Why I finally decided on an iPad for my design work.

After waiting a year since the iPad debuted and really got the new (vs. the old, Windows-based) tablet market going, I have been chomping at the bit for the tablet to be released that was just perfect for my needs. My demands weren't complicated:

•10" screen or bigger
•iOS or Android
•Market competitive speed
•Capacitive touch screen 
•Pressure-sensitive  stylus

Ah... that last one is the kicker. Everything else and I just described several options on the market. As an industrial designer, that stylus is the key to saving me plenty of work time. Right now, I draw things on paper, scan them and make digital corrections afterward before emailing them to my clients. What I was looking for was effectively a Wacom Cintiq on the cheap.

Wacom Cintiq: pricey AND tethered to a computer, but with 1024 levels of sensitivity.

I am happy to forego the Cintiq's 1024 levels of pressure sensitivity and 12" screen (the big ones are way out of my price range) in exchange for portability (especially getting rid of the cord) and price. Problem is, there hasn't been enough perception of a market base. There are several $1000+ Windows based tablets showing up on the market right now, aimed at professional services (like carpet installers) that need pen-based input for on the fly jobs, but no one was doing what seemed to be the obvious answer to me: developing an Android tablet for artists/designers.

HTC Flyer: methinks they forgot to Photoshop in a shadow for the pen.

Then, all of a sudden, there was hope. HTC announced the Flyer. Sure it has only 7" of screen real estate—I figured I could take a hit on ONE of my demands—and sure it has a single core processor—but it's 1.5 GHz, so I could make do—but is has a real, pressure sensitive, stylus! The Flyer definitely has promise. The more I thought about the 7" screen, the more I had mixed feelings. It seems a little small, but I've been drawing on an iPhone, so in comparison, I could make it work. After hearing Jeff Jarvis talk about the portability of 7" tablets, I was keeping an open mind. I even gave a positive response to SolidSmack's Josh Mings when he asked me about it. 

So what changed? Why did I end up waiting until the stroke of 2am (Mountain time) last Thursday night? A few things:

•HTC has failed to provide a release date (Q2 2011 is too vague for this gadget hound to hold out)

•HTC has yet to give pricing information. European sites have indicated a €669 price tag (which, today, converts to over $900, if you assume they will be charging the same world wide).
(UPDATE: reports from the UK are now saying $600. HTC should have gotten this out before the iPad launched, though it probably wouldn't have changed my mind.)

Inkpad for iPad. So vectory!Inkpad. Look at all the layers!

•Inkpad for the iPad. Steve Sprang, the creator of Brushes—a very accomplished iOS app, itself—has realized the awesomeness of the un-asked question: what do you get when you combine an iPad and vector illustration software? Inkpad is his answer. I found out about it on the recommendation of Don McAllister as his pick of the week on the Macbreak Weekly podcast on the TWIT network. Don stated that is was simple, but the interface is intuitive. I was sold. (Update: Click here for my first impressions/review of Inkpad)

Stylus Socks Pro: Hard plastic surrounded by conductive cloth. Genius!

•I FINALLY found a stylus that works well on the iPad. Thanks to Jeff Bare at jbare design for making the recommendation of the Stylus Socks Pro. I never would have found it on my own because I kept thinking that some accessory company was going to be the way to go. As an independent industrial designer, I should have known better. This stylus has by far a better response from Apple's capacitive screens—and all others, I'm sure, but I've only tested it on Apple devices—than any of the other rubber or foam styli that I've tried. It's great.

After reading Andy Ihnatko's review for the Chicago Sun Times—it came out post-launch— I'm glad I lost what precious sleep I did that night. As a new parent, sleep is VERY precious. Reading Andy's impression left me feeling good about the decision. I know that it will be annoying to not have pressure sensitivity, but I am pretty sure that I will be fine. I lood forward to sharing my opions and work down the road.