Customer Reviews

Apple iPad 2 - 16gb WiFi

5 star:		(41)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

I'm sure the vast majority of those buying an iPad 2 will be very pleased with it. For the most part it lives up to the hype and is a very seductive piece of kit. After downloading iTunes onto the computer and registering, setting up the iPad is a doddle as it's simply a case of connecting it to the computer and the automatic 'synching' process does the rest.

Connecting to the internet via Wi-Fi with my 'N' router was as easy as entering the password and I have to say the response time of the Safari web browser was very impressive, with pages loading very quickly making web browsing a joy. The screen is a gem being bold and bright and large enough to be regarded as a serious web browsing monitor. The only slight criticism, which is often referred to, is how quickly the screen becomes covered in fingerprints. But I hasten to add the need to clean it only becomes apparent after you've turned the thing off and isn't a problem during use.

Of course, Apps are a huge attraction and there's a lot of fun to be had from browsing the App Store and downloading from the huge amount available, many of which are free and even the paid ones don't exactly break the bank. And apps can be downloaded directly onto the iPad, there's no need to sync them from the computer to the device.

If, like me, you enjoy keeping up with the news and catching up with missed TV programmes then apps like BBC iPlayer, Sky news for iPad, and the (currently free) Channel 4oD are obvious choices and are very impressive on the iPad. A YouTube app also comes as standard and there have been comments about losing Wi-Fi connection whilst using it which I did experience a few times. This may need to be fixed in a future update but it reconnected quickly and wasn't a big problem.

Criticism is bound to be subjective but there are a few things I'd refer to. Firstly, it seems that most people don't appear to have a problem with setting up their email account on the iPad, but for me it was a non starter. I have Outlook Express on my desktop PC and have never had problems setting up email accounts before. But my iPad just wouldn't receive emails - sending emails, yes, but it wouldn't receive them. I spent the better part of two days trying to beat this problem, but tech help both at Apple and my ISP along with lots of forum trawling couldn't resolve it. I tried setting it up manually, then synching OE from the computer, but all to no avail. Others seem to have had no problems in this respect so maybe it's just my bad luck.

The second thing is battery life. In just about every iPad review I've read, 10 hours seems to be the boastful claim and I notice other reviewers here are similarly impressed. Well, perhaps that 10 hours is possible with Wi-Fi turned off. But in my experience using the iPad with Wi-Fi turned on drained the battery in half that time. So, maybe time between charges depends on how much you surf the net. If not, then maybe mine had a substandard battery.

My third criticism is maybe due to the success of the iPad design. It's a beautiful thing and deceptively solid and strong, which is a good thing, right? But it's sleek, slim, highly polished profile makes for quite a 'slippery' unit. Using it on your lap or a table is fine but holding it as, say, an ebook reader (and iBooks, together with the Kindle app, are excellent by the way) can sometimes be a little frustrating as you try to work out the best way to hold it for any length of time.

Then there's the lack of Flash support which means that if you're someone who likes to watch video clips on the internet, or indeed any video content that requires Flash, then you're going to be frustrated by Apple's stubborn refusal to allow it to run on the iPad. There are a few apps and freeware programs out there which attempt to get around this issue but I wouldn't put too much faith in them at present. But if Flash is of no concern to you then obviously this can be discounted.

And finally, there's the price. Although the iPad2 is good value when compared to the original I think those of us in the UK still get legally mugged. To some extent we can thank the VAT hike to 20% which means that no less than a hefty £90 of a 64Gb iPad2 price is VAT. Of course, that's no fault of Apple but it does make the overall cost an important consideration.

If price isn't a concern and you don't mind shelling out so much for something that will probably be superseded by iPad3 in less than a year - and you're not frustrated by the email account problems I had and the niggles I refer to above then I'd say the iPad 2 is a serious contender for anyone looking for a tablet which, by all accounts, sets a standard in terms of design, build, and sheer usability that the 'android' competitors are still struggling to compete with.

To be honest I wasn't really in the market for a tablet. But after I found I was using my smart phone in which to check my mail, check the news and finding myself getting somewhat frustrated at the small screen size I decided; "What the heck" and did a trawl for the best tablet for me. Initially the I-Pad was out of the running simply because of the price. But after looking around at the competition it soon became very clear, that actually the I-Pad was the only worthy contender: Dual Core Chip, fantastic build quality, capacitive touch screen and best of all it is so intuitive in use.

I ordered off of Apple (Got the free engraving) and through their website was able to check its progress: China, Middle East,Germany,England. The I-Pad arrives fully charged, however if like me and this is your first Apple product you need to download I-Tunes in which to register the product. (No other-way to get it working)

Well, to turn it on, you depress the wee button on the top of the Pad, It's up and running within seconds and I mean seconds. To access your mail touch the mail app (Ok,you do have to enter your e-mail details first) and again within seconds you are checking your e-mail. Check the internet, touch the Safari app (Safari is the Apple version of Window Explorer/Firefox/Opera etc) very smooth again within seconds I'm surfing the net.

The battery lasts around 10 hours and takes up to a couple to recharge.

Now I suppose the main selling point for a lot of people will be the applications (Apps) that are available. I simply bought a couple of pre-paid vouchers in town and entered them into my I-tunes account. Its as easy as that and you don't have to enter any bank details anywhere. Every-time I purchase an app within a few days I receive a receipt (e-mail) from apple informing me of my purchase.

I've downloaded a backgammon app. (Ok) the Daily mail app (Don't laugh as the app is really something else.) Which costs £[] for the year and as somebody who reads the Guardian on a daily basis and the Economist on a weekly one I will be purchasing it once the free period runs out in Aug. What I'm saying here is from what I've seen of the difference in Android and Apple apps. Apple wins hands down in the quality stakes.

I've downloaded the bookshelf app and currently have 4 books downloaded. To be honest I just wanted to know what they would be like and as the books were a lot cheaper than the usual paperbacks I purchase I thought I'd try them out. Well reading them is no different to reading a real book and you get the bonus of being able to instantly check out what any word means. Simply by moving your finger across the screen the pages move back or forth. However I can't see myself giving up the pleasure of reading a real book any-time soon. For a start you never ever worry about a book.

I also purchased a plastic screen protector. Now having fitted a Zagg Invisible Shield to my phone I knew fitting one to the I-Pad would be a job and a half. Guess what it was. However I recommend buying one of the wee packs (3 or 6) in which to get used to fitting a screen protector without coming up with something that looks like an aero bar.

All in all, I am most impressed with the I-Pad, my only gripe is how anything connected to Apple is so damn expensive. On the other side of the coin you get what you pay for. At the moment the I-Pad2 is the best tablet on the market with the most peripherals, yes there are lots of competitors in the background. But if you want the best, then there's simply no contest.

So, you're thinking of buying an iPad however, you're not so sure of what it can do and how it works. So, here is the "Dummies Guide to the iPad" to help you make that decision. "I promise to keep the jargon down to a bare minimum" :))

To begin with the iPad must be paired to an existing Laptop or Desktop PC. These can be normal Microsoft Windows or Mac PC's. Once paired you can use the iPad by itself. It only has to be paired once. Although, there is a rumour that the next generation will work straight out of the box.

You will be able to:

-Touch and pinch the screen to type words and move things around
-Send and Receive Emails
-Browse the Internet including Online Banking, Internet Shopping and more...
-Listen to Music, including the Radio when there is a Wireless (Wi-Fi) connection
-Watch Videos and Movies
-Write and Print Letters (see the section on 'Printing' further down)
-Download and Play Games
-Become a Smarter Person (more on this later)
-Display Pictures - it is an electronic Picture Frame too!
-Take Pictures and Movies, if it has the onboard camera (iPad2 and newer)
-Have a chat with the relatives abroad using Video Conferencing technology
-Download THOUSANDS of books into a snazzy Book Reader that you can actually turn pages on the screen with
-There are loads more - I'll leave them as a surprise if you decide to buy one :)

You will NOT be able to:

-Watch a special type of animation or movie using a technology known as 'Flash' - don't worry about this though, you'll hear lots of people complaining about it. It really is no big deal and you'll learn to live without it. Over time, many of the popular web sites will move away from using Flash and use a newer technology that DOES work on iPads.
-Insert a CD (there is no slot and you don't actually need one)
-In fact, there is not much else you can't do with an iPad :))

THE WIZARDS

No, not the ones' from Oz! Wizards are helpful programs that magically pop up and automatically configure things like the Internet and Email connections for you. The iPad has more Wizards than you can wave a wand at! When you first switch it on and whenever you need to set something up it will automatically present you with a Wizard. Therefore setting things up is as easy as 1-2-3.

The iPad is also an iPod!! - Loading music is done in one of two ways.

1 - install the free version of iTunes onto your normal PC and follow the Wizards instructions to download your music from the 'iTunes Store' or transfer your music from your favourite CD collection. Then, connect the iPad to your computer using the supplied cable and it will automatically 'Synchronise' your music to the iPad. Yup, you guessed it - using yet another Wizard!

2 - iTunes is a built in application (or App) on the iPad itself. Tap this App to search for and download your music directly to the iPad. You could even download a movie or your favourite episode of 24 too!

Once the music is on there just tap the iPod App to listen to it. Easy-Peasy!

APPS

The iPad extensively uses Apps. Apps are downloaded, using Wi-Fi. This is why you don't need a CD drive. These are the icons that are displayed on the screen.

Apps are downloaded from the Internet using yet another App called: "The App Store". Tap this icon to search for or see a list of the most popular Apps available, some are paid for and some are free! Tap the 'Install' button next to the one you'd like, follow the Wizards instructions and the App will automatically download and appear as a new icon on the screen.

LOADING PICTURES

These can be loaded onto the iPad using iTunes, Email or the 'Camera Connection Kit' - this is a separate adaptor (£25) that plugs into the bottom of the iPad. Just insert the memory card from your camera into the adaptor and it will automatically load the pictures into the built in Photo App.

THE PICTURE FRAME

When the iPad is locked (by pressing the button on the top-right side) and then back on again, you'll see a little icon in the lower right side corner of the display. Tap this and the Photo App will automatically display your pictures in full screen mode, converting the iPad into a digital Photo frame! It is a great feature. This means that you can leave the ipad on the shelf, literally as part of your rooms decor! You may want to purchase a 'Dock (£25)' to have the iPad tilted and supported at just the right angle.

Tip: if you need a reason to justify buying an iPad to your wife - use the Picture Frame one!!

PRINTING

Printing is done wirelessly, however you MUST use one of the wireless printers detailed on the apple.com website. Typically, it will not print to anything other than one of those printers. There is one caveat to this statement, it is possible to print to any wireless printer if you pay for and download a third party App that is available via the App Store - use the search keywords 'wireless printing' to find it.

It is also possible to email whatever you'd like to print and pick it up on your normal PC for printing.

Finally, I mentioned that you could become a Smarter Person by using an iPad - in fact this is not a joke. There are thousands of educational Apps including ones' for learning Astronomy through to learning how to read and play music and even Apps that will help you learn a new language. The possibilities are literally right at your finger tips!!

If you're unsure of which size to buy just buy the largest one you can afford. I have a 32GB version and have only used half of its capacity even with some very large Apps installed.

The iPad is many things to many people and the information above is just scratching the surface.

"I hope this review helps you make the right decision and I also hope that I did not use too much confusing jargon."

Good luck!

*** update 12th October 2011 ***

Apple have released their new Operating System (iOS 5)

Amongst many new and enhanced features there is now the ability to synchronise data across multiple Devices. They call it 'iCloud' - think of iCloud as 'Virtual Filing Cabinet' to store your Documents, Diary and a record of your downloaded media from iTunes. Always accessible as long as there is an internet connection.

iCloud also allows the iPad to be used without having to 'Pair' it with a computer. It will now work straight out of the box!

I recently bought an iPad 2 as a retirement present for my wife. She was a teacher and would not mind me saying that she was not always comfortable with the increasing requirement to use I.T. within that profession. In fact she could have been described as technophobic as far as I.T. was concerned. The reason that I describe the iPad as a magic product is that in a very short time it has changed all that completely. To illustrate I will point out that a key criterion for the suitability of a handbag is now whether or not it can accommodate the iPad! My wife and this little device have become inseparable.
I can readily understand why. The speed, ease of use and compactness of this little unit is simply awe inspiring. I had no previous experience of Apple but I must admit that I can now begin to understand what its legion of devotees see in it. One is not going to sit down with an iPad to write a thesis or prepare business accounts but for 'surfing' to access information quickly and for keeping personal material, such as a diary and photographs, for quick and easy access it is superb. The touch screen technology and the clarity of the on-screen image is brilliant. There is simply no loss of quality of either sound or picture when using it to view programmes on sites such as BBC iPlayer. Film buffs could certainly get tremendous enjoyment from downloading and viewing movies on an iPad, although of course they would need to invest in more than the 16gb version to do this.
If you can accept the slightly higher price compared to other copy-cat products and the occasional inconvenience of not being able to use certain devices, such as flash player, that are not part of the 'World of Apple' then this device is well worth considering. It is indeed truly 'magic'.

I was one of those people who said "who needs an Ipad? why not just get a laptop... it does more!". Then I got one about a month ago and I can honestly say I jut pure ignorant!

Firstly though... if you buy an iPad expecting it to replace your laptop, you will be disapointed. Lets get a few things out the way here.

1) An iPad isn't and never was designed to replace either a PC or a laptop. Its a tablet device which compliments either a PC, Mac or a laptop.
2) An iPad has one massive disadvantag to a laptop, and that is the ease of transferring data. It has no DVD drive or USB slot!

Now if we look at what the iPad is and does offer... its an amazing piece of technology which can massive potential for use and funcationality.

The main things I use mine for are...

1) Word processing and spreadsheet creation.
2) Painting and drawing.
3) Internet browsing.
4) Music, videos and podcasts.
5) Gaming.
6) Reading.
7) Emails.

You can't judge an iPad or any technology unless you know what functonality and you see how well it does those. All the above are what I required or found I could do, and now use my iPad for such. The iPad fits my needs and requirements.

In essence, the iPad is a bigger, massive version of an iPhone, but so what? It works!

Word processing and spreadsheet creation works a charm. Typing couldnt be easier, and with a wide range of word processing "apps" to buy and use, you have ample choice. There are even "apps" which read and create MS documents too.

Internet Browsing, despite the lack of flash, is spot on. Most websites now are moving away from flash or offer a free "app" to download and use. For example, the BBCIplayer offers a free "app" because the main website users flash and it works a charm.

Email management is easy enough with pre-installed apps.
Music, videos and podcasts all work the same way as on the iPhone.
Reading is a nice experience - and you can use either iBook or the Kindle app or many others to read with.
Gaming offers litterally hundreds or thousands of games to play for free or purchase.

As for the painting and drawing... that was originally just something I was curious about, but after downloading a couple of "apps" and buying a stylus, i've found the iPad to be very good at creating original art work.

From my experience the iPad has a few advantages over a laptop, if you need some:

1) Its far more compact and eaier to lighter to carry around in a bag.
2) A lot easier to hold in your hand or lap and type into.
3) An iPad doesnt become hot when holding it, like some laptops can.
4) The battery life is GREAT! I've had a few laptops in the past and most have died after about 2 hours. My iPad is stll going and with lots of juice left after just half the day being left turned on.

Obviously if you use the iPad excessively, the battery goes down quicker... but it still lasts a lot longer.

Then you have the thousanads of free and purchaseable "apps" which expand the functionality of the iPad far beyond what you might expect. Compare this to a laptop, where you might have to spend about £10+ to get a piece of software on your machine to do something which you can either get for free or pay a lot less for on an iPad.

As I said above.... laptops do offer more processing power, more functionality like DVDs and easier data transfer and more complex software. But if all you need is a small amount of functionality, and you dont need all the bells and whistles of a laptop... consider an iPad.

The only thing I would mark against an iPad (and this is optional) is that you will likely end up spending MORE money on accessories like protective casings and bags and perhaps a keyboard. If so, it can add a further £100+ to what you already spend.

This device has completely changed how I view using the Internet and everything on the Internet. Before I owned an iPad I had to turn on my computer, wait the required 6 minutes of loading to boot up then type my password, wait another 3 minutes to be able to access the Internet and I have to do all this whilst sitting infront of a desk and on a sometimes uncomfortable chair. Now I can just sit back on a sofa or bed, turn it on and be on the Internet in under 30 seconds. Just this makes it worth buying for me.

The biggest draw to this is the apps, there are countless apps that you can have fun with. I have downloaded apps for reading comics, books, video calling, watching tv shows, video games, learning foreign languages and helping with work. I have discovered all of these apps in under in under a month and I feel as if I have only started and cannot wait to see what else developers can come up with.

The design of the device looks slick and cool but you may find holding the device up a little bit complicated as the back of the the iPad is extremely smooth and may slip out of your hands.
I have not had a problem with loading times or the Internet being slow at any point but that doesn't mean this device is perfect for example the iPad does not use flash player so some website that host videos may not work. The battery life is not as good as I had wished either lasting between 8-10 hours which is not bad if you only use it at home and can charge it at any time, but sometimes I like to take it to work or in the car and when I do I have to keep an eye out on the battery life. The biggest problem I have faced is with sending e-mails, as someone who is applying for jobs I need to keep checking my e-mails and sending my CV to people which is something you cannot do on an iPad. I have tried a lot of things but I cannot seem to find a way to attach my CV to an e-mail and send it, because of this I have to go on my PC if I find a job on the iPad and want to apply.

The price of the deivce is something which many people complain about, I can see why it may seem overpriced for what some people may see as a dumbed down laptop without a cd drive. Trust me though; after using it for a month it is hard for me to go back to my PC to do anything that I can do on my iPad, now I only use my PC for putting CDs on my iPod, work and sending important e-mails.

These small drawbacks do not stop this from being an amazing device and I do not know what I would do without it now. If you have the money I would say definitely buy this as you will not be disappointed but please try it somewhere before you buy just as you should before making any big purchase.

All this fuss about IPAD2 not having FLASH, who cares?! I certainly don't. I had to ask what flash was, I was told it is used to produce videos on some web sites. Well it certainly hasn't affected my surfing enjoyment. This machine is absolutely amazing. I hear people complaining about the price, well I paid more than this for my first video recorder back in 1983. The trouble is we have got so used to cheap technology, cheap PC's/laptops. This is better than all pc's and laptops put together. Why? because it is portable and does so much. It is difficult to know where to start. Firstly, amazing packaging, it was a shame to have to open it, but I had to! Super slim and feels great. Image is brilliant (a word I am going to use a lot I am afraid). So easy to set up. It arrived virtually fully charged. SO turn on and go. My wife commented that it is easier to use than any computer/pc we have had in the past and we are not used to Apple products (apart from IPOD). We went for the wifi version because we have wifi at home and I won't be using it much out of the house. 16gb because even though I have got a 16gb IPOD I won't be using all the music on it. Yes I had to have a think about how I just select some music and photographs for the IPAD. Just select certain play lists rather than the lot, or set up a new play list simply for IPAD. Similar with photographs or select certain files from the computer. The IPOD on the IPAD can play all the time you are doing other things on the IPAD like surfing or playing games. It will even continue playing when the IPAD goes into sleep mode. Set up of email would be easy if I didn't have hotmail. Not a problem though I simply go onto the net and bookmark hotmail like I do with any other web site. There is probably a solution to the hotmail glitch but I haven't spent too much time looking for it. Now to the Apps, something I have not come across before. So simple. There are a few apps supplied like calendar, contacts, notes, maps, youtube, itunes, app store, game centre (a few freebies but search the app store there are a load more), camera, photo booth (great fun with the camera) and settings. There are 2 cameras, one at the back and one at the front. You can take a picture (or video) of yourself or press a button to take a picture (or video) of what is in front of the camera. There are also apps for safari (for surfing the net), mail, photos and IPOD.

Moving around the IPAD is very simple with touch screen, very responsive. If any typing is required a large key pad appears on the screen. I have brought down the free apps BBC iplayer, sky news, itv player, 4 catchup, kindle, bbc news, google earth, twitter, dictionary (and thesaurus), battleship, air hockey, capital fm, solitaire, spider, tv guide, skype (yes you can make free calls if you are using your wifi). I have also spent 59p and bought monopoly, scrabble, retro pinball (brilliant). There are some 60000 more to investigate so I understand. I spent the princely sum of 3.99 and bought RealRacing2HD. I had always wanted a racing game but never found one that was resposive enough or didn't make me feel sick. This is great and you control the steering by turning the IPAD right and left! Excellent!

In conclusion I think the IPAD2 is amazingly amazing. Easy to use, brilliant graphics, brilliant sound system, brilliant for surfing, brilliant for catch up tv, brilliant for displaying photos/videos, brilliant for playing games, brilliant camera...just brilliant!

The IPad 2, is it simply the name that screams brilliant? In my household we have two of them, one is my mums and one is my dads, yes that's right a His and Hers. That's because they simply wouldn't share, and now theese machines are very different; my mums is filled with music, family pictures, her email and very few games. My dads is filled with athletes stuff, podcasts for running, videos for cycling, games and millions of radio stations. Both have a Kindle, so there aren't very many ebooks downloaded, because one of the few flaws is that the screen is too bright for reading, so if you primarily want an Ereader I wouldn't recommend the IPad 2. I must admit that when my dads at work, I "adopt" his IPad 2 for the day. I use it for Facebook, my email, playing games, surfing the Internet,taking funny photos, booking movie tickets and Skyping my friends. For a teenager it simply is a fantastic toy. The IPad 2 is very addictive, and most nights my parents will be sitting at the table each on their own IPad 2 doing very different things, shopping, watching a film or emailing friends. One of the reasons they went for the IPad 2 instead of an IPad 1 is because of the cameras, I go to boarding school so it's great for using Skype and being able to see each other although they didn't get the IPad 2 with 3G because you have to sign up to a £15 a month contract, and there was no point since we have wifi at our house. I'm writing this review on my dads IPad 2, the keyboard is large and easy to use, and the IPad 2 itself is portable and fits easily into my bag. Many people say that the IPad 2 is not very durable, but after dropping one on my foot, I beg to differ, the screen is intact and the IPad 2 is still working perfectly. Another flaw is the battery life, you usually do need to charge the iPad at least every other day if you use them frequently. So all in all, the speakers are excellent, the apps and games still fantastic and the cameras are brilliant, it's obviously a very expensive item but all things considered it's definitely worth it, but I wouldn't use instead of a Kindle for reading books and if I believe that if you buy one you have to buy a case to protect and clean the screen. Hope this helps and I'd recommend to all.

I purchased this item primarily for fun, despite of what I told my parents about its useful properties. However I subsequently found that using apps such as apples own word processor, pages, I could also work on the device very easily and efficiently. The IPad is also a fun way to pass the time. One can surf the web, using the in built safari browser; play a wide range of games from the app store, take pictures, listen to music or watch movies.

I was very impressed with apple's IWork suite which enables the user to access documents made in Microsoft office as well as in apple's own office suit. This is an incredibly useful feature when one works in an office or goes to a school which runs on windows because you can sync documents between devices using iTunes as well as emailing documents to yourself and opening them with IWork.

I have owned an IPod touch 4g previously to this and was surprised at how much like a computer's browser my iPad's Safari was compared to the iPod's version. As with all apple's own applications the browser is packed full of useful features Such as reading list which allows you to save a web page to read later. One major dilemma I had when deciding between an iPad or an equivalent android tablet is about flash, I thought that the lack of flash could inhibit my browsing experience. However, I feel I made the right decision choosing this tablet over a Motorola Xoom for example. I hadn't realised previous to the purchase of this item how much of the content on the Internet is infact running on -iPad compatible- HTML5. I also recently read in an article that adobe are planning to stop making the mobile version of flash for new devices showing how obsolete this platform is becoming.

The dual core A5 chip boosts gameplay dramatically compared to the processor used in the original iPad's A4 chip. It speeds up the game's performance and allows games with better graphics to run on the device such as the unreal engine powered, combat game infinity blade which boasts some of the best graphics on the app store. The 9.7 inch display also offers a lot of space so you can see both the game and the controls. The app store has a wide range of apps for all manner of people whether you are a casual or a hardcore gamer ther is a game for you. This also helped me decide iPad over android due to the fact that the android marketplace is far inferior to the app store due to its lack of good games and high proportion of poorly developed rip offs.

The new ios 5 music app is in my opinion a thing to behold. Seemingly based on Dieter Ram's work for Braun; it has a beautiful interface that adds a tactile element to listening to music. The speaker on the rear of the device is very clear meaning you can show videos to your family without your dad saying "What a tinny sound!" every five seconds. Thanks to the speaker and the 9.7 inch display watching movies is also a pleasurable experience.

The one thing that I was disappointed with on the IPad 2 is the camera. Photos taken in low light appear grainy and even outdoor pics lack the high resolution of the iPhone 4's 5 megapixel camera infact the camera is less than 1 megapixel in resolution and the tiny lense simply adds to the problem. As well as this the relatively high resolution display of the iPad 2 causes the images to look even fuzzier compared to the crisp graphics of the photo interface.

So overall the iPad 2 is a good portable way to work and play but the camera certainlly isn't to be used in place of a regular digital camera or even a phone.

I purchased this after a lot of thought. I had longed for one for quite a while but wasn't sure if I really needed one. It's taken me this long just to upgrade to a touch screen phone! Having my brother as a PC Expert he finally persuaded me to make the move and I don't regret getting one. As soon as it was set up and I started playing around I realised it was well worth it. It's simply fantastic and means there's no more fighting over the computer with my parents! I use it mainly for surfing the internet, and it's so convenient. I love the whole look and feel of this, it's really sleek and so easy to use. I'm still getting my head around the whole apps thing, I've downloaded some and have deleted them almost straight away as they have been useless but I suppose it's just a bit of fun. The best one is Tiny Zoo! The only negative I can find with it is that the battery life isn't great and mine drains so quickly. I'm using it quite a bit but didn't expect to be charging it up every other day, sometimes every depending, and it takes hours to fully charge, like 4 or 5 hours! It's pretty odd but other than that it seems fine, and having done some research that doesn't seem like anything out of the ordinary. I find it's so quick to load websites and the quality is fantastic. I'm getting used to the touch screen and I think this is suitable for all ages. I had no problem syncing my e-mails when I first got it, but our main computer is also an Apple so maybe that makes a difference? All in all I think this is an amazing piece of technology and if you want to invest in something special and more up to date with the ipad 2, like I did, then I would say it's really worth it.