iPad 2 at IC for R4399, should I buy it?

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yaeger

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There is a special at Incredible Connection on the iPad 2 for R4399. I am an IT lecturer at uni. I will be using it for the following,

Powerpoint presentations - Is there a free MS Office type program? I don't mind paying, just want to weight up my options so I get an idea of the full price.
Email
Reading eBooks(at home)
Updating xls+word docs on the go

I cannot see myself typing out long documents on a tablet, this will be done on my desktop. But, in case I do, I will get the keyboard.

I do not want 3G(where ever I am, there is an internet connection, if not, I'll turn my phone into a wifi hotspot)
Can I plug an external hdd via usb into it?

Do you think I should get an iPad 2 considering what I'll be using it for? I'm sure there are tons of other uses I can find for it, but that is just gravy ;)

If you think I should, I'll pick one up tomorrow, along with that 1TB 2.5" LG HDD(on special at hifi corp now) ;)
 
If an iPad is jailbroken, can it be reset in case I need to take it in for repairs?
 
yaeger said:
There is a special at Incredible Connection on the iPad 2 for R4399. I am an IT lecturer at uni. I will be using it for the following,

Powerpoint presentations - Is there a free MS Office type program? I don't mind paying, just want to weight up my options so I get an idea of the full price.
Email
Reading eBooks(at home)
Updating xls+word docs on the go

I cannot see myself typing out long documents on a tablet, this will be done on my desktop. But, in case I do, I will get the keyboard.

I do not want 3G(where ever I am, there is an internet connection, if not, I'll turn my phone into a wifi hotspot)
Can I plug an external hdd via usb into it?

Do you think I should get an iPad 2 considering what I'll be using it for? I'm sure there are tons of other uses I can find for it, but that is just gravy ;)

If you think I should, I'll pick one up tomorrow, along with that 1TB 2.5" LG HDD(on special at hifi corp now) ;)
Click to expand...

Hey man

Here are some considerations/tips from my side which may help you:

1) As mentioned, no USB port so you will not be able to connect an external hard drive to it
2) QuickOffice HD will be your overall office solution - http://www.quickoffice.com/quickoffice_pro_hd_ipad/ . It goes for $20 on the App Store if i'm not mistaken.
3) Dropbox could also be a good solution for you to sync files between PC and iPad which also allows basic viewing of synced documents such as PDF, PPT etc. Free app too
4) Not sure how good QuickOfficeHD is for editing XLS/Word docs on the go, but it would offer basic editing most likely if anything. It's not going to be a full blown office suite like you would expect on a PC unfortunately.
5) Important to note you cant upload/browse the file structure of the iPad, so if you need to upload files from your iPad using such an interface It won't be possible. You will have to sync that in Dropbox/email it to your PC and upload it like that. - Not sure if this applies to you or not.
6) If the device has higher than 4.3.3 it will be unable to be jailbroken. The only jaiilbreak that exists for iPad 2 is jailbreakme.com which works on Firmware 4.3 - 4.3.3 only. You cannot downgrade an iPad 2.

Hope that helps even a little bit :)
 
Just to add to the above, the "hack" to get the external hard drive to work is not ideal in the slightest. Been there , done that, succession rate low, irritation level high. Plus you need the camera connection kit which is another cost.. Not recommended at all.
 
fxit_man said:
Hey man

Here are some considerations/tips from my side which may help you:

1) As mentioned, no USB port so you will not be able to connect an external hard drive to it
2) QuickOffice HD will be your overall office solution - http://www.quickoffice.com/quickoffice_pro_hd_ipad/ . It goes for $20 on the App Store if i'm not mistaken.
3) Dropbox could also be a good solution for you to sync files between PC and iPad which also allows basic viewing of synced documents such as PDF, PPT etc. Free app too
4) Not sure how good QuickOfficeHD is for editing XLS/Word docs on the go, but it would offer basic editing most likely if anything. It's not going to be a full blown office suite like you would expect on a PC unfortunately.
5) Important to note you cant upload/browse the file structure of the iPad, so if you need to upload files from your iPad using such an interface It won't be possible. You will have to sync that in Dropbox/email it to your PC and upload it like that. - Not sure if this applies to you or not.
6) If the device has higher than 4.3.3 it will be unable to be jailbroken. The only jaiilbreak that exists for iPad 2 is jailbreakme.com which works on Firmware 4.3 - 4.3.3 only. You cannot downgrade an iPad 2.

Hope that helps even a little bit :)
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info :) Seems a bit tedious to use dropbox but definately will use it if I buy the iPad. I don't really mind buying iWork, its about R650 or so.
 
fxit_man said:
Just to add to the above, the "hack" to get the external hard drive to work is not ideal in the slightest. Been there , done that, succession rate low, irritation level high. Plus you need the camera connection kit which is another cost.. Not recommended at all.
Click to expand...

If the irritation level is high, I will have to skip this. Probably find the iPad introduced to the wall.

Thanks for the heads up :)
 
yaeger said:
If the irritation level is high, I will have to skip this. Probably find the iPad introduced to the wall.

Thanks for the heads up :)
Click to expand...

Thats just from my experience. But I am telling you now do not rely on USB drive conectivity...

As much as I hate to tell you to look at something else other than the iPad, I think it would be best to look at alternative products that will suit your needs better. As awesome as the iPad is! Just do your research, don't jump into anything too soon.
 
Just wait for a windows 8 slate. USB port and VGA/HDMI/DVI display port. Solves everything.
 
fxit_man said:
Oh yes sorry forgot to mention about the iWork suite.

The iWork suite for iDevices consists of the following
Pages (i.e. Word) - $9.99 - http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pages/id361309726?mt=8
Numbers (i.e. Excel) - $9.99 - http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/numbers/id361304891?mt=8
Keynote (i.e. Powerpoint) - $9.99 - http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/keynote/id361285480?mt=8

Looks like you were looking at the Mac iWork suite which is not for iPad but Macs
Click to expand...

Agreed. I searched for iWorks, found a price. Did not look at anything else.
 
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