So you’ve got yourself one of this year’s top gadgets, the uber stylish iPad. While not a necessity (is it a laptop, is it an e-reader?) the iPad’s definitely a luxury coveted by the tech obsessed. The main point of it, is a cool way to connect to the Internet on the go and, as with a Smartphone, you can use mobile broadband – but not through a dongle, like your laptop, or a traditional phone SIM.

iPad micro SIM

All that style means that unfortunately, iPad’s are low on connectivity ports, so there’s nowhere to put a USB dongle. What you need is an iPad micro SIM. Like a standard SIM it stores information, but at half the size of the one you put in your mobile. With the iPad SIM you’ll be able to access mobile broadband wherever you get a 3G signal. Once connected, you’re in for a great online experience, with a crystal-clear screen, excellent usability, plus lots of software and apps to further enhance your surfing pleasure.

Even if you’ve got an iPhone, the SIM for this won’t fit in your iPad, so don’t try! Before you rush to the shops to buy your iPad micro SIM, make sure your iPads a 3G version – it might be more pricey, but it’s worth spending the extra cash – without one you won’t be able to use mobile broadband to access the Internet phone, only Wi-Fi.

iPad SIM deals

There are a range of iPad SIM deals available, so make sure you get the best one to suit your needs. Some tie you in to a contract, others are pay monthly and some offer added bonuses, such as free access to the Times online.

Check the data allowance – if you want to download lots, you may consider topping this up, as if you exceed contracted usage, then you’re likely to pay a hefty price. As this is still a relatively new technology, there will be different deals coming on the market shortly, so keep up to date on comparison sites, like Broadband Genie. If you have an iPhone already, you may be able to add 3G for your iPad to an existing package – check with your provider for more information.

Once you’ve got your SIM card, insert into the slot provided and then connect to your Apple Mac or Windows PC. Open up iTunes, connect to the 3G service and follow the on-device instructions, or the guidelines supplied with the iPad SIM card.

If you buy an iPad and mainly use it at home, accessing your own Wi-Fi, then you might not need to go down the SIM card route. If situations change however, then that’s fine – you can sign-up to the 3G service at anytime, not just when you first buy the iPad. Access your iPad around the world

If you’re planning to travel with the iPad, apart from Wi-Fi hotspots, available pretty much anywhere in the world, you can also access 3G by purchasing a micro SIM card from a local network provider. Your UK deal or package is unlikely to cover accessing the Internet overseas – don’t be presumptuous or you could end up with very expensive bills. Check the terms and conditions of your provider before you jump on a plane.

They’re beautiful, desirable and pretty clever too – sounds like the ideal partner for anyone that’s looking for a no expense spared way to access the Internet on the go. Do away with the small screen on your Smartphone and forget the amount of space taken up by your laptop, get yourself an iPad and an iPad SIM to enjoy Apples latest craze practically anywhere in the world.  .

About the author: Rob Clymo writes on behalf of iPad SIM Genie and Mobile Phone Genie, the independent comparison websites for iPad SIM cards and Mobile Phones

With the new iPad 2 being shipped in February 2011, everyone’s wondering about the great new features that the iPad 2 will have. Once you read about what the iPad 2 offers, you will be at your nearest electronics store waiting to pre-order!

The current Apple iPhone enjoys Apple’s Retina Display. The Retina Display is a crisp, vibrant, high-definition screen that beats all other screens available today. The current iPad lacks the Retina Display, and it’s a great possibility that the iPad 2 will have a Retina Display. With a clearer display, people are sure to choose the iPad over competing models with lower screen quality.

Steve Jobs, the CEO of Apple, is known for claiming that the next iPad will be released before competitors have even caught up to the currently existing model. It’s rumored that the new iPad will offer a 7 inch screen size in addition to the current 9 inch screen size. This new screen size offers greater portability and also provides an opportunity for a lower-cost iPad. This opens the iPad market to more consumers who may not be able to afford the larger iPad.

FaceTime is another one of Apple’s great innovations. It’s currently available on the iPhone, Mac, and iPod Touch. FaceTime allows you to call anyone over WiFi and connect with them face to face. This addition would put the iPad on the same level as other Apple products and crush the competition.

With these great features, the iPad 2 will thrill consumers and blow away competitors.

Due to Apple’s resounding success with its iPad, electronics makers have been scrambling to get their feet into the doors of the tablet market. The Galaxy Tab represents Samsung’s foray into the sector and offers functionality and style wrapped up into one attractive offering. Upon initial inspection, one notices that the Galaxy Tab is significantly smaller in size and weight than its Apple counterpart. But, even though it is small in stature, the device packs quite a punch.

For many people, the smaller size of the Galaxy Tab will be an advantage over the iPad. The tablet will certainly not fit into a person’s pocket, but it is easily more portable and lighter to carry than the iPad. People who are on the go a lot will appreciate this fact after toting it around for a while.

At its heart, the Samsung Galaxy Tab is powered by a 1 GHz processor, which is more than enough to run the latest apps. Also, the tablet runs on Google’s mobile operating system called Android 2.2, or Froyo. One advantage of running the Android operating system is that the Galaxy Tab has phone capabilities unlike the iPad. In addition, the Galaxy Tab also supports Flash Player, allowing users to play flash movies, which cannot be done on an iPad without jail breaking it.

Another advantage that the Samsung Galaxy has over the iPad is that it has two built in cameras. The Galaxy has a front facing 1.3 megapixel camera as well as a 3 megapixel rear camera that is self focusing. The rear camera also has an LED flash. In comparison, the iPad does not have a built in camera, instead requiring owners to buy a separate attachment.

The two platforms are in direct competition. While Apple has more experience in the mobile phone world, Google has more experience in the realm of advertising; this experience reflects innovation and creativity not only in the content and presentation of ads, but in the expansion and retention of a client base. However, while this experience in advertising could be advantageous for Google, the far wider mobile phone customer base that Apple has already established could be the deciding factor in this competition.

As you can imagine, Google is quite upset about this, especially since in late May Google acquired the mobile ad company named AdMob, from Apple Devices for a reported $750 Million. This decision also seems to have AdMob’s founder Omar Hamoui a bit miffed as well. This is also quite easy to understand, since as reported by AdMob, almost 32% of the ads served by that company in April went out to iPhone and iPod devices. That can translate into some serious future advertising revenue losses. Were your devices being bombarded with ads during the month of April?

It seems that there have been many requests made to Apple to clarify on Google’s claim, but none have been forthcoming from the company as yet.
In other breaking news, Apple’s CEO Steve Jobs spoke on Monday June 8th that iAd, which is scheduled to launch in July 2010, could own a large share of the mobile advertising market by mid 2010. This is no big surprise as iAd is Apple’s own new mobile advertising platform. Personally this seems to be a well thought out plan by Steve to help boost Apple’s domination and market share even further.

All I can say is “Kudos’ to you once again”, Steve.

What are your thoughts on this new information?

In Apple’s new “What is iPad?” commercial, they claim that it is “more books than you could read in a lifetime.” But now that the iPad has been out for a little while, it’s hard to say whether or not this tablet computer that has taken the world by storm will or will not replace traditional e-readers.

The iPad is all-inclusive. It’s everything you could want in a mobile device (minus a cell phone). It provides full access to the internet, has photo and video capabilities, and even has a book reader that has a virtual page-turning feature. But one of the iPads key features could turn out to be a major drawback in using it as an e-reader. What is it? The bright color display.

One of the reasons e-readers like the Nook by Barnes and Noble and the Kindle by Amazon are so popular is because they provide a screen that is easy on the eyes. These devices are used solely for reading, so they do not need to worry about color display. That, and they’re considerably cheaper than the iPad. The most basic iPad rings in at $499 USD, while the Nook and the Kindle each cost only $259.

Only time will tell, but it seems that serious readers will continue to opt for the simpler e-readers. After all, sometimes less is more.

Finding time to get away from work and out into the wilderness for a weekend hike or on the lake for a day of relaxation and fishing is tricky enough without the added complication of communication breakdown. The Freeloader Pico Solar Charger makes it a breeze and a enviro-friendly one at that.

The Freeloader Pico is a solar charger for small electronic devices. It’s size (105 x 45 x 11.5mm) and light weight (49g) make it easy to stuff in your backpack, tackle box or pocket. It has 75mA premium quality crystalline solar cells, 800mAh enviro-friendly Li-ion battery with an average life span of 2 years and 5v/250mA input voltage.

Included with the package deal for only $39.00 are a master power cable and four adapters. You can connect to any device supplied with a sync cable or USB charger, small pin Nokia, Sony Ericsson and with the mini USB connector you can charge most smart phones, Motorola, Blackberry, Garmin and many other GPS units and PDAs.

A quick 30-minute charge delivery provides 35 hours on mobile phones, 14 hours on iPod and 1.5 hours on GPS units. It’s greatest asset is its ability to charge itself via solar power in 10 hours or via USB in only 3 hours–making it an inexpensive solar charger worthy of trips to areas where an electrical outlet doesn’t exist.

On Saturday, May 1, 2002, Apple announced that they have been busy designing the new iPad which will feature a 3G network with Mobile WiFi capabilities that would be available around May 10th. By Sunday, Apple again reported a sales record with 300,000 units already being sold. This is just proof that Apple is in full bloom this season.

The first thing you’ll notice about the iPad is how thin it is. It’s actually a bit thinner than an iPhone! When you pick it up, it feels a bit heavy, at 1.5 lbs. However, the plus side of this is that you can really feel the solid quality of this device.

Despite how many people have been saying that it is just a big iPod Touch, there are actually a few changes that set it apart. The Safari web-browsing app, for example, has a new UI for when you’re switching between windows. Rather than flipping through your windows one by one, you can see them all at the same time.

The iTunes app also is much improved. It looks a lot closer to the iTunes that you’d expect on your computer. Perhaps the biggest improvement is the YouTube App. You can see all the search results on the same screen, and the display is absolutely gorgeous.

Overall, I think the iPad is a great value for the price. It’s hard to sum up all the features for you. You need to go to an Apple Store and try it for yourself.

The Apple iPad has a 9.7 inch LED display which is back-lit with a pixel resolution of 1024×768. It essentially looks like a much larger version of the iTouch or the iPhone. Like the iTouch and iPhone, the iPad is operated by using a multi-pad touch screen. Optional iPad accessories include a keyboard dock with a hardware keyboard, a camera connection kit, and a special iPad case that allows users to stand up the iPad.

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