Ask Adrian: Tuning in to radio, upgrading iPad mini and the poshest iPhone money can buy

Answer
I’m not sure if you’ve tried using podcasts yet, but many mainstream Irish radio shows are now available as podcasts for weeks, or sometimes months, after they’re broadcast.

If you have a smartphone, you can access these for free by downloading the radio station’s app (such as RTÉ Radio). The main limitation with these podcasted radio shows is that they often won’t play the full music track for licensing rights reasons.

I’m not sure what type of device or gadget you’re playing your USB sticks back on, but there are one or two ways to record radio streams. (I should add that, legally, you shouldn’t record songs from the radio.) Some internet radios allow you to record from them.

Question
I saw that there’s a new iPad mini for sale.

I have a very old iPad that I was happy with but the screen sometimes fades in and out. Is the new mini iPad a good replacement?
— Carol Hegarty
 

Answer
If you liked your old iPad and you’re really just looking for an updated version for the next five or six years, you’re probably better off getting the new basic model.

It has just been upgraded with a new engine, more storage and a good front-facing camera so you can do Zoom or FaceTime calls with family and friends if you want.

Don’t get me wrong — the new iPad mini is a gorgeous machine. It has Apple’s second most powerful chip under the hood — the same one as in the new iPhone 13 Pro. It also has 5G and, for anyone who needs to use a stylus, that new flat-sided design means that it’s compatible with the magnetic Apple Pencil 2.
But in some ways, it’s not quite as flexible as the iPad you’re used to.

For example, you can’t get a keyboard case (from Apple) for it at the moment. That might not matter to some people but it’s very handy if you need to do email or a little word processing from time to time.

And while it’s more powerful than the basic 10-inch iPad, you’re paying a lot for that — its starting price is now €569, a good whack more than the regular iPad (from €399).

I’d also say that for someone who’s used to a 10-inch screen, an 8-inch screen will seem quite a bit smaller (it’s about 40pc smaller, in fact). To be fair, there can be advantages to this. If it’s just browsing or movies on the couch or in bed, this iPad mini might suit some people better.

I’ve been testing it for over a week and there’s no doubt about it — it’s far easier to grab as a digital companion on the couch or as something to casually plonk on a coffee table without it looking like a computer.

For the same reason, it’s also much handier to drop into a bag in case you think you’ll need something bigger than your phone when out and about.

In other words, it’s for someone who simply wants a screen big enough to casually watch or browse things but who doesn’t quite fancy the weight and size of a 10-inch tablet or the awkward hassle of a laptop and doesn’t like giant-screen phones.

Does that sound like you? And if so, are you willing to fork out over €600 (as you’ll need a cover case for it, which costs €65 from Apple)?

It’s this same cost consideration that makes this a difficult recommendation as a kids’ tablet. With so many budget tablets out there, how can one advise a parent to get a €600-plus model like this one?

Recommendation: iPad 9th Generation (€399 from Apple and retailers)

Email your questions to ­aweckler@independent.ie

Tech two reviews

Fitbit Charge 5
€179 from retailers

Fitbit’s core health tracker has always been the slim band that discreetly tucks around your wrist.

In the latest iteration, Fitbit has made it a little less slim to add two things: a better colour touchscreen and a bigger battery needed to support it. What it loses in discretion, it makes up for in friendliness.

iPhone 13 Pro Max 1TB
€1,879 from retailers

What’s the poshest iPhone you can buy?

That’d be the new iPhone 13 Pro Max with a whopping 1 terabyte (1,000GB) of storage. Why 1,000GB? Because this phone can shoot professional grade video — which takes up around 5GB per single minute’s footage.

The good news for cabinet ministers is that it can hold 500m text messages without needing to delete any.