Looking for ipad advice

nikonpro

Hello world,
I know very little about ipads so please dont too techie with your answers..

I need to buy an ipad for the purpose of demonstrating a specific website to store managers in a town centre .. I would be walking around the shops extolling the virtues of a specific security based website..
I have noticed that there seems to be a lot of different spec's available and I am not sure what would suit me best..
I dont need loads of storage but do need internet access in all locations, signal permitting ..
Can anyone advise please ??

scottishperson2

You need 3g

m5rcc

Some shopping centres have free WiFi, so I suggest finding a cheap(-er) iPad 1 or 2 16GB with WiFi & 3G

arrallas

It sounds as if you need to buy a 3G model, as you can't guarantee a wifi signal in the places you are doing your demos. You can buy 3G cards on Amazon which last for 3 months or 3 gig for about £10 - they are on the 3 network, so check you have coverage where you will be working. You don't need loads of storage for your intended use, so buy what you can afford. IPad 2 are still on sale and would be perfectly adequate - and substantially cheaper!
Hope this helps

Cash-Cow_3

If your mobile phone has an internet connection you can connect the ipad to this via wifi in which case you wouldn't need the "g" versions.

Lifeforms

Yes you can tether, but look at the senario.
"Please buy my products, I'll demonstrate them, just let me unlock my phone, set up tethering, make sure I still have plenty of battery life as I've already done this 3 times today for a few hours. Oh there we go, connected, now lets connect the Ipad. Just a min or two more sir. Ahh, here's my product!"

The difference price wise between a wifi model and a 3g one to buy would be worth it in your business terms to not have to mess around finding a connection, or creating one via phone.

You'd probably be fine with an 16gb model if you're just using it for work, but it'll quickly slide into personal things too, so maybe 32gb! 3G comes with a few providers, each with their own price tags, so shop around to find the best network to suit you (you don't need to buy the ipad from them direct, can be bought elsewhere, and then a micro sim for ipad can be signed up on after). equally you might find monthly deals however from networks including cost of ipad.

You're gunna pay to access the net anywhere, the deals aren't so good. usually rolling or fixed contracts, but that's the price we have to pay unfortunately.

Don't forget to get a smart, but relatively protective case, as well as an incar charger, as a just in case, battery life isn't great.

Also. Consider ipad 2 over the new ipad, as really I don't find the new bits in ipad 3/new ipad to be that inventive, and that desirable.

There is also the question of whether you can get signals reliably inside big things like shopping centres and such. It seems to be hit and miss sometimes as to whether I can get a signal in homebase, tescos etc, but also in big mall type centres... In that case, if you can set up an off line demo, you should investigate that route too.

Notmyrealname

Lifeforms wrote: »

Yes you can tether, but look at the senario.
"Please buy my products, I'll demonstrate them, just let me unlock my phone, set up tethering, make sure I still have plenty of battery life as I've already done this 3 times today for a few hours. Oh there we go, connected, now lets connect the Ipad. Just a min or two more sir. Ahh, here's my product!"

That may be the way you have to do it on the POS phone you have but on mine I can turn it into a wifi hotspot and it uses no more battery than normal. The tablet would then just see it as yet another wireless network and access it in a similar manner. No need to unlock phones, no to set up tethering, no need to worry about battery life.

Perhaps you should spend money on a decent phone instead of a budget one if yours is so hard to use.

Lifeforms

Notmyrealname wrote: »

That may be the way you have to do it on the POS phone you have but on mine I can turn it into a wifi hotspot and it uses no more battery than normal. The tablet would then just see it as yet another wireless network and access it in a similar manner. No need to unlock phones, no to set up tethering, no need to worry about battery life.

Perhaps you should spend money on a decent phone instead of a budget one if yours is so hard to use.

So go on, what awesomely, amazingly, wonderful phone do you have? It's well known that it will take up your battery. Else why do you not run it all the time? Actually don't even bother answering that, I don't really give a doggies dodo's about your phone. Not so hung up about other peoples technology, unlike you.



Tethering is fine for personal solutions, but it is not a solution when you're trying to present yourself as a professional. Even having to get it out, never mind use a "widget" to turn it on, just to get internet on the ipad doesn't exactly scream professionalism.

Cash-Cow_3

Lifeforms wrote: »

So go on, what awesomely, amazingly, wonderful phone do you have? It's well known that it will take up your battery. Else why do you not run it all the time? Actually don't even bother answering that, I don't really give a doggies dodo's about your phone. Not so hung up about other peoples technology, unlike you.



Tethering is fine for personal solutions, but it is not a solution when you're trying to present yourself as a professional. Even having to get it out, never mind use a "widget" to turn it on, just to get internet on the ipad doesn't exactly scream professionalism.

I really don't see that tethering would be a problem, it would connect the moment it was switched on - it takes seconds and could be done before walking in the door. Having said this it might be worth the OP having a g version on a carrier different from their mobile carrier so it increases the chances of always getting a signal.

I also agree that having an off line version is also prudent as coverage on shopping centres can be iffy.

InsideInsurance

The "g" version would allow you to connect to the internet if you are able to get a mobile phone signal inside the store and that is the one issue, if there is no network then there is no internet.

There are other options such as tethering to your phone, using a device like T-mobiles "MiFi" etc which are an alternative and potentially could help if it were the sort of place where you could leave it somewhere in the shop that does have good network if other areas of the store doesnt.

What is the "security based website"? What will you actually be demoing to people? Are you demoing to customers in the store or to the store managers?

Depending on the above, I would stop and think a little bit about if actually using a live website is going to be the best option or not. There are plenty of places that still dont have good/ reliable public internet access which would effectively become no go zones for you.

Notmyrealname

Lifeforms wrote: »

So go on, what awesomely, amazingly, wonderful phone do you have? It's well known that it will take up your battery. Else why do you not run it all the time?

HTC Desire Z. It just uses the wifi so uses no more battery than when being at home connected to my own wifi.

I leave the wifi on all the time so no difference. I don't use the wifi access point all the time because it disables wifi access to a network in order to provide it.

Tethering is fine for personal solutions, but it is not a solution when you're trying to present yourself as a professional. Even having to get it out, never mind use a "widget" to turn it on, just to get internet on the ipad doesn't exactly scream professionalism.

Absolute rubbish and it is obvious your level of competence is "home user" if you think you have to use widgets to turn it on etc etc just to get internet on the ipad.

I would suggest it looks more amateurish dragging out your iPad to open the wifi manager to find a wifi network whilst your client is watching you.

In fact, you must be quite a low IQ if you can't even work out that even if someone had to do that or tether, they just do it before they walk in to the client.

You're grasping at straws trying to prove a point for a problem that quite simply doesn't exist.