For The Tech Savvy Mom: The New Apple iPad 16GB (Gifts For Mom: Mothers Day 2012

Mother’s Day is upon us and for those of you looking for that perfect gift to get the tech savvy mom in your life, get her the new iPad! I have been wanting to review and check out the new iPad and recently, just in time for Mother’s Day, I was sent the new iPad 16GB! I love how easy the new iPad is to use. It is Wi-Fi capable and I love how I can use it at home on my own Wi-Fi that we have set up so I can access the internet and Apple iTunes. I can also easily access Wi-Fi from the different hot spots at the coffee shops and such, which is so easy to access since the iPad picks up the signals automatically! The amazing iPad also has Bluetooth 4.0 technology.

With having kids, you never know when taking a picture or video might be a necessity. It seems like every time I turn around my kids are doing something that I feel has to be captured, and with the 5.0 megapixel iSight camera built in that has the autofocus and tap to focus technology I can get up close or the right angle and view that is needed to capture that perfect picture! This iPad has video stabilization which can come in handy when recording those memorable moments. I also find that the playback on those videos to have great picture quality as well. On top of the great photo taking and viewing features, I can also edit those photos, make a slideshow, and even view photos by location using the photo editor app!! Then with the Photo Booth App, I can take those pictures and add fun effects to the pics we take, which is fun to do with the kids!!

Aside from the great features you get from just the camera itself, you also get access to the apps that are already built in, but also all of those great apps that you can download from the iTunes store. With kids who are growing up in this fast advancing world of tech products, having those great, kid friendly apps and videos at your fingertips is a must have for the tech savvy mom! My kids can watch some of their favorite movies and shows from the iTunes store in 1080p HD and download and play some great games, which is perfect for those times when you are sitting in the doctors office or in a waiting room somewhere with kids who need to stay occupied in order to stay out of trouble, lol. One of my personal favorite apps that I love is the many books that I can purchase and download and either enjoy for myself, or like with the “Wubbzy’s Pirate Treasure”, I can download and read to my kids in the evenings before bed! There is so much available through the iTunes store that I can easily access and download and with the iCloud, I can access all of my downloads that I have purchased on any of my devices!

Up until now, I had only used two browsers in my life, explorer and google chrome. I thought that Chrome was the way to go, but after trying and now using Safari on a regular basis, I now know that there is much better way and easier way to browse the internet by using Safari! I can browse with just a tap on the screen, and all of that clutter you can get from other browsers, with Safari, all I have to do is tap to view and share my favorite articles and sites! I can also bookmark my favorites and save my reading lists on the iCloud, so when I am on the MacBook Air, I can access the places I like and all of my downloaded apps, as well as view my photos and videos taken by other devices all by using the iCloud!!!!

Being a mom, there are always appointments and events that come up, and having a app on my iPad that is meant just for those reminders makes the life of a mom so much easier!!

Also having your contact list right on hand as well as a calender, all eliminate the need for those bulky day planners that the pages can get worn in, or when you have a unruly child who is looking for something to color on, finds your planner and uses it as a coloring book! You also have your notes, maps, music and YouTube already downloaded and ready to use. The Apple iPad is the perfect gift for mom this Mother’s Day!!!!!

Cameras, Photos, and Video Recording

• 5-megapixel iSight camera
• Autofocus
• Tap to focus
• Face detection in still images
• Video recording, HD (1080p) up to 30 frames per second with audio
• Video stabilization
• FaceTime camera with VGA-quality photos and video at up to 30 frames per second
• Photo and video geotagging

Battery and Power⁵

• Built-in 42.5-watt-hour rechargeable lithium-polymer battery
• Up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi-Fi, watching video, or listening to music
• Charging via power adapter or USB to computer system

Input and Output

• 30-pin dock connector port
• 3.5-mm stereo headphone minijack
• Built-in speaker
• Microphone

Sensors

• Accelerometer
• Ambient light sensor
• Gyroscope

Location

• Wi-Fi
• Digital compass

Audio Playback

• Frequency response: 20Hz to 20,000Hz
• Audio formats supported: HE-AAC (V1 and V2), AAC (8 to 320 Kbps), Protected AAC (from iTunes Store), MP3 (8 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3, and 4, Audible Enhanced Audio, AAX, and AAX+), Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV
• User-configurable maximum volume limit
• Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound pass-through with Apple Digital AV Adapter (sold separately)

TV and Video

• AirPlay Mirroring to Apple TV (2nd and 3rd generation) at 720p
• AirPlay video streaming to Apple TV (3rd generation) at up to 1080p and Apple TV (2nd generation) at up to 720p
• Video mirroring and video out support: Up to 1080p with Apple Digital AV Adapter or Apple VGA Adapter (adapters sold separately)
• Video out support at 576i and 480i with Apple Composite AV Cable (cable sold separately)
• Video formats supported: H.264 video up to 1080p, 30 frames per second, High Profile level 4.1 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; MPEG-4 video up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps per channel, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; Motion JPEG (M-JPEG) up to 35 Mbps, 1280 by 720 pixels, 30 frames per second, audio in ulaw, PCM stereo audio in .avi file format

Mail Attachment Support

Viewable document types: .jpg, .tiff, .gif (images); .doc and .docx (Microsoft Word); .htm and .html (web pages); .key (Keynote); .numbers (Numbers); .pages (Pages); .pdf (Preview and Adobe Acrobat); .ppt and .pptx (Microsoft PowerPoint); .txt (text); .rtf (rich text format); .vcf (contact information); .xls and .xlsx (Microsoft Excel)

Accessibility

• VoiceOver screen reader
• Support for playback of closed-captioned content
• AssistiveTouch interface for adaptive accessories
• Full-screen zoom magnification
• Large fonts
• White on black display
• Left/right volume adjustment

Environmental Requirements

• Operating temperature: 32° to 95° F (0° to 35° C)
• Nonoperating temperature: -4° to 113° F (-20° to 45° C)
• Relative humidity: 5% to 95% noncondensing
• Maximum operating altitude: 10,000 feet (3000 m)

System Requirements

• Apple ID (required for some features)
• Internet access⁶
• Syncing with iTunes on a Mac or PC requires:
  • Mac: OS X v10.5.8 or later
  • PC: Windows 7; Windows Vista; or Windows XP Home or Professional with Service Pack 3 or later
  • iTunes 10.6 or later (free download from www.itunes.com/download)

This was not a paid post and honest/original opinions were used and they are my own. Thank you to the people from Apple who supplied the product for review.