iPad for research at remote locations

Why not just use a smartphone? An iPad is just a big iPhone anyway.

I believe you assume the following:

1) that I have a smartphone (or could get one).

2) that I would be able to effectively use ebay and google on the smartphone.

3) that I would be willing to pay in the neighborhood of $50 a month or more for a smartphone (2 year contract).

The FACTS are:

1) I have a basic cellphone which costs me $10 a month and I hardly use it..

2) The screen and interface for eBay and Google on the small screens don't do it for me (maybe for you),
     where the iPad screen is easy to read and the two interfaces are beautifully executed and intuitive.

3) I pay $15 a month for cellular data from AT&T and it's month by month (the wifi is free).

 

The big selling point for me was the screen size.....almost as big as a laptop but a lot easier to carry around, and way easier to see than a cell phone.  I have a smart phone, but the ipad is just so much easier to work with than the small screen on my phone (which is a Droid X, so it's not super small).  Also, the ipad battery lasts for a long time in sleep mode and it starts up right away, so it's always ready to use.

It's official...the iPad as I am using it is a true money maker.

I have bought 5 items in the last 22 days based on researching them right at the site I am seeing them (fleas and a thrift store so far).  I have also researched about 8 items which I did NOT buy based on the info I got.

So far 2 of the 5 items have sold and the money they have brought in has paid for the next 8 months of data (at $15 a month from AT&T) and have reduced (amortized) the cost of the iPad by $15.
 
So, well on the way to paying for itself in less than a full month of use. I'm convinced it was a good buy.  

Well MovieMan you just about have me sold.  Waiting to see how my wife jumps as far as her job goes before I get one.  Have $300 in walmart gift cards saved from Xmas so that will put a dent in the price.  Father just bought a 32 GB wi-fi one so will play with it some at the house.

If the dang thing would accept my CF cards instead of just SD cards I'd of bought one last night just for my photo shooting.  Or if it would accept a card reader but alas no.  So have not talked myself into it just yet.

Did get a Kindle Fire for xmas also so for those places that have wi-fi I'm going to toy around with it.

I ordered an Otterbox for my iPad 1 (from Amazon) the same day I ordered the iPad from Apple. They arrived one day apart. Since the iPad 1 is older the case was discounted to $14.95 and came in at about $24 with shipping and tax.

It's polycarbonate and silicon rubber and very heavy duty. I wouldn't drop it to test it, but seems like it would endure a 3 foot drop with no problem. It also included a skin for the screen, but I wasn't too happy with it and will get some other brand when I feel I need to.

The Otterbox case has a removeable cover that goes over the screen and doubles as a stand providing two different positions.

Check it out on Amazon or at the Otterbox website. It's $80 from them !

thanks for the heads up on the otterbox i got one for my evo and love it, can toss the phone around and not worry about it, didnt realize they made them for ipads. i hate apple but may look into seeing if they have them for tablets as well.

Might have me sold too.

time to upgrade my phone (it has been dropped several times and is missing parts still works though)

Not sure how fast I would adapt.. Love technology but slow in accepting it. Was forced to turn on voice mail (hate it). It is such a wast of time. I have caller ID if I miss your call I will call you back. With VM have to call a # listen to message erase message then call you anyway.

Sorry digress. I am going to look at the plans we have available. AT&T not good in our area. To many dead zones. We use verizon (bought out alltell) only service out here in the country.

If can pull it off as inexpensively as you Movieman will just have to jump in.

Not sure how fast I would adapt.. Love technology but slow in accepting it.

Glad to see I am not the only person has the same paradox about technology. 

21 hours left on my first month of cellular data....I have used 139 mb of the 250 monthly allotment...111mb left...guess I'd better "use it or lose it"...too bad it doesn't roll over, but then next month I would just have a bigger surplus.

Now I have a good idea of how much I can use the 3G aspect and not run out of "time". I have consistently used this at 3 or 4 flea markets a week for the last month and look forward to the "big score" one of these days. Best so far was a $30 purchase which sold for $150 and a $5 purchase that sold for $48 I think it was.

Looked up one item at a flea market today but decided against it.  Went to a flea 50 miles away yesterday and bought 3 items for a total of $25 and hoping to sell them for about $75; not a lot, but would pay for the gas and then some.

Nice MovieMan - you can make money with the baby steps many times until you can take a long step or jump.  It's like the flea.  I make 50%-70% of my money on $5 or less items, mostly .25 - $1.  The other % comes from larger expensive items.

If money wasn't so tight now I'd try my hand at it.  Will have to do well at the auctions and flea and save the dough.

I just use my Smartphone for everything you are doing on the ipad. I pay $45 a month for my phone for unlimited everything and it fits in my pocket and has a decent size screen. I think what I like the best is the ebay app where I can scan ANYTHING with a barcode thats in a store and it will show me same items being sold on ebay.

The Ipad is a Great tool and if it works for you then Great but my phone works like a Champ.

Good info though for those that dont have a Smartphone though.

Good info though for those that dont have a Smartphone though.

Or for someone who prefers a 10" screen to a couple of inch screen. 

I have the small screen smartphone with me at auction time, but keep the iPad locked in the car to be used when digging into a unit that I purchase.  The bigger screen is much easier to do research on, but I find it too large to be useful at auction time.

A word of caution, at least in the Boston area there are many storage sites in old buildings that have very poor, if any, 3G signal. Don't always assume that you will have Internet connectivity whenever you want it.

A word of caution, at least in the Boston area there are many storage sites in old buildings that have very poor, if any, 3G signal. Don't always assume that you will have Internet connectivity whenever you want it.

1) I don't use the iPad at auctions. Really not enough time to look something up, so
2) No need to worry about 3G in multi-story buildings. All the ones I go to are out in the open, and...see
    #1 above.
3) I use the iPad at flea markets, estate sales and yard sales...all of which have good 3G reception, and...
4) Your advice is good for folks who use the smartphones and iPads in more urban, inside settings. 

wait, youre paying 15 bucks a month for 250 GIGS or 250 MEGS?

i ask because i have an ATT DSL line and i pay 20 a month for 150 gigs... and i am seriously doubting that youre getting 250 gigs for that price. but if you are... thats.. awesome...

wait, youre paying 15 bucks a month for 250 GIGS or 250 MEGS?

i ask because i have an ATT DSL line and i pay 20 a month for 150 gigs... and i am seriously doubting that youre getting 250 gigs for that price. but if you are... thats.. awesome...

And you would be right !

It is 250 MEGS !   I'll go back and change it in the other posts above.  So far in the 2nd month I've only used 13 MB so the 250 MB looks like a winning amount for me. If it HAD BEEN GB, then I could have watched whole movies out in the middle of the wilderness, but when I'm there I'm not in a movie mode anyway !

Thanks for catching that...and stay away from those CANS !