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Top IPad Accessories

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iPads are awesome devices that really do change the way we access the web and consume media. The brilliance is in the convenience and the speed of the iPad, which means that checking the weather is now just the matter of picking up a nice flat piece of technology and swiping across the screen. No longer are we shackled to our desks or sofas when we want to use the internet, and no longer does it have to be a solitary or unsociable experience.

But while you’re probably getting a lot out of your iPad as is, there are many more ways you could potentially be getting even more enjoyment from it by buying the best accessories. Here we will look at some of the most useful and coolest iPad accessories out there.

Covers

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Getting a good iPad cover is something you should do right away as soon as you own your new toy. The reason for that is that it will enable you to personalise your iPad and give it that unique slant that tells you it’s yours – iPads are fashion accessories too so show off your sense of style. Meanwhile these are also practical accessories that can help to protect your iPad in a fall, avoid the screen getting dusty and allow you to slip your device into a shoulder bag without worrying about it getting scratched.

Stands

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Some iPad stands come built into the case, but either way these are a must to get the most from your device. The best thing about them is that they enable you to lie down while reading or watching a film – which is even more convenient now than using a book or your hands as you can angle it exactly where you want it.

Stylus

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iPads are great devices for designers thanks to the wealth of design apps and touch-screen input. Using a stylus you can take full advantage of this fact by drawing directly onto the page with more control and precision than you would otherwise have. Look for one with pressure sensitivity to really mimic the paper/pen experience.

Keyboards

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One downside to the touch screen input is the lack of speed when it comes to typing. Unfortunately, even though the on-screen keyboard is well designed, the lack of physical keys means you don’t get the tactile feedback. By getting a hardware keyboard you can eliminate this problem and turn your iPad into a great productivity device so that you can enter text quickly. Again some keyboards come built into the case, which makes them even more convenient so that you aren’t forced to carry a large extra peripheral with you everywhere.

Car Seat Holders

There are a range of these great iPad accessories, but they all work the same way by allowing you to attach your iPad to the back of your car seat for the children in the back. Put on a film and then enjoy the peace and quiet for a few hours before they start asking ‘are we there yet’ again…

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Shirley Templeton is a technology blogger and writes for Blankdvdmedia.com. Shirley has contributed numerous posts related to iPad and other gadgets to top technology blogs.

My laptop is acting up – Again!

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I’ve had my laptop for about a year and a half but it’s been acting up almost the whole time I’ve owned it. I don’t know what’s wrong with it. I’ve never had a computer act up as much as this laptop. I mean, I’ve build computers pretty much from scratch and haven’t had this much trouble.

I had to wipe my computer twice so far since I bought it and put all the programs back on it again. Now in the past week it started acting up again. My computer just freezes and nothing I do will turn it off except for holding the power button down until it shuts off. I hate turning it off that way. Luckily it’s not doing that all the time, but every few days it does it once or twice in a day.

I don’t know if it was a windows update that caused it to start acting that way or another program update. I certainly haven’t installed any new software. Of course, It figures that my computer starts acting up just when I started taking some college courses online. I really need my computer to be working properly. Maybe I’ll try a clean up computer program … although as I said my computer should be fairly clean since I’ve had to wipe it and reinstall twice in the last year.

Anyone else have a troublesome laptop? Mine’s an Assus.

The irony of buying software and upgrades

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Does this happen to you? You buy a new appliance, electronic device or software for your computer and within a short amount of time after your purchase the company comes out with a fantastic upgrade to the item you just bought. Uh huh … I thought so. The same thing just happened to me.

It figures doesn’t it. I just bought Dragon Naturally Speaking about a month ago because of my hand injury. I can barely type and it looks like I’ll need to use the dictation software for another month or two fairly regularly.

Guess what. Yesterday I start getting messages from the software that there’s a major upgrade … oh and it’s NOT free. Oh they’re offering a 50% discount, but it’s still at a price that’s much higher than what I just paid for the version I’m using.

Doesn’t that just figure?

I don’t see any need to upgrade at this time. I love the software. It’s certainly helping me, but I can’t afford to pay almost $100 to upgrade something I just bought a month ago! They should have either a free upgrade for people that purchased within such a short period of time or an even deeper discount. Right?






Thinking of getting a new eBook reader

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I’ve had a Kindle now for about two and a half years. I think my Kindle was the second version of the Kindle, but given the new versions that have come out and other ebook readers I’m seriously considering getting either a new Kindle or some other type of ebook reader.

I’m not thinking of getting a new Kindle just because I want all of the new features … no, it’s because my current one is acting up a little bit. Or at least I think it is. It sometimes takes a while to turn a page or to go back to the Home page. It’s just slower all around. I’m starting to think that the battery might be getting old or something.

So … if I do get a new ebook .. should I get a new Kindle or should I get a different kind of eBook reader like a Kobo or something else?

Great deal on a new microwave

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It seems like just about every Monday is shopping day. I’m sure most people have their shopping day on a Saturday or Sunday, but for our household it seems to almost always fall on a Monday.

Yesterday was a particularly busy shopping day. The night before the microwave died as I was making dinner! Ahhhh! No I wasn’t making “microwave dinners” or anything like that, but I do tend to use the microwave pretty much daily when I cook. I use it to heat things, steam vegetables, cook foods – it’s a well used appliance. I couldn’t live a day without my microwave or at least I didn’t think I could.

So … after doing the usually things like picking up some of my prescriptions (man I hate having Crohns!) and then getting groceries we started looking in a few stores for microwaves. I didn’t want a tiny microwave. Our previous one had been a 1.6 cubic ft microwave. Yes- big enough to put a good size dish, bowl or plate in. See I told you I cook in it. Unfortunately most of the stores that we went to had only .9. 1.0 or 1.2 cubic ft microwaves. I never realized how hard it was to find larger ones!

Finally we found the one we were looking for in two different stores – we’d gone back and forth doing a price comparison since the stores were close together. The store we eventually bought from had the microwave that we wanted listed at a higher price, but when we told them the other store had them for about $25 cheaper they immediately told us they’d match the price … then they said that oh .. the only ones we have of that model are in open boxes. So .. they said that if wanted an open box microwave that they’d drop the price a further $50 and then add a 3 year store warranty. We looked at all three open boxes and picked the one that looked like it had only been opened in the store. I’m so happy we got that deal! It was easy on our debit cards – that’s for sure!

The microwave worked just fine when we got it home and set it up so so far so good! It was a busy shopping day as I said .. but a very successful one!

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