Tablet and Mobile

Posts Tagged ‘iPAD’

I take it all back… the iPad 2 looks amazing. Released today and apparently available in the shops in the US on the 11th of March, the iPad 2 is over 30% thinner than the iPad, it’s lighter, it’s graphics are claimed to be up to 9 times faster, no doubt due to the new A5 processor, it has front AND rear cameras and it’s the same price as the original iPad.

How depressing is that (unless of course you waited and are planning on buying the new model).

Seems to me that this should just about push Android over to one side for lots and lots of potential buyers – AND it transpires that Adobe and Apple are now speaking so we could even see Flash coming to the iPad in the future.

Looking forward to seeing reviews of the new version of the operating system and more importantly looking forward to retrofitting my now ancient iPad to give it at least some of the features of the new device.

Peter Scargill

And so it would seem that Apple are waking up to competition – rumours have it that iPhone 5 and iPad 2 are merely around the corner – well, given the bodge they made of the iPhone 4, lets hope they get it right next time… here are my suggestions Apple if you’re looking in – my iPHONE 5 WISHLIST if you like:

• Basic hardware of the 3GS but with MUCH longer battery life
• Superior screen of the iPhone 4
• Front facing camera

Of course all of that’s very NICE – but to make use of that – what’s REALLY needed is SKYPE working in video on said hardware – for me that would REALLY make the difference – and scrap this STUPID restriction on tethering – you can tether any Microsoft or Nokia smartphone to the iPad so why not the iPhone (well, I know why but that’s not the point). Finally, changing the rather toy nature of the email app (only storing the last few days email) to something more substantial would win my vote (how about storing the last year’s worth of email).

Having apparently done something about the design team who came up with the iMess 4, hopefully the next model will once again put Apple at the front…  certainly my experiences with Android up to now have not been sufficiently good to make me dream in a million YEARS of deserting my iPhone or iPad – but hey… things change..

Talking of which – GOOGLE GOGGLES – go to the Google App on your iPhone and you have to agree to some terms and you can now get access to Google Goggles – it’s mind-blowing – take a picture of something and it goes off to the web and tells you all about it – voice search is in the same area “scargill bedrock” I uttered – staight off to our Spanish website – absolutely magic.

You’ll be aware of the UK launch of the Apple iPAD TODAY, no doubt if you saw the news last night you’ll have heard that the unit is available from today and that they’ve sold a million in the states.

Poor old Beeb, that’s ancient news and a quick look on the web will add at least 50% to that figure! Also they won’t have enough units to keep up with demand so expect delays! If you’re planning a trip to the Apple store I’d ring first! There are 6 models broken into two sets, the first set of 16gig, 32 gig and 64 gig have WIFI and motion sensing only, the second similar set add 3g and GPS into the mix – and of course the cost rises accordingly. Prices will start at £429 (including VAT) for the perfectly capable 16Gig WIFI model.

Meanwhile the iTunes store is up and running, I have had the American version of the iPad since it’s launch over there and everything’s working a treat. If you want to keep up with the latest apps I suggest you take a look at AppShopper, a nicely laid out website that’s easy to use. It has both iPhone and iPad apps and you can select both or just iPad apps.

Apple’s PAGES Word Processor is now available (as of a few days ago) and you’ll be needing that if you want to do any word-processing on the unit.

If you’re thinking of taking the plunge, remember, this isn’t a laptop, it won’t run Microsoft software! It runs only what you can get in the iTunes App store – but as they have countless thousands of Apps in there, some free, some a few pounds, you should find just about anything you need.

Some pros and cons for those of you looking at this miraculous unit for the first time:

The iPad+ Apps CAN:

• View pictures, videos and play tunes
• Read Word, Excel, PDF and many more document formats.
• Read and write Emails.
• Play games (but only the countless games in the App Store).
• Talk to Bluetooth headsets and keyboards out-of-the-box.
• View YouTube video
• View the BBC iPlayer (new and VERY good quality !!)
• Handle TV (tvcatchup) and radio (tunein radio)
• Run Skype
• Provide weather reports (the weather channel)
• Search maps (google maps)
• Control your Sky+ box (Sky+)
• Share 3g/WIFI with many phones (Joikuspot on phone)
• Record audio
• Handle social networks (many Apps)
• Run for up to 10 hours without mains power
• Emulate iPod

The iPad CAN’T:

• Let you access all it’s memory like a disk. Memory is split up into application spaces and of course the place you store your videos, pictures and music. I’ve found no way to “see” this as a single disk drive.
• Run Microsoft software. It is not a laptop.
• Handle USB disks and cameras directly.
• Run FLASH video (though YouTube and iPhone are supported – see CAN).
• Run WiFi super-reliably (sure it runs WIFI but it breaks occasionally – soon to be fixed)
• Share WIFI with your iPhone (deliberate and stupid move)
• Take pictures or video (no camera)

I hope this information helps you make a decision. Am I happy I bought an iPad?  Most definitely YES. Would I pay the extra for the 3G version? No. Am I happy with 32Gig? Can’t even start to fill it up so the base model will do for many people. Music and video lovers with massive collections may opt for the larger models.

Peter Scargill

To order these units online I BELIEVE you go here http://store.apple.com/uk

p.s. If you want to know more about using the iPad, for example with a 3G dongle – see my other articles….

Comparing Android and the iPhone/iPad operating system

Using the iPad with a separate 3G source like an iPhone, MS Smartphone or dongle SIM