James Branch
I started my I.T. life back in 1987 with a Commodore 64, swiftly moving to the Amiga 500 and 1200, but got my first (What I could call 'real') PC in 1991.... a Packard Bell 486 DX running Windows 3.1 and from then on, I was hooked!
I've been working in the I.T. sector in the U.K. for over 10 years now. My career started as a junior technician for Sage Software (Working in house as part of the I.T. tech teams, not developing their software as such) repairing PC's and doing the boring jobs that nobody really wanted or could be bothered to do! It was my first taste of work in the I.T. sector since leaving college (Where I studied I.T. and Business believe it or not!) so as far as I was concerned, I had the best job in the world!
After a couple of years I left Sage as a Desktop Support Engineer and worked for a number of I.T. companies, with most of my concentration and dedication being aimed at PC, Server and Network support/design.
I'm currently working as part of a two man I.T. support team, so tend to get my hands dirty with not only network design and support, PC & Server repair/maintenance, but I also maintain VoIP telephone systems, have mastered Sharepoint (MOSS/WSS Design, Document Library and Workflows), setup Virtual Servers using VMWare & MS Virtual Server, systems administration, Unix maintenance, and I like to dabble in SQL now and again.... just for my sins! :)
I tend not to go very far without my iPod shuffle and can't live without my Blackberry 8820 - it's like an extension to my right (or even left!) hand!
As you can probably gather, I'm also addicted to gadgets.... I have quite an impressive collection of toys now, which seem to take up too much space at home! I've gone through more digital cameras that I care to think of, had far too many Palms, games consoles, smart phones and an impressive of collection of PC's and laptops! Not a bad thing though, I think anyway!! My wife might think otherwise! :)
When I'm not playing with gadgets or on the internet, I'm spending time with my gorgeous wife and three kids (All boys!) who'll no doubt grow up to be gadget freaks too, I hope! :)
You can always find me checking e-mail, Twittering or mooching around Facebook, or indeed finding the next gadget(s) to review!
James
Twelve South, the designers that brought you the BookArc MacBook stand (as posted by Andy Jacobs back in 2009) now introduce the BookArc for iPad.
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Their regular laptop holder works just as well. It is an extremely well made holder, great to look at, and very functional…especially if you want to pair it with a keyboard.
Our only issue with the “regular” one is the horizontal positions is a little unstable (unless positioned just right) due to the wide gap. The only reason to get the “regular” one is it will do double duty…laptop or ipad.
Here are some pics of it in action:
http://www.rainydaymagazine.com/RDM2010/RainyDayEngineering/Week15/RDEApr0610.htm#iPadAccessories
BTW…the iPad holder looks like it holds it straight up while the laptop holder, due to the wider gap, holds the iPad at an angle.
We’ll have to compare the two to be sure, but the angled-view would seem to make more sense.
@RainyDayInterns – The BookArc gives you a choice of four different positions. In “work mode,” your iPad sits at an angle in both portrait and landscape positions, and provides access to the home button. However, in “storage mode” your iPad sits upright in both portrait and landscape positions, perfect for charging or using it as a photo frame. There is always access to the charging port, no matter which mode you pick.
I love the look of this– I may have to invest in one of these after my move 🙂