I-Pad or Notebook

Sorry, that should be Netbook and not Notebook!!!
Rosie

I am not an Apple fan (like Marmite, you love them or hate them!). I would ask the people you're most likely to be in touch with, as if they are using Mac systems, it may be easier to go with the i-pad (more expensive though!)

I have an acer netbook (£210) - which does exactly as you say (on an android platform, which is fine for me) and it is a decent workhorse.

Tell the store (or buy over the phone) what you want - a fast operating system, but not a great deal of memory (especially if you upload to web albums) but do be clear about the photos, as they take up a lot of room on a hard drive.
My little simple camera is fine, but we struggle with the amount of memory needed by my dh's fancy camera.
Also make sure you sort out how you are going to connect to the internet: Starbucks & a lot of Macdonalds have free Wi-fi. So do most hotels.

Have you considered using a smart phone? The photos are not the quality of a proper camera, but are easily sent. I have to say though, that I don't like e-mailing with the fiddly buttons.

I love my IPad - I have an IPod touch too. For travelling, the IPad is great; there is a Kindle app which means you can download books, rather than carry them, and check e- mails (and Gransnet). Touring in Louisiana and Arizona recently, I found that even local airports had charging points too, and all hotels had Wi Fi. Also, given my intermittent insomnia, it means I can be quietly occupied at unearthly hours of the night / day!

I love my iPad and find it ideal for travel and easy to use. It does get addictive though .I have been banned from taking it to bed.

I would love an ipad but it might be a bit complicated for me
I have a HP 10'' Net book and I absolutely love it. I bought it from QVC over a year ago and it has been very reliable.

MOG bought me an iPad as soon as they arrived in the UK. He's a right geek but couldn't justify one for himself so I benefited . I'd recommend it to anyone, geekish or not. I'm one of the nots, but it's fun and easy to use as well as sleek.

My granddaughter saved her pocket money and bought an acer netbook. Great little computer. She can email, skype and save photos. Half the price of an ipad. I use an android mobile and can email, gransnet and facebook. Also good for keeping in touch if you have wifi access.

I was told today that hp (not the sauce!) have a special offer on their equivalent of i pad. They are about £85 as compared to around £400, but needless to say everyone has sold out for now.

There are so many different iPad's that I am totally befuddled which one would be best so would probably opt for an Android system instead. I have an android phone (HTC) which I am really pleased with. That does internet, email etc but I'm still tempted with a tablet of some sort so will watch this thread with interest and pick the communal brains

I think that HP have decided not to compete with Apple & are pulling out of making tablets - that's why they are being sold off so cheaply.

My ipad is so easy to use DH bought it for my birthday last year I take it every where with me as load's of place's are now wi-fi equipped,I have also been banned from taking it to bed as forget how long I have been on it

I have asked Father Christmas to bring me an I -Pad but they were £470 in John Lewis - can you get them cheaper anywhere else?

They have ipad 2 on line for fractionally under £400.

Thankyou Shysal Yes they do have a cheaper version in store but it has less memory.

Sorry to put the cat among the pigeons but you could investigate Google Chromebooks as a totally new view of things. Seems like a good alternative which I'm seriously considering as my laptop needs updating.

Just had a look at this option, yoga. Sounds interesting but I might wait a bit until it's proven. It certainly reduces the need for vast amounts of storage.

I think that it could be perfect for me as I'm very much Google based already. I use the Google calendar, Google Docs and almost all of the "stuff" I do on the computer is internet or cloud based. I keep my photos on a separate disc and there are loads of photo processing free internet things available

Thanks everyone for your replies. We're vering towards a netbook at the moment. I've been round various stores and there are so many to choose from. I've found it helpful to go online to these stores and read the reviews written by customers. Still don't know yet which to choose. Most come with 1GB RAM and everyone advises to upgrade to 2GB. We'll also take a portable hard drive with us, which should give us loads of memory. People are now talking about 'clouds', so that's the next thing to get my head around.
Rosie

OK Rosie...I'll bite ...apart from having my head in them ...what are 'clouds' in this connection? ...as I am also looking for a netbook to travel with

"clouds" are the new way of storing all your "stuff" on the internet instead of cluttering up your hard drive on the computer. Google Docs is a good example. You can create documents, spreadsheets, presentations, drawings and all sorts of documents and keep them safe and secure in the "cloud". Gmail is another example - all your mail stored in the cloud and so freeing up space on the computer.
One advantage is that you can access all your data from anywhere in the world as long as you have internet access. I can even use my phone for checking emails, my calendar etc from wherever I am. It also means that if you're away on holiday you still can upload your photos, do any editing to them or just email them straight to family, and they will be safe and secure.
I'm seriously considering a Google Chromebook as I have said in a previous post as it seems the logical progression for me but they seem to be out of stock at the moment

Thanks Yogagran, I kept reading about how useful 'clouds' were, but didn't know what they were useful for. Sounds like it would be a good idea for our trip. Where is the best place to find out more and sign up - if that's what you do with a cloud?

Apparently HP's sell-off of touchpads for £89 went so well (sold out) that they intend to make some more to also sell at a loss. They must have more bits in the factory to use up.

Sounds like buying strawberries to use up the cream, then running out of cream and buying more to use up the strawberries......

Rosiebee - Jason Bradbury on The Gadget Show of Friday at 8pm channel 5 is talking about "cloud computing". Could be informative (or knowing the Gadget Show - it could be useless!)

Thanx yogagran for both the explanation and the tv programme information.