To be honest…I have no idea.  Not long ago, Chris laid out some very persuasive arguments for why he thinks it is pretty dang unlikely that we will ever see an iPhone with a big red V on it.   Well, apparently, Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg did not read Chris’ article.  At a recent event, Seidenberg, for the first time, gave his views of the Verizon iPhone…bottom line, he wants one.  He feels his network could handle it, and he is, “open to getting the device.”  Of course, as Seidenberg went on to note, the final decision rests in the hands of Steve Jobs.  Yeah, the same Steve Jobs who is locked into an eternal death spiral with AT&T.  My opinion?  I think Verizon has a much more solid network for the iPhone than AT&T.  That being said, I will believe it when I see it.

[via Engadget]

[image stolen from Chris’ article]

I have been using the iPad for just about two days now, which means I have logged hundreds of minutes checking out apps from the iTunes App Store for iPad.  There is a ton of stuff in there, not counting the thousands of iPhone apps which will technically “work” on the iPad.  And I have to say how thoroughly impressed I am so far by the lack of fart, burp, and vomit apps.  After spending so much time with the App Store on my iPad, I have found several apps which I keep returning to, and some which I would even call essential.  Below are my top 10 so far.  I say so far, because new apps are coming out on pretty much a daily basis, either updated apps from the iPhone store, or brand new iPad designed apps.  So, without further adieux, here are my Top 10 Apps for today (in alphabetical order).

Digital Post (Flyosity ($2.99)): One of the functions I was really excited about when I ordered the iPad was the accessibility of news and newspapers on my iPad.  Now, I am not generally a person who likes to shell out large sums of money for something I can get for free, which means that as cool as it may have looked, I have no plans to read the Wall Street Journal on my iPad for $15/month. 

I started searching my usual suspects (AP, Retuters, CNN, etc…) for a good news app which I could use to check the headlines every day.  Before long, I had stumbled upon Digital Post.  The great thing about Digital Post is that it takes all of the major news sites and compiles the latest stories into one easy to use location.  You can read the latest headlines, or zoom in on one of 10 different categories, just like a real newspaper.

The only things missing are the ability to share articles via email or social network (coming soon) and the ability to add your own news sites in order to add more local news options.  Notwithstanding those limitations, this is a fantastic news aggregator and reader, which puts all of the latest events right in the palm of your hand.

eWallet (Ilium Software (9.99)): What more can I say about this which has not already been said.  I have tested a number of secure information wallets, and eWallet has always been my favorite on every platform (except WebOS and Android where it is unavailable).  It is one of several apps which I had been anxiously awaiting when the iPad was announced, and after downloading it earlier this week, I can say that I have not been disappointed in the least.  There are some fantastic upgrades to the interface, which makes it even more usable than previous iterations.  Still, longtime users will be happy to know that this is a universal app, meaning there is one app containing the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad versions.  What this means for all of you is that if you own the iPhone or iPod Touch version, then the iPad version will be a free upgrade.

Feeddler RSS Reader (Che Bin Liu ($3.99)): What can I saw here.  I set out to find a convenient way to sync my iPad with Google Reader.  What I found was Feeddler.  Boy was I impressed with this one.  It gives you access to the exact same organizational structure as Google Reader, allowing you to skim through any of your feed categories easily, but in a much easier and convenient layout than the Google Reader site on your iPad.  It even allows you to share stories via email or social networking.  The best part, though, is that articles open in the app’s own browser, which means the app does not need to close in order to view articles in Safari.   There is also a free version of Feeddler, which is what I used for this article.  I found the free version met all of my needs…and plenty more.

Flight Control (www.firemint.com ($4.99)): Flight Control is my absolute favorite game on my iPod Touch.  To play, all you need to do is guide the air traffic to the appropriate runway, but we have spent plenty of time in the past going over every nuance of the iPhone version of this game.  What could be better?  How about Flight Control HD?  In addition to resizing the graphics to fit the iPad, Firemint has added three new HD levels and one in full 3D (blue and red glasses not included).  This is one of the best games I have ever played, and Firemint just keeps making it better.

iBooks (Apple (free)):  You all know by now that iBooks is Apple’s free ebook reader for the iPad.  This is the one I had been looking forward to pretty much more than anything else. I had big plans for reading ebooks on the iPad.  The interface, graphics, and animation really lived up to my expectations.  I love the bookshelf design, as well as the “hidden passageway” to the store.  Unfortunately, however, the store has not impressed me as much as I had hoped.  Other than the free classics, I had a lot of trouble finding the books I wanted to read.  Obviously, this is a new store, and we can all hope that the selection will improve with time.  In the meantime, I thought Amazon did a fantastic job with their Kindle App for iPad.  I am not sure I understand Kindle’s strategy of creating a free app which pretty much directly competes with their ebook reader, but I love the selection and flexibility it brings to the iPad.  Hopefully, Kobo (Borders) eReader (Barnes and Noble), and Stanza will all be available soon as well.  This ability to utilize multiple ebook readers, as well as a variety of book stores ensures that you will never be without something to read.

iScore Baseball (www.fasterthanmonkeys.com ($9.99)): I am a huge fan of scoring baseball games, and with the season starting now, I am making big plans to see quite a few games this year.  The problem I have is that until now, my options have included a flimsy, small cardboard sheet,with a broken pencil; or my iPod Touch.  Nothing wrong with my iPod Touch, but I have to admit that I never realized how small the screen is until I started using the iPad.  So, I was pretty excited when Faster Than Monkeys announced an iPad version of their incredibly thorough baseball scores and stats app.  I fired this one up and boy was I impressed.  Faster Than Monkeys did an incredible job utilizing the increased screen space and resolution of the iPad.   Looks like it will be time for me to attend another game soon, so I can really take this new version through its paces.

Marvel Comics (www.marvel.com(free)) ; Comics (www.comixology.com (free)):  I am a long time avid reader of comic books.  I do not read them nearly as much as I used to, but only because I have to know my weaknesses.  As Superman might say, comics are my Kryptonite, so I try to stay a safe distance before the money flitters away from my wallet.  These two apps do an incredible job of bringing both paid and free comic books to the iPad, and I have to say that the iPad is really uniquely suited for comic books, in a way that no mobile platform has even been.  This is one of the real hidden gems for your iPad, because these comics look stunning on that large, high definition screen, with vibrant colors and easy to read panels.  The best part, of course, is that your comics will be preserved perfectly forever.  No more shelling out hundreds of dollars on acid free boards, bags, and boxes for you.

Pages (Apple ($9.99)): Another one from Apple which fills a critical need for me.  If the iPad is going to be truly useful, I need to be able to create, read, and edit documents.  Pages does a fantastic job of bringing that functionality to the iPad.  I am really looking forward to getting to know this one even better over the coming months.

Tab Toolkit (Agile Partners ($9.99)) This is another fantastic iPhone App which quickly made its way to the iPad.  Whether you are an experienced guitar player, just looking for a better way to store your sheet music and tabs, or a beginner just learning the difference between E, F, and G, this is an incredible app for you.  Sure, it can display text tabs like any other device with a screen, but load one of the included Guitar Pro formatted tabs (or add more from the Internet) and watch all of the advanced features this one brings you.  Not only does it display the full sheet music, with chords and tabs noted, it also plays the song, highlighting the notes you should be playing, so you can see it and hear it while you try to learn the chords.  Additionally, a guitar neck across the bottom of the screen shows the correct fingering for the notes you are trying to play.  I have been playing guitar off and on for years, and I have not found anything this enjoyable since Rock Band came out for the Wii.

Weatherbug (www.weatherbug.com (free)):  Not only is Weatherbug free, which is always good news, but it is also incredibly robust and accurate.  It has been one of my favorite weather apps for some time now, and I have used it on numerous platforms.  When I saw it was available for the iPad, I expected something like we had seen before.  Essentially, a slightly plain, but accurate and feature-rich weather application.  What I got was a gorgeous,accurate, and feature-rich weather app.  This one comes complete with several different map overlays (temperature, humidity, and so on), radars, and even photos, all of which are centered on your current location.  Of course, it also gives you the current conditions and five day forecast.  I will admit though,  I was a bit perplexed by the lack of weather alerts, which adorned many of the previous versions of this app.  Hopefully i just missed them mixed in with all of the other features.

There you have it.  Those are my t10 picks from the App Store so far.  Of course, none of this involves the apps which come with the iPad itself.  Apps like Mail, Calendar, and Contacts, all of which are absolutely fantastic.  Especially the calendar app,which I felt was a particular weakness on the iPhone comes across in full color, and is viewable by day, week, month, or agenda.

But don’t let my list rest on its laurels.  These are the ten apps I liked the best.  How about all of you?  Did any of you purchase an iPad?  And if so, what are your favorite finds from the App Store so far?

So, you got your iPad, and your ready to surf, but you run into one slight problem – where is the Wi-Fi? 

Although my friend John Jones has no problems with his and even tells me that:

My Wifi is great! In fact, I think I love surfing on this thing more than my iMac.

Other people apparently are not on the same boat.  Many users on the Apple support forums are reporting weak connections as well as constant drops.  Apple has a help page for iPhone and iPod touch, which is great for general wireless troubleshooting.  Well, the first rule of troubleshooting – duplicate the problem and show resolution using known good hardware (otherwise known as the half and half approach).  In my own home recently I had an Acer netbook that was having difficulty staying on the network.  It turned out after much hair pulling frustration to be my Linksys 54G router which was on the fritz.  I didn’t know that the wireless section had problems as I am usually wired in.  With that said, be aware also of interfering signals.  This includes but is not limited to bluetooth devices, 2.4Ghz / 5Ghz cordless phones, other people’s Wi-Fi networks, and microwaves.  One thing for sure though,  if more and more reports come in, Apple may have a at least hand full of bad apples that need to be dealt with.

Need a chance to win an iPad?  Zagg is giving you, and me, a chance every week this month, along with a chance at a %50 off coupon.  Just for signing up they gave me a %20 off code.  Pretty sweet, I think.

And also don’t forget that this week only you also have a chance to win a 320 GB Seagate FreeAgent Portable Drive.  Check us out on Facebook to see how.

Today’s JAMM Store Deal of the Day is Documents to Go Premium for Windows Mobile.  You can register Documents To Go for half off the regular price, so be sure to check out the details below and head over to the JAMM Store!

Finally! There is a way to create new files as well as edit documents & attachments on your Windows Mobile Pocket PC device! And if you receive PDF attachments, then you will want to experience how quickly they open and how great they look in Documents To Go. This is a must have for any smartphone user. Never again get stuck on the road with a file you can’t open!

Just Like Office on Your Desktop:
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Documents To Go is built upon InTact Technology which ensures 100% fidelity of your files after they are edited on the handheld. No other mobile Office program incorporates this cutting edge technology. Feel confident that your original desktop documents will not lose any graphics or formatting once edited on the handheld.

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• Now supports auto run in PowerPoint files to rehearse existing presentations with slideshow timers and preferences.
• Full e-mail and attachment integration with ActiveSync as-well-as other wireless e-mail solutions.
• InTact Technology ensures your files NEVER lose formatting.
• Create Zip files to save space.
• Make last minute changes or add new slides to your PowerPoint presentations.
• View faxes sent as PDF documents.
• Quickly view all the file names within a Zip archive.
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• Support for inserting tables.
• Options to apply line spacing.
• Support for inserting links to web sites.
• Bookmark support.
• View & edit footnotes/end notes.
• Cell & sheet protection.
• Support for viewing cell comments.
• Word count feature.
• Insert auto bullets and numbering.
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• No other mobile Office program is as intuitive & reliable as Documents To Go.
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• Windows Mobile 5.0 Pocket PC , 6.0, 6.1 Professional

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