Anyone worked out the point of the iPad yet?

Like lots of people, I like my technical gizmos and enjoy staying well connected on the move.  It has been fantastic this last year with my little Samsung Netbook and 3G stick, both from a personal and work perspective.  I am enjoying even better and easier connectivity via my new HTC Hero phone.

So when Apple launched the iPad last week, many of us have been scratching our heads and wondering just why.

I can see absolutely no need for something that is the same size as the Netbook, has got a fraction of the facilities, and over twice the price.

There are some very funny You Tube videos already posted that made me chuckle, particularly based on the Downfall of Hitler film.

So what is the relevance of this post to this blog.  Well as I have said here in the past, the Netbook is a brilliant tool for backing up images, plus processing, plus blogging while mobile. 

Sadly the iFad fails to hit any of these needs for me, and yet again an outrageous price.  They are beginning to make Canon's comedy prices look reasonable.

So to conclude, yet again another triumph of style and high pricing over substance.......a solution for a problem that doesnt exist or has already been covered well by existing phones and netbooks.

 

Have a look at the different options below if you want value and performance for money.

Right that's enough of that.  I am off to see some wildlife.

Martin

Software - Windows 7

Regular readers will know that I am a convert to my Samsung NC10 netbook.

This has been a fantastic little tool for me since I got it back in February. It goes literally everywhere with me, and providing I can get a Vodafone signal, I can hook up on line anywhere.

I gave my most recent presentation of my Mull Wildlife talk just this morning to the RPS Nature Group at the Chairmans Day, alongside two great speakers, Gianpiero Ferrari and Heather Angel, using the Netbook and Breezebrowser as my slide show software - another great bit of software that we have frequently recommended on this blog.

Anyway, I am sure it will not have escaped your notice that Windows 7 was launched last week, so I thought I would have a little look to see what is involved.

Firstly, if you are running Vista then it is an easy upgrade on top of your existing OS as you can just do a simopple run, as far as I am aware, but make sure you double check to be certain.

f you are using XP, then that's where your troubles start.

All the advice points to the following:

Back up all your files (well you should do that anyway - so no hardship there)

Then you do a clean install of the new OS.

Then, and here is the killer, reinstall all of your applications and files.

Well I don't know about you, but many of my apps are downloads, of various upgrades with discs all over the place.

I had thought about upgrading the netbook rather than my main desktop PC, which is now coming up to four years old. But on the basis of the above, plus the fact that XP is a pretty good stable platform and works well....at least for me on the netbook, I am going to give it a miss.

It can wait until I get a new desktop, which will almost certainly be some time next year.

That way, the OS would have had a good few months user testing, and service pack updates, and I will be back to reinstalls of apps then.

So my verdict!! - I am sure it is very nice, but it can wait. Sorry if you thought I was going to review it for you but I am not in the habit of changing for changes sake, and I have spouted on often enough on this blog about choosing not to be the test bed for manufacturer's lack of thorough testing.

Martin