thinking of buying I pad

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pamela

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I get my new motor home in april ye haaaaaaaaa i have a lap top but it is quuiet heavy so was thinking an I apple Ipad , not knowing much about them , i just want to be able to take this on our travels for easy and quick access to the internet email sites etc.. can anyone tell me about them and how much a month they would be , i would like 3 G one so not to have to worry about finding hot spots ! thanks for yur help
 
Took Laptop to France last year and had no difficulty in finding free WiFi, McDonalds etc. Now have an iPad which is WiFi only and have used in this country at many free WiFi spots. I did not want the 3G version, as it would have tied me into an internet provider and the charges abroad are eyewatering.

I have a satnav app, NavFree, that means my iPad has a really big display . With being WiFi only I purchased a GPS receiver for this to operate correctly although 3G would provide the information. The GPS in my iPad is very limited and depends on picking up identified hotspots This app is free and stand alone in the UK to enable searching for locations. I have the France version which does need internet connection to provide the search function although once you have the destination loaded it will work OK, so at moment loading for this year trip.

I also have Skype loaded and it really works far better than my laptop and is as good as a direct line, obviously with the proviso the internet connection is good. Took it to Benidorm in November with 96 hrs WiFi for 3 euros in the hotel. Very good as gave my grandson a live conducted tour of the hotel.

The iPad will not replace the laptop as there are a few functions that you cannot achieved directly ie printing, but I am really impressed.

Hope this helps.

Edit I think you can print direct using a WiFi printer but perhaps an expert can advise.

Bernard, I take it your posting from hospital?
 
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My missus said something about an i pod for her birthday, but I'd never heard of it. I've heard of I ron. So I've got her one of those instead :scared:
 
Hello

This is not much help, just an observation.
All my grown up children seem to have an i-Pad
Whilst visiting my daughter recently in Germany she got up from the dinner table and said to our 4 year old grandson '' I'm just going to call daddy''
Within a few minutes my grandson was seeing and speaking to his daddy in Argentina whist holding this little piece of plastic in front of him.
Just a few years ago this was the stuff of science fiction movies.

Blue Skies
 
I bought a tablet mainly to keep in the van to show customers pictures, but i can honestly say i prefer using it to my laptop.
I went down to Comet for some advice on which was the best for me. I didnt buy one because he wouldnt throw me a free cover in with an ipad which was £400, came home and bought a factory reconditioned Samsung Galaxy tab 10.1 of ebay for £270.
It came in a plain white box and was in perfect condition, never been used, maybe catalogue return or something?

It is brilliant, im typing this on it, i browse the net on wifi, take photos and videos on it, which i ccan then view on it, just like you would on any smart phone exept its on a 10 inch screen

The Samsung is widescreen whereas the ipad is 4:3

I dont have 3g tho, but my mate says you can get round that by using the 3g on your phone and then linking to your tab with bluetooth, not tried it tho. I do have an app which scans for wifi an shows all the available on the screen so i you need to move you know which way to go

I cant recomend it highly enough

Stu

Stu
 
Hi

If you do go for the 3g Ipad, you can get a mini sim card from "3" for just over a tenner. This comes with 1gb of data which lasts for 30 days. This will be ample for internet use and email while away from home in the UK. You could always use any remaining credit while at home before it runs out. Top ups then cost a tenner again and last for another 30 days.
Hope this helps.
 
Am I right in saying that, even with the latest iPad you can't connect any external memory device (USB stick, external HDD etc)?

If this is right then surely it limits it's capability to use it for watching stored movies and the like.

When we are away for any length of time we always have something to watch on the laptop should we run out/get fed up with books or the weather causes a 'sit-in'.
 
It doesn't stop you watching movies it just encourages you to buy them from iTunes instead!

You can get a USB adapter for them presumably to overcome this and the printer issue, seen them on eBay.

Never used one though as never had the need. Can't rate the ipad2 highly enough personally.
 
Sparks said:
Am I right in saying that, even with the latest iPad you can't connect any external memory device (USB stick, external HDD etc)?

If this is right then surely it limits it's capability to use it for watching stored movies and the like.

When we are away for any length of time we always have something to watch on the laptop should we run out/get fed up with books or the weather causes a 'sit-in'.
Click to expand...

I am not an expert but use mine as follows. The iPad works in conjunction with your laptop and you would store your movies in iTunes on your laptop. When you sync your iPad to the laptop you copy over the films you wish to view.

It is not possible to physically connect a USB stick, however an App is available to create a "USB stick" in the iPads memory and also in iTunes in your laptop. You can then copy over files from your laptop to the iPad.

The iPad cannot replace the laptop but its uses for storing books, Skype etc are excellent. I have a SatNav App for the UK which is free although you need active GPS to be effective and now gives me a huge screen to view my route

Would not be without it and I now have a remote keypad which makes it more like a laptop but only the size of a magazine
 
:dance:'ting is i use laptop in vasn but recently came home vis train eurostar laptop was very heavy 78 yrs all is heavy but ....so a pad may be the answer or i also:scooter: have a notebook largely unused now cos keypad too small also it lacks memory so would pad be better me? also does pad use less juice than laptop ( or invan) :scooter:
 
pamela said:
I get my new motor home in april ye haaaaaaaaa i have a lap top but it is quuiet heavy so was thinking an I apple Ipad , not knowing much about them , i just want to be able to take this on our travels for easy and quick access to the internet email sites etc.. can anyone tell me about them and how much a month they would be , i would like 3 G one so not to have to worry about finding hot spots ! thanks for yur help
Click to expand...


Hello,
I have an Ipad 2 and love it. Its only the wifi version but as an owner of an Iphone 4 too, i am able to tether (not literally)the ipad to it so i can connect to the internet on my Ipad via my phones allowance of internet data. However you can tether with lap tops too. As far as i am aware you can use most smart phones to do this but i would check first if your not using an apple iphone in case i am misinformed. Also have a look at the Blackberry Tablet as the Carphone warehouse was selling them at £179 a few weeks ago which was reduced from around £400.

Hope this helps


Just googles this, looks like it might be a bit more complicated unless its iphone to ipad (which is what i do).

James
 
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I tether to my HTC Wiildfire with no problem. Like all Internet devices you need a good signal to get speed. I use T mobile on a PAYG for calls with my Internet connection costing me £20 for six months with a fair use policy so I would not be able to download huge films etc to the iPad without a call from T mobile.
 
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The new ipad 3 (or 2s) is going to be released in March. Apple did indicate a Q1 launch.
This means that towards the end off Feb and into March Ipad 2 prices will fall so waiting for a cheaper 2 or the superior new ipad is a good idea.
 
james1508 said:
do you tether an un jailbroke ipad ? lot of the ggogle results were from the USA.

regards
Click to expand...

Phone is as out the box and not JB. Connect phone to internet and then create a WiFi hotspot from phone that my iPad then tethers too. All as per instructions in the phone so no work around involved.
 
shortcircuit said:
Phone is as out the box and not JB. Connect phone to internet and then create a WiFi hotspot from phone that my iPad then tethers too. All as per instructions in the phone so no work around involved.
Click to expand...

This depends if it is enabled by operator, 3 allow tethering but some dont.
 
I had a big long argument before last summers trip with Vodafone about tethering my laptop to my iPhone so I could use the data traveller package abroad at £10 a month. No way will they allow you to tether and if you do and they detect it you will pay the normal daily charges rather than £10 a month. Apparently they can detect if an iPhone is tethered but the general opinion is that if you use an old Nokia they cant detect it.

However

I didnt bother tethering in the end. What I found worked for me was just using the iPhone (or any smartphone) for emails and a small amount of browsing with the Vodafone Data Traveller. This kept me in touch with business all the time and it allowed me to walk around and if necessary google something.

I then just used my Acer Timeline Laptop which is very light with a 14" screen, i3 processor and 6-8 hr battery life in conjunction with the Repeat IT wifi antenna from Faculty X. This meant I could always get online with one or the other.

So I have a system that works for me abroad everywhere for £10 a month.

IF I had an iPad, it wouldnt work. A. Because tethering would be detected and B. because it doesnt have any USB ports so you cant plug a wifi antenna into one.
 
barryd said:
I then just used my Acer Timeline Laptop which is very light with a 14" screen, i3 processor and 6-8 hr battery life in conjunction with the Repeat IT wifi antenna from Faculty X. This meant I could always get online with one or the other.

So I have a system that works for me abroad everywhere for £10 a month.

IF I had an iPad, it wouldnt work. A. Because tethering would be detected and B. because it doesnt have any USB ports so you cant plug a wifi antenna into one.
Click to expand...

I think I have the same lap top. Very light, very slim, huge battery life, very fast, and cheap too.

Personally I would never get an ipad when you can get a lap top like the above for less. Ipads are a complete fad, overpriced, and overhyped. Also there are incompatibility issues.

I guess if one wants something vastly overpriced just to watch vids and do the odd email, the tablet fits the bill.
 
Sorry for delay. Did not read your posting correctly. No, iPad is as out the box. You are able to search for WiFi and then connect. My phone creates a WiFi hotspot and I then tether do it as I can to MacDonalds, Wetherspoons, local shopping centre etc
 
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