Should I Return the iPad?

[COcheesehead]

Are you sure? I tried a few things. I could get something on the Today page, but even that wouldn't display my inbox.

I have mine pinned on the bottom of the screen.

 

[W2R]

Today I got a Galaxy Tab S5e at Costco. I'll take it or the iPad back.

So far, the Tab is far ahead. It's not just because I'm used to Android.

The Back button is just genius. I can do everything without repositioning my hands. Having my GMail inbox on the homescreen is wonderful.

Al, if you were a woman, you'd be the type to order 5 dresses from Amazon and return 4 of them.

Yes, there should be an icon for your mail, at the bottom. I don't remember how I set it up but it must have been pretty trivial. I'll bet it was part of the setup process. Anyway, it looks like a white envelope on a blue background, and if you have any new email there will be a smaller little red circle with the number of new emails in it, on the envelope. Touch the icon and it will open up to your Inbox.

Edit: Like on the attached photo, at the bottom you can see that icon.

 

[COcheesehead]

Al, if you were a woman, you'd be the type to order 5 dresses from Amazon and return 4 of them.

Yes, there should be an icon for your mail, at the bottom. I don't remember how I set it up but it must have been pretty trivial. I'll bet it was part of the setup process. Anyway, it looks like a white envelope on a blue background, and if you have any new email there will be a smaller little red circle with the number of new emails in it, on the envelope.

It’s a drag icon. Put your finger on it til it wiggles and then drag to the bottom.

 

[W2R]

It’s a drag icon. Put your finger on it til it wiggles and then drag to the bottom.

Yeah, you're right. I must have put it in the area at the bottom.

 

[TromboneAl]

I didn't mean an icon for mail, I meant the actual inbox, as seen in my OP. Am I misunderstanding?

 

[COcheesehead]

I didn't mean an icon for mail, I meant the actual inbox, as seen in my OP. Am I misunderstanding?

I have four emails so I start at the envelope icon. I think you can go direct to gmail with their app if that is what you desire.

 

[TromboneAl]

Al, if you were a woman, you'd be the type to order 5 dresses from Amazon and return 4 of them.

.

[emoji1]

Actually I was very nervous doing it that way. Normally, I'd want to take one back first. Me: "So, you're sure I can bring one back ..."

I won't road completely until I only have one.

 

[mpeirce]

I didn't mean an icon for mail - including mail, I meant the actual inbox, as seen in my OP. Am I misunderstanding?

iPad OS will allow widgets on the "desktop". Currently iOS on the iPad only has icons there. You have to swipe from the left to see your widgets.

 

[jmp470]

I bought an iPad Pro 12.9 with a 1 TB hard drive and cellular data. It has replaced my other computers for 99% of the things I do. My biggest issue is the small screen when I’m multi-tasking, but, I can plug my 34 curved gaming monitor into when I need to, or just use my desk top.

For me, it works very well. But, my co-workers don’t like it as much as their new 2 in 1’s, etc. Which is ok with me, as I don’t like their computers as much as mine.

I think it becomes what are you most comfortable using.

 

[mpeirce]

A nice visual summary of the new gestures coming to iPad OS soon.

https://www.cnet.com/g00/how-to/learn-these-16-crucial-gestures-to-navigate-your-ipad/

 

[TromboneAl]

Too it back to Costco today, got full refund. Great service--good way to try out hardware.

 

[Philliefan33]

Too it back to Costco today, got full refund. Great service--good way to try out hardware.

Yes, Costco makes it simple and risk-free to give technology a try.

I was on the fence regarding an Apple Watch. I purchased one from Costco in June, half expecting to be returning it within 90 days. (Like you, I double- and triple-checked that it could be returned for any reason. ). Turns out that it does what I want so I’ll be keeping it.

 

[papaof2]

not quite an OS war ;-)

We all have our favorite chair, vehicle, food and technology. I'm adamantly anti-Apple. It started with their stealing from children in the days of the Apple II - that $2500 computer cost them $500 to build and they would give a school one if they bought five. Do the math and you'll know how Steve and Steve became millionaires.

My wife has an iPod (the only Apple device in the house and that's because one of the kids gave it to her). I find iTunes annoying every time she asks me to transfer the church choir's current practice music from a CD or one of the online repositories. Apple's afraid I'll get some copyrighted performance past them without them being able to make $ on it and that makes iTunes get in the way. With an Android player, i could simply copy the non-copyrighted "performance" to the player's memory and start playing.

If you're comfortable with Android and can find all the things you need, use it.

For the person who only got 3 years out of a Windows laptop, I'd want to know what brand and model as the Dell laptop I'm typing this on is about 12 years old and it still running Windows XP and Office 2003. This is my writing machine (two books published on Kindle - link in the Creative section, several in the pipeline) because I like the keyboard and it has more vertical screen space than any of the newer "gotta be wider and shorter" screens (16:9 is not a writer's screen).

I do have Windows 7 and 10 PCs where needed (formatting ebooks, monitoring the solar power system I designed and built) but I find them too much like the "We know best" from Apple (and Windows 10 is getting progressively worse). Remember when Apple told people they got poor cell phone range because they were holding their iPhones incorrectly? That wasn't customer ignorance; it was a design problem that was initially answered with Apple's usual "We know best" arrogance - they did finally admit the error and offer free cases.

I also speak Unix and OS9.

 

[TromboneAl]

My first device was an iPod Touch. When I switched to Android, I was impressed at how much better it was.

But I figured that iOS had caught up recently, because so many people like it. I no longer think that.

 

[TromboneAl]

Today, I got this charging dock:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07PX3TZ49/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The tablet has contacts on one side, so when I put it in the stand, it starts charging, just like a cordless phone. Works great. Only the iPad Pro has a similar feature.

 

[ERD50]

...

The tablet has contacts on one side, so when I put it in the stand, it starts charging, just like a cordless phone. Works great. Only the iPad Pro has a similar feature.

I don't understand why all our devices don't have charging contacts like that. I don't like plugging/unplugging a cord/connector so often, and while wireless charging is a nice alternative, it's not so great when you want to charge away from home, you need to have that base.

If these contacts were a standard dimension, you could count on a charger working, or just plug in the cable if a docking charger isn't available.

I will start a new thread later on some ideas on this.

-ERD50

 

[TromboneAl]

I don't understand why all our devices don't have charging contacts like that. I don't like plugging/unplugging a cord/connector so often, and while wireless charging is a nice alternative, it's not so great when you want to charge away from home, you need to have that base.

If these contacts were a standard dimension, you could count on a charger working, or just plug in the cable if a docking charger isn't available.

I will start a new thread later on some ideas on this.

-ERD50

Absolutely. At a diner today, I sat next to a fireman with a walkie-talkie. The contacts for dropping it into a charger were clearly visible.

Cordless phone manufacturers get it.

My guess is that eventually tablet and phone makers will wake up.

Of course, the contacts on the iPad Pro are different from those on my Galaxy.

Did we learn nothing from 8-track tapes?