iPad thread: Tips, Tricks, Apps...

[Butterfly]

^ looks quite nice for the kids though?

they will smash it, too fragile

anyway, don't you have a PC already for the kids ?

[Blake7]

was thinking of using it for reading book sor watching movies on planes/in the car. Im sure there is some clever device to attach the ipad to the back of the front seats.

[Butterfly]

^ the problem is that it's all proprietary shit from Apple, you have to go through all kind of loops to upload files etc...

you could use a tablet PC instead, why not, at least it would be "open" and familiar.

Let's try that promo at Central for buy one, get one free. I will buy an iPhone with you

[DaffyDuck]

I must admit I am quite tempted by an Ipad.
Daffy - have you ever used the GPS system on the ipad in Thailand for road navigation?

I haven't been to Thailand since I got my iPad, but I have used my iPhone with GPS and maps previously.

First of all, there is only one navigation app out for Thailand - STAY AWAY FROM IT. It sucks majorly, can't find any common landmarks, and the user interface is horrid.

I fared far better with the built-in maps application (Google Maps) and asking it to give me directions (which were accurate, surprisingly, in Thailand). The downside of using the maps application is that you need to use a co-driver to navigate for you. Fortunately, there is no shortage of lovely contenders in Thailand :-)

So, yes, the built-in maps application worked well. I would assume, since iPad has a larger screen, and the same GPS chip (if you get the 3G version of iPad), it would just be that much better, because you'd have a larger screen.

^ looks quite nice for the kids though?

Unless your children commonly play with iron hammers, it would be ideal - solid construction, and easily figured out by the kids. My assistant uses it for her 7 year old son, and he is mesmerized while driving -- plus, with 3G access, kids end up keeping themselves busy.

was thinking of using it for reading book sor watching movies on planes/in the car. Im sure there is some clever device to attach the ipad to the back of the front seats.

Sure do:

TrendyDigital PadRide In-Car Carry Case for Apple iPad | iPad Accessories Review

Book reading is very pleasant, and aside from the books that you can buy, it is very easy to convert and transfer your own documents into Apple's ePub format (use an application called Calibre, convert your file, drop on iTunes, sync - done!)

[DaffyDuck]

New updates from Net Applications today show that the iPhone may be overtaking Android in actual use online.

Despite talk of the gap closing in April, Apple's phone grew faster in May as it jumped from 30.3 percent the month before to 32.8 percent of the mobile web. Android expanded at the same time, but it moved from 5.3 percent to just 6.2 percent.

Most of their share games came directly at the expense of Java ME. The basic phone OS has slipped to just over 40 percent and shows smartphones increasingly taking over traffic on the tens of thousands of websites covered by the analytic firm. BlackBerry and Windows Mobile play far smaller roles at 3.6 percent and 3 percent each.

The researches added that iPad traffic is still just a very small portion of all web use but that it appropriately shot up rapidly with the international launch. Apple's tablet use more than doubled from 0.08 percent the day before the May 28 international debut to 0.17 percent three days later.

[DaffyDuck]

Nice review from the UK, from a reviewer who "gets it"

Apple iPad review: the ultimate browsing machine - Telegraph

"This is helped by the fact that though the iPad is a powerful computer, it doesn't do any of the annoying things that computers do."

What can you say about the iPad that hasn’t already been said? In the eight weeks since the Apple tablet computer was released in the United States it has attracted luminous praise and indignant outrage. If Apple’s recent trouble keeping its shelves filled is anything to go by, the praise has been convincing. The international launch of the iPad was delayed by a month to ensure sufficient supply.

On Friday, finally, Britons will be able to get their hands on one and judge for themselves. Having spent the last week playing with an iPad I can make some guesses about what their first impressions are likely to be.

Firstly, it’s unexpectedly big, with a deliciously generous screen. After relying on a mobile phone for portable web access, the 9.7 inch screen is a revelation, with plenty of room to display a web page at a readable size. That’s not to say that it’s uncomfortably large. It’s very slim and weighs about the same as a hardback book.

As with the iPhone and the iPod touch, the front is a screen and one button. The beauty of this simple design is that the device seems to disappear once you start using it. Whether you’re browsing the web, reading a book, playing a game or checking email, the iPad fades away and becomes the thing that it’s being used for.
This is helped by the fact that though the iPad is a powerful computer, it doesn’t do any of the annoying things that computers do. There are no distracting fans buzzing away and it never seems to get hot. Battery life is fantastic too; if anything, Apple’s claim that it runs for 10 hours is an underestimate.

It’s not perfect, of course. The fingerprint smudges that accumulate swiftly on the touch screen can be irritating and if you visit websites that use a lot of Flash you’ll be disappointed because the iPad won’t display that content. (That, says Apple, is one of the ways they avoid buzzing fans and hot processors).

The iPad will run iPhone apps too - boosting the number of available apps considerably. However, few apps look good blown up to twice their original size and the result is that neither the app nor the iPad looks its best.

Those complaints seem trivial given what the iPad does well. It’s the ultimate browsing machine. Forget smartphones and laptops - for feet-up browsing from your armchair, the iPad does it best.

Media
The iPad offers a wonderfully immersive way to enjoy film, TV shows, online video, photos and, of course, web browsing. Though the screen resolution is, technically, inferior to that of the iPhone, the quality of the images is stunning. On a laptop, the keyboard and the sheer bulk of the device make it hard to forget that you’re using a computer. A smartphone removes those problems but adds a new one - a tiny screen that makes it impossible to get truly absorbed in a film, say, or to enjoy the detail in a photograph. The iPad’s simple design pulls you in, making it possible to forget that you’re using a computer and just enjoy the content. Seamless connectivity helps here too, particularly on the 3G model, which will pull in web data even when there is no wireless network available. For web browsing, there is no better device than the iPad. For video content, the iPad is second only to your television.

Apple wants to prove the iPad’s capabilities for work as well as play. Apple’s office suite - Pages, Numbers and Keynote - is available for the iPad and all three apps have been reconfigured for the touch screen. How well they work for you will depend, largely, on how well you get on with the touch screen keyboard. I was sceptical, having found typing anything longer than an email on my iPhone to be a frustratingly fiddly process. However, the iPad keyboard is streets ahead of its little brother on the iPhone. Size alone makes it far more user-friendly and I’ve found myself typing without having to look hawkishly at each key press to make sure I’ve hit the right letter. For a detailed spreadsheet or a long article, I think I would still rather use my laptop but I’m more convinced than I was about the iPad’s abilities as a work tool.

Games
Gaming was the surprise hit of the iPhone and iPod Touch apps so there are high hopes for the iPad as a games platform. Many of the early titles are remakes of previous successes. Field Runners, for example, which challenges you to create a maze of weapons in a bid to stop an army of nasties travelling from one side of the screen to the other, is every bit as addictive on the iPad as it was on the iPhone. It simply looks prettier. Other games, though, are boosted enormously by the new format. Civilization Revolutions, for example, a empire-building game, shines in this format. I’ve played variations of the Civilization series on desktops, laptops, games consoles and mobile phones but I can honestly say that the iPad was the format the series has been waiting for. Real time strategy games, indeed any game that works in essence like a board game, will shine on the iPad. And talking of board games, I highly recommend Scrabble, which allows iPhone users to use their handsets as a tile rack and the iPad as the board.

Books
The iPad has been pitched as a threat to ebook readers such as Amazon’s Kindle and the Sony Reader series. It’s easy to see why. Though more expensive than an ebook reader, the iPad’s flexibility makes it tempting for a casual reader. E-reader buffs will complain about the backlit LED screen, which is harder on the eyes than the e-Ink screen that comes with a Kindle. However, for short reading times - a commute, for example - the iPad does just fine and benefits from being able to ‘turn’ pages faster than an e-Ink reader can. Apple’s iBooks app provides a good reading environment, with beautiful attention to details such as page turning, but the British version will suffer by carrying only out-of-copyright books. That still means almost 20,000 titles but no recent releases until Apple is able to complete deals with publishers. However, that’s more of a problem for Apple than its customers because alternative reading apps are available. Amazon’s Kindle app and Kobo’s e-book app both offer bestsellers and their own, perfectly decent, reading software. Such choices mean that if you’re interested in e-books, the iPad offers a wider range of options than any dedicated e-reader.

[Blake7]

Daffy - how does the itunes work when you bring an ipad or iphone in to Thailand. Does it automatically go to the Thailand itunes or the UK one, if required?

[DaffyDuck]

Daffy - how does the itunes work when you bring an ipad or iphone in to Thailand. Does it automatically go to the Thailand itunes or the UK one, if required?

iTunes goes by whatever country your account's address, or your primary source of payment is configured to -- in my case, for example, no matter where I am, my iTunes points to the USA store. You can set it up to be Thailand localized, but as is so often the case, it results in your selection being severely limited.

A current limitation imposed by music companies is that you can't have, say, a USA account, and the switch to the Japanese iTunes store, and purchase from that store. While the switching is easy, and you can browse the Japanese (for example) iTunes store, you can't purchase any goods, unless you create another account, with a local billing address, for that country. This is a dumb limitation imposed by the music labels, which Apple has to abide by.

Why is this not Apple's fault? Because this limitation does not apply to apps, over which Apple holds complete control over. :-)

[Blake7]

Think I will buy the 16GB wifi only model when I am back in the Uk later this month

[DaffyDuck]

Think I will buy the 16GB wifi only model when I am back in the Uk later this month

You may want to consider paying slightly more for the 3G version, as you can always not use it... but it would be painful discovering you needed it, when not having it.

[Blake7]

Well, I dont think my intended use will really require it and have wifi at home etc.
Also, with 3G is significantly more expensive - almost double!
As Butterfly says, the kids will probably trash it soon...
Thanks for the advice Daffy (however, I'm still not convinced you can get an Iphone contract without a WP....).

[DaffyDuck]

(however, I'm still not convinced you can get an Iphone contract without a WP....).

Which is why I kept repeating, multiple times, that the deal I have, and which I recommended, was the *no contract* purchase of the iPhone, including the prepaid calling plan.

You purchase a regular TRUEmove SIM card (99 Baht); put it in your iPhone, and activate it by calling the activation number.

Then, top up to cover the plan you will sign up for (as I said, I usually just dump 2000 Baht on it).

Sign up for the monthly 600 Baht unlimited access internet plan - 600 Baht will get deducted from your top up credit (alternatively, get WiFi access to TRUE hotspots for 100 Baht more = 700 Baht); Start using internet access.

As stated previously, you need to cancel the plan (also done via short codes) when you want to stop using it, as it auto renews.

The above does NOT require a WP, as stated several times.

[Blake7]

I am back in Bangkok next week so will give it a go - if you are right I shall buy you an Amaretto Sour in Obsession.
Cheers!

[DaffyDuck]

I am back in Bangkok next week so will give it a go - if you are right I shall buy you an Amaretto Sour in Obsession.
Cheers!

I'll take you up on it... just in another bar, if you will.

[Butterfly]

Sign up for the monthly 600 Baht unlimited access internet plan - 600 Baht will get deducted from your top up credit (alternatively, get WiFi access to TRUE hotspots for 100 Baht more = 700 Baht); Start using internet access.

so actually you didn't "sign up" as you claimed previously, no paper was involved. Typical Quack Quack double speak, or maybe typical Yank retard speak. It's simply an "option" fee out of the Top up, like the melody you pay every month. Maybe you should learn to express yourself correctly. I hope you are not working at a support desk for Apple giving out explanation to mac retards

As stated previously, you need to cancel the plan (also done via short codes) when you want to stop using it, as it auto renews.

It's not a plan you dummy, try to express yourself correctly or in plain English instead of your retard redneck English.

Anyway, thanks for the info Quack Quack I will give a try with my "Buy One Get One free" iPhone