To iPad or not to iPad?

That is the question on my lips today. I've not been able to blog for a while due to an ill baby and technical problems, which has meant I've mostly been swearing at my laptop rather than typing anything on it.

It's got me thinking though that I need a back-up device. In this day and age, how can I cope without logging on to eBay daily to find a bargain? Or without trawling the Daily Mail for the latest bit of salacious and pointless celeb gossip? Granted, my iPhone is capable of doing both those activities but it's not the same experience as surfing the web with a proper-sized screen, is it?

So it's got me thinking once more about getting an iPad. Yes, I know for a digital dolly, I'm a bit of a late adopter here, but once you've had a kid and money is tight, you think twice about dishing out the dollar for new technology. Everyone I knows raves about them, but is it the right tablet for me? Probably because I want to mostly surf and watch videos on it. However, what if I want to pen part of my novel (that I've been writing for 4 years) while out and about. Maybe I should get one of those tablets with a keyboard as I still don't really like this touch-screen malarkey - oh god, am I getting old?

However, the one MAJOR thing tempting me to buy an iPad is the lovely designer cases you can get for it. How shallow can I be? Well, when it comes to style, the answer is very! And it seems that there are a huge variety of fabulous cases out there - all for the fraction of the price of a handbag by the same designer.

I'm currently coveting (left-right) the pink leather case from YSL for £230; the amazing leopard print number from Dolce & Gabbana for £170 and another pink one (yes, it's my favourite colour) from Mulberry for £165.

So perhaps I should just invest in a case and pretend I've got my iPad - well, at least until my fund situation gets better!

An App a day...

...keeps the doctor away. Well , I wish it would because with the amount of apps I’ve downloaded, I’d be the healthiest person alive! 

With over 300,000 apps available to download and use, it’s easy to get lost out there. I’ve used the good, the bad, and the downright ugly so to help you navigate your way through the world of apps, I’ll be highlighting the best ones around at the moment.

First up, It’s all about apps that change images. Instagram has been around just 10 months, but has become a huge success, with 7 million users and most recently, they had their 150 millionth uploaded photo. I can attest that I’ve contributed to that last mighty stat, uploading random image after image.

It’s the mark of a good app that you want to carry on using it and has a use – it makes bog standard iPhone images look really quite cool and professional. Take my images below – even the one of my son’s toy dog looks slightly creative.  You can choose from various finishes – including a really retro ‘70s look, which takes me back to my childhood photos – plus if you want to share your artwork, it’s easy to add it to Facebook and Twitter with a touch of a button.

Verdict: It’s genius, easy to use and gets my full marks. Download the Instagram app today – if you haven’t done already –and I guarantee all your photos in future will look so much better, and what’s more, it’s free!