Steve Wouldn’t LIke it (but I do!)

July 17, 2011 | 1 comment

It has always struck me that the iPad is just crying out for some form of alternative input device other than my finger. This is not a view that I share with Apple CEO Steve Jobs, who famously asked the question “Who wants a stylus?” when launching the original iPhone. Of course, Steve’s dislike of styluses doesn’t stop people wanting them or companies making them. And to prove the point (no pun intended) I own not one but three of them.

In my search for the ultimate stylus I have shelled out £31 and now think that I … Read the rest

iPad 2 and the smart cover

July 1, 2011 | Comment

So I have finally succumbed and swapped my iPad 1 for a sleek new iPad 2. The most noticeable change is the performance boost. My old iPad was beginning to get very sluggish and on apps that I use regularly, such as Pulse, it was becoming unusable. So it has become usable once again.

With it I also picked up a smart cover, the magnetised, folding cover come stand designed just for the iPad 2. And so far I just don’t know what I think about it. On the one hand it covers the screen offering protection, although only to … Read the rest

Top tech of 2010

January 16, 2011 | Comment

Last year, for the first time, I produced a list of my top tech for 2009. I thought that it would be interesting to do the same in 2010 to see how things have changed, if at all. So this is the technology that I used day-in, day-out in 2010 and could not do without.

Google Chrome

No change here and, in fact, I am more wedded to Chrome this year than I was last having used it for a full 12 months I still much prefer it to both Internet Explorer and Firefox. The addition of extensions has just … Read the rest

Verizon iPhone, Who Cares?

January 7, 2011 | Comment

It seems that ever since Apple struck an exclusive deal with AT&T for the iPhone the whole of the US have been waiting for the holy grail in the form of the Verizon iPhone. And the blogsphere has been alive with it again this week. My question is this who cares and why?

Well in the US it seems that they care as the iPhone is not that great on AT&T and this gives them choice to what is perceived as a “better” network. This may or may not turn out to be the case.

But what about the rest … Read the rest

Now This is Getting Ridiculous

November 7, 2010 | Comment

I wrote a while back about the stupid amount of time my iPad backup was taking and moaned that it had taken a ridiculous three hours. My solution to this was to use BackOff to disable the automatic backups during sync. However, this means that if there is ever a problem you cannot do a restore so it is important to do the occasional backup, which is what I did yesterday afternoon and now, some, 16 hours later is still only 75% of the way through!

Let me repeat that…

My iPad backup is going to take a massive 21 … Read the rest

Orientation lock becomes mute button on iPad iOS 4.2

September 19, 2010 | Comment

There are lots of posts on the net right now about the first beta of Apples iOS 4.2 and you can read a Top 10 new features here.

One of the changes is to turn the orientation lock button on the iPad to be a mute button. Well hold on a minute who checked with me that was something I wanted? Where’s the friendly but terse email from Steve Jobs checking that was going to work for me? I use that button A LOT and if I need to mute I press the volume down for a second and guess … Read the rest

The Ultimate iPad Travel Kit

September 11, 2010 | Comment

I have found my ultimate iPad travel kit that consists of:

– An Apple wireless keyboard
– 3 mifi
– Portable, adjustable, folding stand from eBay

It’s like having a Macbook that you can break down into its constituent parts. I just sling them into my case and off I go. I am finding that I am using my laptop less and less and now never use my desktop at home. Who said the iPad was just a big iPhone?

… Read the rest

3 mifi with OLED screen

August 21, 2010 | Comment

Received my new 3 mifi dongle yesterday. This one is basically the same as the previous module with a few important differences:

1. It has an OLED screen giving much more information than before, including the amount of data this session.

2. It now has a web interface that allows you to both configure and monitor the device. This save you having to flash the device yourself with the worry that you will brick it.

3. There is now only a single button. You switch it on. It connects. You’re good to go. Much better

4. It’s now a trendy … Read the rest

Cheap and Cheerful iPad Stand

August 3, 2010 | Comment

Yes, another iPad post. I’m sure that I will get it out of my system eventually…

So I saw this post about a cheap and cheerful iPad stand a while back which suggested using a desktop business card holder. What a great idea, I thought! Except that it was only available from Office Depot in the States and no amount of searching either online or in bricks and mortar could turn one up. Then a colleague of mine went on vacation to Florida and so I asked her if she wouldn’t mind spending some of her precious holiday time in … Read the rest

iPad on tour – Photo Management

July 27, 2010 | Comment

Continuing the theme of ditching the laptop and using only the iPad, at least on holiday, today looking at the iPad as an amateur photographers best friend.

With its massive, bright, screen the iPad is perfect for viewing photos and coupled with the camera kit it is unbeatable. I have been able to hook up a number of cameras using both the USB and SD connectors, including getting pictures off the iPhone. The iPad has recognised them all and imported successfully. This process is painless and then using the existing photo app it is possible to view and enjoy. Unfortunately … Read the rest