Glo Networks Technical Blog (Glo Blog)

Here at Glo Networks we’ve recently taken delivery of our first iPad. Having had some hands on time with the device we thought we’d offer our opinions on the current must-have gadget.

The first thing likely to cross your mind when using an iPad for the first time is how alien it is to hold and how strange it feels to use. This does not last long though as, much like the iPhone before it, after a short while with an iPad in your hands it seems perfectly natural and a joy to use. The onscreen keyboard is a decent size which makes text entry quick and simple.

The display on the device is crystal clear and a pleasure to use. The apps that were designed for the iPad all look fantastic (The email application in landscape mode is a particular joy!) however the older apps, designed for the iPhone, while useable and upscaled on the iPad are much less nice to look at. As more time passes we would expect to see iPad versions released for the majority of the most popular iPhone apps!

One App that has a Glo recommendation is Jump Desktop. This allows you to control remote PC’s via RDP. This is a very useful tool for those who may wish to use their iPad as a kind of replacement for a laptop, as it can allow access to all the programs, files etc. on your PC from your iPad. Using this app to connect to your PC you also have access to websites with Flash (we tested on Youtube, video was laggy and audio not perfect but compared to a complete lack of Flash it’s a definite improvement!).

Our major gripe with the iPad is, and has always been (since announcement) the lack of multi-tasking capabilities. As with the iPhone, to switch between apps means one closing to allow the other to open. While this is not such an issue on a phone (though annoying) on a tablet PC this becomes a major drawback! However it seems Apple are very aware of this, and have promised multitasking added in an update soon!

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Posted by James in General | No Comments »

Apparently some of us here at Glo Networks have been slacking on keeping up with the Apple iPad release information, and this has been on the Apple website for about “a week”.

However, incase you’re like the rest of us geeks who don’t bow entirely to the feet of Jobs then you may be interested in hearing that the iPad is due for release in the UK on Friday 28th of May, with pre-orders being accepted from Monday 10th of May.

Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain and Switzerland also have the same dates.

The iPad has a suggested retail price of £429 (inc. VAT) for 16GB, £499 (inc. VAT) for 32GB, £599 (inc. VAT) for 64GB for Wi-Fi models and £529 (inc. VAT) for 16GB, £599 (inc. VAT) for 32GB and £699 (inc. VAT) for 64GB for Wi-Fi + 3G models. However, some mobile carriers (O2, Vodafone and Orange) in the UK have plans for subsidised units.

Interestingly Apple are claiming that they have sold over one million iPads and users have downloaded over 12 million apps from the App Store and over 1.5 million ebooks from the new iBookstore.

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Posted by Karl in General, Mobile | 2 Comments »

Another use for the iPad was brought to our attention here, why not use the tablet to access and control remote desktops?

Although it could well be fiddly and clunky to use, if the App was done right and had enough developement to really use the touch capabilities in a natrual feeling way then we feel the iPad may have potential as a new kind of portable thin client!

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Posted by James in General, Mobile | 3 Comments »

For any that may have missed the media coverage of the Apple announcement, we at Glo-Networks would like to draw your attention to the new Apple product coming soon – the iPad. The device has long been rumoured and many have/had high hopes for it, so here are my thoughts:

The iPad is the Apple take on what’s called a tablet computer (a flat, slate shaped computer with a touch screen or stylus interface) and according to Apple the device will be “the best way to experience the web, emails, photos and video. Hands down.”, bold claims from Apple there. The device does look like it brings smart new direction to the tablet; however, it looks like a giant iPhone.

The similarity with the iPhone does not stop at the aesthetics of the device. Just like the iPhone it runs Apps (in fact Apple say that all iPhone Apps will run on the iPad) and just like the iPhone it is only able to run one App at a time, with no multitasking capabilities.

This seems a little underwhelming in my opinion, I love my iPhone and have sampled the delights of many a different App however one of my biggest gripes with the device is that in order to switch between active Apps they must, in effect, be closed and the next relaunched. The fact that the iPad, which is basically supposed to be a PC (albeit a flat, touchscreen PC that you can carry), cannot do two things at once seems quite a drawback.

Another complaint that has been raised against the device is the screen itself. Although it looks impressively bright and clear, the ratio is only 4:3, meaning all those 16:9 HD movies in your iTunes library will only cover a portion of the display! And although the screen is large the bezel surrounding it looks overly large also.

But let’s try to take a look at the positive for a moment.

The battery life is claimed to be 10 hours while surfing/watching videos/listening to music which does sound more than sufficient to keep you entertained on the commute to work.

It also has a book reader and a book store App, making it compete directly with the Amazon Kindle. Although the iPad looks like it will be more expensive, it does have a tonne of features that the Kindle is distinctly lacking.

In summary I’d say that the device does look the business and, if you are a looking to buy a book reader, is a veritable steal in comparison to the feature sparse Amazon Kindle. If, however, you are buying it to in lieu of a laptop, or even a netbook, there are products available that would likely fit the bill much better and for a lower price!

Will anyone here at Glo be buying one, I have my doubts..

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Posted by James in Desktops and Laptops, Mobile | No Comments »