Here’s my column, Web Savvy, from this week:

First it was the iMac, then came the iPod, followed by the ever-popular iPhone. Then, on Wednesday, Apple revealed the latest in its iProducts — the iPad.
If you’re like me, you may be wondering exactly what the iPad is and whether it’s going to be the next piece of gotta-have-it technology. As soon as I heard that Apple had announced the new product on Wednesday, I began doing some research. Without going into too much technical detail, I’ll talk here about some of what I’ve learned about the iPad.
Basically, it seems the best way to describe the iPad is to say it’s like a giant iPhone (minus the talking function) with some laptop capabilities. Shaped like a tablet (such as the Amazon Kindle), the iPad offers a 9.7-inch interactive touch screen that can be used to access the Web, e-mail and iPhone applications.
The iPad starts at $499 for the 16GB version and goes up in price for the 32GB ($599) and 64GB ($699) versions — a little pricey if you think of it as a giant iPhone, but very reasonable if you plan to use it as a laptop alternative.
One benefit of the iPad, according to Apple, is that the bigger screen makes surfing the Web and using apps easier than on an iPhone. According to technology site Gizmodo.com, the iPad is also surprisingly fast at surfing the Web, reportedly faster than the iPhone 3G. On the downside, the device doesn’t have a camera and the user has to use an on-screen keyboard, which could prove to be clumsy and less than ideal. A stand and separate keyboard can be attached, however, to give the iPad more of a desktop/laptop feel.
In my opinion, while it’s a cool piece of technology, I don’t see a whole lot of usefulness in the iPad. For the select group of consumers looking for the functionality of an iPhone with the large screen of a laptop, the iPad could prove to be a good buy. But other than the large touch screen, it doesn’t seem to offer many new features to really set it apart from the iPhone. For the price, I’d say the iPhone is the better buy, and you can’t beat being able to carry your phone/music player/Internet browser in your pocket or purse.

Direct all Web-related
questions to
jbowen@the-review.com.

Speaking of weird commercials, check out this one:

I think maybe this will become a regular feature on this blog. But first tell me, what’s your favorite “weird” commercial? 

Thanks to comics.com for providing a laugh today:

I’m often asked about the evolution and the future of newspapers. With so much of our attention shifting to what’s on the web, will newspapers one day cease to exist? In my opinion, the future of newspapers is far from that plight. I came across a great quote on Rob Curley’s blog which pretty much sums up my thoughts exactly (though in a much more eloquent way than I’m capable of, I must add.) This was said in 1931 by newspaper Pulitzer Prize winning publisher William Allen White:

“Of course as long as man lives someone will have to fill the herald’s place. Someone will have to do the bellringer’s work. Someone will have to tell the story of the day’s news and the year’s happenings. A reporter is perennial under many names and will persist with humanity. But whether the reporter’s story will be printed in types upon a press, I don’t know. I seriously doubt it. I think most of the machinery now employed in printing the day’s, the week’s, or the month’s doings will be junked by the end of this century and will be as archaic as the bellringer’s bell, or the herald’s trumpet. New methods of communication I think will supercede the old.”

Well said, William Allen White. For someone who lived far before the world wide web came to be, he sure had foresight.

To quote Curley (one of my favorite newspaper web site experts), “Reporting isn’t about ink on paper. It’s about people wanting to know what the heck is going on and what it means to them.”

Always something good to keep in mind.

I got the idea for this post from the blog Tech Crunch, on which a blogger made a list of products (Web sites) he couldn’t live without in 2009. Some of his I agree with; others I don’t, and some I’ve never heard of (but will definitely have to check out at some point). Here are some of the sites I can’t live without in 2009 (well, technically I could, but I wouldn’t want to):

Facebook. I’ve blogged about it many times, and I can’t stress the networking capabilities this site has. What started as a way for college students to keep in touch has turned into a gigantic networking site used by people of all ages. When I joined the site in 2005, I had just a handful of friends — mostly high school and college acquaintances. Now, my “friends” list has grown to almost 250, and includes childhood friends, current and former coworkers, and even some parents of friends. It’s amazing how up-to-date a person can stay just by logging in to the site. Not able to make it to someone’s wedding? No fear, pictures will soon be posted on Facebook. Wondering what a former classmate is up to these days? Thanks Facebook, you’ve now made online stalking that much easier. All kidding aside, Facebook can be a great tool if you use it appropriately and only post content you don’t mind sharing with everyone.

Twitter. I was new to the Twitter world in 2008 and didn’t quite get the point of it at first. But now it’s one of the first sites I check each day. Basically, Twitter is a site where users can “tweet” updates which appear instantaneously to that twitterer’s followers. It’s a great way to stay informed of what your friends are up to, as well as keep up on the day’s headlines. Many news organizations, including The Review, are linked to Twitter, so when we post breaking news, so does Twitter. Check it out.

Digg. Another site I found this year and have quickly taken a liking to. Site users (you included) can post links there to articles, videos, blog entries, you name it — whatever you find interesting. If other Digg users agree, they can “digg” the link. The more digs the link receives, the higher it will appear on the site and, in theory, the more times it will get read. It’s interesting to see what others find interesting enough to post and what they “digg.” Hey, feel free to post one of your favorite Review articles there if you’d like. There’s even a Digg icon next to each story, which makes it way too easy not to do!

Delicious. Another great site, if only for its convenience factor. Once you create an account (which is very simple, I swear), you can save your favorite Web pages to your delicious account. Then, you can access your favorites from any computer by simply going to the site and logging in. Now you can take your favorites with you anywhere you go! Love it.

YouTube. Come on, who doesn’t enjoy hopping on YouTube every now and then? In addition to the many entertaining videos of kids and animals (admit it, you’ve seen Charlie Bit Me at least 50 times, and if not, you’re going there now), there are plenty of great videos that bring back memories from your childhood. I admit, I’m guilty of looking up vintage Sesame Street clips just for old time’s sake. Seriously, though, YouTube comes in handy a lot more than you’d think. It was a great place to view videos of the presidential debates I wasn’t able to watch, and it’s a good place to upload your own videos to be hosted on the site as well.

WordPress. I’ll admit it took some getting used to, but I’ve begun to appreciate the options this blogging site offers. WordPress offers flexibility in the look of the site, as well as different options for how different components of the site are displayed. I also appreciated the user-friendliness of being able to embed YouTube videos within blog posts — very nice.

Internet Movie Database (IMDB). I don’t know what I’d do without this site. Whenever I have a movie trivia question, IMDB is where I go. When I see an actor on a show and think, “Where have I seen him/her before?” I turn to IMDB. And without fail, my question is always answered. This site not only offers movie synopses, quotes, reviews, and photos from the movie, it also includes a character list which can be clicked on to learn further information about each actor in the film. 

One of the coolest things about these sites is that a lot of them work together. You can set up your facebook account so when you post an update, Twitter also posts a tweet with that information. You can subscribe to feeds from Digg on Twitter, so when a story in a category you’re interested in is posted, it will show up in your Twitter feed. 

What are some sites you can’t live without in 2009?

Twitter alerted me this morning of this blogger, John Battelle, founder and chairman of Federated Media Publishing. In his most recent post, Battelle gives his annual predictions for the new year. Among his predictions: Google will see its search share decline as it struggles to find an answer to the question of how it diversifies its revenue in 2009; Yahoo and AOL will merge; Apple will see a reversal of recent fortunes; use of Twitter will continue to rise, with the company attempting to remain independent and Facebook will do something shocking and unpredictable. A possible merger with a traditional media company? A new CEO? 

I’m not sure how many of Battelle’s predictions will prove true, but I agree that 2009 is going to be a big year, full of changes — good and bad — both for technology and the media. 

Check out the animated version of your favorite Mac and PC characters:

Some Christmas cheer from a newly discovered group, which is quickly becoming one of my favorites:

I always enjoy a good Santa photo this time of the year. Check out these, courtesy of chicagotribune.com. Do you have any funny, cute, or otherwise entertaining photos of you or your child with Jolly Old St. Nick? Send them to jbowen@the-review.com and I’ll be happy to post them here. If I get enough submissions, maybe I’ll even throw in a prize for the winner!

I quite enjoyed watching tonight’s last presidential debate. Not because I found it particularly exciting, or even because this is the last time our regularly scheduled programs will be interrupted for said debates. No, I found enjoyment in following my friends’ up-to-the-minute commentary on sites like facebook and twitter. It was great. Seconds after a candidate made a statement, statuses changed and tweets were made either praising a candidate’s comments or ripping them apart. In a few cases, I even saw heated debates going on among users. Gone are the days where we waited until after the debate was over to call a friend and hear their thoughts. Now, with social networking sites right at our fingertips, we can discuss issues in real time, as they’re happening. Will others’ thoughts change my vote? Highly doubtful. But I still think it was interesting to hear others’ thoughts as the debate was going on. What were (are) your thoughts?