Super stupid Tablet questions

iPad3

  • How do I transfer PDF or text files from PC to iPad so they are physically on the tablet (without using iTunes)?

  • I have kinda corrosive sweat from my CF and it messes up the screen in an instant. Is there some kind of “finger cover” (like a prophylactic for your finger or thumb) that is available? If not, is a stylus recommended?

  • Can grit, tiny dirt, or cracker crumbs scratch the screen from normal use?

  • Anyway to make it charge faster than 24 hours? Never seen something charge so slow.

  • If I keep this (have 30 days to evaluate) I’ll use it a lot in the hospital. This means I will inevitably pass out and roll over on it (it might even drop to the floor from the bed). If I get a case will it hurt the functionality?

  • Were there any 11"-12" Tablets (full diagonal) with a higher res than 1920x1200 coming out that I somehow missed?

  • I want to let my cat play games on it. Do the people that do that have some kind of protective film on it to deal with cat nails? (we clip our cat’s nails so they’re not quite scalpel-sharp).

  • My wife is not happy I got this since she thinks it will be stolen or destroyed the first second it’s outside the house (and the “no interest for 18 months!” argument fell flat). Is there a way to track it even though I don’t have a wireless phone account tied to it?

  • Why does Apple have tiny owls write their paper pamphlets, and how can I meet them?

  • There is a microsim card slot apparently. Can I put music on a sim card and insert it since I’m afraid I’m going to run out of hard drive space?

  • How do you change how long it displays a page of something before turning the display off? I’m trying to use it as a manual while learning DCS: A10C Warthog.

  • How are people taking screenshots and posting them on-line?

To answer some of your questions:

  • yes, you can get rubber finger covers, just like rubber gloves except finger size. But a lot of people like the stylus anyway.
  • a screen cover and case would be a good idea and would help you avoid several issues. Just like a smart phone in that sense.
  • Current Ipads have no memory card slots. You have the memory inside and that’s it.

To answer some more (roughly in order)

You can e-mail them to yourself. Then they can be opened in whichever PDF viewer you have. Some PDF viewers, like GoodReader, have some built in networking ways to get files across, but its no less of a hassle than using iTunes. Lately, I use Dropbox to move PDF files to my iPad.

I don’t use a screen protector. Had an original iPad and now an iPad 3. Never had an issue with normal usage scratching the screen from dirt, grit, cracker crumbs, etc. My cat has walked on my iPad, but otherwise I don’t really let it touch it (so I cannot comment).

iPad 3 has a huge battery. The wall charger will charge faster than other USB connections, but its still very slow. No speed up that I know of. I just charge mine overnight if its even a smidge below 50% when I’m heading to bed.

I use cases for protection. I recommend them, especially if you think you might be dropping the thing accidentially

The Track my iPad feature will work without cell service, but it will require some sort of network connection so it can phone home. If someone connects it to WiFi, it’ll display the last known location (also, but they could disable that feature I guess, before it phones home). One thing I am not sure about is if there is a web interface for tracking your gear. I think you have to use either an iOS or OS X device to track your other devices (but I could be wrong).

EDIT: It looks like you can track your iPad via http://www.icloud.com Just log in and its got an app there for you.

Owls are only available for viewing on Tuesdays.

Can’t use the SIM slot for memory expansion.

Not sure about the dimming. You could try changing the auto-lock setting (Under Settings->General).

Press the screen-lock and home button at the same time to take a screenshot. The screen will flash white, and a screenshot will show up in your photos app.

Congrats Jeff on the iPad. Use GoodReader for iPad it has a built in web server function to transfer files to and from it. You can get cheap protective film from monoprice.com in bulk. Get a good cheap protective case from there too.

Wow thanks for all the help and answers.

I’ve never had device like this (I don’t even have a cellphone let alone one that could play games) so it’s a big step… and I’m still desperately trying to justify the expense.

For those of you with an iPad case - can you post an Amazon link if you like it? Same for stylus?

Is there a way to message a friend from Gamecenter? or anywhere else (Gamecenter friend)?

You don’t have a smartphone, or you don’t have a cellphone. Because if it is the latter then that is amazing.

Both conditions :) and no portable wifi devices either.
My wife has an emergency cellphone she carries with her with no data plan or any extras, while I’ve had nothing, zip, zero, nada. We did this to save as much money as possible over the years as the monthly fees seemed ridiculous.

“* I have kinda corrosive sweat from my CF and it messes up the screen in an instant. Is there some kind of “finger cover” (like a prophylactic for your finger or thumb) that is available? If not, is a stylus recommended?”

It’s super strong, chemically strengthened Gorilla Glass. How corrosive could your sweat possibly be that it can melt through glass? Either way, if you’re worried, get a screen protector like this.

“* Can grit, tiny dirt, or cracker crumbs scratch the screen from normal use?”

No.

“* Anyway to make it charge faster than 24 hours? Never seen something charge so slow.”

That’s because the battery in it is massively dense in order power the Retina Display. Either way, though, it shouldn’t take 24 hours: a full charge from 0% to 100% should only take something like 8. Make sure you’re charging it from the included wall charger, not through a USB port on your computer, and do it overnight.

“* If I keep this (have 30 days to evaluate) I’ll use it a lot in the hospital. This means I will inevitably pass out and roll over on it (it might even drop to the floor from the bed). If I get a case will it hurt the functionality?”

You won’t hurt the functionality at all, but yeah, if you’re going to be dropping it from hospital beds onto hard tile floors, you’ll need a good case. There have been promo videos of iPads using this case surviving drops from the edge of outer space, so that’s probably a good choice for you.

“* Were there any 11”-12" Tablets (full diagonal) with a higher res than 1920x1200 coming out that I somehow missed?"

Even if there were, why bother? They aren’t iPads, and no other tablets are really worth considering.

“* I want to let my cat play games on it. Do the people that do that have some kind of protective film on it to deal with cat nails? (we clip our cat’s nails so they’re not quite scalpel-sharp).”

Again, it’s glass. Chemically treated, extra strong glass. Your cat can’t fuck the screen up with its nails, I wouldn’t think. The glass is meant to fend off things like car keys.

“* My wife is not happy I got this since she thinks it will be stolen or destroyed the first second it’s outside the house (and the “no interest for 18 months!” argument fell flat). Is there a way to track it even though I don’t have a wireless phone account tied to it?”

Yeah. Settings > iCloud > Turn ‘Find My iPad’ On. You can now track your iPad online, as long as it is connected to either WiFi or 3G. Counterintuitively, if you want to track your stolen iPad, then, it may be better not to be password lock it. And your wife is right: “no interest for 18 months!” is a pretty crappy argument.

“* There is a microsim card slot apparently. Can I put music on a sim card and insert it since I’m afraid I’m going to run out of hard drive space?”

That’s not what a SIM does. It’s not an SD card; a SIM is for setting up a 3G account.

“* How do you change how long it displays a page of something before turning the display off? I’m trying to use it as a manual while learning DCS: A10C Warthog.”

Should be Settings > General > Auto-Lock.

“* How are people taking screenshots and posting them on-line?”

Press the home button and the power button at the same time and it’ll save a screenshot to your camera roll.

The best cover I’ve found for my iPad was the Logitech Ultra-Thin keyboard, coupled with matching iPad & keyboard carbon-fiber skins from iCarbon.com. It makes the ipad slightly more bulky, but I’m surprised by how much I really use and enjoy the keyboard over the onscreen one.

This is a tangent, but no contract cell phones are extremely cheap now so if you think you might need one take a look at those. My current phone cost me $30 (new) and I spend $15/month on the service (I’m a very light user.)

Well it looks like I’ve lost my iPad already…

My wife decided she wanted to try it out, and she’s been on it FOR 5 STRAIGHT HOURS. Seriously, she won’t let go of it, and I keep hearing my name creamed from the living room every time she has a question. Needless to say she’s a pretty happy camper now. One benefit I never considered: she has really bad carpal tunnel and using her fingers in a relaxed state on the screen is a really nice way for her to play games. So I found Tetris, but she wants a couple of Solitaire games. Any suggestions? There’s a million on the app store.

She wants to put her bird and game apps on one page and mine off into the netherworld. But when we drag an icon to the side of the screen it just bounces back. WHat are we doing wrong? Or is there a way we can make a “Jen” folder and a “Jeff” folder? Then we could consolidate all onto the same page.

Also, is there a way to sort the app store by “user rating”?

Thanks so much. I haven’t used an Apple OS since the Apple II!

If you want to save money, keep checking this page: TouchArcade – iPhone and iPad Games

There’s so many free games/cheap games on iOS it’s crazy. I have games coming out of my ears. Click the “price drop” or “free” toggles if you want to look for the really cheap stuff. Click “popular” if you want to reduce the volume of games listed.

The site also lists non-game apps, but who wants those?

Hold your finger on an icon until it jiggles. Drag a jiggly icon on top of another to create a folder.

And to drag to the next page, drag a jiggling icon to the edge (start with dragging to the right edge, assuming you’re on the Home screen, since dragging left won’t work from there) and hold the icon at the edge for a second or so, it’ll automatically switch to the next page where you can then drop it.

If you think that you might drop the iPad, I’d recommend the Otterbox Defender case.

I think all the other answers to your questions have been addressed well in this thread. Though I will say that I downloaded Games for Cats, but haven’t yet had the guts to let my cats play on the iPad. I know the Gorilla Glass is good, but those claws are SHARP.

Haha, when I first brought that site up I thought it said “AssShopper”.

So everything is all organized and working nicely. Giving Goodreader a go to get my PDF’s looking nice and on the device.

I can recommend the speck candy shell for iPad 2 it fits the 3 still needs a screen protector though

I’ll give you some recommendations Jeff once I’m home in Canada from PAX, but you should order a dozen iPad screen protectors from mono price at least

OK I’ll do that. [Looking here](http://www.monoprice.com/products/search.asp?spcDB=10843&spcWord=iPad+%26+Other+Tablet+Accessories&keyword=ipad3 screen protector), should I get matte or high transparency?

the matte ones also resist finger prints a little.

depends if you prefer antiglare/reflection/finger prints vs crystal clear.

2 of each?