First generation iPad owners were left out in the cold last summer when Apple
denied them an update to the new iOS 6. But a bunch of new apps have helped breathe new life
into the tablet that started the next big trend in computing. Read on, and
we’ll show you how to give your ageing iPad next-gen iOS 6 skills.
Add some Siri-style search
Apple’s Siri voice assistant arrived on the
iPad third-gen with iOS 6, but older models were left hanging. Luckily,
Google’s fantastic Search app runs just fine on them: while it won’t
let you compose messages, it will let you search the web just by saying a
phrase or asking a question in natural language, and frankly, it’s faster than
Siri at doing just that. This is a must have app on any iOS device – and it’s
free.
Voice dictation
Siri has its limitations, but the little
voice dictation icon on the keyboard in iOS 6 makes browsing the web and
composing emails on newer iPads easy – it’s extremely accurate. The first
generation iPad lacks this, but you can use Dragon Dictation instead to write messages with the power of
your voice alone. Once upon a time, Dragon Dictation cost a small fortune, but
incredibly, it’s now free on iOS.
Offline reading
Safari gets another neat trick in iOS 6: an
offline reading list, so you can easily save long web articles – without
adverts – for reading when you’re on the train or bus. You can’t use it on the
first-gen iPad, but you can use something better: install Pocket and you can add articles that are saved onto
your device, and in the cloud for you to read on your phone or computer too.
Naturally, it’s free.
Tab syncing
Safari on iOS 6 also lets you open tabs on
other Apple gadgets synced to the same iCloud account. Your old iPad can get in
on the desktop-syncing action if you use Google Chrome though: sign in with your Google account and you
can see what tabs you’ve got open on your Android phone or another computer,
even if that’s in another country!
New look YouTube
Apple ditched YouTube in iOS 6, leaving
Google to come up with a replacement app, and while there are no such problems
on a 2010 iPad running iOS 5, that new app is still worth seeking out. Its revamped UI and
heavier focus on recommendations and channels make it easier to find something
right up your street – and naturally, it’s free.
Don’t fix what ain’t broke
Apple famously botched its own Maps app when it rolled
out iOS 6, replacing Google’s reliable data with its own first-party nonsense.
Overnight, buildings vanished, shuttered train stations re-appeared and public
transport times went kaput, leaving users scrambling for replacements. Thankfully, there’s now a
replacement Google Maps app on iPhone, but it’s yet to appear on iPad: in the
meantime, be grateful for the superb iOS 5 Maps app. [GadgetShow]
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