I'm on the way.

iBunko lets you fast-switch to dictionary apps of your choice including Daijirin J-J and Daijisen J-J. It switches back to the book once you've finished reading the definition - that's as close as you'll get to a J-J popup dictionary on the iOS platform. Also comes with a free library of Japanese books and short stories and looks very nice. Read about it here (Japanese) and here (English).

Crap. That might be close enough. Time to start scrounging. Last I checked iBunko didn't have any dictionary fast-switch options.

And, yeah, true pop-up is kind of a pipe dream with iOS still.

So what's the deal with the 'Rehearsal' app mentioned here? (Towards the bottom: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/25/busine...5ipad.html). Any different from what we already have used, strategy or software-wise?