5 essentials for the iPad newbie

As a seasoned iPad user now for all of 3 weeks, I figured I would confirm some of the really important things you probably already know about your new iPad, but haven’t really been giving much thought as to how to resolve.

Luckily for you, I have laid it all out here, giving you plenty of time to spend even more money, on even more stuff (that actually, you really do need) in good time before your iPad arrives in the post this week.

1. Screen Wipes

Lots of them. You will love the gorgeous expanse of sleek glass that is as beautiful as an English millpond in the summer. Until you have used your brand new iPad for 5 minutes.Your screen will then resemble an oil slick that would make BP feel nervous.

I use Dr. Optic – Optical Lens Wipes for extra care of my iPad screen. Regularly.

2. Anti-Glare Screen Protector

An anti-glare screen protector is as essential as screen wipes and serves a dual purpose. An anti-glare screen protector will make a huge difference to the useability of your brand new iPad when outdoors or in brighter light

This means you see more of the screen and less of your own reflection or worse,the person behind you on the bus.

A screen protector also does what it says on the tin..and it will also reduce the visibility of sticky finger marks meaning… less screen wipes.

3. Physical Protection

Your iPad is expensive. Your iPad is thin. Your iPad is slippery.

Your iPad is very delicate, so pay attention unless you want a very expensive glass frisbee

So you are going to need some kind of anti-shock protection, possibly more than one type. I chose the Apple folio case with built in ergonomics, equally some kind of grippy silicon sleeve will work just as nicely. The Apple folio case is stylish and comes in any colour you want as long as that is matte black. There are plenty of other executive or folio cases available that are a little more functional than the Apple case, but they don’t have that fruity Apple logo on the front..

I have combined the Apple folio with a dapper netbook shoulder bag for carrying other day-out-in-the-city essentials – business cards, headphones, power.. the usual..

4. Desk Stuff

If, like me, you plan to trade in your unfeasibly bulky and heavy Mac Book Air and replace it with your iPad for day-to-day use then you will be looking for some kind of stand to leave at the office.

While the Apple folio case is good for ad-hoc working, I recommend the Griffin A-Frame as the most robust and flexible.. can’t find in the UK right now though.

You will also be wanting a keyboard. You could buy the slightly clunky looking official Apple “keyboard stand charger combi”. Alternatively just re-purpose your existing Bluetooth keyboard.

5. Apps

I don’t play games so you will need to check in with someone else for recommendations on how to waste time and battery life, not to mention bandwidth and money.. I could NOT survive in the wild without the following..

1. Productivity Apps – Daylite Touch is same as iPhone version, Evernote for iPad is simply beautiful, my6sense intelligent feed reader, Skype for wifi calls will be much better with ipad version allowing simul-chat, TweetDeck looks delightful and mostly it is, except when it crashes, which unfortunately is quite often  currently.
2. Functional Apps – Dropbox for iPad is simply awesome, WordPress for iPad makes blogging  a breeze, Docs to Go is the only way to go for all your Office Document editing (and it connects to Dropbox and other cloud doc hosting unlike iWork), FTP On The Go does what it says on the tin and then some.
3. Media Apps – I have been really enjoying books, magazines, comics, TV programs and movies on my iPad. I have yet to try out Apple’s iBooks as it is not yet available in the iPad store, however the Kindle app is a dream, as is the Marvel comic app and the Financial Times. If you are buying any TV programs or films, it is well worth investing in the HD versions. The iPad video capabilities really do justice to the investment. Zinio is a great magazine aggregator, be careful for US only editions.

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