The keyboard connects via Bluetooth and it takes all of 5 seconds to set up. The case is perfectly sized allowing the iPad to fit comfortably on its side. The ZaGGfolio iPad 2 Case is the product for you if you plan to travel with your iPad or want to use it as a laptop replacement or if you just don’t like typing on the iPad screen.

The Pros:

• Great keyboard if you do not need overall protection for the iPad 2. The size is just right and it provides the opportunity to type almost error free.
• Not too weighty.
• Easily connects via luetooth.
• iPad props comfortably against the keyboard.
• Rechargeable built in keyboard battery that lasts for a while.
• Keyboard has control functions for volume control etc.

The Cons:

• As a case it is not the best option.
• At the same price you can get keyboards that are a lot better.
• Attracts dust easily.

P.S. Please choose the right keyboard – case combo for your iPad. Zagg offers solutions for the iPad, the ZaGGmate Aluminum Case and Keyboard and the ZAGGfolio for Apple iPad 2.

Although the keyboard is slightly heavy it is still light enough to take along with you when you travel. The Logitech keyboard for iPad connects easily to the iPad Bluetooth and once you pair them there is no need to pair them again.

The Pros:

• Although the keyboard is not the same height as a full height keyboard the experience comes really close.
• The Logitech Keyboard for iPad uses 4 AAA batteries which to me is better than having to charge yet another device. The keyboard gives good battery life.
• Love the case/stand dual purpose functions and the fact that you can use the case for horizontal as well as vertical viewing.
• Pairs easily with the iPad.
• On/off switch to save your batteries.
• Design and size makes it perfect for travel.
• Includes Fn keys for locking, volume control and media control.
• 3-year limited hardware warranty

Save on the Logitech Keyboard for iPad at Amazon

The Cons:

• It only remembers one pairing.
• It is just a bit longer than the iPad.
• Slightly heavier than other iPad keyboards that I’ve used.

How I Rate The Logitech Tablet Keyboard For iPad

Yes there are a few things to complain about but all in all this is an almost perfect product. Its slim design and ease of carriage when I travel fits the bill for me an aside from the fact it won’t remember multiple pairings there is very little to complain about in a product that gets the job done.

Save on the Logitech Keyboard for iPad at Amazon

Even though comic book publishers have been trying to enter the digital market for some time the bloated technology options made it almost impossible. Today, with the iPad and other tablet devices comic fans like me can once again relive the joy of reading comics.

I know I’m not alone because the sales of iPad apps for comic books reveal that thousands plan to enjoy their comics on their iPad too. Developer comiXology developed and Comics app which comes preloaded in the Kindle Fire. Readers can easily scroll from panel to panel if there are viewing from a smaller screen. You can also purchase new issues with the app. From sappy back in the day favorite, Archie, to detective Chew the titles over a wide range that will make it easy to find something you’ll love.

Comic developers believe that the majority of the app’s users are “old timers” like me who are looking to experience the comics we love in a new way but new comers and getting on board too. As the sales continue to increase more and more titles are being added and publishers are trying to make the issues available for every platform.

Marvel, a publisher of Spider-Man, X-Men and others are taking a leap in the right direction by printing codes in the physical copies so that purchasers can download a digital copy for free. The plan to do the reverse – when you purchase a digital copy you’ll get a coupon for the physical copy – in the near future.

What’s left for the future of comics? It seems that some multimedia effects like video may be something we’ll see sometime soon. Digital comics have been welcomed with open arms and that is a plus especially to publishers old and new. They can test out new titles and see how well they’re accepted before taking to publishing.

I have embraced digital and I hope that I never have to go back but many still prefer leafing through their paper comics. I can back this statement. Just ask the teens down the road who were only too happy to take ownership of the boxes of comics in my garage.

Here is a list of top comic apps:

Comics by comiXology

They offer a good selection which includes some of the biggest and best in addition to exclusive DC releases. The panel to panel display makes viewing convenient for smaller screens.

Graphic.ly

They offer titles from smaller publishers with innovative titles. Although it takes some work to navigate through the storefront the community which provides a lot of reviews will point you in the right direction. Content: Look for lots of small publishers with edgy titles.

Comics+ by iVerse

They provide a much, much smaller selection of titles when compared to other apps. They do not provide panel to panel viewing so viewing is a bit backward.

This is all available due to a deal that Amazon made with Pulse. I am in wholehearted agreement with Amazon’s bold move because right out of the box you will have access to the Pulse app via the logo on the main screen.

Pulse was launched by Stanford grads Ankit Gupta and Akshay Kothari last year and it provides RSS news feeds in a touch enabled manner for tablets. The fact that Amazon decided to include Pulse on its startup screen says a lot. For one, subscribers to Amazon’s paid newsstand now have a free option to get the news and for Pulse, well it means that they are and up and coming company that seems to have made it to the big time.

Here is a breakdown of the key features of Radbox App:

• Play videos hands-free in autoplay mode.
• Use Airplay to stream videos to your Apple TV.
• Supports HTML5-friendly video solutions such as TED, YouTube and others. The developers are updating often add more services.
• Organize and play your videos based on categories. Want comedy? Then set up to play your comedy videos one after another.
• Time-based sessions allows you to play back videos without interruptions until you decide it time to stop.

Radbox is a fantastic app but you should note that you won’t be able to view your videos when offline and it won’t play flash videos.

Today there’s an app that takes privacy to another level. With this app no one will be able to read what you’re writing including you! Thanks to the work of Private Writer for iPad your words will be completely invisible when you’re writing. It’s available as a free download from the Apple iTunes App Store and it could freak you out because you won’t see a single word when you write but then again the same is true for anyone else. When you’re done copy the note to a clipboard and do what you will, send it as an email, post to social media sites and send an iMessage. It will only be visible after you copy and paste it to the program in which you intend to use it.

I am sure you can already see the downside to this app. As much as privacy will be appreciate if you frequently type with errors then lack of visibility will make it hard to see and correct those errors straight away. However, the developer thought if this and including an option to show your written content so you can easily check for errors and hide it again when you’re done checking.

The app is available for free download but ads are included. Should you feel the need to have the ads removed just pay 99 cents for the Pro version and the ads will be removed.

Rather than having to face the inconvenience of paying fifteen dollars on iTunes per book, you can now access thousands of texts from the comfort of your very own home for a one-off upfront payment.

The quick downloads make this site particularly appealing as there will be no frustrating waits when you are desperate to read the next novel in a series! The site is clearly laid out with simple instructions on how to download, anyone, even the least tech-savvy bookworm, can use myPadMedia.

So on that cold winter day when you have no books to read and want nothing more than to snuggle by the fire, you have to look no further than myPadmedia where an endless library awaits every reader. Bookstores are things of the past; myPadMedia is the bright and effervescent future.

Lucky for me I found a great tool that helps me transfer files not only to pc from my iPad but the other way around too. Another neat feature about this software (although I have not had time to test it) is that it enables you to convert DVD, any video and audio file to iPad supported files, and you can load output files to your iPad directly. The publisher promises that it also supports iPod, iTouch and iPhone another feature that I have not as yet tried.

For what I have done, which is transferring files back and forth, it works well and beats having to do this through itunes.

Here is a full list of functions as listed by the publisher:

• PC to iPad transfer
  iCoolsoft iPad Transfer can import video, audio, photo files and folders from PC to iPad without iTunes. You can easily enjoy any multimedia file on your iPad.
• iPad to PC transfer
  This tool can help you copy iPad movies, songs and photos back to computer, so that you can easily backup all your iPad files, and share iPad contents with a new PC.
• DVD, video, audio to iPad converter
  Besides the iPad supported video, audio format, other resources like DVD disc, any format of video, audio files are also supported by this powerful tool, which can convert all files to iPad supported format and import output files to iPad directly.
• iPad transfer as well as iPod, iPhone transfer
  This tool supports all Apple devices, including all versions of iPad, iPod, iPod nano, iPod touch, iPod classic, iPhone, and so on.
• More features
  Handy search function can help you search files in the category of Name, Album, Artist, Genre, etc. This tool lists detailed information of your iPad like type, format, version, capacity, etc. It can achieve the fastest speed to transfer files between iPad and computer.

Here is a link to a free trial of this amazing software.

If you need a free service for getting all sorts of FREE children’s books, then I have good news for you. ePub Bud, a non-profit service, allows you to download all sorts of children’s book for free. More than that, if you have always dreamed of publishing books for children then you can upload your book to their database. They even promise to convert your books into epub format free of charge. How cool is that?

Whether you are looking for books to read bedtime stories, convert your files to epub format or get published, epub may be right for you. Go ahead and check them out.

Once downloaded you will use the app in two ways.  There are two icons, the one on the right will give you access to your personal library as you develop it. Currently, my selections can almost rival a small Barnes and Noble due to all my downloads from myPadMedia.  So this icon is like a shortcut to your selections.

The second icon, located on the left leads to the iBook store where you can pay for each book individually if you can afford to. More about the ibook store in a minute.

iPad As An ereader….

The views expressed are mine only, I have seen views that are contrary to mine and that is quite okay. I have never purchased a kindle but I do have an ipad. I have been asked time and time again if the iPad should be purchased instead of ereader. I would never advise purchasing an iPad just for use as an ereader since the iPad can do so much more. If an ereader is what you need then I advise that you purchase a Kindle or some other alternative.

Now, in order to fairly and without prejudice respond to questions about using the Kindle or iPad for reading I borrowed my best friend’s Kindle for a few days. I can honestly say that there are things that I love about both but if I had to choose just one I will go with the iPad.

I like that size of the iPad display, I like that I can view graphics in full color, especially my recipes. I love the almost 3d look and the way that pages flip, it still gives me good shivers. I like how I can change the display from portrait to landscape and how a light tap on the edge of the page flips each page. Mind you sometimes the slightest tap will turn the pages before you can get through with it! I am still working on that, it could be related to the sensitivity at which I set the display.

The iBookStore

From the ibook store you can get a few free downloads but all the very good books can be purchased at a cost of $12.00 – $15.00 per title. You can browse by category and pay and download the books directly. You can find a lot of bestsellers in there and students can find some textbooks, I imagine with time this will grow.

The iBook store really is enticing and I do browse from time to time just to see if there are any titles that I like.

My conclusing and final recommendations

If you plan to do light reading and will use your iPad for other purposes then by all means go ahead and get the iPad.