iPad
 

Who has one? How are they in regards to everything horse racing related? Ease of use, etc...

Thinking of getting one, but want some feedback from people who use them for their ADW accounts.

Apple Fugging sucks.

An ADW account would cause some arguments between my better half and me, so I don't have one, BUT- if you let me know which company/companies you use, I can see if they have their own applications for the iPad and/or how easy it looks to be to get set up on one.

I will say when Andy first sent links to the NYRA application, it didn't work on the iPad. iPads don't do Flash, so if something requires Flash, it won't work on the iPad.

For what it's worth, I really do love mine.

I'd tend to agree since Apple doesn't support (or hasn't in the past) Flash - which would render most ADW sites useless, right IC? - I'd def check into that - plus if you're going to download pp's I don't know what the .pdf viewer Apple uses but if it isn't a current version of Adobe reader you may get problems and without Flash you won't be able to use Formulator on it.

I could be totally talking out of my asz, since I have no first hand experience, but I've heard of problems in the past - just don't know if they have addressed them.

I haven't tried downloading PPs on it. I'll do that and see how they open. Everything else I've downloaded (scripts, books, etc) open fine in Good Reader. It's much easier to make the text bigger on an iPad than on a laptop; I'll say that.

The Flash non-compatibility is definitely an issue depending on the site, though. As time goes on, fewer and fewer sites are using Flash, because it's a memory hog and more and more people are using mobile devices, but racing isn't exactly known for being on the cutting edge of technology. Le sigh.

Twinspires has a mobile site that works OK. I don't wager with it but I do watch live video from it on an Ipad. http://m.twinspires.com

Formulator doesn't work due to Flash but the classic PDF PPs work fine.

Equibase has a decent mobile app that I use for scratches and results.

I digress....the youporn app is tremendous.

Nuff said.:tro:

it works perfect for me. I use twinspires & xpressbet and as long as you are on wifi you can use the normal site.

You can get a app called pdf notes for free, which allows you to mark up the pp.'s, jot down notes on the pp's ,etc.

Only issue is you can have the screen split with both the pp's and a webpage open, so you i find myself flipping back a bunch while entering your bets while glancing at the pp's

I believe Formulator can be used with an I-Pad.

I couldn't get Formulator to work but I also didn't try too hard because I didn't expect it to work. I will try it tonight using Photon which is a Safari alternative that runs Flash. http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/photo...430200224?mt=8

Twinspires' FAQ says that they work on mobile, including iPhones and iPads, though it depends on how up-to-date your mobile device is.

I have one and use the IPad for watching races and it works great. Imagine being at a restaurant and being able to keep up with racing without having to bother with a large computer.

A little too small for reading PP's.

Spyder from SC

I use the ipad often and I love it. It works great with NYRA Rewards, I can bet and watch races. I have found it does not work as well with drf bets.

The ipad probably works better for me than most because I am old school and still buy a print Racing Form to handicap with, I just do not like downloading and printing PP's like many do today. The drawback is typing information into it which can be annoying at times. I just got a wireless keyboard that works with it which will help run it more like a computer.

I have found that the ipad lies somewhere between your computer and an iphone. It has its purpose but it does not totally replace either one of those devices.

I agree about the wireless keyboard. Using the on-screen keyboard feels like typing with frostbite.

Ipad's are way too small, hard to type, and super fragile.

I was borrowing my moms to try it out and the screen freaking cracked when it slipped out of my hand and hit the floor with minimum force.

I did have it long enough (like 1 hour) to know how much I hated it. She told me I should have been carryed it in its case ... her case is a freaking pink Coach Ipad carrying case. I'm not that secure.

For the same price you can get a laptop with a massive screen ... which means its superior in everyway. I don't use a laptop case -- and I've never dropped one carrying them around with the spaghetti chords.

Sure it's not easy to carry them around -- and you won't look hip ... but unless you live in New York City and have to go shoulder to shoulder on a Subway the correct thing to do is to get a laptop and carry it with you.

I take my laptop with me when I go to the OTB, as I generally have the PP's saved on them and I keep certain tracks results charts. I just can't bet using my ADW, as they have no internet service.

You can get service with an iPad, as they can access the 4G network, but it costs a certain amount a month.

I'll download PPs on it tomorrow and see if I can do the pinch thing with my fingers to make the text larger. It's actually something I like about the iPad more than I do a laptop- it's easy to make the text bigger.

And if any part of the iPad is confusing, your daughter will have it figured out in about 10 minutes. My toddler isn't even 2, and he can unlock it, open Netflix and start "Yo Gabba Gabba" all by himself. It's infuriating.

What's unlimited 4G run a month?

No such thing as unlimited. Biggest plan is 5gb on AT&T for $50 or 8gb on Verizon for $80. Additional gb are $10 on AT&T and $8 on Verizon. The data plans pretty much suck

Well that kinda sucks ass.

It does. No long term commitment though. Can stop and start each month. If you save the video watching for wifi only then you shouldn't have an issue. It would be even better if more tracks offered free wifi.

Oaklawn offered free wi-fi this year. I took my kindle fire with me and used it to place bets, but even as small as it is (I think the screen is about 4 inches by 7 inches), it's still a little cumbersome. Too big to put in your pocket. Still, it was useful especially on a day like Arkansas Derby Day when the lines are long at the live tellers and at the self service machines, but it is totally dependent on wi-fi and you can't download formulator on it either as far as I can tell.

we got verizon at the right time; they had twice the data for the same price last month, so we get 4gb each phone a month for the price of 2gb.

Here's an article on the plans offered by AT&T and Verizon.

http://www.macworld.com/article/1158...ata_plans.html

If I read it right, AT&T offers a post-use plan, which might let you figure out how much you actually need.

The iPad plans are a different thing from the phone plans. The trick with the iPad plans is making sure to use the data network only when you can't access wifi.

:tro:

I have the IPAD 2, 3G version with WIFI and pay for the 1Gig plan. $ 20 per month. Use it to download the form, bet on 4njbets and the equibase yearbook app is great for watching stakes replays. The only issue I've come up with is no flash player. Used it both days of the Breeders Cup on the apron and worked fine once they sorted out an issue on track with cellular networks early Friday.

You have a couple options to get around the flash issue. First is an app called Splashtop remote that will allow you to remote into your desktop where you can use your browser to watch the races. The second is another app called OnLive Desktop which gives you use of a virtual windows 7 machine in the cloud that has wicked fast bandwidth. The virtual machine also has Microsoft Office apps installed so you can use Word/Excel documents. There is a monthly charge for this app a couple bucks I think. I use both and OnLive is the one I prefer for video since it is so fast.

I did find out that I can view the races through my ADW on either flash or WMP. They released an app last week for the iPad, but there were some bugs, so they pulled it and hope to have it fixed in a few days.

The only experience I have with the iPad is with Twinspires. You can watch the "old school" video on Twinspires (click on the little yellow camera in Classic or Express), it's the TwinspiresTV that does not work with the iPad (obviously Flash driven).

The only issue I can't seem to overcome is that the video stops when I click back to the Twinspires Express (or Classic) to place a wager. So, when I go back to the video, I have to refresh to get it going again. It would be nice if it kept running in the background while wagering, but that is a minor issue for me.

That's cool. I go to Parx and/or Chester Downs every week and neither of them have WiFi. I asked them about it and they looked at me like I was crazy.
Maybe they're afraid of people betting through WiFi and not at their windows. I don't know.

so far you guys have convinced me to keep my old netbook, thanks for the savings

I would hope you weren't basing your electronics purchases on this, or any thread on a horseracing message board. This thread wouldn't be what I would categorize as research.

I am completely satisified with the iPad. It does everything I need it to do. I may want more, but that would be icing on the cake. My home track has had free wi fi for years, so I do not have the need to pay for the wireless connectivity.

I'm not going back to a laptop.

By the way, the Equibase app that someone had mentioned earlier is by far the best horseracing app available today. I am amazed at how fast it updates results. It is much faster than the Equibase website. It is also invaluable for scratches and changes that are easy to miss at the track/otb.

Ken McPeek's app has potential, the replay feature is nice, but I have not messed around with it enough to give an opinion on it. I do know that the first thing I had to do was to turn off the notifications. It was driving me nuts.

Can't imagine why any track wouldn't have wi-fi unless the cost is prohibitive. Seems like it would just be more money in their pockets. Also, seems like the more people that use it the better to make the lines to the live tellers and the machines more manageable. Its great to be able to bet that way especially when you have reserve seats and you don't want to have to crawl over a bunch of people every time you place a bet.

wouldnt the track make more money when you are at the track for you to get up and bet at the windows rather than using their wifi and betting with some adw?

I was actually looking for reasons and advantages to go from netbook to ipad

From a horse racing and betting standpoint -- a laptop is wildly superior in all ways.

Also, if you're into piracy...a laptop with a big wide screen is the only way to go. Try watching a cam-made movie like The Hunger Games on an I-pad.

Unless your goal is to win a date with a gay man or you live in one of the nations five largest cities and move a lot ... there is absolutely no need to have an I-Pad.

I-Phones and I-Pads are huge with gays by the way. My girlfriends roommate is a gay man and a couple of the casino employees are gay. They each have different color I-Phones and talk about I-Pad's.

So thanks for the heads up Calzone, so I guess the Ipads are not for me afterall and from what you have mentioned I guess i should now add "not that theres anything wrong with that"

Let's just say that I've enjoyed the IPAD on my commute, at the track, for reading and even for those little dalliances that i've tried to keep private. But to each his own.