One of the things I miss most about running is playing about with Zombies Run. Making exercise fun is a key thing for me, and the game aspect of it helped keep my going when otherwise I would probably have stopped early. I’ve been keeping an eye on apps and things that made moving about fun, and spotted the new Zumba Dance app. Now, I’ve never done Zumba - my understanding is that doing it in the class is the best way, everyone all having fun and not worrying about how good you are.

I’ve always managed to get a lot of use out of my iPad. There are two main dilemmas around Apple’s tablet device (aside from price, etc) with one being “What would I use it for?” and the other being “It’s only good for consuming, not creating.” My iPad has always been kept busy, but I would admit that it’s mostly for consumption. Watching TV, videos, listening to music, browsing the web, playing games, the usual kind of thing.

One of Mr C’s biggest complaints with the iPod and iPad stems from the idea of touching the screen and your big thumbs getting in the way. Particularly when you are playing games, controlling whatever is on screen with your not-particularly-see-through-hands can be tricky. It’s a valid complaint, although I always argue that the ease of the iPad far outweighs a technical little issue like that. We were perusing some iPad accessories and stumbled across the AluPen from Just Mobile.

The iPad 2 Smart Cover is all kinds of genius, yes. The hidden magnets allow it to snap automatically onto the side of the device. How on earth it does that waking up when you lift just one tiny bit, I don’t know. It’s a cover, that is smart. However, as the owner of one, I realised a pretty serious flaw. You cover the iPad, and then roll back the cover to become a stand.

I’ve been epically busy this week but Apple don’t seem to care very much about that. First they released the latest version of their mobile software which meant a dozen gadgets needed updating. The very next day, just as I thought I was going to be getting something done, Garageband became available on the iPad. Productivity = out the window. For an entire evening, I was all about the music.

I had a few minutes to spare, so I browsed to the App Store on the iPad for a new game to play, and there was iPad Jenga - a featured game just pleading for me to buy it. So I did. It’s brilliant. For £2.99, you get to play Jenga without having to stack up the bricks every time, without the noisy clatter when they fall down, without having to have the patience to try and fit them all back in the box at the end of the game.

I know I am late to the complaining party regarding the latest iOS upgrade on the iPad, but I have to get my rant down in black and white, otherwise it will just swirl around in my head forever more. The iPad used to enjoy the luxury of a volume switch on the side, alongside an on/off toggle that would lock the orientation of the screen. If you’re swinging the iPad around a bit, it would stop the screen switching direction like a mad thing.

Before today, I had brought my iPad to work with me three times, ready to read some books over lunch. I’ve been reading the Kindle App on my phone which is great, but it suddenly occurred to me that to other people, it probably looked as though I was staring at my phone for an hour every day. I was torn between being the type of person who stares at their phone for an hour, or the type of person who brings in their gadgety gadgets to show off.

Mr C bought an iPad pretty much the moment he could, and we had fun for a while playing around on it. Mostly, it was in his custody though, and about a week ago, I noticed he really wasn’t getting the most out of it. So, I commandeered it. I have an iPad now! I’m still playing around with it, learning things, figuring out how I’ll use it and where, but here are five awesome things I have noticed so far: