2. I haven't personally owned the original iPad, but I did get one for
my wife last Christmas, and while I couldn't quite justify one for
myself, I was rather impressed with the silky user experience, and it
seemed to be a fantastic way to consume media, like watching movies,
surfing the web and the like. I was however a bit of an iPad skeptic. I didn't think it made sense
for me as a regular laptop user. If I already have my work laptop, why
would I bother with a tablet as well, iPad or otherwise? As it is I
also already have a Lenovo net book, but must admit my usage of it has
been rather sporadic. I have mainly used it as a light weight desk top
PC at home that can be unplugged and used elsewhere running Mint
Linux, but haven't really used it for light weight computing on the
fly. More recently however, I started thinking about how I could make use
of a tablet or iPad in my job as a marketing manager. I typically
carry around a bulky file with me that contains our product
specifications, some basic company presentations in hard copy, sales
forecasts and background market information. When I meet with
customers, I will sometimes refer to the file to ensure I have my
facts straight or I will show the information to the customer. I have
one basic introduction to the company as a printed PowerPoint
presentation which I sometimes pull out and step through. This bulky file works well for me, but it is also a pain to lug
around, and it requires a fair bit of effort on my side to keep its
contents current. During my weekly and monthly review, I'll turn over
the documents that need updating, but it is still relatively easy for
some items to be missed, and then be caught out when I go to refer to
it during a meeting. It occurred to me that I could replace this file with a tablet. The
documents could be kept in it as pdfs and they could be quickly pulled
up and shown to clients. It would also be easy to keep photos of our
operation, our products etc and quickly show them as required. Yes,
the same could be achieved on a laptop, but they tend to be larger to
carry around, don't last long between charges and they take time to
start up. Most tablets, including the iPad are instant on, last for
ages on a charge, typically days at a time and are slim enough to be
slipped into the thinnest of brief cases, or portfolios. Another area where a tablet could suit me was for recording notes in
meetings through mind mapping. I mind map regularly, both for getting
my thoughts together for a project or report, and as a way of
capturing points raised in a meeting. Mind mapping on a PC or laptop
is fine if you are not rushed, such as when outlining the main points
for a report, but it is not all that quick to try and do it to capture
points live in a meeting. A colleague told me they had seen someone
mind map on an iPad in a meeting, and it seemed to be very quick and
intuitive, simply tapping on the screen to create each node and
quickly enter some basic text before an idea is lost. Later, it can be
transferred to a PC and the key points enlarged upon to finally end up
with the key nodes as bullet points for meeting minutes. The more I thought about it, the more I could see how to make an iPad
or tablet work for me in my job so I posed the question to my employer
with a justification, and they gave me the go ahead. I could have just
bought one myself, but it was better to do it through work so that it
could be properly included into the company network so I could have
access to my corporate email etc. The geek/hacker in me was curious about an Android device. The idea of
an open system appeals in that like Linux, it would possibly encourage
a broad range of applications, and potentially result in some really
useful tools being available. I was also mindful that an iPad means
being tied up with iTunes and Apple. I'll always prefer an open system
if I can have it. The fact is though, every Android tablet I have
played with just hasn't had the same consistency of user experience
with the various applications, typically having more of a "home brew"
feel about it. So I went out and sourced an iPad 2, Wifi only, 64 Gb. I went for the
64 Gb so I can load it right up with docs and photos, although I
probably could have survived with 32 Gb. I avoided the 3G because I
already have a 3G modem card for my laptop, and I didn't really want
yet another 3G data account to maintain. I instead have taken the SIM
card from the 3G modem card and placed it in a small mobile wifi box,
which I can turn on anywhere and establish a small radius internet
access hot spot for use by my laptop or iPad, or both. It's basic, but
it works well and allows me to use the one data account for either
device, rather than having one for each. I have only had the iPad for a few days and am still getting it set up
to meet my requirements. Early impressions are very favorable. It is
very easy to get around the various applications, and it is a sheer
delight to use. I'll come back in my next post, explaining some of the
applications I have installed, and how I am using it in my work, and
at home! Stay tuned...
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