Portability

The main selling point of both of these gadgets – although they do things differently – is that they’re portable. Although the Macbook Air is very small and razor thin, it still doesn’t beat the iPad in terms of size. The iPad can easily be held in your hands, even if you’re squashed into a small seat on a bus, train or airplane. This makes it great for bringing out where you might feel slightly uncomfortable with a laptop on your lap, and it’s also slightly lighter to carry around.

The battery life inevitably comes into any argument about portability. How long will you be able to use it for on the go without finding a charger? For the Air, it’s 5-7 hours depending on which model you choose. It can also go for 30 days in standby. For the iPad, it’s 9 hours on 3G or 10 hours on Wifi – very impressive and more useful if you’ll be away from power for a while. However, the Air does come with mains charging as standard, whereas you’ll need to charge your iPad by USB or buy an adaptor separately.

Ease Of Use

If you’ve ever used an iPad then you’ll know that it’s very simple to use – especially if you’ve already got an iPhone or an iPod Touch. However, when it comes to functions such as typing, you’ll find it a lot easier with the full keyboard that comes with the Macbook Air. The Air also features the famous Apple trackpad, helping you to control various functions as easily as possible.

Connectivity

If the main reason for your purchase is to stay connected when you’re on the go then the iPad could be the device for you. Although it comes at a price, you can purchase a monthly 3G data plan in order to stay connected to the internet even when you’re away from a WiFi hotspot.

The Air, on the other hand, only includes WiFi connectivity. However, there are third party solutions that you can use to stay more connected, at comparable prices to a 3G plan for your iPad. However, it will mean you have to carry around a dongle to plug into a USB port. Speaking of USB ports, the iPad’s lack of any has also been an issue for some users.

Functionality

This really does depend on what you need it for, but the Air is far more functional in terms of working just like a standard Mac computer with OS X. You can download software and play games, and use the Air just as you would normally would a desktop computer.

The iPad, however, is far more limited with iOS. You can only download apps that have been officially approved to be sold or given away free in the iTunes store, and they are far more limited in the way they work and how many you can run at once. Although the iPad 2 runs faster than the original iPad, you’ll still find the Air faster to use in general.

The good news is that both will do most things you’ll need them to on the go. You can check emails, listen to your music, watch movies, play games and more.

Cost

Even the most expensive iPad model is significantly lower in price than the cheapest Macbook Air. It isn’t too difficult to understand why. After all, the Air can do everything that a standard Macbook can, just in a lighter casing and with less power and storage. The iPad simplifies things and works more like a larger, more powerful version of a smaller iPhone or iPod Touch. That said, as an addition to the computers you already own, the iPad is far more affordable for a portable option.

Conclusion

The truth is that it really does all depend on you. While the markets for the iPad and the Macbook Air may cross over, they are not the same type of device. You may want an iPad that you can easily slip in and out of your bag for some entertainment on your daily commute, or you may prefer the fully functional OS X operating system that you’ll get with the Macbook Air. Some people have even found a use for both of these products in their lives!

Original post: iPad Vs MacBook Air: Which One Should You Choose??

If you like to read e-books, this alone may be a good reason to get an iPad. Compared to other electronic book readers, such as the Nook and Kindle, the iPad gives you a bright, color LCD screen that’s very easy on the eyes. Apple provides the user with a unique bookstore called iBooks, and free app for Kindle is available. Of course, if reading e-books is all you want the iPad for, you have to factor in that it’s more expensive than other book readers. These devices don’t offer you the same features as iPad — internet access and being able to play games and watch videos. Something that comic fans are happy about is the Marvel Comic app which lets you read Marvel comic books and view the illustrations in high definition.

You may enjoy the iPad’s ability to play videos and movies. The iPad screen gives you crisp clear HD images which you can download from the iTunes store. There also a free app you can get so that you can stream Netflix movies and TV shows on your iPad, though you have to be a member of Netflix for this.

View free content from the internet on you iPad. Unlike other streamed devices the iPad’s high quality images are top notch.

The biggest complaint to date about the iPad is that there is no camera on this iPad. With so many complaints about this missing piece, it’s quite possible that future generations of the iPad will. If you’re serious about photos on your iPad there is a cable you can purchase that will connect your digital camera to your iPad. So even though you can’t take pictures with your iPad, it’s not very hard to download them from your camera.

It’s something that can be considered a hybrid between a phone and a laptop, with features all its own. Some people don’t like what the iPad can’t do, an example is take pictures, but many people love the simplicity of its interface and hi-def screen. After weighing the pros and cons of the iPad, you can now decide if you want one.

Original post: A Quick Guide to iPad Features

If you get a USB car charger, you can charge your iPad while driving your car. This offers an ideal way to keep your iPad charged if you spend a lot of time in your car. Apple sells the Incase Car Charger for iPod, iPhone and iPad at the Apple Store for about $25.

Other brands do offer cheaper chargers but you need to make sure that they will actually work with the iPad before purchasing them. According to customer reviews, some of the inexpensive units that claim to work with the iPad only work with iPods. You can keep your iPad running the whole day if you charge it in your vehicle.

The iCade accessory, originally announced as an April Fool’s joke, won’t be available until spring 2011. This accessory turns your iPad into an arcade entertainment center which means you can play all kinds of games.

Even though the original concept was a joke, the public response was so positive that several companies, including game manufacturer Atari began partnering up to actually create it. Certain online retailers may allow you to pre-order this accessory.

Since the whole goal of owning an iPad is the convenience of portability you’ll want to keep it protected with an iPad case. You should really have a protective case for carrying around your iPad, or it’s going to end up getting scratched up or worse. There are of course a variety of cases to choose from as well as a variety of protection classes of these cases. Neoprene cases are popular because they’re strong and shock absorbent but still soft to the touch. Hopefully, you won’t drop your iPad on a hard floor or sidewalk, but accidents can occur and it’s best to have a case to protect it. Accessories can add to the convenience of your iPad. Some are necessity while others are convenience related. The accessories we’ve discussed in this article are only a few of the more popular ones presently on the market. If you shop around, you can find these and others at a good price online.

Original post: Choosing the Best iPad Accessories