DROOL ALERT (cool ipad accessories)

I know life isn’t all about possessions, blah, blah, blah… but can I just say how much I lurrrrrve my iPad??


And, just as a devoted pet owner might buy a diamante leash for their dog, I like to furnish my iPad with suitable accoutrements – like this WACOM BAMBOO STYLUS.

Perhaps it’s just my sausage fingers, but I sometimes find it fiddly to use the touch screen, especially when the icons and links I’m trying to click on are teensy.


I have to magnify the page to make the area large, then click on it, then reduce it down again… can you even begin to understand the torment I was going through?


When my laptop went squiffy (that’s the technical term) a while back I used my iPad and keyboard as my main computer while it was being repaired.  Which was driving me completely bonkers, until I got my sausage hands on the Bamboo Stylus.


Basically it’s like a little pen designed to work perfectly with the iPad’s capacitive screen (which, in English, means a fancy-shmancy screen that reacts to the static electricity generated by your finger – that’s why it won’t work with your fingernails, or when you have gloves on! Clever, huh??).


You simply touch it down to click on a link, or run it down the screen to drag down the page. It’s just like you would do with your finger – only a gazillion times more accurate because the nib is so much thinner and precise.


It’s uber-cool to use with the drawing and note writing apps on iPad (or any other tablet with a capacitive screen). Just download WACOM’S BAMBOO PAPER app – currently free on iTunes – and your iPad turns into a digital notepad, while the stylus acts as your pen. Look – I drew this! 

I’ve also been using it to take notes while I’m on the phone, and leave messages for OH, and it’s brilliantly smooth and easy to use, and surprisingly similar to using a fine nib ink pen. You can even email the doodles, notes and messages – perfect for sending drawings and home-made cards to the grandparents in New Zealand. 


AND I discovered it’s also quite nifty for texting on my iPhone (again, it’s that big fingers, small keys issue).


Another little iPad extra I’ve been trying recently is the SCOSCHE BACKSTAGE headrest mount, which converts your iPad into a nifty in-car entertainment system. 


You just slide your iPad into the holder then use the velcro straps to secure it to the back of your headrest. Voila! Your fractious kid has their own mini-cinema screen to keep them quiet on long car journeys.

I’ve previously tried another car mounting kit made from hard plastic, rather than the flexible netted PVC sleeve of the Scosche, but I prefer this one because I can keep my iPad in the case rather than having to take it in and out of the frame (yes, I’m that lazy).


Big Sis LOVES having her movies on tap when we drive down to see the in-laws in Devon. Except now the difficulty isn’t getting her into the car, it’s coaxing her out…


It even has a handy mesh pocket on the back – perfect for storing your Bamboo Stylus!!


So there you go – some cool stuff for your iPad. 


And if you don’t have an iPad, then surely you must rush out now and buy one – if only to put these fab accessories to great use…


Wacom Bamboo Stylus, www.wacom.eu, £24.99; Scosche backSTAGE headrest mount, www.eoutlet.co.uk, £29.99.


• the stylus and headrest mount were provided for the purpose of review