@rose2008-2008 wrote:
When you get an Ipad or any sort of Tablet is it just like the equivelant of a smaller laptop?. Can you do everything on them like go on here ect?. And do you just plug them in or charge them up?. Im sorry but im not up on the latest technology and may want to think about getting one. I know i have this pooter but sometimes i would like to sit on my sofa and do this. Have you women and men got one?.
No, they are very far from being just like the equivalent of a smaller laptop - much less storage, much less processing power, no cd / dvd drive, no usb ports so you can't transfer files about. You can't "rip" a cd onto them, so can only get music on them by either downloading, or by connecting them to a computer / lap-top.
Instead of loading programs and games etc., from a dvd, you have to download everything from the internet. You download "apps" that are often slimmed down versions of the equivalent program or game, so you don't always get all the functions (such as pictures or smilies in ebay).
They are mostly fine for the internet, may be fine for email (depending on who your internet provider is) if you only have a single email address.
Yes they are lightweight and portable, yes you can charge them up and get about 4 hours wire-free use. You can also use them whilst connected to the mains if the battery has run down, but may well not charge up if you are actually using them.
There are lots of games etc. available, but storage space is limited, so you may find that in practice the number that you can have is limited, especially if you want to store music or pictures.
If you only want a gadget to access the internet and play a few games, then they will probably do what you want, but they are very far from the functionality of a laptop. They are mostly pretty good for video type phone calls - let you chat with folks anywhere in the world over your broadband connection.
BUT, and it is quite a big but, they are highly reliant on a broadband connection - fine if you you only use them at home, but can be a problem if you are away and can't find a free wi-fi hotspot. Because they have no USB port you can't just plug in a dongle to get internet access. Some (such as the ipad) can take a mini sim card and can run on a mobile contract, but that can work out expensive.
The keyboard can be a real pain too - no separate keyboard, just the on-screen keyboard, and you often have to switch keyboards to get numbers or symbols - can be a real pain when trying to put in a password! Some of them you can connect a wireless external keyboard.
Connecting them to a printer isn't exactly straightforward, you will need one of a limited range of printers.
You can watch catchup tv, can download films and watch them, but not everyone finds watching on a small screen a positive experience. Because it is a small screen editing photos or doing any sort of graphics work can be dificult, especially if your eyesight is less than perfect.
In theory you can connect them to the TV to play films on the TV, but you will need to have a TV that is connected to your broadband.
You can get "apps" for word processing or spreadsheets, but they are very much cut down versions with a lot of the features that you are used to using on a computer missing. They also store files in a different format to programs such as word or excel, so formatting doesn't always transfer. To be able to share a file with your computer (or vice versa) you will either have to use "cloud" storage, or email the file to yourself. As I mentioned earlier printing is far from simple.
Provided that you buy books from the official site, most tablets work very well as an e-reader, but do check that there is an "app" avaialble for the model that you want. Works fine except in bright sunlight.
Some people love them, some hate them. I have an i-pad mini that is fabulous for video phone calls - grandson reads bed-time stories to me, and I can see what grand-daughter is up to. I however use it for nothing else - there is no way that I could manage my email on it. Some folks find that big fingers and small screens are not a brilliant mix, but that can be got round by using one of the special stylus pens (also keeps the screen clean).
Remember that they use a touch screen - needs frequent cleaning!
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Some days I pray for silence
Some days I pray for soul
Some days I just pray to the god of sex and drums and rock 'n' roll
