The launch of the new Apple iPad has got everybody talking but what is it that makes it so special?

Perhaps, the compact, sleek and extremely glossy appearance for a start. At first glance, the iPad looks like an enlarged iPhone and looks super cool when you’re out and about. I’m certain that if you whip your iPad out when your sitting in your local cafe then you are going to get a few glances.

The large, crisp touchscreen is brilliant for surfing the web, looking at photos or even watching movies.  The added bonus is the abundance of great apps that you’d expect from Apple. One worth a mention is the iBook app which allows you to download hundreds of books in an electronic format. This is great if you’re travelling or going on holiday and don’t want to take lots of books with you.

The intuitive technology of the iPad allows you to glide your finger seamlessly across the touchscreen - finding your way round the interface and sending emails is a doddle!

The WiFi only iPad comes in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB and prices start from £429. If you’re after the 3G model then this will set you back £599. Vodafone have recently launched iPad sim deals with the most popular proving to be the iPad 3G data plan at £15 for a month.Check out the latest Vodafone iPad deals here.

Some people are saying that this is the best tablet computer yet due to its virtual keyboard and multitouch gestures encased in an extremely sleek and portable shell. Apparent downsides to the iPad is the lack of an integrated web cam, HDMI port and lack of good travel apps usually found on standard smartphones.

What do you think of the Apple iPad? We’d love to hear your thoughts!

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Being a complete technophobe the thought of using a different phone to my old faithful fills me with dread. My criteria for buying a new phone is a) how easy is it to use and b) is it pretty?

Well, the HTC Tattoo does not disappoint on attractiveness. It comes with an attractive change of facia, which I was sure went out in the middle noughties as people opted for the silver and black model phones, or maybe they’re hoping they’ll come back in?

The charger is a bit tricky to use, however. As it has the mini-usb cord coming from the back of it, putting it into a power strip where the outlets aren’t all in a line (some are side by side) can be problematic if the strip is full. It can also be a problem adding to some power outlets for the same reason. Furthermore The mini-usb cable isn’t actually mini-usb – it’s a proprietary HTC cord. It means you can’t use a standard mini-usb cable.

Although the screen is large and pleasing, it is still quite difficult to see websites and navigating websites can be tricky, especially as you have to touch the screen to navigate around the pages and this can lead to accidental clicks! The responsiveness of the touch screen seems quite fiddly. Swiping and selecting isn’t very consistent as there are times when a light touch is registered and other times when a more definite touch isn’t. Also, the screen seems to have lots of occasions where it just doesn’t respond to swipes.

There is an option to magnify the screen and the screen can be adjusted to either landscape or portrait simply by moving the phone thus. However, it doesn’t support multi-touch so zooming in and out using pinches can’t be done.

The camera seems easy enough to use. Photos do seem to be a little soft (out of focus) and have a warm hue to them though.

However, the YouTube player works well. Videos are clear and synch perfectly with sound. Finding videos is also quite easy.

The buttons at the base of the phone could be raised a bit. They are a bit too flush with the phone and make it a little difficult to press with your thumb. You need to use your nails or press hard.

The phone is slightly heavier than average but not uncomfortably so and is smooth to the touch.  Altogether I would say that although this is a great piece of eye candy, there are still some things about the phone which people will find frustrating.

Specifications

Processor -Qualcomm® MSM7225™, 528 MHz

Platform -Android™ 1.6

Memory -ROM: 512 MB
RAM: 256 MB

Dimensions (LxWxT) 106 x 55.2 x 14 mm ( 4.17 x 2.17 x 0.55 inches)

Weight- 113 grams ( 3.99 ounces) with battery

Display- 2.8-inch TFT-LCD touch-sensitive screen with 240×320 QVGA resolution

Network HSDPA/WCDMA:

Europe/Asia: 900/2100 MHz
Up to 384 kbps up-link and 7.2 Mbps down-link speeds

Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE:

850/900/1800/1900 MHz
(Band frequency and data speed are operator dependent.)

Device Control- 4-Way navigation control with Enter button

GPS- Internal GPS antenna

Connectivity- Bluetooth® 2.0 with Enhanced Data Rate and A2DP for wireless stereo headsets
Wi-Fi®: IEEE 802.11 b/g
HTC ExtUSB™ (11-pin mini-USB 2.0)
3.5 mm audio jack

Camera- 3.2 megapixel color camera

Audio supported formats- MP3, AAC(AAC, AAC+, AAC-LC), AMR-NB, WAV, MIDI and Windows Media Audio 9
Video supported formats- MPEG-4, H.263, H.264 and Windows Media® Video 9

Battery- Rechargeable Lithium-ion battery

Capacity: 1100 mAh

Talk time:
Up to 342 minutes for WCDMA
Up to 390 minutes for GSM

Standby time:
Up to 520 hours for WCDMA
Up to 340 hours for GSM
(The above are subject to network and phone usage.)

Expansion Slot- microSD™ memory card (SD 2.0 compatible)

AC Adapter- Voltage range/frequency: 100 ~ 240V AC, 50/60 Hz
DC output: 5V and 1A

Special Features G-sensor
Digital Compass
FM Radio