I've had Pandora, my iPad, for three months now. Am I still as smitten as I was at first and, more importantly, how has having her changed me? Am I better in any way for it? Are there any unexpected consequences that I didn't foresee?
Well, yes, yes, and yes. I am still totally in love I must admit. I use her every single day; it's almost as if she's an extension of me. It hasn't exactly been the easiest three months of my life and I haven't accomplished as much as I would have liked, but now that I'm on holiday - and finally sprang for the Pages app - hopefully I will become more productive.
How do I use her? That's surprising me a little. I do read on her, but probably less than I expected to. I'm way behind on my magazine list; ditto for books. I have so many it's a bit overwhelming. To narrow myself down and focus on just one or two at a time is tough. Once I'm into a book, though, I'm into it - a good read is a good read and I see little difference between reading a print version and an iPad version (if one is available). I haven't written much either though I also have the Blogsy app. Like I said, I hope to change that this summer. My rough goal is at least four blog entries (or some other equivalent writing) a week. I definitely like the writing experience a lot better than I expected. I can type pretty darn fast now.
Besides reading and writing, I'm surprising myself with how acquisitive I am. I check three app sites faithfully for new freebies (I've only purchased a very select few apps) and have downloaded hundreds. I just can't pass up a bargain. Even if I'm not sure I'll ever actually need or use an app, if it's free for the day, I'll download it on the off chance I might want it someday. It's so bad I have less than a quarter of what I thought would be a spacious 32gb free! And that's with only one cd and one movie - and even after having removed a significant number of apps. Of course I've discovered some pleasant surprises doing that too - favourite games like Fishdom, Hand of Greed and, just this weekend, Fishdom H2O; a TV Guide, a great web browser, Maven ... there are a few apps I really enjoy and use regularly.
It also surprises me immensely how many games I've amassed. I've never ever been a gaming person, but now I really enjoy playing a variety for a few minutes here and there. I guess I'm basically a games dabbler by nature. I'm especially attracted to a whole new genre for me though: hidden object games like Fishdom H2O, and BigFish's Amazon HD. Sometimes I feel a little guilty playing when I could be doing more practical things, but I also think a little play might be exactly what I need these days. It's nice to be so immersed in a game that I forget everything else for awhile.
Overall I do think I'm a happier, if not a better, person for having Pandora. There's always something new to do or learn or try with her. She's a fun companion and a useful distraction from any bad things. My brain really seems to like the stimulation she provides. At first I felt a bit antsy using her - especially gaming before bed, but that's dissipating a little now. I know how to mange her - and me - better. A quite hidden object game or reading a book, not a magazine, is best. My biggest negative comment would be that it is pretty easy to let yourself get distracted on her. I can be reading along but then stop for a definition, then want to just check out a link or reference online, then want to just pop onto one of my sites to check for new apps for a sec, then just want to play one of my games for a minute ... you get the picture. And I'm a fairly focussed person. I can imagine some kids just hopping all over the place and not accomplishing anything at all. It's hard to resist the allure when you have so much quite literally at your fingertips. But for me that's a small price to pay. For me, Pandora is one of the best things to have happened in quite some time, and I truly love her and expect to be using her for a long, long time (or at least until the iPad 3 arrives next year!)
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