The Many Masks of the iPad

The iPad. Or the iPad2 or now, just iPad…again. Yeah, it’s really an iPad3. No matter which generation—one through three—we are talking about, the iPad has created a revolution in the world of portable and Internet-connectable devices. The name Apple is recognizable enough as it is, so when great technology comes with it, the name gets even stronger. Nowadays just saying that someone owns an Apple product automatically brings up the status of the product. The iPad in particular is the king among kings in the tablet world. Some may disagree. Some may like other tablets better, but if you look at the numbers, Apple has the largest market share. But the iPad has some interesting non-tablet uses, masks if you will. Let’s take a look at a few of those.

Piano

Some companies like Ion Audio have realized that there is plenty of potential of the huge screen that the iPad delivers to the consumer. With that much space, playing games, watching movies and even playing the piano are possible. Ion Audio offers the Piano Apprentice which is a piano learning system that is available for the iPad and its smaller siblings—the iPod and iPhone. The device is an actual piano device with a keyboard with 25-notes. The device is about the size of a laptop and has a dock for the iPad on the top, right above the keyboard for easy watch-and-learn. All you need is 4 AA batteries, somewhere quiet to listen and you are ready to go. At only $99.99, you can be learning new songs in no time.

Arcade

How many of you enjoy playing the older arcade games? A joystick and a big red button, and you are good to go? Ion Audio to the rescue again. With its iCADE Arcade Cabinet made to fit the Apple iPad or iPad2, you have eight arcade-style buttons and a big, red joystick as your gaming tools. All you need to have the full experience is any one of the iCADE apps available in the iTunes store. The Arcade Cabinet is $99.99 and the 30 available apps range from Free to the highest at $4.99. This means you can be playing Katana Jack and bouncing your way through levels with a simple plug, set and play.

Television/Cookbook

Have you ever been standing in the kitchen with your Cookbook app open or a video from YouTube playing to keep you company or, by extension, showing you how to cook something? How much space do you lose trying to make sure the iPad is safe from where it is? That it won’t get covered in grease. That it won’t get knocked over into the pot. With Belkin’s simple, little device, you can have a cookbook on hand, your video in eye view, without needing to worry about where the iPad is sitting. The Belkin Kitchen Cabinet Mount needs no tools or hardware and is not a permanent fixture, but it can easily be added to any shelf with the secure adjustable clamp or just be stored away for the next cooking or video adventure. The mount costs $49.99 at most electronic stores.

Final Thoughts

There it is. Three special masks specifically made for the iPad. The iPad is not only a tablet, but offers plenty of other ways to use it. Play piano, play a game, cook some food all conveniently and with extra features to make it easier. Whatever you want to do with the iPad, so far, it seems possible.