Saying Hello to My First Windows Tablet

by on in iPad Rivals

Dell Venue 8 Pro

 

I’ve been wanting to try out a Windows tablet for quite a while now. I even once spent several hours at a local Microsoft store with every intention of buying one of their Surface tablets – and then just couldn’t do it after spending a few hours trying them out.

I’ve owned and used a couple generations of Kindle Fire, the sadly short-lived TouchPad Pro that ran webOS, a Samsung Galaxy Note 8, and both the 2012 and 2013 Nexus 7 – so a Windows tablet is one of the few mainstream (ish) types I haven’t had a chance to get to know.

This week I’ve found a Windows tablet that looks like a better fit for me – the Dell Venue 8 Pro. It’s a better fit for me partly because it’s an 8 inch tablet and I am now solidly a fan of the more ‘mini’ tablet form factor. I also like that it is priced much more attractively than the Surface line.

Since I’m now back at work as an IT consultant as my ‘day job’ I’ve been using a laptop running Windows 8 for a few months now. The Dell Venue 8 Pro runs Windows 8.1 – so it will be interesting to see whether this tablet can help be more productive and where it might fit in my work routine.

I won’t bore you with further detail here, since this site is all about the iPad, but I do plan to write up some first impressions and other thoughts as I spend time with the Dell Venue 8 Pro. If you have any interest in seeing those, check out my little baby site, Tech & Nonsense.

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Drive on Moscow iPad Wargame Updated: New Icon, Improved Play Balance & More

by on in iPad Games

Drive on Moscow Icon

Drive on Moscow, my new favorite strategy wargame for the iPad, has been updated today – to Version 1.0.3. The update adds a new subtitle – so the game is now Drive on Moscow: War in the Snow – and a striking new icon, as you can see above.

The update is more than just cosmetic though, it also brings changes to improve gameplay and the balance of play. Here’s the full change list

• Fixed freeze or crash in AI
• Fixed tracking of online victories and resignations
• Changed out of fuel icon to avoid confusion with out of supply
• Fixed a Tutorial bug
• Adjusted victory levels for three scenarios
• Minor corrections in Help

This was a superb strategic wargame right out of the gate; it’s nice to see it already getting a substantial update less than a month after release.

Here’s an App Store link for Drive on Moscow: War in the Snow; it’s priced at $13.99.

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Declan Squared: Stylish Microfiber Pocket Squares & Handkerchiefs

by on in iPad Accessories

Declan Squared

Well here’s a cool idea. Declan Squared is a fashion-conscious line of microfiber pocket square and handkerchief  cleaning cloths – so we can keep our iPads and other favorite touch devices clean and have a bit of style while doing so.

Here’s a little bit of their intro on Kickstarter:

Squared is 12×12 inches of incredible microfiber. Depending on the particular design of Squared, you may not even know the difference between it and traditional pocket square materials. Some designs look like silk, others look like cotton. We are even in the process of trying to create some that look like wool. The texture of Squared is soft, with an ever so slight hint of fuzzy.

I think this is a great idea. Cleaning cloths have become an essential accessory for those of us who use touchscreen devices heavily – so why not make them easier on the eyes.

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iPad Tips: How To Let Others Add to Your Shared Photo Stream

by on in iPad Tips & Tricks

Shared Photo Streams

Sharing a Photo Stream, which is a hand-picked collection of your photos in the iPad photo library, is on of the coolest features in iOS. With it you can quickly and easily put together a group of photos and instantly share them to family and friends.

This week I’ve learned a nifty new feature that lets you give the people you’ve shared your photo stream with the ability to add to the photo stream – thanks to an article by my friend Chris at everythingiCafe.

Here’s how you do this:

– Start with a shared photo stream if you already have one, or create a new one. To create a new one, go to the Photos app and tap on the Shared button in the bottom nav bar. Then tap on the ‘New Shared Stream’ button. Give your new stream a name and then choose t least one person to share it with and enter their email address where prompted.

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App Store Hits 1 Million Apps Milestone, with More than 500K iPad Apps

by on in iPad Numbers

iPad App Store

This weekend Apple’s iOS App Store hit another major milestone – one million apps available. As reported by MacRumors, Apple has now approved over 1.4 million apps since the App Store launched in 2008 and there are now over 1 million available to install.

There are over 500,000 apps designed specifically for the iPad and over 900,000 for the iPhone.

I’ve seen plenty of jokes over the weekend saying that 90% of those apps are worthless or just fart apps and similar. Admittedly there are a large number of low quality apps in the App Store, but there are also plenty of excellent apps – which even a quick glance at the Featured section each week will confirm.

We see so many huge App Store numbers that it’s easy to become more than a little jaded by them, but it’s still pretty incredible to think that 6 years ago the store didn’t exist and 4 years ago there was no iPad.

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iPad Art: Under the Sea

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This weekend’s featured iPad art is this lovely ‘Under the Sea’ painting by Rafael Co. It was created using the Procreate app on the iPad. This pick is for my daughter. She loves animals of all kinds and has been fascinated by them since she was tiny. She’ll love how many different sea creatures there […]

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iPad App of the Week: Amount

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Who doesn’t like great iPad apps? At iPad Insight we definitely do. With that in mind, we offer up a quick review of an excellent iPad app, or a few great iPad apps, here each week. Our weekly picks for Best iPad App of the Week are published here every Saturday. Check out all our […]

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