Just sold my ipad :-(

[Pentoman]

Silent1 said:

dewaltman said:

Ash 996 GT2 said:

I will use it this weekend for the F1, that app is brilliant.

Agreed, but isn't this app £20??!!

No, there's a bit of a con going on, search for the 2010 f1 app and it's free you just have to register at formula1.com

Interesting - cheers.

It is a scaled up iPod sure, but since when did a computer have to be so small? The improved possibilities with the larger screen will hopefully be realised soon. I like the fact it is a fixed specification so you don't worry about whether the onboard graphics will be able to play games and so on. It is inferior to a notebook for the money in many ways, but on the other hand I'm glad I don't have to shell out for an antivirus subscription nor worry about Windows security and do updates, which I have gotten sick of. At this point someone will jump in and mention Linux - been there; I put Fedora on my old Sony and it was okay apart from the dismal performance. That and the fact despite being a sysadmin for 12 months now on Red Hat, I still found basic things like finding and installing a piece of software an incredible chore. And it was hard to make it play youtube videos which were the choppy anyway.

I'm waiting to see how I get on as I only just got it this week. The slow switching between apps and lack of multitasking is requiring some thought. Apparently there's an update with multitasking coming, but I can live without it just about, if it has a negative impact on performance. Yesterday I found my first webpage that needed flash (isn't there a non-adobe flash available now?). The keyboard is a mild pain, perhaps I'll get used to it. However it's another thing that is much improved over the iPhone or iPod; they just can't compete (I'm writing this on iPad). I am disappointed many apps have to be paid for (naively I thought there would be many philanthropists releasing apps for free). Lack of card reading and USB is limiting, likewise the lack of disk space. Not sure how much these will be a problem just yet; you need a PC to go with it if you hoard lots of photos or music like I do.. The speaker is surprisingly good but only mono which is a disappointment and renders it rubbish for playing music while you browse. However the speed and ease of use for browsing while sitting on your sofa plus the sheer novelty and futuristicness of the thing and the battery life (v impressive) at the moment have got my attention. That and the other obvious stuff it does over and above a net book like the interface and the slickness if everything when compared to chugging through MS windows.

[Pentoman]

Had a search and the app still appears to be £20whichever way you look at it...

[The_Jackal]

Guys there are 2 F1 apps.
The iPhone one gives you basics info live during the race, exactly as the Formula1.com site does (you have to register for free for that too). Good for spotting who is making a push with their sector times.
The iPad one gives you this plus realtime 3d moveable track map with icons for the live positions of the cars. Good for a more visual idea of who is ahead of who and gaining.
Although on the quali program today Jake mentioned a similar looking thing to view on the BBC website.
They are calling this the Driver Tracker and is from Formula1.com . It looks a lot like the F1 iPad app but without the rotate and zoom ability.
lol if it doesnt run on flash you will be able to view it on your iPad anyway in Safari lol
Hopefully they will reduce the price of the iPad app because of this.

Edited by The_Jackal on Sunday 11th July 00:18

[rsv gone!]

GlenMH said:

dewaltman said:

Very interesting on both accounts......in reality is it worth it? How much hassle will it be to do both and will I notice much difference to XP?

Have a chat to Lord Grover - he has just put an SSD in a netbook and ISTR it boots from cold in about 15 seconds...

If I could justify putting a 150+ quid drive in a machine that only cost GBP210 new, then I would!

Same here! When the cost/gigabyte comes down a bit more I'll put one in my NC10.

I put one of those Intels in my desktop and it boots Win7 in 30 seconds (according to Soluto).

Edited by rsv gone! on Sunday 11th July 09:50

[Dontlift]

Had my ipad a month now, sold my 17" toshiba laptop, and replaced with iPad as i only really used it for internet and a few little bits and pieces, still love it, cant see me ever going back

[Slinky]

This is an interesting thread, I'm looking to pick one up in the next couple of weeks, I need a machine for easy browsing of the net in the evenings, media playing and books and the like..

I'm just about to lose my study to convert into a nursery, so in my eyes the iPad covers everything I need it to do, the concept of ultra portable, quick start, very easy mobile/web device is a very attractive one to me..

I'm a fan of fixed platform development and hate the hardware race that PCs and laptops generate..

[dewaltman]

Dontlift said:

Had my ipad a month now, sold my 17" toshiba laptop, and replaced with iPad as i only really used it for internet and a few little bits and pieces, still love it, cant see me ever going back

I agree, going from a big 17" laptop to an ipad for just internet usage, you will notice a few more benefits (i.e. size, weight, etc) but I don't see how I can justify that price tag just for internet browsing, and as soon as you want to do something extra (i.e. connect a camera, print something, etc) you'll realise that the ipad is just not up to it.

I think to summarise my thoughts......if you just want something to browse the net, and can live with the viewing angle and inaccurate screen pointing and money and memory size isn't an issue, then an ipad will suit. The minute you want to do anything else, you will need a laptop/pc of some sorts.

[FunkyNige]

dewaltman said:

I think to summarise my thoughts......if you just want something to browse the net, and can live with the viewing angle and inaccurate screen pointing and money and memory size isn't an issue, then an ipad will suit. The minute you want to do anything else, you will need a laptop/pc of some sorts.

So would you still be using the iPad if it was £150? I think the iPad is great as a content viewing device but the price is a bit crazy which is why I'm very tempted by an iPed which a guy at work can get from China when he goes over.

[dewaltman]

FunkyNige said:

So would you still be using the iPad if it was £150?

No, it just doesn't do what I need it to. Whilst there is no USB port and whilst you need itunes to integrate it, you will ALWAYS need a laptop! And for that reason, I think it's a huge waste of space. Maybe if I travelled alot and needed a media player, I would change my mind........but hang on.... a laptop can be a media player as well! (with a much bigger memory too).

Na, whichever way I look at it.......iFAD.

IMO it solves a problem that doesn't exist.

[eztiger]

I'm amazed at the number of people who have been successfully 'marketed' by apple and bought an iPad without having any idea what they'd use it for or if it would be any use to them!

Surely you must have realised it's limitations and what it would or wouldn't do before you spent a significant lump of cash on one?!

At least you got your money back but more through luck than anything.

I'd love one - i can see a few immediate uses I'd have for it. Can't justify it's cost though compared to what else you can get for the money. Maybe when the fuss dies down and they start turning up much cheaper...

Edited by eztiger on Sunday 11th July 15:08

[tinman0]

dewaltman said:

FunkyNige said:

So would you still be using the iPad if it was £150?

No, it just doesn't do what I need it to. Whilst there is no USB port and whilst you need itunes to integrate it, you will ALWAYS need a laptop! And for that reason, I think it's a huge waste of space. Maybe if I travelled alot and needed a media player, I would change my mind........but hang on.... a laptop can be a media player as well! (with a much bigger memory too).

Na, whichever way I look at it.......iFAD.

IMO it solves a problem that doesn't exist.

Just because you didn't think your purchase through, doesn't make it a fad though. There are plenty of iPads out there doing exactly what they were purchased for, like ours for instance. And much as we love our laptops, it doesn't mean that we want to drag them to the sofa every night for instance.

And we do travel a lot and yes, laptops can be media players, but traveling with laptops is a pain in the arse for the most part.

There are plenty of products out there that solved problems that didn't exist.

The bit I don't understand is that you buying an iPad, and ultimately not seeing a use for it, you think that no one else has a use for it either?

[dewaltman]

tinman0 said:

dewaltman said:

FunkyNige said:

So would you still be using the iPad if it was £150?

No, it just doesn't do what I need it to. Whilst there is no USB port and whilst you need itunes to integrate it, you will ALWAYS need a laptop! And for that reason, I think it's a huge waste of space. Maybe if I travelled alot and needed a media player, I would change my mind........but hang on.... a laptop can be a media player as well! (with a much bigger memory too).

Na, whichever way I look at it.......iFAD.

IMO it solves a problem that doesn't exist.

Just because you didn't think your purchase through, doesn't make it a fad though. There are plenty of iPads out there doing exactly what they were purchased for, like ours for instance. And much as we love our laptops, it doesn't mean that we want to drag them to the sofa every night for instance.

And we do travel a lot and yes, laptops can be media players, but traveling with laptops is a pain in the arse for the most part.

There are plenty of products out there that solved problems that didn't exist.

The bit I don't understand is that you buying an iPad, and ultimately not seeing a use for it, you think that no one else has a use for it either?

Blimey, I'm just giving my opinion, no need to shoot me! I did say IMHO at the start!

[dewaltman]

FunkyNige said:

I'm very tempted by an iPed which a guy at work can get from China when he goes over.

I saw these, are they up to much? I'm always dubious about these copies from the far east, but i've never met anyone who's tried one

[ZesPak]

tinman0 said:

And we do travel a lot and yes, laptops can be media players, but traveling with laptops is a pain in the arse for the most part.

How's that?
We have a Samsung N110, and travell with it all the time. It has the optional 6-cell, and 160GB, all for about 200£. Only thing I could think of is that it weighs 400g (50%) more than an iPad, but for that you get 10x the capabilities (& disk space) of the iPad, for less than half of the price.

Oh, it also has something called USB ports, and a SD Card reader.

The iPad seemed very, very bad value for money then.

But as said, if you know what it can do (big iPod Touch), and you're willing to part with the money, it's your choice. It IS a thin & good-looking device, just very limited functional.

Edited by ZesPak on Thursday 19th August 10:45

[AlexC1981]

ZesPak, The Samsung n110 looks like good value. I might get one! Do they come with Windows disks so you can re-install Windows when needed?

[tinman0]

ZesPak said:

tinman0 said:

And we do travel a lot and yes, laptops can be media players, but traveling with laptops is a pain in the arse for the most part.

How's that?
We have a Samsung N110, and travell with it all the time. It has the optional 6-cell, and 160GB, all for about 200£. Only thing I could think of is that it weighs 400g (50%) more than an iPad, but for that you get 10x the capabilities (& disk space) of the iPad, for less than half of the price.

Oh, it also has something called USB ports, and a SD Card reader.

The iPad seemed very, very bad value for money then.

But as said, if you know what it can do (big iPod Touch), and you're willing to part with the money, it's your choice. It IS a thin & good-looking device, just very limited functional.

That's the thing though - we don't want a crippled laptop running various versions of cripplewareOS that is designed for more powerful machines. W7 on netbooks runs like a dog, XP is a dead OS, and then there are the various Linux versions which are good, but still lame.

Or, we can buy a device that compliments our laptops rather than tries to (badly) replace them.

As for USB ports and SD card reader - Camera Connection kit turned up the other day, so we have that facility when we need it.

[onlynik]

tinman0 said:

And we do travel a lot and yes, laptops can be media players, but traveling with laptops is a pain in the arse for the most part.

How? If anything they would easier to use as you wouldn't need to sync with iTunes whilst away.

[ZesPak]

tinman0 said:

ZesPak said:

tinman0 said:

And we do travel a lot and yes, laptops can be media players, but traveling with laptops is a pain in the arse for the most part.

How's that?
We have a Samsung N110, and travell with it all the time. It has the optional 6-cell, and 160GB, all for about 200£. Only thing I could think of is that it weighs 400g (50%) more than an iPad, but for that you get 10x the capabilities (& disk space) of the iPad, for less than half of the price.

Oh, it also has something called USB ports, and a SD Card reader.

The iPad seemed very, very bad value for money then.

But as said, if you know what it can do (big iPod Touch), and you're willing to part with the money, it's your choice. It IS a thin & good-looking device, just very limited functional.

That's the thing though - we don't want a crippled laptop running various versions of cripplewareOS that is designed for more powerful machines. W7 on netbooks runs like a dog, XP is a dead OS, and then there are the various Linux versions which are good, but still lame.

Or, we can buy a device that compliments our laptops rather than tries to (badly) replace them.

As for USB ports and SD card reader - Camera Connection kit turned up the other day, so we have that facility when we need it.

If anything, the iOS fits a lot better in the definition of "crippleware" (e.i. being limited in utility) than any software found on a netboox.

Oh our netbook has winXP, how is it a dead OS? It runs office 2007 smoothly, you can watch flash movies & all other movie formats you want, browse as much as you want... oh, and you can do it at the same time to, switching between applications!

And if you don't like MS for some reason, install Ubuntu, works very nice too.

Edit: of course, like an iPad it doesn't replace a home computer/laptop. But for the money you have left, you can almost buy one of those, extra.

Edited by ZesPak on Thursday 19th August 13:48

[ATM]

GlenMH said:

Sajax said:

For the speed aspect stick one of these in the netbook

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/175721

I do agree, there is nothing I can't do on my iPhone more conveniently or quicker on a laptop.

And stick Ubuntu on it. Open the netbook lid to online in 20 secs incl typing the password from suspend....

Ubuntu - is that really an option for an absolute novice [like me]?

[The_Jackal]

Are we still arguing the toss over the iPad lol
Just buy one if you want one and can afford it as a luxury.

How many of the iPad haters have iPhones? Not exactly value for money either is it but everyone wants one?