Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 or iPad2?

[get me outta here]

However, i read earlier in this thread that transferring info from windows to an ipad was difficult, it certainly sounded hard to me.

 

[chocsaway]

I like iTunes maybe I'm the ONLY one .... Poor iTunes - unloved and unappreciated .... Sob
In seriousness I find it easy to move between PC windows and Mac and do it all day ... All the apps you could ever need are available just need some time to set it up to your needs.
Good luck and happy ipad'ing
Chocsaway

 

[get me outta here]

Thanks for all the advice Will certainly get this all sorted and decided before next departure otherwise I may be prone to panic.

 

[simongr]

I assume iTunes is all about music which I won't be using. I do need access to word docs, Outlook and travel apps, download photos - basic stuff.

There are multiple apps for viewing and editing Word Docs. In terms of Outlook there are again multiple Mail apps. I use the default Mail app for multiple mail accounts. It can connect to Microsoft Exchange as long as OWS is enabled (assuming a corporate IT function).

iTunes is the software hub used to connect your ipad to your PC/Mac. You don't have to use it often unless you want to transfer pics/music/apps etc which can be a lot when you first you get the ipad.

If you have basic skills I would strongly suggest the ipad - it just works.

You actually don't need to go through iTunes to do pretty much any of that:

- Apps - can all be downloaded directly to the device as long as it has an internet connection (WiFi or 3G)
- Music - if you really want to avoid iTunes then you can just upload your music to the cloud and again download to the device
- Photos - chuck your photos on a USB stick and then use the camera connection kit to move the photos to the iPad

Don't we all loathe iTunes?

I have no opinion on it really - I use it on a Mac so maybe it is better. Certainly the latest version seems quicker.

A 3G iPad will allow you to bypass iTunes for much of what you want. You can shop on the app store and download apps direct. iTunes is good to help manage the device - music, movies, apps, photos and so forth - but not mandatory.

Doesn't need to be 3G - a wifi only iPad can connect to the internet in the same way to manage apps etc.

However, i read earlier in this thread that transferring info from windows to an ipad was difficult, it certainly sounded hard to me.

I am not sure what issues you might have. The interface with the iPad is completely different to windows but Android are also different to windows. My mum uses my old iPad without issue - she is not a tech person at all.

 

[get me outta here]

Simon, does yr mum also use windows and has made the transition between OK?

 

[simongr]

Mum hardly uses a computer. However my father has been using windows forever and he settled in very easily using the iPad (it was meant to be for my mum but he nicked it pretty much as soon as I gave it to her - they now have two...)

I transition between windows at work, iOS on the iPad/iPhone and an iMac running OSX at home.

For me it is not about the difference between Windows and iOS as the devices using them are so different.

I think the biggest challenge is the way that apps handle files. There is no central file management system for word or excel files for example. Photos and music are held in a central "store" but if you edit a document in say DocsToGo you can actually open it in another word processing app but then you have two versions of the same document - one held in each of the apps.

 

[Pushka]

However, i read earlier in this thread that transferring info from windows to an ipad was difficult, it certainly sounded hard to me.

Not at all. You download the itunes software to your PC, plug in your device, and itunes will see it and you are good to go.

Simon, as an Ipad expert, Mr Pushka has this weird thing happening on his ipad. Even our expert 23 year old son can't work out why it happens. But when he sends a text from his iphone, it appears on the ipad. Which might get a bit tricky sometimes. But it doesn't always happen, just randomly. Have you ever heard of this?

 

[chocsaway]

Get me outta here - you could consider booking yourself on a 1 hour workshop in an Apple store. My 74 year old dad, who had never used any form of computer, went on a 121 session at Apple in Melbourne and is now a whizz on an iPhone and iPad. It may help you just get up and running quickly and there are some stores open later on particular nights if getting there in the day is an issue.
Chocsaway

 

[chocsaway]

Not at all. You download the itunes software to your PC, plug in your device, and itunes will see it and you are good to go.

Simon, as an Ipad expert, Mr Pushka has this weird thing happening on his ipad. Even our expert 23 year old son can't work out why it happens. But when he sends a text from his iphone, it appears on the ipad. Which might get a bit tricky sometimes. But it doesn't always happen, just randomly. Have you ever heard of this?

Hi Pushka
Sounds like you are attached to the "I cloud" which is pushing your info between your devices....
Chocsaway

 

[JessicaTam]

Not at all. You download the itunes software to your PC, plug in your device, and itunes will see it and you are good to go.

Simon, as an Ipad expert, Mr Pushka has this weird thing happening on his ipad. Even our expert 23 year old son can't work out why it happens. But when he sends a text from his iphone, it appears on the ipad. Which might get a bit tricky sometimes. But it doesn't always happen, just randomly. Have you ever heard of this?

Check to see if the recipients of the messages are using iPhones. The messages will usually be coloured blue not green. That means it may be using 3G/wifi for messaging and not SMS. Just a thought, I may be incorrect.

 

[Pushka]

Both good thoughts Jessica and chocsaway. I'm thinking I registered the ipad to Mr Pushka which is why it doesn't register my iphone texts. Thank god for that! And I know the icloud is in there somewhere.

See, this is one thing I struggle with in the new technology. I like to compartmentalise things. But it seems these days that if I do this, then automatically something else knows about it and I just feel kinda exposed at some level. I am a gadget gal, but I dont like the way everything networks together these days. Almost like an invasion of privacy,

 

[chocsaway]

My gosh what are you texting that has you so worried just teasing
Chocsaway

 

[simongr]

I often get iMessages sporadically - I think if the originating device has poor signal it becomes an MMS/SMS over cellular (green message) but if the signal is good then it becomes an iMessage (blue).

It is one area that I don't think Apple have done very well with in trying to get messages everywhere.

My PA started using iMessage and her husband was using it too - they both started getting each other's messages...

 

[Pushka]

My gosh what are you texting that has you so worried just teasing
Chocsaway

Well, you think about the stuff you text to one person isn't necessarily what you want someone else to read. I'm too old for the interesting kinda texts.

My PA started using iMessage and her husband was using it too - they both started getting each other's messages...

Ah, yes, this I would not like. Just gets messy!

 

[Limewood]

I like iTunes Poor iTunes - unloved and unappreciated .... Sob

There are zillions using iPads users as we know and the rest are trying to get a piece of the massive B$ Apple pie, what I really like is the apps, each time I go overseas I load up the cities and places of interest plus all the airline sites, my music videos and a few good movies, strap on my Bose Comfort headphones and away I go, of course iCloud being seamless with my other Apple devices is also a big thing.

 

[Shano]

We have both the Galaxy Tab 2 and iPad 2 at home. For "not-so-computer-literate" the iPad is probably the easiest to simply pick up and start using. My 6 and 4 year olds long didn;t take long to work out how to use it.

It also didn;t take my 6 year old long to memorise my iTunes pw and start downloading her own paid apps - not much fun receiving a receipt for a $100 Smurf game

Both kids fight over the iPad and have minimal interest in the Samsung (although their favourite app is ABC iView - which is much better in the iPad).

I also have a iPad for work. We run Citrix so this all integrates to some degree with the iPad using the receiver app, so if I need to I can run Windows based apps on the iPad, but is prone to drop outs. As others have said there are plenty of options on both platforms for word processing / spreadsheets / email.

 

[chocsaway]

Hear hear an iTunes lover
Chocsaway

 

[simongr]

I have only found one app where you could track changes in Word documents - sadly it is not a very stable app - Office 2 HD.

 

[markis10]

Sadly the iPad is yet to support Excel sheets with macros/vb script!

 

[simongr]

I am guessing a surface will do that? How do the android tabs work with macros?