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by Chris Day @ Fully Managed™ With the release today of the iPad in Canada, I thought I would write up a quick post to let my fellow Vancouver peers (and beyond) learn from the first three weeks I've spent with my iPad. Yes, like many other technology addicts I purchased mine in the US. After reading this post by CNET today I thought I should at least provide my thoughts on the iPad in general and fast track a few App Store purchases for those of you just jumping on the bandwagon.
If you are purchasing the iPad thinking that it's going to revolutionize your productivity at work you'll be sorely disappointed. I've heard reports of people working with it for four hours and then wanting to sell/return it. The iPad is not designed to replace the notebook computer (although it is outselling MacBooks right now), it's designed as a "gateway device" and it does extremely well in this capacity. Here are a few fantastic uses for the iPad:
I've been openly praising the e-mail client built-in to the iPad which of course works beautifully with Microsoft Exchange. The e-mail client is very streamlined, and for someone used to working with e-mail on the iPhone, this is a great experience. I can process a ton of inbound messages very quickly - almost more quickly than I can on a standard desktop or laptop due to the touch interface. If you want to write e-mails, consider getting either the Apple Wireless Keyboard or better yet the iPad Keyboard Dock ($79). Don't expect to type 80 words per minute on the touch keyboard, which while better than the iPhone is nowhere near adequate if you type like me on a standard keyboard.
So far, the only Twitter app I'm happy with for the iPad is Twittelator ($4.99). The free TweetDeck is abysmal (slow, painful) and I'm still waiting for Tweetie 2 to be reincarnated as Twitter for iPad. Facebook and Yammer, the other two key social media tools I use are not yet released for iPad.
If you are using any sort of news reader today the iPad will be a welcome addition to your toolbox. If you aren't aggregating syndicated web articles yet, this device could be the one that gets you started. With the larger screen and touch magic, I am able to process hundreds of articles in a very short time frame. I can sit on the couch, watch TV, and rapidly flip through articles that interest me - it's far more convenient than using a laptop (awkward) or desktop (pinned to a chair). My app recommendation for this is NewsRack - it works both on the iPad and iPhone (single app) and synchronizes with Google Reader.
Assuming you have a stand on which to place your iPad (included with the Apple case), download epicurious and go nuts. This is a well known and respected cook's companion application which works beautifully on the iPad (also compatible with the iPhone). This is a truly new and innovating use for computing in the kitchen, it's convenient and can sit right on the counter beside your cutting board. When was the last time you did that with a laptop?
I downloaded and installed both the WebEx and GoToMeeting iPad apps, two of the most popular online meeting platforms. The experience is beautiful and seamless in both cases, enabling you to walk around the office (or city if you're 3G-enabled). I've even joined meetings on the iPad from the office where I continue to work on my computer while I watch the meeting from the corner of my eye on the iPad.
One of my favorite activities before writing any complex document is to create a mind map. There are a couple of great apps for that, however, my favorite is iThoughtsHD which can open a variety of different formats and send out complex mind maps directly via e-mail from the device. Great for anyone who creates presentations or engages in a lot of brainstorming activities. Another great app for prioritizing your time is called Priority Matrix - built on project management best practices, this app allows you to categorize your workload into containers to make sure the most important tasks get done.
