28 April 2010

Interlude - Direct from the iPad

I wasn't going to do this just yet, but seeing as I'm stuck at Orlando airport with 4 hours to wait for my flight (thanks to check-in incompetence by Jet Blue, I missed my scheduled flight to DC), I'm going to write and post this blog entry directly on the iPad.

"Wait a second", I hear you ask, "you mean all those other blog entries weren't done on the iPad?"

No, they weren't. Until now, I've had access to either a desktop or laptop on my travels, and I've had so much to write, that I used the fastest input method possible: a good old fashioned keyboard and mouse. But needs must (or whatever the expression is) and I've got nothing better to do at the moment.

So, the first thing you should know is that I'm using the Notes app to type this blog. I tried using Google Docs, but for reasons unknown to me, you can't input text into the Google Docs app on the iPad. Nor can you input text into Google Docs via Safari on the iPad. Google detects that you are using a mobile device and subsequently disables editing. I have no idea why, that's just the way it is. But Notes seems to work well enough. When I'm done typing I'll cut and paste the text into Blogspot via it's web interface.

The second thing you should know is that I'm sitting in an armchair at Starbucks with the iPad on my lap, Apple case folded back into the 'type' position. It's actually quite comfortable, except for the fact that every time I hit a key the pad bounces and wobbles a little bit on my knees. But so far, it's not causing me to mistype any more than a normal laptop keyboard would.

The Apple case is a must have accessory and I wonder why it wasn't included with the iPad in the first place. I can only imagine it's so that a third party accessory industry can develop around the device.

The case actually proved harder to get than the iPad. It took a week of constant visits to the Apple store before I could finally get one. Another $40, but worth the money. It only folds one way, creating a wedge shape, but that wedge is stable in several positions, allowing you to stand it up in both portrait and landscape orientations, and also lie it flat with a sloping elevation for easier typing. It's made of some kind of rubbery, felt-like substance that is non-slip and feels quite nice to the touch.

OK, so I've typed everything you just read in one pass, with minimal errors and my hands don't ache in any way. Neither do my wrists. I could get used to this.

Not sure if I could get used to the looks I'm getting, though. Everybody is curious - I'm not sure if that's because they can tell I've got an iPad or because they can just tell I have something different. After all, this thing sure doesn't look like a laptop. Or, perhaps they think I'm the person playing the honky-tonk piano that's blasting through the speakers. I can imagine it probably looks that way.

Right, now I'm going to try and get this online. It's 4.07pm...          

OK, now it's 4:13pm and I'm about to post from inside the Blogger interface. It took 5 minutes to find an open Wi-Fi network and get the Blogger site logged in and functional. Here we go... (see comments below for my conclusion!)

1 comments:

Denisjos said...

Ok, so that was pretty painless except for the nonsense with safari/blogsot/googledocs not playing together well. Why is posting and editing disabled for a mobile browser? It wasn't just google docs. Certain features of blogspot didn't work properly either (which perhaps shouldn't be a total surprise as bloodspot is a google site).

On the other hand, why are there no proper scroll bars on a lot of windows in safari? Apple? Steve? Beuller? Anybody? There are no arrow keys either, which can make editing a pain. The box I'm typing in now is an example of that.

And there is also the spelling corrections which the iPad OS does as you type. I've left most of them in... Except for the one about endives!

All in all I think I'm going to look for an app to do it.

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A tip of the hat to Sharon Ritchey, Carl Schenkenberger & Frans-Jozef Rutjes for their invaluable help and encouragement. Without them I'd be wasting my days on a game console or grumbling about 3D software that doesn't work properly. Or eating. Probably the latter.

The content of this blog is my personal opinion, based directly on my personal experiences. Feel free to email me at hairytech@gmail.com if you want to discuss anything on here. Or better still, leave a comment.