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Council iPads?


Sue Durnim

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Definately not been given them for half price eh or they could have got twice as many for their ?14k :wink: As for free... maybe one was if they bought another 23 :wink:

 

Doubt they could get a refund though but maybe we should all keep an eye out for a WBC ebay account :lol:

 

As for who got them, I know that Head Directors and assistant Managers have them. I'm not sure if actual Councillors have them, but it could be a possibility, maybe the executive committee?

 

I presume you can read and edit word documents on them, as one of its standard applications is Notepad. And I presume you can get other Apps which resemble Microsoft word, publisher, excel etc.

 

If it's the Assistant Managers / Head Directors etc who have them I presume they will use them for checking and approving reports etc written by others eg 'officers' prior to submission.

 

So question again...

 

If the officer writes the report or document in standard used MS Excel/Powerpoint/Publisher/Word etc then the Manager opens it via a special 'App' with the capabilities to read/edit .... IF the Manager then finds fault and edits/corrects/highlights the error, saves the file via the APP then emails it back to the Officer.... will it then open in the same format that it was originally sent without losing any fonts, settings, layout, etc etc etc.

 

I only ask that as even I have that problem occasionally whereby fonts are subtitited, layouts are changed slightly or even functions go missing when working between differents versions of the same MS software packages but on diffferent pc's.

 

If the iPad can cope with all that then maybe it's not so useless after all :lol:

 

Thinking about it though I presume the reports will all held on a central server so the manager may just read them via a log-in account over the internet and make seperate notes or possible changes to the original rather than a 'copy'..... somehow or other via the 'App' :?

 

Infact just ignore me.. if they tell us what they are going to be using them for then we wont have to surmise or jump to conclusions :D

 

Think I'll go to PC World tomorrow and have a play :lol:

 

A very good post by the way Tom :wink:

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I am a little bit confused...

 

Reading all these posts for and against the staff and Councillors at the WBC getting iPads for all kinds of reasons, it still makes sense not to have the iPads and save the money to get a less expensive option i.e. laptops or the smaller versions netbooks?

 

As good as the iPads are and if in this present economic climate there is money to be saved then surely buying iPads is not the option?

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Correct SD :?:lol: Isn't that what we have all been saying so how come you are now confused :?

 

edit.... and I haven't read many comments where anyone is in actually favour of them or says they are really good.

 

Have I missed a few pages like you :lol:

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[quote="Dizzy

.................Anyway.. maybe we are being a bit premature in questioning the spending and reasons behine it all as obviously Mr Farrall and Co will have thoroughly looked into ....................... ]

 

'Andy Farrall'..........says it all Diz! Another expensive 'hiccup' :roll::roll::roll:

Would a redundancy package end up more cost effective in the long term?

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Dizzy?

 

Although there is some interesting opinions posted on this topic, for and against the cost of having iPads or any other gadget that may help the Councillors/staff at the Council to do their jobs more efficiently, at he end of the day, decisions have been made and whatever people have written on this forum will only be ignored/dismissed, treated with contempt by the Councillors/staff at the Council.

 

Maybe this is only the tip of the ice berg, what other equipment do they have, that is not used, they must have mobile phones that are on contract etc, how about car leases etc, all cost money.

 

Off topic a little?I have heard that in some Government dept?s/Quango?s, that older PC/laptops equipment etc, are placed in a room and staff can choose to have them for free or buy at a knocked down prices or just scrapped.

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Sue, they probably based their decision on which one had the simplest instruction book. I have known cllrs who could hardly turn a pc on, never mind the basics. :roll:

 

Happy New Year Pete,

I know how to turn on a PC but I'm struggling with my printing and I think I spotted an iPad at a meeting a few months ago being used by an executive member.

 

I don't know of any councillors who have been issued with iPads or even had a play with one - hence the reason for Hitesh's FOI request.

 

I'm now going to put my head back below the parapet and continue fighting with my printer so that I can get some correspondence out to my constituents.

 

BTW this thread is great for my dissertation, I?ll tell you more :wink: if it gets through the Uni Ethics, so keep on discussing and making good use of building (what Clay Shirky terms) the 'Cognitive Surplus'.

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Peter T,

like most snowballs, they eventually melt away before any avalanche appears. It seems more like the syndrome??we have now made the decision, let?s go to public consultation?, will it really make any difference, or will they only listen to the public?s opinion, take action when it comes to election time?

 

I am not politically motivated, just see things in black and white, in the current economic climate, financial sacrifices must be made and iPads although in scale, insignificant still must be an extravagance and for the foreseeable future, the Council can do without?

 

I am sure that if the people at the Council did not use an iPad or something similar, the borough would not come to a grounding halt, and instead invest the money allocated for non-essential gadgets to be re-directed to other frontline/more worthy services?

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.................Anyway.. maybe we are being a bit premature in questioning the spending and reasons behine it all as obviously Mr Farrall and Co will have thoroughly looked into ....................... :wink:

 

'Andy Farrall'..........says it all Diz! Another expensive 'hiccup' :roll::roll::roll:

Would a redundancy package end up more cost effective in the long term?

 

:lol::lol::lol: Ouch that's not nice Sha :wink: Maybe he could just move on to a better job 'somewhere else' and start again although maybe not Chester :wink:

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Dizzy?

 

Off topic a little?I have heard that in some Government dept?s/Quango?s, that older PC/laptops equipment etc, are placed in a room and staff can choose to have them for free or buy at a knocked down prices or just scrapped.

 

That is quite true SD and also happens within the medical and education depts too.

 

Most are upgraded every few years and the older ones are usually bought in bulk (either directly or via auctions) by IT salvage type companies and then shipped oversees :wink:

 

Of course all of the data is wiped off them first.. most of the time :wink:

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Who mentioned 'Party political point scoring' Obs :?:

 

Surely the issue is more to do with wasting money and not thinking things through rather than 'who' spent what and why :wink:

 

I'm sure there are also a lot of Lib Dems / Conservatives / Council Workers etc who also think it is a waste of money but they, unlike labour or us on here, are hardly likely to say it openly are they :roll::wink:

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Nope... the labour councillors asked the question as a member of the public had asked him :roll:

 

I don't class this one as point scoring because I think he has a valid point and we have a right to know what unnecessary gadgets they are wasting our money on :roll:

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Front page news today

 

http://www.warrington-worldwide.co.uk/articles/9752/1/-Dinosaurs-jibe-over-iPad-row/Page1.html#postedcomment

 

My comments....

 

Interesting comments by Cllr Marks, and as the leader of the council I would have expected him to refrain from such childish, rude and insulting comments.

 

I believe Cllr Patell only requested the info after a member of the public questioned the iPads.

 

Interesting too that Cllr Marks says the iPads are being TRIALLED and a "A full evaluation is BEING carried out across the range of users and PRELIMINARY findings are that there will be a payback within a year".....

 

Shouldn't they have been trialled and evaluated BEFORE 24 were purchased or does that mean they will be buying even more ! I appologise for my negative attitude too although I am not a labour bod but I have also worked in IT for over 25 years .... am I now a dinasaur ROAR :)

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either directly or via auctions) by IT salvage type companies and then shipped oversees

 

overseas as in nigeria, indonesia, phillipines, india... and all the other countries in which spammers spend their days sending out millions of emails about wills, tragic accidents, mail order brides, and lottery wins? :D

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Front page news today

 

http://www.warrington-worldwide.co.uk/articles/9752/1/-Dinosaurs-jibe-over-iPad-row/Page1.html#postedcomment

 

My comments....

 

Interesting comments by Cllr Marks, and as the leader of the council I would have expected him to refrain from such childish, rude and insulting comments.

 

I believe Cllr Patell only requested the info after a member of the public questioned the iPads.

 

Interesting too that Cllr Marks says the iPads are being TRIALLED and a "A full evaluation is BEING carried out across the range of users and PRELIMINARY findings are that there will be a payback within a year".....

 

Shouldn't they have been trialled and evaluated BEFORE 24 were purchased or does that mean they will be buying even more ! I appologise for my negative attitude too although I am not a labour bod but I have also worked in IT for over 25 years .... am I now a dinasaur ROAR :)

 

Have to agree Dizzy,hard to believe this man heads up the council, he is a complete gimp, thats "Gone In May Pal"

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There's two sides to this. Yes, it could save paper, but my experience of anyone over 40 using a computer shows they'd rather have paper in their hands!

 

As for knocking the political parties who allegedly bought these, lets not forget the BSF scheme (Building Schools for the Future) where the Labour government let consultants have free reign over spending and promised (and delivered in some cases) Netbooks and iPads to every pupil, regardless of whether they were a benefit to teaching and learning.

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There's two sides to this. Yes, it could save paper, but my experience of anyone over 40 using a computer shows they'd rather have paper in their hands!

 

Being over 40 myself and working on a pc every day so everything is 'electronic' I was just about to object to that comment... until I thought about it again. :shock::lol:

 

You are right :shock: I read most things on my pc but I do tend to print a lot of it off too... why because it's sometimes easier to read and digest and of course to write 'thought' notes along side etc etc.

 

Also if I am discussing a document or plan of action with others then yep I'll print them again for the same reasons and also because it is easier to refer back to previous pages and points rather than scrolling up and down all the time.

 

Mmmm I wonder how many of them may just use their ipdas to read emails and to briefly read documents but will then reopen or forward them to their laptops/pc's and print off anyway :shock:

 

As for knocking the political parties.... I'm not bothered which party made the decision or authorised the funding as it's non political in my view and I would be saying the same regardless of who had done what.

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