The calendar is average, all the icons are ugly – but thankfully not blue. The notepad app, very neat – I like being able to type notes anywhere on the page, and be able to doodle as well. Nicely done. That Muji To Go app, yeah I am not even going to bother downloading that one.
Month: November 2010
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iPad Life Update
Quick update to all of the iPad Life interviews to date, they now all have screenshots from the interviewees as part of the post. Be sure to go back and check them all out, there are some cool wallpapers on some of these iPads.
[Thanks to Shawn Blanc for kicking off this idea.] -
TechRadar’s Samsung Galaxy Tab Review
They say the scrolling and battery life is all kinds of horrible.
Which is funny because Engadget didn’t seem to mind. Conspiracy, no, just crappy inconsistent hardware and software.
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Neven Mrgan: Notes on setting up a new Mac
Some great thoughts on some of the rough edges while setting up a new Mac. Windows users should take note that we are complaining about the way the default startpage looks in Safari, what was your last experience setting up a Windows box like?
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Because They Are Microsoft
For seemingly no reason Microsoft changed around some shortcut keys that they could have left alone for those moving from Entourage 2008 to Outlook 2011 on the Mac. What a bunch of [insert your own insult].
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‘Meet the Resistance’
Paul Kafasis:
So let’s try to put an end to security theatre. Let’s take back our rights, along with our dignity. Let’s remember what Ben Franklin taught us, that those who sacrifice liberty for security (or worse, the illusion of security) deserve neither. Let’s find our balls, and then make them touch ‘em.
I’m in.
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Nothing About This is ‘Easy’
A six step process that has you dialing 27 numbers on your phone just to record a call, better yet read the description of how you can record an incoming call. Absurd.
[via 37signals] -
Get the Best Capital One Loan Using Chrome
Super odd, but a reader of Consumerist is reporting that they got different loan rates from Capital One based on which browser he used. Firefox was 3.5%, Safari 2.7%, Opera 3.1%, Chrome 2.3%. Let me know if you have seen anything like this.
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Put This On: Where Do I Put My Cell Phone?
Men’s style blog Put This On answer the perplexing question of where you should carry your cellphone, or more importantly where you should not carry it. Jesse Thorn:
You’re right to think that the belt clip is the pocket protector of our generation. There is absolutely no excuse for it. It is embarassing, and if you own one of these grotesque monstrosities, you should throw it away now, lest you be tempted to wear it in the future.
So to my friends and readers who carry theirs on their belt, I am just trying to help.
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Shawn Blanc’s iPad Life
Please welcome Shawn Blanc, perhaps best known for his exquisite writing on ShawnBlanc.net, he was kind enough to take some time to share his iPad Life with me.
Tell me a little about yourself, what do you do, where do you live?
I am a full-time missionary at the International House of Prayer in Kansas City. I serve as the Director of Marketing and head up our website, design, branding, and most other communication efforts.
Because of my affinity of fine software and great design I write a tech- and design-centric website at shawnblanc.net. Also, I drive a 20th Anniversary Edition Volkswagen GTI (#3455 of 4000), and I love to snowboard.
What was your reaction when the iPad was launched?
When Steve Jobs first announced the iPad in February it was pretty much what I expected. Watching him show it off, it just seemed like a big iPod touch. Not that I was unimpressed, just that it instantly seemed familiar.
But then the reviews started rolling out just a few days before it went on sale — I especially remember reading David Pogue’s, Andy Ihnatko’s, and Stephen Fry’s articles. Based on these guys’ reactions, it was obvious that the iPad wasn’t just a giant iPod touch and that the next few weeks and months were going to be very exciting for early adopters.
By then it was two days before the release, and so it was too late to pre-order one and get it in time for launch day. I had no choice but to arrive early at the Apple store and wait in line.
Which model did you order and why?
I bought the 16GB, Wi-Fi model (the 3G models weren’t available on day one), along with the Apple case and a bluetooth keyboard.
Based on how and where I use my laptop I knew I’d be fine with the version that offered Wi-Fi only. And based on how many apps and music I keep on my iPhone I knew 16GB of storage would be more than enough for me. And I was right.
Though it would be nice to have a 3G model so I could still have connectivity at times when Wi-Fi is not available, those times are few and far between. In fact, usually those times are when there is Wi-Fi but it’s slow.
How are you using the iPad on a daily basis?
My iPad is used for all sorts of things: reading, writing, taking notes, jotting down to-do items, sketching out Website ideas for my team, setting meetings, checking email, and more.
Can you give me a quick run down of the apps that you use the most?
I do a lot of reading in Instapaper, Reeder, and iBooks (Instapaper on the iPad is perhaps the best way to read the Internet). I also buy and read Wired every month.
Even with the plethora of writing apps which have come out, I still write all my notes in Simplenote, and do a lot of long-form writing here as well (using the bluetooth keyboard). Though I have bought and fiddled with Writer and PlainText and a few others, I am still sticking with Simplenote as my main writing/syncing app of choice.
For sketching, I use Penultimate; it’s fun and clever (though Adobe Ideas is also a good sketching app and happens to be free).
In the past few months OmniFocus has grown into a vital iPad app. Not only is OmniFocus a fantastic task-management app (on iPhone, iPad, and the Mac) but the iPad version is by far the strongest version of the three-app suite from OmniGroup, and I use it for my weekly project reviews.
Which app is your favorite?
Based on time spent in the app: Simplenote.
Based on most-frequently launched: Twitterrific.
Based on personal affection: Instapaper.
Do you have any bag/stand/case recommendations for people?
I use Apple’s iPad case. It gets a lot of flack, but I like it. It is not the coolest case ever (the sharp edges are annoying), but it is thin and highly functional.
If I need to prop my iPad up while its not in its case, I use an inexpensive book stand that I picked up on Amazon a few years back.
What features do you want to see in a future iPad?
My future feature requests are just the usual suspects: retina display, an even longer battery life, and a lighter casing that makes it easier to hold in one hand.
Also, I’d love some sort of Apple-led, Dropbox killing, cloud service that allowed all my iPad, iPhone, and Mac apps to work much better together. Right now, each developer has to build their own syncing solution and though Dropbox is significantly helping make that possible, it’s not the ideal situation.
Thanks again to Shawn for taking the time to give us a little insight into his iPad life. Be sure to follow him on Twitter he is @shawnblanc.
More iPad Life
To see more people’s iPad Lives take a look here.
