by Bakari Chavanu Feb 02, 2010

Now that we’ve all had a few days to digest the hoopla and hype of the iPad, it might be a good idea to take a deep breath and really consider if the iPad is indeed the missing link device between our iPhone/iPod touches and our desktop or laptop computers?

In the near twenty years that I’ve been a dedicated Mac user, I don’t think I’ve ever purchased the first generation of any piece of Apple hardware. Part of the reason was that the price tags were beyond my budget, but the other reason was that I typically knew that the second and third generations would be better and often less expensive.

So what about the iPad? Well it seems there’s a first time for everything. Here are a list of reasons off the top of my head why I don’t plan to wait, followed by a list of reasons I’m going to only purchase the $499 model.

A Stylish Laptop
First off, the iPad is pretty much a larger size iPod touch. Though I don’t use the touch anymore, I primarily use my iPhone as a mini, mini, laptop. There are days when I never receive or make a phone call with my iPhone, but there’s never a day that I don’t check email, surf the web, view videos or listen to podcasts on the device. I’ve even read several Kindle books on the iPhone, finding the backlit screen a pleasure for bedtime reading.

But as much as I like portability of the iPhone, I must say there are many times I wanted to view stuff on a larger screen. The iPad of course serves that purpose. It’s 9.5″ screen brings the portability of a laptop without the weight of an attached keyboard. I’ve yet to replace my old PowerBook with a MacBook or MacBook Pro, so the iPad fulfills my laptop needs in that area as well.

Unfortunately however, the iPad probably won’t replace my iPhone, but it will surely diminish my use of it as a mini laptop.

Portfolio
For business purposes, as a photographer, the iPad and its photo displaying application are going to make for a sweet portfolio to woo potential clients. It’s also going to make a great family album that my wife will especially like. Because the iPad will include, among its accessories, a camera connection kit for importing photos and videos, and because of the multimedia applications built for it, such as Keynote, the iPad may well be the best tax write-off the year.

iBook
As stated before, I think I’m going to enjoy reading ebooks on the iPad. Sure, I’m a little concerned about the weight of the device and the brightness of the screen for reading. But having read several ebooks on the Kindle for the iPhone, I’m already hooked into ebooks. I’m hoping however, that the iBook application will have many if not all the features of the Kindle for the iPhone, including a black background and white letters for night reading and the ability to annotate text. I also of course want to be able to sync books and pages read between my iPad and the iPhone reader.

Why the $499 Model

Save Your Money
If you’ve been a long-time Mac user, and if you have seen a few Steve Jobs keynote presentations, you should know that all the while he’s doing his sales pitch on the first generation of a piece of hardware, the plans are already in the works for the second generation model.

The iPad 2 will include larger memory, a webcam, and maybe even some flash capability. Also, Apple definitely will need to build in multitasking for both the iPad and the iPhone/iPod touch so that users don’t have to constantly open and close applications.

16 Gigs of Memory: Enough!
Any Mac power user should know that nearly all media content can be wirelessly accessed these days. iTunes music, photos, videos, documents, and other files can be easily accessed “in the clouds,” as they say. There’s little reason to put your entire iTunes library or ten movies on an iPad. With the ability to connect an external drive and SuperDrive for DVDs and CDs, there’s little reason to carry huge media files on the tablet. I’ve yet to fill up the 8gigs of my iPhone, because I have plenty of ways to access my music and videos in the cloud. In fact, just recently I started using AirVideo, an iPhone app that allows me to wirelessly play nearly all designated videos stored on my Mac Pro, over WiFi.  So there’s little reason to pony-up for the 64gig device, unless you do lots of traveling and need that type of storage.

3G Data Plans
I also don’t plan on getting the 3G model, mainly because I already have the iPhone. Unless AT&T cuts me a sweet deal as an existing customer, it’s a pure waste of money to pay for 3G service on both devices.

So I’m not going to waste money purchasing the higher end $699 or $829 model. I’ll get the $499 model with the keyboard, and if I really like and use the device I’ll upgrade to the second generation tablet.

Also, I’m not sure what Apple plans to do for the iPhone 4.0, but it doesn’t look like I’ll need to upgrade to 3GS or to 4 anytime soon, after I get the iPad.

So what are your plans for the iPad? Where does it fit in the Mac hardware you already own? Or are you going to pass on it all together?

16 February Tuesday

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Jennifer Lopez sticks to her hitmaking formula on her seventh studio album Love? While it’s not due until April, Rap-Up.com was one of the first media outlets to hear nine tracks from the superstar’s dance floor-ready project, four months prior to its release. J.Lo’s first album since becoming a mother features contributions from heavy hitters including Danja, Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins, The Neptunes (“Fresh Out the Oven”), Stargate (“Story of My Life”), Tricky Stewart and The-Dream (“Louboutins”), and Wynter Gordon.

The follow-up to 2007’s Brave is scheduled for release around the same time as Lopez’s romantic comedy The Back-Up Plan, in theaters April 16. As the title implies, the album is a love roller coaster, taking you through the ups and downs of a relationship. Some of the tracks we previewed were not final mixes and may change between now and release, and more songs will be added. Check out our exclusive track-by-track breakdown.

1. “Everybody’s Girl”
Produced by Mike Caren, Written by Wynter Gordon

It’s hard having a private life when you’re one of the most famous entertainers in the world. J.Lo questions whether her man is capable of loving her under the intense glare of the spotlight. “Can you love somebody when they’re everybody’s girl?” she asks over the slick uptempo production, while the hook repeats: “Can you love, can you love, can you love a girl?” One of the standout tracks, this could easily be a single.

2. “What Is Love”
Produced by D’Mile, Written by Wynter Gordon

A version of this song leaked online earlier this year. The latest version has been mixed and hits harder with added drums. There is a “What Is Love (Part 2)” produced by Jean Baptiste that may or may not make the album.

3. “Starting Over”
Produced by Danja, Written by Wynter Gordon

Jenny from the Block describes the hardships of getting back in the game after a breakup. “I’m afraid of starting over,” she sings over Danja’s fast-paced, galloping beat, while admitting she’s “still in love” with the man she left. “It’s like my whole existence he holds in his hands.”

4. “This Cannot Be Love”
Produced by Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins

The beginning sounds like the chords from another Darkchild joint, Brandy and Monica’s duet “The Boy Is Mine.” It quickly picks up the pace with an electro-pop beat and speedy hook (“This cannot be love, this can’t be love, this can’t be love,” she repeats). J.Lo wonders whether true love exists. “How could something that felt so right turn so wrong? … I need to know right now,” she demands. The production gets more aggressive towards the end.

5. “One Love”
Produced by D’Mile, Written by A-Plus

“Took a shot with a bad boy from the block,” she croons on the leaked track. It won’t take long for listeners to make the connection to Sean “Diddy” Combs. “Mr. Wrong, he plays his part,” she says of her former music mogul boyfriend. But J.Lo is on to the next one, in search for that one true love of a lifetime. She counts her famous lovers by the numbers, #3 being Ben Affleck (“Came and swept me off my feet/ Went nowhere, but kept the ring/ Once again I’m lonely”) and her current husband Marc Anthony (“#4, you sang to me, but I’m not sure … Made me want to try once more and I couldn’t say no.”)

6. “Keeper”
Produced by Danja, Written by Britney Bereal and Luke Boyd

After much searching, J.Lo finally finds Mr. Right. The beat is somewhat reminiscent of T.I.’s “Hell of a Life,” which Danja also produced. “You give me so much love, you keep it locked down,” she sings on the bouncy hook. “It doesn’t matter what they tell me … That boy’s a keeper.” One of our favorites. Danja contributed another track called “Love and War” that was not played.

7. “Beautiful”
Produced by Mike Caren, Written by Chris Sernel

A guitar-driven ballad that sounds like it was made for a movie. In fact, it may be used during the end credits for The Back-Up Plan. “Some days I feel beautiful, just not today,” she sings on the Ryan Tedder-esque production.

“Louboutins,” the first single helmed by Tricky Stewart and The-Dream, as well as the Pitbull-assisted, Neptunes-produced buzz record “Fresh Out the Oven” will also be on the album.

–D.L.

The old-time saying “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” may apply to traditional pop crooner Michael Buble. Indeed, Michael Buble’s albums have remained conservative, maintaining the sanctity of classic standards and pop songs. 2009’s follow-up 2007’s extremely successful Call Me Irresponsible does maintain a sense of classicism that has come to define Buble, but there are some risks taken this go around. Sure, he doesn’t ruin or over interpret the classics, but as far as arrangements, orchestrations, and vocal nuances, Buble keeps the classics ‘fresh’ while also keeping them ‘classic.’ The album isn’t perfect, but it is consistent and bodes well to keep Buble’s career afloat. Buble never compromises himself on this album.

Opening with “Cry Me A River”, instantly, one hears that Buble wishes to exploit a slightly more adventurous side without ‘rocking the boat’ too much. The orchestrations here are different but brilliant and add just the right amount of change without ruining the sanctity of the classic standard. Buble, as always sounds top-rate as a vocalist.

“All of Me” scales down the experimentation of “Cry Me A River”, seeking to balance between ‘innovation’ and ‘classicism’. While the performance is another ‘home-run’ for Buble, it doesn’t trump the excellent, cutting-edge “Cry Me A River”. “Georgia on My Mind”, on the other hand, finds Michael Buble at his very best, bringing new, pitch-perfect nuance to the classic that helped to shape Ray Charles’ career. “Crazy Love”, the title track continues a hot streak for Buble.

Perhaps most unique is “Haven’t Met You Yet”, which most likely will received mixed reactions from Buble fans. Personally, I think it is a departure for Buble and lays well, though it doesn’t necessarily trump Buble’s beautiful interpretations of standards and classic pop songs. Good, but no my favorite. “All I Do Is Dream of You” continues to differentiate from previous Buble album. It does so convincingly, given a soulful-sound that hearkens the 1950s.

“Hold On” proves to be a clear valedictory performance on Crazy Love, finding Buble at his most sensitive and best. The acoustic guitar here at the forefront gives this track more a modern pop tinge as opposed to hearkening back to classic pop. The strings are beautiful orchestrated here.

“Heartache Tonight” contrasts the slow, sensitive nature of “Hold On”, solidly, though it is the Sharon Jones and Dap-Kings feature on “Baby (You’ve Got What It Takes)” that steals the show. Funky and just overall sensational, “Baby” is certainly like nothing else from previous Michael Buble albums. “At This Moment” finds Michael Buble among the bluesiest I’ve ever heard. Produced by the phenomenal pop producer David Foster, it is a showstopping performance by all means.

The album closes strongly with “Stardust” and “Whatever It Takes (feat.Ron Sexsmith)”. Neither tracks captivate the way that “Cry Me A River”, “Georgia” or some of the ‘best of the best do’, but both are solid and above par.

While ‘Crazy Love’ isn’t revolutionary pop per say, it does find the crooner extending his scope slightly, which is a positive thing. 4 stars.