I have had a bug since yesterday to buy a Ipad 2.

But just not sure I can justify it, as I have a lap top.

Has anyone got one on here ?

Anyone use it for any business purposes ? What are they ?

Cheers

My wife and I looked at these as we both run our own businesses. My wife was initially interested but I had already dismissed it as being something of a toy. My wife works in PR and Marketing, so presentations are important as is twitting and farcebooking ... Both the latter the Ipad2 is good for. However if you wish to edit your powerpoint documents, you require an extra app and I keep reading varied reviews on these. Also to really get the fully internet scanning ability you need access to wifi or a strong 3G signal, and believe me outside of London (you know the other part of England) this is not that frequent - so why travel with it? Also we travel abroad but a lap top would be taken anyway - so if you already carry a lap top you may as well stick with it as the Ipad2 is not yet powerful enough to remove a good thin lap top.

There are more PC tablets coming to the market and we should thank the Ipad for that as it's creating some diversity in the market. 

I used to use an Asus EEpc when they were first out and it was on a linux operating system and I used open office to run my Excel macros - this was a fab solution and if any Tablets out there have linux (maybe Android 3 ) and the ability to run open office or even Microsoft excel then yeah I would be interested but the drive has to be solid state and there has to be 4 USB ports minimum plus the capacity to take SD cards of any size. The internet scanning music/ film play back is a piece of p@ss for a machine like this...

If you have a Blackberry have a look at the Playbook. Can do everything the iPad can do (albeit without the numerous native apps available from App Store) but with the added benefit of 'bridging' with your Blackberry phone allowing you to view emails, surf the web etc using the phones data connection.

Another benefit of the Playbook is that it runs Flash (which the current iPad does not) meaning you get a 'full' web experience. This also means the numerous apps required on the iPad to accomplish most web-based tasks are not needed (e.g. Facebook, try using the normal web based interface on an iPad, no embedded videos or games, no native chat etc).

Similarly, the Playbook handles multi-tasking far better than most of it's rivals i.e. listen to music, IM friends, surf the web, send and receive emails all at the same time with noticeable 'lag'.

If you're in anyway technology savvy you can also set up the Playbook to run Google Android OS, this will allow you to download most games and apps via the Android Marketplace.

To answer your original question, I was in the same position when I got the Playbook but I find I use it all the time (listening to music & pod casts, catching up on the news, surfing the web, sending emails, watching movies, playing games, remote access to work/client computers - the list goes on...)

AC - What are you basing your comments on mate?  Do you have an iPad2 or ever used one?

Internet tethering between the iPhone and the iPad/iPad2 works perfectly, I use mine all the time and it was actually the reason I only brought a 32gb WiFi iPad2, rather than the 3G version.  And in terms of emails the iPad doesn't need to sync with a Blackberry to function for email it just works because you can add Exchange accounts and POP accounts directly to the iPad.

It's true that Flash isn't included as standard but that doesn't mean it's not available at all.  I have Flash working on my iPad2 and have full functionality of the Internet.

Multitasking is one of the best features of the iPad2 and it handles multiple apps like a hiot knife through butter.  Effortless switching between games/calendar/email music/videos the list goes on!

At the end of the day it's horses for courses, I've used most of the tablets that are availble on the market including iPad/iPad2, Playbook, HP Tablet and they all do much the same thing.  One will do something slightly better than another but they all provide much the same functionality. 

I thought the Playbook was pretty good and nearly opted for one of these, but went for the iPad2 at the last minute because I already have an iPhone and personally feel the iPad2 has the best of all the current tablets available.

Chris T....Totally agree with you on the macro / excel front... Even with everything needed to run excel, it still wont let me work on my insurance scopes....That is why I wont be getting one.

On the flip side, my Mother is having a ball with hers...

Chris - I don't have an iPad but have used both 1st and 2nd gen models extensively.

Internet tethering is not the same as bridging (at least in terms of Blackberry devices). It's my understanding tethering will cost the user, as the carrier will 'see' the data being 'shared', in this case with an iPad (from an iPhone). Bridging, on the other hand, transfers the data being 'pulled' by the phone to the Playbook over blue tooth and is, at this time non-chargeable (in the UK at least). It's worth baring in mind that both (tethering & bridging) are receiving data over a 3G (at best) network not through WI-FI, so there is no increase in speed when using one or the other (And I know there is a popular app that 'hides' the data transfer when tethered).

As a personal preference, it makes more sense to have a single place to store emails rather than have numerous devices all accessing the same information (using MS Exchange and Active Sync), in my case I can see the same information on both devices.

In terms of Flash, I should have made my point clearer, the Playbook has it baked in as part of the OS, the iPad needs an app to accomplish the same thing (I think?!).

As you say though horses for courses, I prefer the form factor of the Playbook (7" to the iPad 10"), the functionality it gives both with my Blackberry phone & without it.

I have the MK I Ipad and think it`s superb! 

It`s more comforatble than using a laptop, and I`ve also developed the now commonplace habit of usingthe ipad whilst also watching the tv (golf).

The latest `Sky Go` app is very good indeed!  It enables you to view the sky channels you subscribe provided you`re within your own wifi range.  I`m sure sky must have lost a number of multi-room subscriptions since introducing this app.

 All in all.......... it`s a crackin` lil` machine!

McStumpy wrote (see)

- how duo get flash working on the iPad??