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New ipad, what accessories??


theheff

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Apps:

 

The tvcatchup app is good - allows you to watch tv on your iphone/ipad for free.

Star Walk - its £2.99 but is worth it - excellent for star-gazing

 

Accessories:

 

I dont think you need a case to be honest... it depends how careful you are with it though. I've had mine for 4 months and there's not a mark on it, despite me using it every day. You do however need to find a good stand, so you can stand it up on a table and watch a movie, for example.

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Ive been looking at the smart covers cause they can be used as a stand aswell, anyone have any experience with those?

 

Ive got a star app on my iphone and didnt get on with that to well.

 

Think films and games will be my main usage of it, and 3g internet.

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Of the floppy switch off covers, I like the Snugg (found on Amazon) - was even recommended by an Apple chap as being a better alternative to Apple's own.

 

The pricey iPod camera kit has turned out to be useful too.

 

As for apps - take your pick - and usually for what you get they're really not usually expensive.

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I'm about to take the plunge with an iPad.

 

Do apple just charge for everything then or is there like an Android market type thing where you,can get free crap?

 

Buggered I'm paying 400 sparrows then paying for apps!

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I'm about to take the plunge with an iPad.

 

Do apple just charge for everything then or is there like an Android market type thing where you,can get free crap?

 

Buggered I'm paying 400 sparrows then paying for apps!

 

Loads of free stuff... I've paid for a few games, but more free stuff than not.

 

If you're watching movies/videos Ace Player Lite is an absolute must.

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The Apple own-brand covers are pretty decent, but buy one in a dark colour as the lighter ones fade quite a bit and look a bit :thumbdown: after a while. Or alternatively get yourself a non-apple one, but imho a cover that doubles as a stand is very useful. My wife's also got a wireless keyboard which she loves and uses frequently for writing anything long.

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I have the apple smart cover, very good but I also purchased a rear clear case which is compatible. I found i was wary about placing it on a table etc without.

 

The inlaws have that Cygnet case and that is very very good but adds a lot of bulk.

 

I also purchased the camera kit yesterday by chance, a very nice addition if you want to quickly process your images... I would recommend buying iphoto too.

 

Also as for the itunes store, I bought a couple of £15 itunes gift cards from Morrissons a couple of weeks back as they had an offer that they were £12 each. Keep an eye out near the DVD/Games shelves as they will be there - not sure if the offer is still on mind.

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I'm about to take the plunge with an iPad.

 

Do apple just charge for everything then or is there like an Android market type thing where you,can get free crap?

 

Buggered I'm paying 400 sparrows then paying for apps!

 

Loads of free stuff... I've paid for a few games, but more free stuff than not.

 

If you're watching movies/videos Ace Player Lite is an absolute must.

 

Bloke at Edinburgh airport last week tried to show his new ipad off to me by demonstrating you could watch movies on it. Due to the ipad having a 4:3 screen like old tellys, you end up with massive black bars taking the top 1/3 and bottom 1/3 of the screen up when you try to watch films. Unless you zoom in and cut half the film off.

 

The ipads are getting cheaper now though. You can get a reburbished ipad 2 direct from apple with new case, new box, new battery etc... for £289.

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I think my problem is I'm trying to replace a laptop with an Ipad which the more I read about it the less feasible this actually is.

 

It doesn't even have a usb port as far as I can tell! How are you supposed to connect anything to it?!?!?

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I think my problem is I'm trying to replace a laptop with an Ipad which the more I read about it the less feasible this actually is.

 

It doesn't even have a usb port as far as I can tell! How are you supposed to connect anything to it?!?!?

 

Thats where your thinking wrong. The ipad is not designed to CREATE material, its designed to VIEW material - which is what it does well. i.e. looking at pictures, reading emails, browsing web.

 

If you want a device where you can quickly create content, do lots of typing, emailing and that kinda thing, then you`d be better off with something else. Thats one reason why I opted for a netbook over an ipad. It was half the price, longer battery, better screen ratio, keyboard etc. etc.

 

Another thing i dont see the point of on the ipad, is why do you need to buy another phone tarrif, where you pay so much per month just to get on the internet through 3g? Cant you just tether it to your current mobile phone and use that as a modem, like you have been able to do with mobiles since they first came out?

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Another thing i dont see the point of on the ipad, is why do you need to buy another phone tarrif, where you pay so much per month just to get on the internet through 3g? Cant you just tether it to your current mobile phone and use that as a modem, like you have been able to do with mobiles since they first came out?

Very true, my other half got the 3G version which was a fair bit more expensive and hasn't bothered with a micro sim yet. Unless you really want to use it out and about (when wifi is often available anyway) it's a waste of cash. The micro sims seem to add at least £100 to your mobile tariff as far as I could see a few months back....

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I got the original iPad before it launched here and only bought the wifi version and loved it, as I tended to use it primarily for lifting in the house and browsing the web without having to wait on a laptop booting up etc it was brilliant.

 

So when the iPad2 came out I had to go get one but this time I bought a 3G one on a contract with Orange which had the side effect of me paying less for the device and the big difference is that now I can throw the iPad2 in the car when I get anywhere and use it whenever I want and not tied to only using wifi so I would recommend getting a 3G one completely.

 

Unless you only ever intend using it in the house and then what is the point.

 

The one major gripe I have with each iPad is that when typing, whether it be putting a post like this on the internet or typing an email I cannot type very fast or it misses letters even though you see it giving a response as you hit the various letters. That is so infuriating when you have typed a bug post only to look back and see loads of missing characters etc....

 

When I got the original iPad I bought the Apple dock and keyboard which is excellent, love the feel of the keyboard. I have this sitting on my desk at work but the irony is I very rarely take my iPad into work :blush:

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IMHO iPads work best by complementing a desktop (e.g. Mac Mini) whereas a laptop is a last century attempt at making a desktop mobile. (If that makes any sense). Some actions are better suited to desktop - and are a right pain on a laptop - and an iPad is like a third way which doesn't try to replace either. Just a new way of thinking.

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Best investment I've made with my iPad was a Eye-Fi card and ShutterSnitch app. Eye-Fi is an SD card that can also create its own wifi network so the iPad can connect with it. ShutterSnitch can then pull the images off so you can view them. Backing them up to the iPad means you have a copy should the card die. Not cheap, but very handy when on hols to view and save piccies. It can even send them back home to a server to save them properly if you get Wifi at your hotel/etc.

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That sounds pretty cool. Do you use the Eye-Fi as a permanent storage drive or is it too small?

It has 8GB, so for days out its fine, but for a long hols I dont think it would be able to keep all the photos - especially if I'm diving and shooting RAW. I havent had it out properly yet on a long trip so dont know how quickly I will fill it, but for days out its excellent, espcially when we've been away at B&Bs and not needed to take the laptop but can then still view the photos at a decent size on an evening. Its also really handy that ShutterSnitch keeps the albums (collections) on the iPad so we can take the photos to then show friends and relatives.

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