I am thinking of getting an ipad2.  Any thoughts on them please?

Have a look on the internet before you buy, a lot of tech sites are of the opinion the ipad 2 is a bit of a let down and are waiting on the next version to be released, there were some functions that were hoped for but weren't included, for the life of me I can't remember what they were.

It depends what you want to do on it.

As a complete techno numpty I'm still getting used to mine. I can't download my breeders program and as yet nothing for doing letters etc, but there must be an App/download. Still, it's better than the laptop which is on its way out and very slow.

I was thinking of getting a laptop as back up  for my desktop, but my son said that the ipad is better than a lap top.  The trouble is that he is such a gadget fan that I think that he would prefer it simply because it is more up to date!  :)  I just wondered what others think, so thanks for that!

As has been said, it just depends on what you want to use it for :) I was toying with the idea of getting one a few months ago, but in the end decided to get a Kindle and stick with a laptop. I looked at the iPad but decided that it was too small for me, that I needed a proper keyboard and that I wouldn't be able to install specialist software for my hobbies :) I am very happy with the Kindle - much better than I had previously thought :) :)

Can you do anything other than read on the Kindle?  I thought that it was just an 'e book'.........sorry all for sounding such a Numpty!!! Apparently, you can buy a keyboard attachment for the ipad2.  I want to use it in the same way that I would use a lap-top. :)

> Can you do anything other than read on the Kindle

No - you can only read :) The iPad had been suggested to me for reading, but it is far too expensive just for that :)

You can get a keyboard attachment for the iPad, but it looked rather flimsy to me as I use my laptop on my lap :) :) :) Perhaps someone on here has experience of them. I found the screen on the iPad too small for my needs :) :)

>I found the screen on the iPad too small for my needs :-) :-)
>

I am a bit concerned about that too!  :)

Glenys we have had our IPad now for a couple of weeks and it is brill.

We all use it although my iPhone still does a lot of what I need.

Like Daisy, I prefer the kindle and laptop.  The ink display on the Kindle is much more user-friendly and easy on the eyes than the backlit screen on the ipad - I can't imagine being able to read on that for very long.  I would only really use the Ipad for browsing the internet, and if I'm going to pay that kind of money, I'd prefer to go for a laptop, as it can do a lot more.  A couple of people I know have an Ipad and don't think it's worth the money, one described it as little more than a large iphone.  I also think it's way too small to attempt to use as a laptop in any serious way - netbooks are small enough to contend with, ipad is even smaller.

You could always wait for the much anticipated Kindle Fire, which should be on sale for a fraction of the price , under £200, of the ipad, for the money it's supposed to be excellent.

I am not really interested in reading from any of them as I like books but it is a thought so thanks for that.   Maybe I'll try my son or my DIL's ipad first and then make up my mind! :)

I have the ipad2 and love it for general use but I do flit from it to my laptop too as it doesnt do all I need easily or I cant get it to, its also hard on the eyes when using it for long periods. I wouldnt want an ipad solely without a laptop to fall back on.

Sorry, should have explained better, kindle Fire is a tablet, like the ipad, not an e reader http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/tablets/amazon-kindle-fire-1041946/review :-)

Oooo...........that one looks good!  :)

iPad2 - fabulous for viewing media but not brilliant if you want to create anything.

I'd suggest you jot down what you want to use it for, and then decide.  You might find you're a better off with a smart phone and a laptop...

> I like books

Oh the Kindle is really good for reading books.  I find I am reading a lot more than I was because it is so easy to keep with you.

Because of my eyesight it's great to have the text at a size where I can hold it on my lap in the car and read while OH drives, as previously my normal reading height was with nose on page and he couldn't see car mirrors.

I can sit in the pub reading it while he goes for a smoke.

I agree with DAB the iPad is great to pick up for the Internet or to catch up on iplayer but I use my laptop for word or spreadsheet stuff.

And I'm really disappointed that it can't use Flash player. Something I thought I could live without but now find really irritating.

> xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">Oh the Kindle is really good for reading books.

Yes, but I meant real books!  :) :)  Thanks everyone for your feedback!

>And I'm really disappointed that it can't use Flash player.

On the iPad 2 you can download a program called Proton, only a couple of pounds and it can play flash

Can you point me to Proton please..my brain obviously isnt functioning at any useful level as I cant find any link to it anywhere but it sounds exactly what I want! :)

If you click on Apps and type in Photon it should be first in the list, it opens up like a normal browser, then you click on the what looks like a lightning bolt, a message comes up saying connecting to streaming session for browsing flash website.

Sorry just realised I put Proton instead of Photon.

Brilliant, thanks for that Sharon.
:)

Wonderful, thank you, you had typed 'proton' before so thats why i couldnt find anything other drummer kits apps and suchlike! When I searched for a clue to it om google I just got cars! Lol! Mystery solved, looks great, I will be able to use my ipad with a whole lot more uses now, youre a star!