As I spend a lot of time backwards & forwards to hospital where the only entertainment option is French television I purchased my I Pad.
There are copious amounts of functions available and you have the ability to download the following:
Books - you can purchase your favourite titles, authors and there are numerous free books available.
Games - again, old favourites are available, like solitaire, scrabble and catch phrase. Some games are not expensive and some are free.
The main reason for my purchase is the ability to download my favourite TV programmes and films. All are in English and for a low price, once downloaded, they are yours to keep forever. ( you can link your I Pad to your home PC or Laptop by cable or Wi-Fi and transfer all your purchases so you never lose them, then add more to your I Pad )
There is the facility to access the Internet, use your emails and to add Skype to your I Pad, so you can talk to loved ones and friends, using the integrated microphone, speakers and even the webcam if you are feeling brave!
With the email facility, you can, upon setting up your I Pad,set your usual email address as the default one, this will then appear as a shortcut on the I Pad and your emails will update each time you access the email icon.
Often my hands don't function properly and cause extreme pain, whereupon, I can't use a keyboard. The I Pad is fantastic for this, as it is touch screen. One problem I did find though is that when my hands are really swollen,painful or numb, I can't use the touch pad, so a handy little I Pad accessory which I use every time with my I Pad is a 'Stylus Pen'. These cost only about 4-5 Euros, although you can get some double packs for 6 Euros or even less. The Stylus Pen is fashioned like a normal pen, but at the tip it is a dome of soft rubber. This product is an absolute Godsend for me as you don't have to move your wrist or fingers much
I can tap out emails with virtually no movement from my wrist or fingers, except to actually hold the Stylus when tapping out an email. With the I Pad, if you wish to use it away from your home WiFi or if you don't have an Internet connection, you must purchase a sim card in order to access the Internet.
If you plan like me to use emails, Internet and Skype etc. away from home I found it easier to buy a sim card on a yearly contract.
I got an excellent deal for my I Pad from Orange France, but I believe the same deals are available from a number of other providers.
If you just plan to use your downloaded material away from your home, it is not worth buying a sim card, just download everything you wish to watch onto your I Pad before you leave.
There is so much to tell you about this amazing piece of technology. Mine has given me back the ability to type emails, use the Internet and be occupied in hospital and away from home.
You can even access bbc I player from it. To do this in France, you need to visit a website called 'expattelly.com', where they give you the information on how to do this, for a small charge, of course!
Make sure when you purchase it that you register it to a UK address otherwise all your TV, films, books etc will be from French providers, which defeats the object of the I Pad .
There are some more bits & pieces of useful information when setting up your I Pad, that I could pass to you and I will keep Val updated with anything else I find out, but if you need to know anything, more I can be contacted through Val at Taglines or directly at suegray36@hotmail.com and I will try to help.
