any opinions please.
my wife has seen the ipad and thinks it would be great for what she needs.

show friends digital photos / videos
bit of web surfing
watching iplayer etc

that would be the extent of what she would use it for.
thought about a netbook but she likes the touch screen idea

problem with the ipad is.........................well the price of it

had a look on tinternet and seen this

linky

ok. i know this one is from China but the idea is there.
anyone got one of these or something similar.
just looking at my options for birthday / christmas present

cheers

looks like a giant, less handy (i mean, how do you hold it, you can't even put it on your lap with the screen facing you like you can with a laptop) ipod touch to me. i think that would do it wouldn't it?

unless she realy wants it to be that big... but personally the ipad is not for me.

[Edited on 12/7/10 by blakep82]

I'm told that the iphone and opad wont play flash video so lots of web video not viewable.. typical of apple. I also think they will soon be seen to be used by the I wear my blue flashing bluetooth headset all day crowd.

Paul.. do you skydive or just have done in the past??

give it 3-5 months prices will tumble

Works good (not exelent) . Has wifi, not G3. Go for the 8bg or 16gb option. Clear screen, you cal also use it as a e-book reader. Battery could be a bit longer lasting.

I have a Dell Streak tablet. Only a 5" screen but still quite a bit bigger than iPod or most phones and a decent size for videos/photos/web pages etc. Runs Google android so easy to use and boat loads of apps. plus it's a phone too. I'm very pleased with it, only issue for me is it's so new nowhere sells the cases yet

imo the ipad is a fashion accesory not a well thought out piece of tehnology. the lack of flash support, suspect wireless performance are just 2 examples but there are more. i am in the it industry and the ipad is not well thought of in general.

It is too big to be truly portable - the ipod touch is about as big as you can go for that. It isn't as properly useful as a small laptop - which would also be cheaper. There are a few people at work drooling over them but none have bought one yet. They're a bit dear but not quite good enough to justify the cost.

Sit on your wallet for a while - there's a whole raft of Android tablets coming out soon. Similar or better functionality at a fraction of the price, if the rumours are true. For example, full interconnectability (USB, etc), 3G mobile as standard and so on. Android is getting quite mature now as it's well used on phones.

The iPad *is* good, but the limitations are annoying and the price is way too high.

[Edited on 13/7/10 by David Jenkins]

My missus works at a publisher that has bought some ipads for development work, and she bought one home the other day. I was never bothered about it especially, and my wife is 'almost' a technophobe, yet she said she played with it while waiting for our daughter to do her music lesson, answered her mails, wanted to put some photos on it to see what it was like... and overall was very impressed. I had a play and could imagine having one in the lounge as a photo frame, then just browing a bit while watching the telly etc. Its enormously nicer to use than a laptop. It starts from powered off in less than 2 seconds. What surprised me most was how 'transparent' it is as a device. You very quickly stop noticing it as a computer and just see the application e.g more like reading a book rather than reading something on a computer. The guy I work with bought one for his wife as a birthday present. She was using a ipod touch for email/browsing etc, but he says she hasnt touched the ipod since she got the ipad. Apparently she had 200+ applications and no problems transferring them to the ipad and running them (so far). The iphone/ipod touch apps run in a mini screen on the ipad, but a 2X buttons appears in the bottom corner to make them fill the screen.
A lot of people have said its surprisingly heavy, but I didnt think so. Its actually only just over 3/4 of the weight of any of the last 3 Harry Potter books in hardback.
I read on 'the register' that only 3% of people say they would buy one bore they use one, but 20% say they will after they've had a play.
Hugh

Much like the first iPhone, the iPad is really the 'toe in the water' for Apple. I bought one of the 2G iphones and found it dissapointing so I quickly changed it for an Android (Google phone) and love it.

The iPad just seems to be a Jack of all trades - neither one thing or the other. If I need portability I use a netbook which is less fiddly and gives me two hands free (have you tried to operate an iPad??) If I need a 'serious' computer I use my workstation which has everything I need and more.

I would wait about 6 months until the competitors catch up - they will be much better.

quote:

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Originally posted by FFTS
Paul.. do you skydive or just have done in the past??

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Pointless piece of junk looking for a market that doesnt exist....

only people i know who have them are teh iHolics who MUST have every apple gadget...

Oh yes it has a nice interface and everything but useless for serious web surfing as it cannot (and will never) support flash which is used on a hell of a lot of sites these days

worst part of it? it's a tablet! saw a bloke watching a film on the train yesterday, he had to hold it oin front of him like a book and after half an hour he was trying to prop it up (unsuccessfully).

Overpriced and pointless... get a small laptop or netbook with a filip over tablet screen running windows 7... you wont regret it!

From a "non-technical" but "husbandly" perspective.

If she thinks she needs an iPad, then get an iPad.

If you persuade her she wants something else, and it doesn't work out then you have spent a big pile of money, and she isn't happy with you.

If you get an iPad and it turns out to be rubbish, then you have spent a big pile of money, and she doesn't hate you.

Matt

14years and still married.

quote:

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Originally posted by eznfrank
I have a Dell Streak tablet. Only a 5" screen but still quite a bit bigger than iPod or most phones and a decent size for videos/photos/web pages etc. Runs Google android so easy to use and boat loads of apps. plus it's a phone too. I'm very pleased with it, only issue for me is it's so new nowhere sells the cases yet

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A colleague at work has the Streak... Nice but it is HUGE for a mobile phone....

quote:

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Originally posted by UncleFista

quote:

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Originally posted by eznfrank
I have a Dell Streak tablet. Only a 5" screen but still quite a bit bigger than iPod or most phones and a decent size for videos/photos/web pages etc. Runs Google android so easy to use and boat loads of apps. plus it's a phone too. I'm very pleased with it, only issue for me is it's so new nowhere sells the cases yet

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I'd never even heard of the Streak until you posted that you'd got one a couple of weeks ago.
I've looked into it on youtube etc. and it's now at the top of my list for when my current phone contract is up

How's the size in real-life usage ? It looks like it could be a bit unwieldy compared to a phone (but handy compared to an ipad)

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I love mine.........as long as you see it for what it is and not to replace your laptop then you will love it.

Not sure it will play bbc iplayer though?

I didn't bother with the 3g, I see it as a web broswer, photo viewer, e-mail reader, and the other thousands of apps you can get.....NOT a replacement for my mac book.

Pete.

Ipad it up! They are awesome

Hi

Never seen Jake Humphries, (SP), do anything else but carry, (and product place), his.

Regards Mick