Fits in one hand easily

My skepticism disappeared pretty quickly as I started to use the iPad Mini in more of a day-to-day use, rather than having poked around a display unit. The amount of bonus man-bag space I found was useful on several occasions, and the lighter weight was also a big benefit. It also found itself neatly nestled in my wife’s handbag on several occasions – such is the convenience of the size.

Both the weight and size have been a huge advantage in my line of work too. I do plenty of regular group training sessions on technology & social media, and carrying a larger iPad for long periods of time can start to weigh you down (literally). You also need a grip that requires your hand and most of your forearm to have it nestled and secure. Sure, there are options for remote control apps etc, but I do lots of mirroring AirPlay through Apple TV, so carry the iPad a lot as I demo websites, social media, apps and more.

The iPad Mini is perfect for me. I can AirPlay my screen, hold it in one hand with fingers and thumb comfortably making it around the device in portrait orientation (NB. I am 6″+, so have largish hands), and be completely mobile to run my training presentations.

Being an LTE (4G) device, I was also able to directly connect to my Apple TV without separate WiFi networks as I moved to different locations for training, and be rest-assured I would be self reliant and able to deliver my presentations with any live internet content needed on the fly.

Run presentations comfortably whilst holding in one hand only

I didn’t experience any negative issues with having a smaller screen when reading, looking at websites or playing games. Having been comfortable with the content on touch screen phones for a few years, anything larger than that is a bonus for viewing area. You do lose a couple of inches when watching video content, so if video watching was your primary purpose the larger iPad may be your best bet if you love bigger screens.

The main negative I can think of is the screen resolution.  It’s no Retina screen, but if you haven’t seen one before you won’t know what you’re missing. It is higher resolution in terms of pixels per inch (PPI) than the iPad 1 & 2, so is still a good screen.

I did find with my large man hands that my typing accuracy was a little lower than on the larger iPad screens, but this was more to do with space for all my fingers to fit in a traditional typing setup with my hands together. You may end up typing with a couple of fingers per hand, rather than all fingers, but you can still get the job done nicely. Alternatively, if you have the iPad Mini in portrait orientation, you can type with two thumbs, much in the same way as typing on a smartphone screen – so it has its’ own benefits.

Happy with the iPad Mini

My perfect device would be the iPad Mini with Retina screen – that would have it wrapped up in one great combination. I am sure we will see a Retina version of the iPad Mini in the next release, and I will be snapping one up as soon as possible.

In the meantime, this iPad is serving me very well, and saves $170 off the larger screen version. If you are looking for an affordable entry into the iPad arena or a smaller portable device – then this is the one for you.

Anyway, they are just a few thoughts. Let me know your thoughts or questions in the comments.

- Mathan

Starting with Adelaide on 3rd May & Perth on 17th May, TV’s across Australia will need to retune shortly. Each area will need to retune as spectrum is freed up for mobile broadband. To ensure you don’t lose any channels, we launched a dedicated Retune site, complete with video and other information, to make it as easy as possible.

Check out Retune.com.au today!

Gadget Coach is pleased to announce the signing of a contract with the Adelaide City Council, to manage the training program delivered at the Adelaide City Digital Hub.

The Adelaide City Digital Hub is a partnership between the Australian Government and the Adelaide City Council, funded as part of the rollout of the National Broadband Network (NBN).

The purpose of the Digital Hub is to help increase digital literacy in the community, by providing FREE group and one-on-one training in areas of the computers, internet and associated technology.

In the current six month program there will be 28 topics taught in approximately 130 sessions, plus over 250 one-on-one sessions delivered by volunteers.

To read more, please visit the Adelaide City Digital Hub page on our website, with links to the official website, program details and booking information.

The changes bring in chat heads within the Facebook app, plus the ability to select different feeds to view, such as friends only, subscriptions, music plus custom lists.

Check out some screenshots below:

Starting with Adelaide on 3rd May, TV’s across Australia will need to retune shortly. Each area will need to retune as spectrum is freed up for mobile broadband. To ensure you don’t lose any channels, we launched a dedicated Retune site, complete with video and other information, to make it as easy as possible.

Check out Retune.com.au today!

Starting from May 2013, each area of Australia will need to retune their digital TV’s and Personal Video Recorder (PVR’s), as the networks realign which frequency their channels are broadcast on.

In Adelaide metro, this date is May 3rd. If you don’t retune on, or after this date, you may not be able to see all of the current digital TV stations.

Here is a link to the Retune website: http://retune.digitalready.gov.au/

The site contains some background to retuning, plus some basic instructions. You can also type in your address to get the exact date for your location.

For your convenience, and for the visual learners, we created this simple video that walks through retuning a digital TV.
We look at three different models, so it should cover the basics of your respective model of TV.

Learn how to activate and use the multitasking gestures in the iPad and iPad Mini, in simple language and step by step.

- Pinch to the Home Screen
- Swipe up to reveal multitasking bar
- Swipe left or right between apps

Visit us at http://www.gadgetcoach.com.au for more information about Gadget Coach.

View the screenshots below for a preview:

Basic Specs
Model: Kogan 10″ Agora Dual Core Tablet
OS: Android Jelly Bean (4.1)
Screen: 9.7″ (1024×768 pixels)
CPU: Dual-core ARM Cortex A9 1.6GHz
RAM: 1GB

Let’s have a look at different aspects of the Kogan Agora Dual Core tablet:

Design
The design is simple with a Matt black finish on the plastic backing. This does makes it reasonably fingerprint resistant on the back, compared to polished or glass surfaces.

The back does not flow directly around to the front to join the screen as you might see on an iPad. The back and front are clearly different parts joined together by a rim around the outside edges. This outside rim actually has a bit of an indented edge around it, which in turn has the consequences of providing a better grip. Without this it could be a little more slippery, so it’s not actually a bad thing.

In the end you can’t expect amazing design for the price point this tablet is at, but it’s simple and sufficient for its’ purpose.

Speed
The dual core processor makes a big difference in this model of the tablet. The first ICS model often lagged and froze, having to close apps, or sometimes even restart the tablet to get performance back to normal. We have been using this tablet for around one week and have not seen ours lag or freeze yet.

Display
It’s a good standard display, with resolution at a solid 1024 x 768 pixels which is sufficient for watching movies and browsing the web. In comparison, it is the same resolution as what you get on the iPad 2.

Screen brightness is fairly good but wouldn’t be recommended for using in bright outdoor environments (but neither are most devices).

Battery
Battery performance is much improved from the previous model.

In a simple test playing a movie for almost 2 hours, it only used approx 15% of the battery. We have had the device on standby for several days without charge, and it was still holding around 40% until last use. The WiFi didn’t seem to stay connected during this time, so this would be a large factor in this performance. But generally the battery seems to have been improved overall, which is always positive.

Positives
Price definitely has to be the main positive with this device.

The many different ports on the device are also a great advantage, especially for anyone who has tried using an iPad and wanted to plug in other attachments. The slots give you the ability to plug straight into HDTV (with mini HDMI adaptor), or plugging a USB drive in and browsing/copying/editing files.

Negatives
We did notice an apparent bug in our device, and aren’t sure if it is limited to just our device, or the range. When it is plugged into charge, the keyboard seems to malfunction. When pressing the ‘Shift’ or ‘?123′ (for changing keyboards) buttons, the tablet reads that many other letters have been entered. We found it impossible to type anything accurately that required capitals, numbers or special characters. Oddly enough, we never experienced this issue running off battery alone.

Summary
The Kogan Agora Dual Core Tablet will give you good access to apps, internet, watching videos, and reading e-books. It will be generally reliable, and the battery life is good.

Overall it is great value for money and a really good starting point for a first tablet for any age. Don’t buy this tablet expecting super speed & super resolution. But if you just want to start off simple, explore the benefits of a tablet, and get good value for money – then this would be the right one for you.

I am a big one for having right expectations when buying a device. For someone who has used, or likes to use a high-end tablet like the latest iPad, Samsung, or Windows tablets – then this may seem a little cheap or not to standard. But that’s exactly what it is, $199 at the most, and it isn’t pretending to be the top model on the market. For my line of work I wouldn’t necessarily rely on it as my main business tablet, but it is fun to play with, and good access to the Android platform.

If you are an online shopper, and have been considering Android tablets you have found online, maybe sourced from China – then consider this tablet as a good option, that will give you an Australian warranty backing.

Kogan Website

- Mathan Allington