Skype for iPad

Even though the iPad has been out nearly 1 1/2 years, Skype have only just launched their official iPad app – but thank goodness they have!

While iPad users have been able to use Skype through the iPhone app, the “experience” has not been what one would expect from the iPad. Since the official Skype iPad was released yesterday, however, we can now take full advantage of the larger screen and, for iPad 2 users, make use of the cameras with video calls.

While the call quality is good, it would appear that iPad users are unable to accept files, something that will likly be a big drawback.

Overall, however, a fantastic addition to the iPad that allows it to no longer be called a big iPhone that can’t call – now it really is the iPhone maxi!

Having lived with the HD2, it did not live up to expectations

When a device first comes out, we are inundated with product reviews that usually bestow the virtues of its awesomeness.

These reviews, however, usually forget that we use a device for more than one hour throughout its life, so having lived with the HTC HD2 for two years, I think that I can tell you about it properly.

The battery life of the HTC HD2 was awful. I would take it off of charge in the morning, yet still it would be flat by lunch time.

This was also one of the first ever devices to feature the 1Ghz snapdragon processor, so it should have been fast, right? Perhaps not. The combination of windows mobile 6.5 and HTC sense obviously did not go together very well, as I would often wait several minutes for the device to turn on, then to have to wait several more before it would allow me to enter my PIN!

More often, I would simply give up and ask someone for a pen with which I could press the small red restart button inside the back cover.

This, I feel, is quite a dangerous flaw in a mobile device. There were many occasions where I needed to make an emergency call, however could not do so becuase my HTC HD2 refused to turn on. On one occasion, I even had to request the assistance of a Nokia 3210 user, as they were able to place the 999 call while my supposed “modern” mobile phone restarted.

I perhaps should not attribute all of the flaws of this device to its inferior design. I did have a few hundred more contacts than the average user might, but surely is is not too much to expect in the 21st century?

Furthermore, the LED flash on the camera would inexplicably refuse to turn on on many occasions, meaning that I would miss the moment and return home with poor pictures. A flaw that was more disappointing was that even the camera itself would often fail to show an image before, again, the device was rebooted.

I also purchased the HTD HD2 as Microsoft launched the demise of windows mobile, in favor of the more “cool” but more daftly named “windows phone 7 series”. Therefore, while I was cable of programming for winmo, the call for me to do so (as the worlds only remaining winmo user) was practically nil. This also meant that the range of applications available for the device was, well, nonexistent.

While I certainly would not purchase another one, it did have many good qualities. The large 4.3 inch screen was fantastic for watching videos, even if that did drain the battery even faster. That certainly helped to make my many long train journeys much more bearable.

When it was functioning correctly, HTC sense was also a great addition to the windows mobile system and made the device significantly more polished than the other winmo devices that I have owned over the past 5 years.

This was also my first capacitive screen, so this brought the removal of the stylus, which I became very adept at loosing anyway, and the addition of multi touch. This feature was not really used to it’s full potential, however this is likely due to the lack of available apps.

Overall, a dreadful device with a few redeeming features. Thankfully, I have now upgraded to the LG Optimus 3D, so make sure you check out my review of it!

My home office set up; an iPad, dual touch screen monitors and a laptop all controlled from just one keyboard and mouse - but how is it done?

Having more than one screen certainly helps a lot, but having four is simply epic!

Here is how I Controll an iPad, a Desktop & a Laptop from one Keyboard & Mouse

Here is how it’s done!

It is a really simple process; investing an hour in some tinkering and you will increase your overall efficiency dramatically.

Firstly, I installed and configured DisplayLink on my iPad and desktop computer. Then, I configured Synergy to extend the mouse and keyboard of my desktop to my laptop!

With the use of these two free bits of software, you can extend your monitor space to pretty much as many monitors and devices as you like, something that can, once you get used to having so much space to play around with, increase the efficiency of the way you work.

Synergy lets you use multiple computers as though they were one!

If you have a spare computer available to you, perhaps due to an upgrade, don’t chuck it out, put it to good use!

The open source and, most importantly, free software Synergy, allows you to use a second (or more) computer and screen with just one keyboard and mouse, effectively giving you a second monitor.

The new version is really easy to set up as well. You simply install the software on all the computers that you want to use.

Select the “Server” option on the computer that has the keyboard. You can then click “Configure Interactively”, then drag and drop screens to the appropriate location to tell synergy where your computers are.

Then, select the “Client” option on your other computers. You may also need to know the local IP address of the one with they keyboard, so that they can talk to each other.

Then that’s it! Click “Start” on all the boxes and you are away!

See also

Find out how I managed to get one keyboard and mouse to control my desktop, laptop and iPad!

My home office set up, an iPad, dual touch screen monitors and a laptop all controlled from just one keyboard and mouse - but how is it done?

A second monitor can make life a lot easier, but how can the iPad help?

Dual monitors can help to increase efficiency, as you have more space to see what you are working on. This means you do not need to switch between windows quite so much.

But how can you use your iPad as your second monitor?

Usually, in order to have a second screen, you must physically connect a monitor to the back of your computer using a dual screen capable graphics card, however with the use of the free DisplayLink iPad app, this is no longer necessary.

To use it, first connect your iPad to the same Local Area Network (LAN) as your desktop and make a note of the IP address of your desktop.

Install the windows on your desktop and install the iPad app on your iPad. The desktop program will ask you to set a password for the iPad. It is important to note that this does not have to be the password that you use to access your iPad; this only relates to the DisplayLink app.

Open the iPad app and tap on “Add IP Address”. Enter the set of numbers you noted earlier, then you will see that the name of your computer pops up on your iPad! All you have to do then is tap it and enter the password that you set above, then watch as your computer extends its screen to your iPad!

Make sure you keep an eye out for the full DisplayLink iPad app review, coming soon!

The easiest way is to use a website such as WhatIsMyIP.com, as this will tell you in big bold numbers.

Also, you can ask your service provider if you have been assigned a static IP address, however this usually takes a lot longer than a visit to WhatIsMyIP.com!

IP addresses run everything, but how do they work?

If you are eager to learn a little more techno babble, understanding what an IP address does might be a good place to start.

This might get a little complicated, so brace your self!

An Internet Protocol, or IP, address, is the string of numbers that is assigned to every internet capable device on earth to distinguish it from every other internet capable device on earth.

It is sort of like a postal address; you have might a house where people can contact you, similarly, each computer has an IP address where other computers can contact it.

This is very useful, as it allows all the communications we have become used to, everything from email, to sharing the office printer, to buying that USB hamster wheel for your favourite Tech person!

These days, there are usually two sorts of IP addresses; internal and external.

To use the postal analogy again, this might be similar to living in a tower block. You might live in flat 42 within “Network House”, but everyone outside of “Network House” simply posts letters to your mail room.

Similarly, most computers that are on a network, such as within an office, will usually have their own address within the building, but computers outside of that building will communicate with them via their network server.

A typical external IP address might look something like this

94.116.24.195

Whereas most internal IP addresses might look like this

192.168.1.23

Notice that this is in the format 192.168.x.x as these first two numbers have been set aside for use on internal networks, a setting that applies to all IP addresses.

That is a little introduction to the world of how the Internet Protocol works and hopefully it will have given you a little idea about what it does!

See Also

How to find your Local IP Address in Windows 7
How to find your external IP Address

Go to control panel and open the “Network and Sharing Centre”. There you will see a list of “Your active networks”, where you will see at least one of the connections that you are using.

Next to the “Connections:” label, you will notice the name of your connection.

The Windows 7 Network and Sharing Centre with the name of the connection in use highlighted

Click on this to open the “Connection Status” dialogue box.

Connection Status

Click “Details” to show your address

How to find your local IP address using other operating systems will be on its way soon!

While they can sometimes be a bit of a nuisance, updates help to keep your computer secure

If your computer is requiring that you install lots of windows updates, it might be time to turn the automatic feature off, however please ensure that you ask for help before you do so!

Allowing a computer to keep itself up to date is often a very useful thing; why should you have to worry about something you don’t really have an interest in?

Unfortunatly, however, the automatic windows update feature can go a bit wobbly at times and even restart your computer while you are in the middle of working, something that can be really frustraiting.

If this has happened to you, make sure you submit a request for your updates to be turned off.

This is not a permanant solution, but rather a temporary fix, as automatic updates should always be turned on to keep your computer secure. When more time is available, your computer may need a good spring clean to make sure it stays in tip top condition!

What happens if you overload your email?

If you are having problems sending an email, have you checked its size?

Email is a very old technology, so it was not designed to handle the large files that we now deal with every day.

Furthermore, since many providers do not give gargantuan amounts of space for email, sending large files can clog up the recipients inbox as well as causing distress.

Therefore, many mail systems impose a 30 mebagyte limit on emails, including the contents of the message.

If you need to send a file that is larger than this limit, consider using a large file transfer service. Suggestions will be on their way shortly!

If the file is really, really huge, however, more advanced options are available, such as setting up an FTP server from which your receipient can download the data directly from your computer, however it is often easier to simply post a DVD that includes the data.

Do remember, however, that anything sent via email or post is not to be considered secure, so never include any sensative information!