How to Use the iPad for Everyday Tasks, From Blogging to Checking Email
Last week we talked about why every good blogger needs a good smart phone. Now let’s talk about the iPad. Thanks to the perks of my “real” job, I recently got an iPad. I had been holding out and convincing myself that I did not need it. I was telling myself that I could not justify the cost. Well, boy am I glad to have it now. When I am going out and do not want to carry a computer, the iPad does a great job of filling in. The size is perfect. And there are so many apps to choose from that it is easy to pick up where you left off when you have to run out. Here are some of my favorite things to do with my iPad.
Update My Blog
The WordPress app on the iPad works well. You can manage more than one blog. You are able to start a blog post, upload a photo, save it in drafts, or publish it right away. I have started many posts this way. You can also manage your blog comments, and edit or create pages. There is even a preview feature which opens up a full web view of the post on your site.
Catch Up on Email
The iPad email app is a souped up version of the iPhone mail app. It allows you to see a split screen view of both your mail list and a reading pane of the message currently selected. Turning the iPad in landscape mode makes it very easy to type an email with a full QWERTY touch keyboard. However, if you use Gmail, some tasks are better handled using the mobile Gmail site. This allows you to do more than the iPad mail app such as mark emails as spam, archive, and star them. I switch back and forth from both depending on what I need to do.
Browse Websites & Blogs
With a 9.7″ screen, the iPad makes is easy to view full webpages, not just the mobile versions. The Safari browser also allows you to have nine pages open at once, which is very useful for flipping back and forth between sites.
Manage My Social Media
There are several good Twitter apps for the iPad. The best I have found is Hootsuite. It is perfect if you have to manage more than one Twitter account, Facebook page, or even Linkedin Account. The iPad app layout is much easier to navigate and more appealing than the web version of Hootsuite.
And once you are done working…
Blow Off Some Stream
The best way I have found to do this so far is Angry Birds. Angry Birds is a very addictive game, in which a school of birds that have been wronged by the cute, but evil green pigs seek revenge. Your job is to help the birds hurl themselves through the air knocking over bricks, wood, concrete walls, and everything else to rid the world of the green pigs. What did the pigs do? They stole their eggs. Yes, that would make me mad too.
The iPad is good for many things. I have heard of doctors using them to make rounds in hospitals. I have seen them used as sign-in devices at events, teachers are using them, and families are sharing them.
What do you do with your iPad?
Photos courtesy of Apple and Rovio
A question for me would be What WOULD you do with your iPad! :).. Well I can’t afford one right now, but trust me, i’ve been making my rounds trying to win one. My hubby wants one too, so I may have to win two because I don’t know that I will get much time with one if I do win it. I sang for one (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWDonc5o6QM&feature=player_embedded) and hope hope hope it will do me some good! Wish me luck!
I would love to try the Samsung Galaxy Tab. How is the video chat option working for you?
I am enjoying the IPad for travel and really enjoy the Pulse app.
Carrie, I tested that briefly using Qik. It was fluid, but it did work! I know there are a couple of other programs that allow that as well. Nice feature to have.
Am I the only person still on the fence about the iPad? Right now, I’m looking into how it compares with the Android Tablet. Honestly, I don’t have an iPhone or Mac either (cost is a HUGE factor) I’m just trying to make the best decision. Which, by the time I do, will probably be outdated, anyway ;) Thanks for the tips!
Liz, as it says… I was on the fence for a LONG time. I just got mine like 3 weeks ago. And I did not pay for it. :)
I currently have a Samsung Galaxy Tab in my possession for the next couple of weeks that I am reviewing. I am certainly going to write up a comparison. It will be on my own blog, but I will be sure to link it here for you. :) I am REALLY loving it!! If I was purchasing myself, that one would be the way to go! It is very, very nice.