The iPad is a good way to introduce someone not particularly tech-savvy to using a computer. These devices are very easy to use and safe from viruses (given the secure nature of the operating system and the “sandboxed” way that apps run on the device). Additionally, given that all apps which are listed on the iTunes App Store have to go through review and approval with Apple, this gives you good peace of mind that such apps are legitimate and can be downloaded safely without fear of them doing anything untoward with your device. A separate internet connection is not even required, since with a 3G iPad internet connectivity is in-built, making it an excellent “starter” computer for people wishing to get onto the internet, email and use apps.

Most users of Word would be familiar with the Track Changes function which allows you to keep tabs on changes to a document and annotate such changes with comments. You may have also found yourself in the embarrassing situation of printing or (worse still) sending a document with the changes still visible in the document. Word 2007 and 2010 include a handy new feature that will warn you if you are going to print, save or send a document that contains the revisions still visible. Go to the “File” menu > “Options” > “Trust Center”. Click “Trust Center Settings” and “Privacy Options”. Tick the option titled “Warn before printing, saving or sending a file that contains tracked changes or comments”. Be aware, a warning before sending the file will only be presented if you email the file from within Word (e.g. on the File menu). If you attach the file to an email in a different program (such as Windows Live Mail or Outlook) then you will not be presented with this warning. I would suggest that you test this function once enabled to ensure that it performs as you expect, so that you don’t unwittingly rely on it for a warning when it may not produce one under certain conditions.

If you have an iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch running iOS 5, then if you receive a notification while the device is locked you can swipe on the notification itself (rather than on “Slide to Unlock”) and the device will unlock taking you directly to the app which raised the notification. For example, if you receive an SMS or iMessage, then you can swipe on the notification (on the lock screen) and when the device unlocks it will take you to the Messages app with that particular message displayed. If your device has a passcode you will still be prompted for the code before the device will unlock.

Most people are familiar with the concepts of wikis by virtue of having used Wikipedia – essentially, the ability to have an online page which can be collaboratively edited by a community or group of people (which can also be linked to other pages) together with full version histories amongst other features. If you are interested in starting your own wiki for a particular purpose then there are plenty of “wiki farms” which can provide you with a hosted wiki. One such is Wikispaces (www.wikispaces.com) which provides both free and paid plans. A list of some other wiki farms is available at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_wiki_farms .

If you need a complex algorithm solved, or have some other kind of factual query, then Wolfram Alpha (www.wolframalpha.com) is a fantastic service that you may find useful. You can enter factual queries (such as algebraic equations, or specific questions) and it will calculate or compute the answer to your query. If you have never used this site it is certainly worth a look, as at some point you will likely have some kind of question or query that Wolfram Alpha will be able to solve.