I love being a geek.

For those of you that know me, I love my gadgets.

One thing that I have never been sucked into is the whole Apple scene.

I just do not like the way the phones and iPads etc are tied down so much you cannot integrate it with existing networks etc. dragging and dropping some photos which takes a couple of minutes on aPC took me about 2 hours the other night as they were on a DVD.

I have to add that I won't have iTunes on my computer. Work of the devil.

Anyway, Christmas 2011, Anne bought me an iPad. I loved it as a gift and I loved its design etc, but it was resigned to being a quick browser for the Internet, or something to take on a night away.

So, until now, it has been a seldom used toy.

So, what has changed?

We now have a little box that plugs into our Sky system which gives us on demand stuff through our wifi.

This is great, but the best thing is I have now found a use for the iPad.

You can download an app from Sky which turns your iPad into the biggest remote control I have ever had. It is an interactive remote control. You can look at all the listing, look at what you have stored, search for stuff, jump to different channels etc etc. You can also play, pause, record, fast forward etc etc.

The main thing is, you can do all of the listings thing without effecting what is going on on the TV.

Brilliant.

I can also pause the TV from upstairs. Why? Because it annoys the hell out of Anne.

NERD!

Jailbreak your iPad, it's as wide open as Android then...

And iTunes for Windows absolutely sucks. iTunes on the Mac on the other hand. Also the Mac runs on BSD Unix so for a geek like me, it is wide open.

And yes, it annoys the hell out of Helen when I muck about with the sky box from the sky app. (so much fun)

Also get the skygo app. In a wifi area it turns your iPad into a mini TV

I might Jailbreak it, but it seems sad that Apple put you in the position that you have to do that to get the most out of it.

I'm not a nerd, I'm a geek.

cjj wrote: I might Jailbreak it, but it seems sad that Apple put you in the position that you have to do that to get the most out of it.

I'm not a nerd, I'm a geek.

To be fair, to get the most out of Android, you need to root it.

We now have the family: pod, pad and mini.
A big downside is the FaceTime feature: if I'm away working and she face times, I can no longer pretend to be quietly working in the hotel room when I'm really in the bar......

The giant TV remote is a hoot I agree.
And the iPod is great for tunes in the MG: despite the cutting edge cassette storage available in the glove box lid...... :bang:

Off line maps are great too: we successfully navigated the streets of Bruges on foot, with points of interest (bars) all highlighted.

There is a difference to getting the most out of compared to getting it to work at an acceptable level.

My ipad

Will it connect to my wifi and allow access to files cross platform? No
Will it work with my wifi printer? No
Will it connect to my modern smart phone via Bluetooth? No
Can I drag and drop files to it? No
Can I connect to my Bluetooth OBDII connector? No
Can I add a memory card to expand the memory? No

Will it work with anything else with an Apple logo on it? Yes.

Brilliant piece of kit if you are Apple equiped, but if you like to buy stuff and mix and match it is a nightmare.

John and Sue wrote: And the iPod is great for tunes in the MG: despite the cutting edge cassette storage available in the glove box lid...... :bang:

Off line maps are great too: we successfully navigated the streets of Bruges on foot, with points of interest (bars) all highlighted.

I think the ipod has had it's day. There is nothing it can do that a decent smartphone can't.

I store music on my phone which I can stream via bluetooth to my car hifi. My hifi accepts SDHC memory cards and USB sticks, which I can load up in minutes using drag and drop (not itunes).

I have used the satnav on my phone (Garmin maps) for many things including driving.

My ipad is now a remote control.

We use the Sky App on our iPad too and it's great and Sky Go works well on the iPad too.
I'm an Applephobe, just switched from Android to Windows on my phone to match Windows 8 on my laptop but Mrs. H has the full set, MacBook Pro, iPad and iPhone.
I've used that to my advantage by making sure the new AV amp has AirPlay and the new printer has AirPrint to get sign off

The one thing I'm keen to avoid is the kids getting sucked into Apple. Our youngest is almost 2 and he can already unlock his Mum's phone and start making calls! We got the two boys to share a Nabi tablet for Christmas and have to say it's brilliant. Same specs as a Nexus 7 or Kindle Fire HD but has a kid's mode that's completely locked down.

Agree about iPhone and iPod, however: we all have pet hates and iPhones are mine! I have one supplied by work, but have stuck with its predessor the trusty Nokia! Irrational? Yep!



Sue is an IT Creature, and has configured her pad to clone the desktop of her PC which is upstairs in the study. Coupled with a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse, she can work on the PC via the pad, whilst lozzing on the sofa: even connect said view to the telly!

Download Print Agent from ITunes. It is free and will enable you to print to your wifi printers if they are supported, works with HP stuff. Will also work from your Iphone.

Peter