Cases
I started out with Apple iPad Case which I found to be very nice. It is a soft microfiber that is completely form fitting, which is very nice since it does not add any substantial bulk to the device. The best part, and what was initially lacking in all other leather case offerings, is the ability to prop the iPad at an angle perfect for typing. Eventually I discovered the Marware Eco-Vue for iPad. At the moment you can get it for $4 less than the $39 Apple case. The Mareware is a beautiful leather case that has a prop for the ideal typing angle I mentioned a moment ago, a hand strap in the back for those times you are wandering around holding the iPad (perhaps in an industrial or hospital setting? perhaps library?), and an elastic strap to close it, similar to a Moleskin notebook. The interior is a very nice gray suede. My top pick for an iPad case.

Apps
In an early post about using the iPad on the road I mentioned the excellent BibleReader and iAnnotatePDF. Both apps have gone from strength to strength. I would add to your must have list DropBox. If you do not have this, you should get it now. DropBox is a cloud storage service that will give you a free 2GB account and software for your Windows or Mac desktop and all your mobile devices, including iOS, Android, and soon BlackBerry. The iPad app is fantastic, allowing you to view your files and, where it is an appropriate file type, open them in another iPad app for the purpose of editing or viewing such as Pages or iAnnotatePDF or GoodReader. We are still lacking a good “round trip” solution that allows you to download, edit, and upload a file, but DropBox is close and their programmers tell me they are working on it very diligently.

A few other apps I recommend are the Guardian Eyewitness, a daily update of their best news photo with pro tips, NPR news app, IMDb for movies, and AirVideo (recommended by my brother) which allows you to stream movies from your computers hard-drive to your iOS device from anywhere! Not bad for $2.99. The other apps are free.

iPhone 4
I upgraded to the iPhone 4 not long after it launched, receiving prompt shipping just 2 days after making my order at the local AT&T store. It is a gorgeous device, the screen, the physical form, the new iOS, it is all very well executed. The front glass is amazing. I have not put any screen protector on it and yet no smudges and not even a hint of scratches. The back is not the same “gorilla glass” but so far has held up very well.

You have no doubt heard about “antennagate,” well I seem to be fairly lucky since I saw now such problems and could not even reproduce the loss of signal, even with my beefy hands. I did pick up the Apple bumper case at the 5th Ave Apple Store (and have since been reimbursed for it by Apple) for protection. It is very nice, just covering the sides and apparently it protects the phone very well. Since the back is not covered I may get a custom ZAGGskin. They make the best screen protector, the ZAGG invisibleSHIELD, and with the skin they will imprint an image of your choice (make it tasteful). So I think I may get a thin case that will protect the back glass as well, the Griffin Reveal Etch is my likely choice.

One note about the bumper. In typical Apple fashion the case is made to very precise specifications. That means that while the Apple headphone jack and USB cable fit with the bumper on, any other version does not. I use and love the Griffin AutoPilot Charger, it allows you to simply plug right into the iPhone port, charge the phone and even control the iPod from the adapter (the auxiliary cable comes off the adapter rather than the iPhone headphone jack). The problem is that the connector is just too big for the bumper case. Being who I am I decided to hack it. The connector has a black shield around it which I removed, but that required just a touch of superglue to keep the gray cover from sliding off the connector itself. Now it fits perfectly. Of course you could always just remove the bumper or choose another case.

BTW the “best iPhone clock radio” that I blogged about before, the Griffin AirCurve, works just fine with the phone in the bumper, just remove any adapter that you might have placed in the base.

All the old apps are working fine and many have been updated to take advantage of iOS 4. Again, I have been fortunate, where others have had problems upgrading their 3GS or 3G we have been fine in our family. As always, YMMV…

1. I periodically share about what electronic products I use, just as I do books I am reading. I often link to the products on Amazon. In the interest of full discloser (but most of you no doubt already realize this), I do receive a small amount if you buy something at Amazon having followed one of those links. I greatly appreciate and it does help to fuel this blogging habit of mine. Many thanks!

We’ve seen the Magic Trackpad name before, and we’ve even gotten a glimpse of what the device might be — a larger, Bluetooth-enabled multitouch surface designed to bring all of the gestural and multitouch capability found on the iDevices and MacBooks to the desktop itself. Now, Engadget notes that it appears the FCC has approved testing of such a device for Apple — a “Bluetooth trackpad” that’s reportedly set for production. The testing was actually done in October of last year, but FCC filings have risen into public view, which means that Apple could finally unveil the device as soon as later this week.

Not much is known about the actual device (with the model number A1339), but presumably it would be used as a larger touch surface for Bluetooth-enabled computers. Does that mean Apps on the Mac, or, at the very least, actual multitouch testing for iPhone development? We’ll have to wait and see.

TUAWApple’s Magic Trackpad approved by FCC originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 19 Jul 2010 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The discussion went like this: I suggested that this might be how Apple would bring the iOS (or at least touch interface) to the desktop machines. To me this would make more sense than a touch interface screen, who wants to reach UP to the screen to move around, etc. (In fact, using my iPad in the dock is a little annoying for maneuvering since I have to move my hand from the keyboard area up to the screen.)

My brother asked, do we really want iOS, very limited and closed, for a desktop OS? Fair point, I thought. I certainly need more from my desktop than my iDevice.

Which led me to ask, what more do we (non-research folks, i.e., not NASA) need in a desktop OS? The most recent episode of MacBreak Weekly (#203) had a discussion about whether or not Apple would continue to develop the Mac OS. Alex Lindsay said that he thought they would not, with a convergence to the iOS or even dropping desktops all together. Andy Ihnatko disagreed and felt confident that Apple was still working on the next progression of OSX (or even OS XI).

But really, what more do we need in a desktop OS, whether it be Mac OS, Windows, Linux, whathaveyou?

Walled Garden by recursion_see_recursion on flickr, used under Creative Commons license.

There is much debate about whether Apple’s ecosystem (iTunes/App Store/iPhone/iPad) is an attempt to control your life or simply offer you a good consumer experience. The Unofficial Apple Weblog has a link to a post and commentary suggesting that the iPad and the whole Apple system is akin to AOL. You remember AOL, the old AOL I mean, who offered you all the internet without any of the muss and fuss. Of course that AOL died out once folks realized they could use Netscape for themselves.

John Battelle’s post cited by TUAW is titled, “Is The iPad A Disappointment? Depends When You Sold Your AOL Stock.” He argues that the iPad will fail

in the long term, in particular if Apple doesn’t change its tune on how the iPad interacts with the web.

He then goes on to say that the iPad does not really interact with the web, or at least apps cannot link to the web. And this, he argues will be the downfall of the iPad. Except I can get access to anything (non-Flash, granted)¹ on the web through my iPad. OK maybe a programmer can’t always get at what she wants directly within the app, but many apps I use (newsreaders, twitter, BBC) link out to the web via Safari. So I think that this prediction of John’s like his earlier prediction that the iPad would fail, is likely to be wrong.

TUAW, however, phrases the question differently and made me think of a different metaphor.

AOL was a “walled garden” of their content, and as long as Apple maintains its grip on the App Store, it’s that same garden; each app works within its own flower pot, almost completely independent of the others.

I have often heard people, as alluded to in my introduction, say that they object to Apple controlling so tightly what can go into their app store. Last night Steve Jobs apparently referred to this as the “curated” approach where 95% of the apps are approved, so long as they don’t crash and use the public API. Those less generous say that it is a walled off place, hidden and protected, BUT what we really want and need is open and freely available software. Now I won’t get into the religious wars of open source software. Instead I offer a different metaphor, that of an old fashioned store.

The App Store is not so much a garden as a grocery store or, to be more direct, computer store, with items clearly labeled, boxed, and vetted. Remember when you used to have to buy software in a box, with floppies and maybe even a manual? One of the benefits of that system was that you knew where the software was coming from, you had some assurance that this copy of Fox Pro was actually made by Fox Software and was not, in fact, a trojan horse designed to bring your system down.

Some may say that I am being an Apple apologeticist, it has happened in the past, but this seems to me the best of both worlds. I can download my software without having to go to a brick store, but I have some assurance that what I am getting is legitimate and will not harm my machine. Yes, it is a controlled environment, but as with food, medicine, and motor vehicles I think quality control is a positive, not a negative.

1. In my day to day use I rarely find myself saying, “Darn! If only I could access this Flash content on my iPad.” I just don’t miss it.

iWork users rejoice! Apple is updating Pages, Numbers and Keynote for the iPad. A quick check at the app store or through iTunes should get you all sparkly and new.

In Pages, one of the big fixes is that the tool and ruler and now available in Landscape view. That’s a biggy because you had to be in portrait view to see any of those tools in version 1.0.

Apple has also added some additional language support in the apps, and done some work to get better compatibility with Microsoft Word documents. Here’s the details for all the updated apps, which appear to have fixed some of the worst complaints people had.TUAW Apple updates the iWork suite for iPad originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)

It is good to see that Apple is responding so quickly. There is a long way to go IMHO but we are getting towards the iPad being a real content creation workhorse.

The fact that Apple has made available iPad versions of its office apps Pages, Keynote, and Numbers, suggest that Mr. Jobs has a broader vision of this device than as simply a big iPod Touch (although such a statement is hardly a criticism). But it terms of using these apps and others for creating content the iPad and their apps are only 30% of the way there.

Someone suggested that the iPad is a 5% creation tool. It is for that first 5% of the work when you are hammering out ideas and don’t have to worry about formatting but just need to take quick notes and capture the essence of something. And it is for the last 5% when you have moved your presentation or document over to the iPad just before you deliver it and need to make a few final tweaks. Perhaps. But even in that the tools are not quite there. I do have a few encouraging words to intersperse in my critique. I am flying back from the Apple Education Leadership Summit and while there I discussed these issues and many others with the Apple folks. I will include their comments where relevant.

Pages
I am currently writing in Pages while on the plane and it really is very nice for quickly outing my thoughts down. There are a couple of big problems, however, that I have hinted at before. (And in addition to all that follows the autocorrect is just odd and in consistent. Highly annoying.)

Landscape mode - The most convenient way to type on the screen is in landscape mode. The keyboard is almost MacBook sized and you can see a fair amount of the text above. The problem: you have no access to any formatting options, including tab. To make something bold, right justified, create a bullet list, you have to rotate the iPad into portrait mode, make your selection and then rotate back to landscape. Annoying at the least and it makes the iPad a poor device for note taking (I tend to make bulleted lists during meetings, setting off topics and speakers with bullets and indentations). I have adapted, using simple – instead of bullets and so on. Still it seems an odd decision since the menu hides itself in portrait mode, why not the same deployment in landscape?

No RTF! Whiskey Tango Foxtrot? - Pages on the Mac can open and save documents as RTF, rich text format, one of the most basic formats out there. And since I tend to use NisusWriter whose native format is RTF I assumed I would be able to simply open my documents on the iPad and edit away. No go. The iPad version will not read RTF. Why? No idea.

Compatibility & Footnotes - Pages may not read RTF but it CAN read .doc and .docx. What it can’t do is convert all the features of a document. For those of us in academia (but not restricted to us) the lack of footnotes is troublesome. The worst part: they just disappear. It wouldn’t be so bad if they kept them within the text or appended them on the end, but they are simply gone.

Word from Apple: I sent an email with my concerns to one of the reps present and she promised to forward it to the head of the Pages for iPad team. She said that they are eager to make improvements on the app (and I am eager to share my views on how to improve it!).

Keynote
I have not used this fully yet, but I do have one major complaint. In presentation mode, when connected to a projector with the VGA adapter (and the fact that video out only works in certain apps in certain modes is highly annoying) what you see on the iPad is not the same as you would see on a Mac. Why not? There is plenty of real estate on the screen. Plus: The “laser pointer” feature. Simply rest your finger on the iPad screen and a red “laser” dot will appear on the projected screen. I like that a lot.

PDFs
You can read PDFs from within Mail or Safari with no trouble whatsoever and yet there is no built in app for viewing or annotating them. I have already commented on GoodReader which is brilliant for reading all sorts of files and will even download webpages so that you can read them offline. You can also use that feature to paste in the URL of a PDF file, say from an article on your library’s site or my doctoral thesis) and GoodReader will download and let you read it locally. iAnnotate PDF is an excellent app for annotating PDFs and they are actively updating it. So here the third party vendors are supplying the solution but…

File Management
In all of this content manipulation we run into the problem of managing the files that we want to edit, create, and share. You can move files over via iTunes (with certain apps) and then back again. You can also email a copy to yourself or anyone else. But you are creating a new version each time. John Gruber of Daring Fireball accurately compared it to old days of floppy disks. You have to keep track of which file is the latest, etc. We need a DropBox style integration.

On the plus side, once you have installed something like Pages, GoodReader or iAnnotate Mail will recognize those apps and give you the option of viewing the file within Mail or opening it in one of the relevant apps. (And if more than one app can open the file you may choose which you would like it to use.)

Word from Apple: “We know the file management stinks and we think you will be very happy with iPhone OS 4.0.” In fact, they said that about many quibbles. I doubt if the new OS, due out in the fall for the iPad and summer for the iPhone, will be a panacea, but I look forward to many of the features and promises.

In the end, I have typed this whole rather long entry on the iPad on a plane. About halfway through I pulled out the Bluetooth keyboard for convenience, but I have just created several hundred words of content quickly and easily.

Is the iPad a content creation device? Absolutely. Is it very good at it? Not yet.

Strengths
For the last two weeks I have used almost exclusively the iPad when I have been at home. Email, web browsing, and reading books and PDFs are all easy and in fact beautiful. The onscreen keyboard, especially when in landscape mode, is rather easy to get used to, the only trick being that you cannot rest your fingers on the keys as you would a normal keyboard. So for day to day, non-serious work, it has been brilliant. But how would it do as my only device?

So today I traveled with only my iPad, Bluetooth keyboard and dock. The whole kit weighed less than 2.5 lbs. Less than half the weight of my MacBook Pro alone (not including power brick, etc.). In the plane I simply had the simple 0.5″ device on my lap with a hundred PDFs, BibleReader (including tagged BHS, tap on a Hebrew word and window pops up with the details), 6 movies, and 30 GB worth of music. Did I mention it was only 0.5″ and 1.5lbs? The paper copy of Wired magazine I brought with me was actually thicker.

iAnnotate PDF

OK, so how did it actually work? I began by reading through some of Ruth using the Hebrew text in BibleReader. I took notes as I worked which in turn synced to my (free) Evernote account once I got back online. I then read a couple of articles in PDF with iAnnotate PDF. This allowed me to highlight, underline, and add comments. Although I didn’t use it on the flight, the Apple app Pages allows me to write (with limitations to be addressed in another post). By the time we began our descent to Dallas-Fort Worth I had accomplished more academic research in those 3 hours than I had in over a month. Perhaps that says more about my work schedule than about the functionality of the iPad, but I can say that it enabled me to accomplish all that might have been possible with my MacBook Pro with less fuss and muss.

Once arrived at the summit, I used an app called SoundNotes to record the audio of lectures while taking notes. (Not the best app for that, my broth recommends Audiotorium, which I have not tried yet.) Email, Twitter, and web surfing of course happened without a hitch. And now I am sitting in my hotel room with the iPad in the dock connected wirelessly to the BT keyboard typing happily away.

Weaknesses
The iPad is not perfect and I will touch on the more serious problems in another post. A brief preview, however, includes very poor file synchronization for documents created on the iPad, odd choices in layout in Pages, and quirks such as the fact that I cannot type this in the WYSIWYG editor in WordPress, but rather need to use the HTML editor.

Once you connect the BT keyboard typing is (duh) just like typing on a MacBook. There are even many of the same key commands…but not all. So you can use cmd-a to select all, but you cannot use cmd-b for bold. Eh? It is also quite odd to be using the keyboard and have to reach up to tap on the screen to navigate. BTW I am very glad that I got the separate BT keyboard and dock rather than the combination. First, I have been using the BT keyboard with my MacPro in the office, very nice. Second, the keyboard dock combo places the keyboard immediately in front of the iPad which I find too close.

Verdict
As a road device, however, I find very few flaws with it. I can consume all my media, from PDFs to movies, and I can create just enough with notation systems and apps to make it a practical and reasonable alternative to a notebook on the road. It cannot be your only device (heck, you have to connect it to a computer just to start it the first time!), but it is a light weight, compact powerhouse.

So on Monday morning the iPad arrived! I have not had much time to play or blog since I have been on the road…again. But last night I joined my brother and Tony Pittman on Real Tech 31 – iPad First Impressions.

I don’t have much time this morning but here is a quick summary of my views (listen to the podcast for more):

• Any media looks gorgeous on here. Download the free Marvel comic app, for example. Wow!
• Typing is fine, it really is, even with my fat fingers.
• BibleReader for the iPad is wonderful!
• Pages is just OK. I can take notes with no problems BUT it cannot open RTF files. Really?! Weak sauce.
• And as I predicted – No Hebrew support (hopefully coming since it is in the iPhone) and PDF use is weak as well. For reading PDFs, however, I was directed to GoodReader. Very nice and only 99¢ right now.

Finally, just for fun, here is my main homepage. (The image is my own and I think looks gorgeous on this screen. You can download it and others from my flickr account.)

Speakers/Speakerphone

A while ago I posted my rather inexpensive solution for an iPod clock radio, the Griffin AirCurve ($14.99 at Amazon) and I purchased the iHome iP99BR clock radio/boom box for my daughter’s iPod Touch and she loves it. When, thanks to many of you purchasing items like the AirCurve through my Amazon account, I had some dollars to spend at Amazon I decided to get some portable speakers for use around the house. I chose the Altec Lansing inMotion SoundBlade. This is an 2.5″ thin Bluetooth A2DP (i.e., stereo) speaker/speakerphone for $50. Audiophiles might find the sound lacking, but it is a great solution for most. The sound fills the bedroom and kitchen nicely and the speakerphone features works great!

One tip my brother pointed out to me is using them in the bathroom (something I haven’t done yet). It seems an Apple Genius told him that often people have “water damage” on their iPhone because they plug it into speakers in their bathroom. While the iPhone doesn’t actually get wet, the humidity in the room triggers the water detector in the phone and thus voids the warranty. Being a Bluetooth speaker system your iPhone (or iPod Touch) can be in the room next door while the speakers are in the bathroom, flooding you with your tunes or favorite podcast.

The next purchase was for my wife’s car. There is talk (again) that PA will institute a law requiring handsfree talking on cell phones and my wife doesn’t like earpieces. So I considered another Bluetooth speakerphone solution, the Jabra SP5050 Bluetooth Car Speakerphone. I was able to pick it up for $30 (although it is showing for $67 now) which is quite inexpensive for a handsfree solution. It has worked quite well for my wife but one tip: when first connecting hold down the main button on the Jabra for 7 seconds to put it into connect mode. (You will think it is that mode after just a few seconds, but hold it longer.) After that the only thing you have to remember is to turn it off when you get home, otherwise your car is answering your phone when you are in the house.

TomTom is GoGo!

I travel a fair amount and our TomTom device is now over three years old. Carrying an extra device is also a nuisance, especially when I am flying to a destination and then getting in a rental car for a couple of days. So I finally purchased the TomTom USA app for the iPhone ($59.99). I can’t speak highly enough about this app, but I did my best on this week’s Real Tech Podcast, episode 30. It integrates beautifully with the iPhone’s Contacts and iPod, even stopping or fading the music while giving you directions. The latest version also brings Google search ability and, for a fee, traffic notification.

To place the map at eye level I also purchased a simple window mount, the Griffin WindowSeat. You can find it from $9-15 and it has holders for the 1 Gen iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPhone 3G/S. You do have to take your phone out of its case to put it in the holder, which would get annoying for short trips, but when you settle in for a long drive it takes just a few minutes to get it up and running. Combine that with the Griffin AutoPilot for iPod which will charge your phone, provide aux out, and controls for play/pause/next and you have a nice tidy system.

One tip: Several reviewers on Amazon complained that the WindowSeat doesn’t stay affixed properly to the windshield. The trick is…to follow the instructions, turn the base ring ONLY a quarter of a turn in order to get it to adhere.

So a bit of insight into how I use my iPhone. In another post shortly I will share what podcasts I listen to regularly and I hope that you will share yours as well. Some of the best programs I listen to were recommended to me so I look forward to finding out about new (to me) programs.

By Thursday morning the UPS tracking system had reverted back to the original status on Monday, showing “origin scan” in Shenzhen, CN. Today, Friday morning, it now shows it is leaving China from Guangzhou.

UPS is busy reassuring the Apple faithful that their precious is in fact close by and will be delivered on time. I was sharing this with my folks and my grandmother yesterday who said this was “unethical.” At first I laughed at the notion and said that Apple has a right to determine when their product would have initial delivery, allowing them to make a big splash. And I still think that is true, but…

When I saw the tracking information this morning and that it now showed that it was just leaving China this morning, even as I knew it was in my town and the UPS folks were reassuring us all that their tracking information was wrong, I reconsidered my view.

The UPS system has been manipulated to present me (and every other iPad recipient) with false information. They are lying to us. If that is not unethical, then it is at least very poor customer service. They are harming their credibility and demonstrating that if you are powerful enough (Apple) you can force UPS to alter their tracking system to suit your needs.

So my conclusion is that UPS has, if not behaved unethically, behaved in a way that undermines their credibility. What do you think?

Clearly a phishing scam. Apple Story buyers beware!