Would you want the Phone app on your iPad?

With all the talk of a large screen iPhone 6 this year, and potentially more in the years to follow, it's got me wondering — how big is too big? One of the arguments for a big screen iPhone is that it would better serve people who need a phone but want only one primary computing device. A 4.3- to 5-inch iPhone could satisfy them, but what about a 7.9-inch Retina iPad mini with Phone app installed as well?

Unlike Samsung and some other manufacturers who include phone apps on their tablets, Apple currently keeps Phone functionality — among other things — off the iPad. Nevertheless, thanks to third-party apps, I've used the iPad mini as a pseudo-phone several times.

While not ideal, if phone functionality wasn't anywhere near the top of my list, the bigger screen size might just make up for the awkwardness. Thanks to Bluetooth and headsets, it's not as if you'd have to hold it to your head like an 80s-style boom box. You'd just have to tap the Phone app and make a call with all the convenience of an iPhone and all the advantages of the bigger screen.

FaceTime audio makes it possible, so do apps like Skype or even Google Hangouts. But Phone app is the real deal. The same thing the iPhone has, that any phone has.

The question is — would an iPad with Phone app be something you'd want?



With Regards,
#ImWired Management

Light Pad HD turns your iPad into a light box

Here's a new solution to an old problem. How to view slides, transparencies or X-rays without a light box? Light Pad HD (U.S. $1.99) lets you see those old slides and other analog photographic media without lugging around a separate light box.

I have to admit, I have boxes of 35mm slides left over from my film days. Sorting them is a pain, holding them up to a lamp or a window is pretty cumbersome. Light Pad HD makes the process easy. Set the app up for the size film you have, or create your own custom size. In 35mm mode, there is room for 6 slides, and each pane can be turned on or off if you aren't viewing 6 at a time so glare can be eliminated. 4 slides fit on an iPad mini.

Setting up a custom window is easy. Just use the standard 2 finger pinch to adjust the size. The app also features a brightness control so you're not overwhelmed by the light in a dimmer environment.

Now I've got to find a decent scanner to get the slides I want to save into my Mac. My old Nikon scanner was designed with an ancient interface, so time to update.

Light Pad HD is a clever idea, yet another way to turn your iPad into something useful. Professionals will find it really useful, and if you have a lot of slides like I do it will be truly worthwhile. The app requires iOS 6.1, and as mentioned above, it adjusts it's windows to fit the iPad mini.



With Regards,
#ImWired Management