I pad questions

Im_just_careful

I have an HP netbook which I bought about a year ago for £180 from tescos (after using a £50 off PCs voucher).

I particularly wanted Bluetooth built in and that drove the choice.

I changed the RAM from the supplied 1GB to 2GB for £10 and it worked much better (really easy to do).

I bought it for exactly the same reason as you want one, it is very useful having a PC when travelling.

BY THE WAY

You won't need to use a disk to connect to your home internet (or shouldn't).

If you have internet from BT I would expect them to provide a box (router) that does WiFi. Just look for that signal on your new Netbook and (typically) enter the key on the label on the box. It should "just work".

scottishminnie

Im_just_careful wrote: »

BY THE WAY

You won't need to use a disk to connect to your home internet (or shouldn't).

If you have internet from BT I would expect them to provide a box (router) that does WiFi. Just look for that signal on your new Netbook and (typically) enter the key on the label on the box. It should "just work".

Thanks - it's been so long since I got the router that I couldn't remember what I had to do to make the initial connection but I should have known as a friend was visiting from Canada a few months back and used the key to connect her laptop.

Problem solved then:) - I've got around 6 weeks to find a netbook so I'll have a look and decide on one then get it with plenty time to spare.

Thanks for everyone's help. I know many people love their Ipad's but they just aren't for me so I'm happier to stick with a smaller version of the tried and tested.

Bogof_Babe

May I tag another question onto this thread please? Just wondered if an iPad would be compatible with a dongle? I don't have internet at home, just a 3 mobile dongle that I use with my netbook, which I find perfectly adequate for my needs, and if I could use it with an iPad I wouldn't have to worry about that side of things when travelling in the UK.

Thanks for asking your questions OP - there are many of us about who don't understand all this stuff.

[Deleted User]

iPad has no USB port... It won't work with a dongle

Bogof_Babe

ringo_24601 wrote: »

iPad has no USB port... It won't work with a dongle

Thanks, that's a shame. So I couldn't use it with my memory stick either. Does it have any kind of office apps? (Sorry, another total novice here).

Im_just_careful

Bogof_babe's questions are symptomatic of the Apple marketing for their devices, the marketing tends to avoid questions around how you use it and what it does !

They are good questions though and well worth an answer.

Connectivity:- Some models will take a SIM so (in theory at least) you could put the SIM from your dongle (cut down) in the iPad.

Rather better perhaps, is to buy the WiFi only iPad and buy something like the "3" MiFi which makes WiFi from 3G mobile coverage.

Files:- The idea with the iPad and similar devices is that any media comes in via a network connection not via a memory stick. The simplest way to do this is by something like Sky Drive ( https://apps.live.com/skydrive )

Applications:- I don't see the iPad as a device to use office apps on but you can buy the Apple "Office" (iLife) apps (keynote, pages, numbers ).

If that is a major requirement you may be looking at the wrong device.

Lifeforms

The 3 mifi unit works very well with the ipad, and you can get far cheaper sims off likes of amazon. Thanks to a link previously posted in another thread, I got one for £12ish for 3GB, for 3 months which suits me more than enough.

Remember though, you wouldn't be able to charge the mifi through the ipad, so limited to small amount of usage, say 6-8 hrs maybe on the mifi unit before needing charged.

Bogof_Babe

I'm most grateful for the latest replies too, covering questions I didn't even know were there to ask!

I'm already thinking an iPad isn't for me, might just as well cart my netbook round if necessary, or use my phone for basic online activity.

However one biggie question remains in my mind for those who do own these devices - how do you pay for your Internet access on them? Do you buy a contract or PAYG "package" as part of the deal, that governs a built-in device rather than separately connected dongle?

Finally, what's the advantage of an iPad over an iPhone? I don't have either but have considered an iPhone, however currently quite happy with my ancient Nokia E63, which does everything I need it to, albeit in a rather clunky way. Actually the only thing it doesn't do is get on MSE in a useable way, but I blame MSE for that!

[Deleted User]

It is not a 'productivity device', it is a 'consumption device'. If you need to do work processing/spreadsheets/presentations/databases then you'll need a proper computer

You can get 2 main versions of iPads - those that just use WiFi and those that can accept a SIM card. You can buy PAYG or contracts for these.

An iPad is essentially a big iPhone, without the 'phone' bit (but you can use Skype). In my house, we use our laptop for work/photos and the ipad gets heavy use for browsing the internet/facebook and kids games. The key advantage is that it's got a great battery life, it's compact, it's operating system is so simple a 3 year old can use it.

It is not a laptop replacement

Dave_C_2

scottishminnie wrote: »

3. I know there is no DVD slot so how do I get things like my BT Internet connected to it if I can't run a dvd?

You don't need the evil BT supplied CD at all to connect to the internet. The built-in apple software will do this for you. Indeed the BT software will interfere with the normal operating system. Best option is not to use it at all. If you have installed it here's how to uninstall it.

4. Is there anything else I should think about?

Apples are not the only fruit. An android tablet will have useful things like a USB port and the ability to play flash.
Dave