Exploring the iPad | Bryan Person

iPad workflow troubles

On a recent three-day business trip for the WOMMA Summit, I left my MacBook Pro at home and tested the iPad as my primary electronic device. The verdict: decidedly mixed.

Among my frustrations: 

• Certain e-mail attachments wouldn’t come through, even though they downloaded just fine on my smaller-capacity iPhone.
• There was no way to “save” a 5-minute video that my co-worker tried sending me via Dropbox.
• Isolating and grabbing an image from my e-mail inbox and then uploading it to Facebook required jumping through a nightmarish set of hoops.

It wasn’t all bad, though. The iPad worked just fine for taking notes during WOMMA presentations (I use an exernal wireless keyboard for even faster typing), reading and sending tweets, and accessing most websites. I also read a book on the Kindle app and a pair of reports (in .pdf format) that I had stored in GoodReader prior to starting my trip. 

Plus, the multiple treks between the WOMMA site and my room in a neighboring hotel were much brisker without having to carry around a heavier laptop!

Ultimately, deciding on the appropriate road-warrior device comes down to the kind of work you need to get done, and having a tolerance — and workarounds — for some of the iPad’s limitations. 

As for me, I’m headed on my next business trip right now, this time with both the iPad and laptop in tow!

Adapting to touch-screen typing

The realization hit me over the weekend: After two-plus months with the iPad, I can almost type as fast on its touch screen as I can on a traditional keyboard. Almost. 

I bought the Apple Wireless Keyboard in early June out of frustration and impatience with my high error rate when typing directly onto the screen. But with more practice entering URLs, writing short blog comments, and updating Facebook and Twitter, I find myself connecting that bluetooth keyboard far less frequently. (I still like it for longer writing projects, though.) 

Just as with the iPhone, getting used to a new typing surface was really just a matter of time. 

Flickr photo credit: myuibe. 

Use NewsRack to keep up with your RSS feeds

(Click to see image in full size on my Flickr page)

My RSS reader of choice on the iPad is NewsRack. It’s the app I start most of my mornings with.

Highlights of NewsRack

• You can sync the app with your Google Reader account, so there’s no need to recreate your folder/feeds structure as you’re getting started with the app. 
• Any item you Star or Share for Google Reader passes through instantly.
• The app also includes options for e-mailing an item or posting it to Twitter, Facebook, Delicious, Instapaper, and ReadItLater
• There’s an option to click through from the RSS item to the original post, which is particularly helpful for reading blog comments (though adding your own comment on the page doesn’t always work). 

In short, NewsRack is the perfect way to keep up with your RSS feeds when you’re away from your laptop. No qualms here about the $4.99 price tag. 

Flickpad for the iPad: Looking good!

Following a recommendation from Jake McKee, I downloaded the Flickpad iPad app last night and have been giving it a test drive.  

Gotta say this: It’s gorgeous!

How Flickpad works

• The app displays the latest photos from your Facebook friends, meaning you have to authorize the app to access data from your Facebook account.
• To remove a photo from your view, click and “flick” it off the screen. In its place, another image will fade in (again … just gorgeous)
• Tap a photo once to enlarge it. From there, you can click to add a comment that will pass through to your friend’s Facebook page. (Curiously, the “Like” function isn’t working for me)
• Double-tap to see all photos in that album
• Triple-tap to see all of a user’s photos 
• Tap and hold a photo for the option to e-mail it to a friend.

And that’s it! Smooth. Simple. And well worth the $4.99 price tag.

Here’s a video demo of the app, too. Note that it was published in May, and the user interface has changed slightly since then. 

Flickpad - Facebook Photos for iPad from Shacked on Vimeo.

Jake McKee’s list ‘must-have’ iPad apps

Jake McKee has published a list of the iPad apps he “can’t do without.”

Several of Jake’s recommendations are new to me and will get downloaded and tested in short order! Here are two that sound particularly intriguing:

• Flickpad - “flick” through the latest photos of your Facebook friends 
• Photo Transfer - Move photos from your iPad (or iPhone) without having to sync them through iTunes (yay!). 

Using the Camera Connection Kit

I don’t yet have the Camera Connection Kit for the iPad, but I’m itching to pick one up soon. 

Peter Friedman, the CEO of LiveWorld (my employer) recently showed me how easy it is to use the Kit connector (either through a USB cable or with the camera’s SD card) to transfer photos onto the iPad. 

Want a demo? Check out this “unboxing” video from Dan York.   

Beautiful news photos with the Eyewitness app

One of my favorite iPad apps is Eyewitness, published by the Guardian in the UK.

Each day, Eyewitness features one new and stunning photo from somewhere in the world, including a “pro tip” that describes how the shot was conceived or composed. 

The app is free—at least for now—thanks to the Guardian’s partnership with Canon. 

Hat tip to Alex Jones for first showing me the Eyewitness app a few months back. 

Blog launch

I’ve had an iPad for nearly two months now, and while it hasn’t necessarily changed my life, it is becoming an increasingly important device in my productivity toolkit.

Among the highlights:

• I use the NewsRack app (it syncs with Google Reader) to keep up with 145 RSS feeds.
• I check in with Twittelator to read and respond to tweets. 
• I have a Dropbox account allowing me easily move files between the iPad and my MacBook Pro.
• GoodReader is excellent for opening and reading PDFs. 
• I have several books downloaded to the Kindle that I can read on a plane or in a hotel, saving me weight (and the hassle) when I travel.
• Battery life (about 8-10 hours) is more than satisfactory—especially when compared to my iPhone—and the processor is very fast, 

This blog: a platform for exploration

But in addition to all of those practical uses, what really excites me about the iPad is what’s coming. We’re a mere three months into the life of this device, meaning developers, artists, marketers, publishers, and marketers have only scratched the surface of what can be done.

I’m launching this blog as a digital platform to chronicle and explore how the iPad is evolving, including its impact on our work, creative, and digital lives.

I’m expecting nothing less than a fascinating ride along the way. Thanks for being a part of it. 

Len Edgerly’s impressions on the iPad

PODCAST. This is the second of my two-part interview with Len Edgerly about the iPad. We recorded this conversation just a few days before he bought the device.

Download | Click to play

[Originally posted on BryanPerson.com]