Thanks to yesterday's introduction of the iPad, I'm going to both going to continue from last Sunday's Mac entry, as well as get back to one of my favorite topics, memory feats.

While you could watch the full Keynote to get an idea of the new iPad, the following 8-minute promotional video does the job a little quicker:



Like pretty much everyone else who watched it, I started thinking how I could use an iPad (and seriously wanting one, of course). Funnily enough, it wasn't until I saw the iPad Case accessory, pictured below, that one major use struck me!



Back in November 2008, I first published my memory binder idea, where you could have all the props needed for any memory demonstration handy in one place. I later expanded on this with a 4-part series (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4).

I even discussed the idea of adapting the memory binder idea to the iPhone and iPod Touch. This is still a good idea, but really only suitable for performing for less than 5 people.

That's why I like the idea of the iPad, and why the iPad Case made me think of the memory binder. While the workings are basically the same as those of an iPod Touch or iPhone, it makes display viewable to a larger audience. The original idea of the memory binder was as a basis for mid-size groups, in order to perform for places like civic and fraternal organizations, business groups, private parties, youth groups, church societies, and public dinners. The fact that it can be propped up for display helps this all the more.

The App Store already holds programs the iPad can use, such as calendars for Day of the Week For Any Date feat, calculators for feats such as root extraction and exponents, or to display the PDFs needed for feats like the 400-digits of Pi or Mental Shopper.

You can even find apps to demo your Knight's Tour skills, or use the Grey Matters Knight's Tour web app. The built-in iBooks app mentioned in the above video could be useful for the Kruskal Count prediction.

Thanks to its ability to play videos, I sincerely believe that the iPad would be the perfect medium for demonstrating your ability to memorize an entire DVD boxed set.

Apple often sets out to create new technologies that create new possibilities, and as far as I'm concerned, I think they'll probably achieve that with the iPad.