I did it folks! I upgraded from an iPad 1 to an iPad 2. I can’t believe it took me this long, but supplies have been somewhat limited. I actually got very lucky by popping into the Apple Store at Pentagon City one Saturday morning. The line was short, the inventory was large, and I walked out with a 64GB, WiFi/3G (AT&T) Pad of joy!

I won’t bore you will all the changes to the iPad 2…you can read about them on the web and many of you who follow this blog already know the basic differences. Personally, I love the new form factor. It is extremely comfortable to hold for long periods of time and the Smart Case rocks. Additionally, the speed and graphics capability is insane. I also feel the display is a bit better despite it being the same resolution as the original. However, the camera is not so good. You really need a lot of light to take great photos, but I didn’t really buy it for the rear camera. The front camera, however, is important to me these days since I keep up with my friends and family via FaceTime and Skype.

One of the best features is iPad 2′s ability to display Video Mirroring. What is Video Mirroring? Well, it is literally just that! Whatever is on your 9.7″ iPad 2 screen can now be displayed on your HD Flat! You can share presentations with Keynote, output Netflix movies or play your favorite video games bigger than Dallas. So, what is needed to harness this capability? You need an iPad 2 and a Digital A/V Adapter.

Apple sells a Digital A/V Adapter ($29.99) that plugs into the 30-pin connection at the bottom of the iPad 2. The other end features an HDMI plug and another 30-pin connector, giving you the ability to output audio & video and charge your iPad 2 simultaneously. Once plugged in, Apple’s no non-sense peripheral kicks in and starts working. No extra settings, no needed adjustments, no guessing of resolutions for your HDTV…IT JUST WORKS! It will work with an iPad 1, but you won’t get any video, just audio. I tested this out with my original iPad. Check out the video at the bottom as our Chief Engineer, Joshua, explains this new feature!

The only downside I see with this is that I’m still connected to a cable. And if you want to do some serious presentations, you’ll need a long HDMI cable. Despite this tethered feel, Keynote and PowerPoint briefings looked beautiful on my HDTV. Maybe down the road this feature will spill over into the AppleTV 2, giving us the ability to go wireless with our iPad content, but for now, I am more than thrilled to have this level of functionality and so is my son!

Post your questions and comments below. If you want to speak to me directly catch me on Twitter (heathaplexvsn) or on facebook (heathaplexvision). Let me know what I can do to help feed your technological needs today!
 

Your iPad 2 On An HD Flat from heathaplexVISION on Vimeo.

Straight from Apple’s website, “Video mirroring doesn’t just turn your iPad into a big screen. It actually turns the big screen into your iPad. With the Digital AV Adapter (sold separately), it works instantly. Everyone sees what’s on your display — even when you rotate iPad from portrait to landscape or zoom in and out on photos. Video mirroring is engineered into iOS so it’s always smooth and slick. Just like your presentation.”