I have the Weather Channel free app, and you can just type in your zip code/postal code or city/state, etc. I've tried it by location and found it to be pretty accurate, but if you want your specific area, you just need to tell it that.
Surfing should be no problem at all. I have a wifi only model, and it detected my wifi at home with no issue at all, and continues to do so. My whole set up of the iPad was flawless-worked right out of the box, just like iPhone. Because I have iPhone, I was already used to the iOS web browser and apps that don't have back buttons. But as pointed out, most you just click somewhere on the screen to get back & forth through the various facets you need. You should be fine, and will get used to it.

I believe the iPad is a wonderful piece of technology. The battery life alone is amazing. My word for it is "Crispy" just like the screen, it's rich and sharp. Mines worked right out of the box as well. The only small flaw is that the machine doesn't support flash.......but I think it's all in Apples business plan. Hehe. .....

Good iPaddin....
Peace.

I am a senior user (in the biological sense!) and have been pleasantly surprised at how logical this thing is. I have an Ipod Touch and found that, as many have said, once you get the idea around using the interface, it all makes sense. I feel for LoveRem63 and what I will tell you is that I was just as frustrated when I 1st got the Ipad for me (64G 3G) and my wife (16G wifi). We struggled until we finally began to "get it". In my opinion, the easiest way to figure it out is to read these forums (they are worth their weight in gold!) and experiment using the many, many free apps. My wife really learned to use it through the many games, which she really loves. Oh yea, another novel method and tool is to read the user manual, which many never get to!

I started using this thing wondering what was it good for. I really purchased them for us out of curiosity over all the media attention it was getting. Now many weeks later, I use it to do vitually all my banking and credit card business, write letters using Pages, keep my family budget using Numbers, do all my email stuff on it, do all internet searches and purchases on it, share over 800 photos in multiple albums with friends and family and print to my HP C410a via wifi from it. Oh yea, and generally do all this using my BT Apple keyboard when I'm in my easy chair (which, as a senior, is most of the time). I didn't think it would be as useful as a PC or laptop due to the lack of a USB port, hard disk space, etc. The fact is that I didn't understand how to use this piece of glass in a practical sense. Then I learned about Mobile me and iDisk and the cameral interface, etc., etc.

The point I'm trying to make is that this wonderful piece of technology has evolved from a curiosity for me and my wife to a whole new way of communicating and learning. I agree with those whole call it a "game changer", it truly is. Hang in there LoveRem63, if this old retired soldier can get this thing, so can you.

It's good to see the "biologically seasoned" people getting in on the iPad too. My mom has one, and she loves it. I think that is where the simplicity and lack of features really is a positive for the iPad. As much as I want a good quality Android tablet, my mom wouldn't want it at all. She wouldn't change the look and feel of it, she wouldn't use any widgets, she would use it the same way she uses her iPad, just to run a few apps, browse the web, and e-mail.

This is why even though Android tablets are technically better than the iPad, it will still sell well, because many people don't care about specs and customization ability, they just want something that is simple and works 99.9% of the time (nothing is perfect).

Actually my mom is thinking about one too, but I'm here in Oklahoma and she is in Alabama.....my bank account may not be able to stand the phone bills!

Interesting comment regarding the quality of the Android tabs. I used to be pretty tech savvy but, man-o-man has it gone fast down the road! Given the reality of spam, viruses and other kinds of bots, etc., your right, the IPad is probably the best platform for those of us who really aren't looking for production as much as convenience.

However, I am curious about the power and customizable nature you're talking about. What site or source would you recommend for learning about those differences? I realize this thread is the wrong place for this.

Thanks

Originally Posted by Mike245

Actually my mom is thinking about one too, but I'm here in Oklahoma and she is in Alabama.....my bank account may not be able to stand the phone bills!

Interesting comment regarding the quality of the Android tabs. I used to be pretty tech savvy but, man-o-man has it gone fast down the road! Given the reality of spam, viruses and other kinds of bots, etc., your right, the IPad is probably the best platform for those of us who really aren't looking for production as much as convenience.

However, I am curious about the power and customizable nature you're talking about. What site or source would you recommend for learning about those differences? I realize this thread is the wrong place for this.

Thanks

AndroidCentral is a great site with a great community of people on it. Not as nice as the people here, but the information is just as good.

There are quite a few different customization apps for the Android that don't require you to hack the phone like some people do. I use one called Launcher Pro, lets me change pretty much everything about the way the phone looks and feels. Custom keyboards are available with different types of predictive text is one of my favorites, but there are so many different ways to make the phone unique and function just the way you want it to. The phones/tablets right now aren't even that powerful, but the ones being released in the next couple months will feature dual core processors, more RAM, etc, etc, and will run much better than the ones of today.

Thanks for the reference. I did read that Google hasn't got the OS to the level required to really compete yet but when they do...game on.

Again, thanks for your coments and take care

Originally Posted by Superbike81

It's good to see the "biologically seasoned" people getting in on the iPad too.

+1 on that! My dad got one back in August, and we bought my grandmother one for her birthday in October. She's learning how to use a computer now, but can do a lot on the ipad - her condo is next to a public library so she is hooked into their wifi network, and she knows how to go on the internet, play solitaire & scrabble (I had to download them for her) and do quite a few other things. I was surprised at how quickly she picked it up, with barely any computer experience.

It's not that Android OS can't compete, it's just not quite as smooth and fluid as iOS. But in many ways Android is much better than iOS. I will take the slight bit of occasional jerkiness if it means a completely customizable user interface is available to me.

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