I’ve had an iPhone for ages and I love it, my wife has an iPod Touch and I also have a Macbook and a Mac Pro, so as you might imagine I was pretty interested in the iPad when it was announced, however I had my doubts about getting one, I just wasn’t sure if I’d find the need for a device somewhere between my iPhone and my Macs.

I started thinking about how I use my Mac for the majority of my ‘Leisure’ computing, I still need a ‘proper’ Mac for my web design and development work, I realised that the vast majority of my time is spent browsing the web, emailing and social networking, in fact that’s what most people use their computers for most of the time.

I then began to understand what the iPad was for, it’s meant for consuming digital content, we’re used to being consumers, that’s what we do, however only in the last couple of years has the average person really started to consume digital data, we’re all hooked on youtube, facebook and the web in general, what we use our computers for now as opposed to a few years ago has changed drastically, so it’s about time that our hardware did too!

Laptops, Notebooks even netbooks have been around for ages now, they are great little portable versions of our desktop computers, but I think that’s where they fail for most of the tasks we want to use them for now, ok there’s still going to be the need for a desktop computer with lots of storage space, a fast processor and large screen that is operated by a keyboard and mouse fo a long time yet, but the majority of people only need that type of computer for professional work or for tasks which require precise control and inputs.

The iPad is the first ‘tablet’ style computer that really works, other companies have tried to create touchscreen portable computers but they just weren’t successful, the reason they failed is because they were basically just big computers made small with a touchscreen, what makes the iPad unique is that Apple know how to make a good user interface, the Mac operating system is the best around and the iPhone makes other ‘Smartphones’ look stupid with their awkward and clumsy interfaces ( Windows I’m looking at you! ).

After spending a day or two with the iPad I’m wondering if I still need my Macbook!, the iPad really is fun to use, ok it has it’s limitations and Apple really should make Multi-User and Multi-Tasking a high priority on the list for the next update, bluetooth mouse support would also be a really useful feature for many, in fact it would almost make the iPad a mini iMac if used on a desk with a keyboard and mouse.

I can’t wait to see what new apps emerge for the iPad, it’s only been out for a few weeks and there’s already some brilliant apps available, so if you’re thinking about getting a laptop or netbook for your portable computing needs then take another look at the iPad.

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I then remembered I already had a lightweight ultra-portable computer, the problem was that it had a broken install of Snow Leopard and was gathering dust in the spare room, I’ve had an Acer Aspire one netbook for a while now, and I’ve tried out a wide range of operating systems.

I know one thing for sure, the best OS for a netbook, or any computer as far as I’m concerned, isn’t Windows, I know many might not agree but the Mac OS is the best available at the moment.

Although I have managed to create my own Hackintosh, it wasn’t an easy process, it involved lots of messing around with kexts and hacks, I even swapped the built-in WiFi card for a Dell model as these work easily with OS X.

Leopard worked well on the Aspire One, but there were still too many issues for it to be the perfect NetBook OS.

The obvious alternative is Linux, in fact most NetBooks come with a ‘watered down’ variation of Linux pre-installed, although these are fine for basic tasks they’re not as versatile as most Linux distributions, there is plenty of choice when it comes to Linux distributions, however trying to find the best one for the Aspire One isn’t simple.

After many attempts to find an OS that is easy to install, compatible with the hardware, including the Dell Wifi card that I’d installed, easy to use and didn’t look terrible I came across Jolicloud.

Jolicloud makes it really simple to install and run Linux on your NetBook, the installation was quick and painless, it detected the WiFi card straight away and even the install menus looked nice!

But what makes Jolicloud special is it’s online or ‘Cloud’ features that make finding, choosing and installing software really simple, simply create a user account on their site and this is then accessed from the Jolicloud icon in the top menu of your desktop.

What a brilliant idea, everything is moving to the Cloud anyway, and by incorporating this online resource into the operating system you get a great looking, free OS with the support of the Jolicloud community.

For more information about Jolicloud check out their site here: http://www.jolicloud.com/

Now if those nice people behind Jolicloud could develop a touch based interface, and if I could buy a cheap tablet NetBook maybe I wouldn’t still be tempted by the iPad!

I’ve just discovered a great app for the iPhone, it’s called ‘Simplify Media’ and it’s amazing!

Basically this app, along with come client software which installed on your host computer, allows you to stream your itunes music to your iPhone, you can even create shared playlists and share either all or selected music with your friends.

I’m surprised that this app has been released, as it allows music files to be shared and I imagine this could harm music sales from the iTunes store?

This app also has the benefit for those who have limited storage space left on their iPhone memory.

Although this app also works on the iPod Touch, the iPhone has a huge advantage as files can be streamed even over a relatively slow phone connection, it takes a while to buffer songs when not in range of a 3G network but it does still work.

The only downside that I can see is that a host computer needs to be running all the time and obviously a home broadband connection is required, this would be a great use for an old laptop or computer, if I upgrade my trusty old MacBook then I think I’ll keep it as a media server as it’s very cheap to run compared to a desktop PC.

Go here to find out more: http://www.simplifymedia.com/

Just got my new 3GS iPhone this week, Yippee!

I had the original iPhone when it was first launched but sold it soon after I got it as I realised it just couldn’t cut it as my full time all-in-one gadget and had to resort to a Pocket PC device…urgh.

This latest iPhone really was worth waiting for and can finally compete with any other smartphone on the market, but there’s one thing that no other mobile phone has and that’s the gorgeous user interface ( and stunning good looks ).

What I’m most impressed with though is the apps, it’s tightly integrated into both the itunes interface and direct from the iPhone, there is a huge range of brilliant applications available for the iPhone and no other mobile device benefits from Apples huge resources and infrastructure.

I was using a Nokia 5800 as my daily mobile device as I couldn’t face getting lost in yet another windows mobile sub-menu to perform the simplest of tasks, to be fair the 5800 is a great phone, it has all the features anyone could really need and is tough enough to take the everyday bumps and knocks, a complete new housing can be purchased for a mere £25, so even a heavily abused 5800 can be made as good as new with a new case.

The trouble is, once you’ve seen and used an iPhone you really won’t want to use any other device, sure the S60 interface is much better than the nightmare that is Windows Mobile, and a device like the 5800 is perfectly adequate, much cheaper and much more sturdy than an iphone, but it just can’t compete with the ease of use and the amazing range of apps available for the iPhone.

One area where the iphone was lacking is a SatNav application, however Navigon have just released their Navigation app and TomTom are soon to release a bracket and app which will finally make the iPhone a viable option as a Multi-use device and is what led me to finally come back to the iPhone.