ipad information and advice

[devonwoody]

Thinking of joining the young ones and having a ipad air.

I assume I can use the ipad at home on the internet using my virginmedia hub at no extra cost?

Is there a gadget that can be purchased to be able to use the internet when away from home , using hot spots, and there is no time charge when using?

Does that apply to telephone calls as well or is that another service entirely and nothing to do with internet? (how about Skype?)

 

[nev]

Thinking of joining the young ones and having a ipad air.

I assume I can use the ipad at home on the internet using my virginmedia hub at no extra cost?

Yes. any tablet/pc/ smartphone with Wifi will connect to your home network wirelessly and enable you to internet and skype.
This costs nothing .

Is there a gadget that can be purchased to be able to use the internet when away from home , using hot spots, and there is no time charge when using?

The built in Wifi will connect to any wifi network so yes you can use it in public hotspots like starbucks and macdonalds etc.
again at no charge.

If you wish to use the internet anywhere, and make telephone calls (not skype) you will need to buy the version that has the phone built in (wifi and cellular). it will then use the mobile telephone network to connect to the internet. there will be a cost for the service.

http://www.apple.com/uk/ipad-air/specs/ ... pple.co.uk

 

[devonwoody]

Thanks Nev. so for telephone use I will use my pay as you go mobile.

 

[petermillard]

If you wish to use the internet anywhere, and make telephone calls (not skype) you will need to buy the version that has the phone built in (wifi and cellular). it will then use the mobile telephone network to connect to the internet. there will be a cost for the service.

http://www.apple.com/uk/ipad-air/specs/ ... pple.co.uk

Just to clarify, no iPad has native phone functionality; the 3G/4G connected iPads are for data, so whilst you could use them for VOIP calls e.g. Skype, or Apple's own FaceTime, they are not phones, and there is no native phone app. There are third-party apps than can be used to make phone calls e.g. O2's TuGo app, but these usually require you to have an existing phone / plan for the calls.

HTH Pete

 

[Baldhead]

Hi DW

+1 for what Nev has said, I often 'Facetime' my brother who lives in North Devon, not sure if Facetime is available on the iPad Air though. Facetime is similar to Skype only the recipient has to also have an iPad and the only wires you need to connect are the charger! I know some people hate iPads but I am never off mine, it has made the laptop virtually redundant.

Baldhead

 

[RogerS]

Hi DW

+1 for what Nev has said, I often 'Facetime' my brother who lives in North Devon, not sure if Facetime is available on the iPad Air though. Facetime is similar to Skype only the recipient has to also have an iPad and the only wires you need to connect are the charger! I know some people hate iPads but I am never off mine, it has made the laptop virtually redundant.

Baldhead

Out of curiosity, do you use an external keyboard ? When I played around with the iPad I found that two-fingered pecking out of letters on the screen was soul-destroying. I know you can use external keyboards but then, to me, seems to defeat the whole object and one might as well get a laptop. I also find the screen size too small to view webpages. I know that you can zoom in but then you are forever scrolling left-right-left-right to read stuff.

 

[Baldhead]

Roger

I use a stylus in the right hand and index finger of the left hand, TBH typing never was my thing so I'm probably as quick typing on the iPad as I am on the laptop.

One further point for DW, when you switch the iPad on you don't have to wait to use it, you can read emails, connect to the internet or use your app's immediately, unlike the laptop.

Baldhead

 

[devonwoody]

Does it also mean when using mails and internet that security software is not needed on one of these devices if they are bomb proof from viruses and hacking etc.

(btw Microsoft have extended support on xp security updates now until June 2015, it appears there are still 33% of computer users on xp)

 

[flh801978]

You can tether your ipad to your smart phone if you have one to use the internet
tethering is the term used but its wireless
then you dont need to buy a ipad with sim slot

It works seemlessly

I pads and apple stuff in general is more secure than pcs I would like to say bombproof but someone will say not

Ian

 

[devonwoody]

Thanks all, a daughter of ours says she will buy it off us if I don't like it, so cannot go wrong can I.

 

[devonwoody]

I just did some counting.

I have 33 gbs of pics

11 gbs of music

2 of paintings

6 of videos.

51 gbs. total on the pc since 1998.
how would I pick and exchange files to use on an Ipad. I don't think I would want to pay for a 64gb model.

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

Just store your excess data on a stick (USB or flash drive etc) and then only put the current stuff you want on the ipad. My digital stuff goes back to 1998 as well, must be when we both got our first pc's

I have a directory called "everything before this year" which is indexed by year and month. Then I have a year in progress file which is the current stuff. Anything worth keeping I put in a "specials" directory which is also date indexed but with meaningful sub titles like "sons first walk", "13lb Barbel" etc.

That way you can free your ipad of old stuff but still access it of you need to.

 

[devonwoody]

Thanks, that's another problem over.

That barbel must have looked like a giant gudgeon.

 

[RogerS]

Oh, not this kind of barbel then

 

[RogerS]

Out of curiosity, dw, but why are you looking at an iPad? There are a lot of much cheaper Android based alternatives.

 

[chippy1970]

Out of curiosity, dw, but why are you looking at an iPad? There are a lot of much cheaper Android based alternatives.

+1 for android

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk

 

[NickWelford]

+1 for ipad. My wife and I have iPhones and the iPads seamlessly integrate with contacts, diary etc. sheer useability wins.

 

[NickWelford]

And typing is easy with two thumbs when you split the keyboard.........

 

[RogerS]

I just bought a Google Android tablet (new) for £35. Be interested to see how it performs.

 

[petermillard]

I just bought a Google Android tablet (new) for £35. Be interested to see how it performs.

Me too - keep us posted. At that kind of price they're almost disposable...