Tech Republic states the obvious – a business use for the iPad

I discovered a third use for the iPad | TechRepublic.

Um, no shit Jason. This is what business have been using tablets for since BEFORE the iPad.

Let me guess, you discovered that the iPhone can also be used to make phone calls, too. I want the 5 minutes of my life spent reading your article back.

If you want to check out the article because you are interested in what business uses the iPad is good for, be my guest.

Mac vs. PC: A Hunch Rematch

Really interesting infographic of some of the differences between a PC Person and a Mac Person over at the hunch.com blog.

Some highlights:

Mac users tend to live in cities
PC users live mostly in the suburbs or rural areas

Mac Users are partial to San Pellegrino Limonata and Boylan’s Root Beer
PC users opt for Orange Crush, Pepsi, or Jolt Cola

Mac users drink Cabernet Sauvignon and Chianti
PC users drink White Zinfandel and Chardonnay

Mac users top web sites are Apartment Therapy, HuffPo, and Boing Boing (shout out to Cory Doctrow and Xeni Jardin!)
PC users favorite sites I Can Haz Cheeseburger, CNN, and Go Fug Yourself

Mac people are 80% for likely than PC people to be vegetarian.

Read more:

 Mac vs. PC: A Hunch Rematch.

How Apple tracks your location without consent, and why it matters

In the iconic 1984 ad by Ridley Scott,  Apple tried to show that they wanted to free the mewling masses from Big Brother’s intrusions and oppressions. Ironically, 27 years later, they are supplying the means to provide that very information that Orwell railed against in his dystopian vision. Shame on you, Apple.

How Apple tracks your location without consent, and why it matters.

Update (04/21/2011 11pm): I downloaded the program mentioned in the article iPhone Tracker and sure enough, it shows where I’d been since I got the iPhone. I have nothing to hide so perhaps it’s a moot point; nevertheless, it’s a “feature” I would hope Apple remedies soon. (special thanks to Kay Harbach who yammed about this on Yammer)

Update (04/22/2011): According to this blog post by the fine people at F-Secure, the location information gets sent to Apple twice a day, presumably to update their global location database, the same type of database Google collected when they were driving around for Google Street View. Instead of using cars to accumulate the data (which is expensive), Apple is using you and me, as iPhone owners, to collect the data for them. Seeing as they are perhaps violating my privacy as well as using me as a tool for their benefit, I want to send them a bill.  Hey Jobs! Geolocate this, jerk!

Update (04/23/2011): Android collects the same data and transmits it to Google. The danger is magnified in the Apple iOS though because the back up resides, unencrypted, on your hard drive when you sync. Android has no mechanism (though the information is sent to Google since your device is linked to your Google account) to sync and backup locally to your PC.

Favorite iPad Apps for business

I’ve been using the iPad for about a year now and I’ve been part of a paperless pilot group for about 6 months and I find myself using a few apps for work more consistently than others.
As part of the group, we set about trying two different office type suites (DocsToGo and QuickOffice), two handwriting apps (Notes Plus and Penultimate), two PDF apps (iAnnotate PDF and PDF Expert), and two slightly different storage apps (Dropbox and Evernote). I’ve also, on my own, been trying out some utilities for network management (WiFiFoFum and iSSH), remote desktop capabilities (Veency and Citrix) as well as some file and use management software (System Info, iFile and App Stat) specifically for the iPad.

So, without further ado, I want to share with you the apps I find the most useful (in no particular order):

1. Dropbox – desktop to mobile device syncing. Your files are kept in the cloud and a local copy is synced to whatever device you’re currently on. Just a great way of editing on the go. It’s free if you have less than 2GB of files, more if you exceed that.
2. DocsToGo – Document editing – MS Word/PowerPoint/Excel for the iPad. Integrated with the aforementioned Dropbox to seamlessly save to your Dropbox location or to your Google Docs folder or locally. $14.99
3. Winterboard (JB) – Allows modification and customization of icons, backgrounds, lockscreen among other things. Free
4. Perfect Browser – Soooo much better than the Safari app that comes with it. True tabbed browsing, Desktop Browser Rendering, TOUCH Scroll, TV Video Out, Offline Pages, Private Mode, Precision Scrollbar, Printing, Multi-Touch Gestures, Fast Tab Switching, In-Page Search, Font Size Adjustment, Web Compression, Fullscreen & more. I only wish I can figure out how to set this to be the default browser. $2.99
5. IMExchange 2 – Since the built in conduit for Exchange server doesn’t sync task lists, you need to purchase a third party app such as this. I also have Task Task which works fine but this app allows you to sync not just tasks but also Notes. It allows categories and works seamlessly with Exchange. They do this stupid thiing where it’s “free” but after a period of time, it just stops working until you cough up $7.99.
6. Evernote – Similar to DropBox in that you store your data in the cloud. Slightly different in that items may be tagged for faster searching and you can “clip” web pages to store in your Evernote folder. You may also share your Evernote folder to others and, unlike Dropbox, there is no local folder copy on your device, just a cache of the items. Like Evernote, it’s free unless you exceed the set data amount per month downloaded and uploaded (as opposed to actual space used in the cloud – you get 60MB of downloads a month).
7. Citrix – App that gives iPad owners secure access to all of their corporate Windows applications and desktops, making it easy to work from anywhere. Sluggish over 3G, better over WiFi, while it’s a “must have” app, it’s a “use in emergency only” app as it’s a tad cumbersome to navigate. Free
8. Keynote – Apple app equivalent of MS PowerPoint and one of the few apps that will allow iPad 1 owners to (provided they have the VGA adapter) use a projector with the iPad. Super easy to use; however, while you can IMPORT PowerPoint files, you cannot save your work as a PowerPoint file unless you have the desktop version of Presentation. $9.99
9. Appstat (JB) – Allows you to see what apps you use the most and the time spent having each app open. Apparently I check my mail and play Words with Friends a lot. Free
10. iSSH – For techs only. Allows me to run an ssh session from my device. Supports VT100, VT102, VT220, ANSI, xterm, and xterm-color terminal emulator over SSH and telnet, integrated with a tunneled X server and VNC client. Awesome sauce. $9.99
11. SBSettings (JB) – an add-on utility that eliminates the need to launch the settings app for everyday things like toggling the bluetooth connection or setting the device to airplane mode. A simple swipe of the finger brings up the app in the upper left corner of the screen which has toggles to quickly and easily switch things on and off. See image below. Free
12. LockInfo (JB) – another tweak that modifies your lockscreen to show your unread emails, upcoming calendar appointments, texts, and other notifications. It’s an easy way to quickly check on your device notifications. $7.99 through Cydia

*note* items marked “JB” are apps only available to jailbroken iPads (see the Cydia app on homescreen).

LockInfo

Productivity Apps

Home Screen

SBSettings

Utilities

Jailbreak Apps

Google Android Tablets To Gain on Apple iPad – from Campus Technology

I saw this after a colleague linked it on Yammer and it reinforces my belief that it behooves organizations to not be Apple-centric. Not that it shouldn’t be part of the discussion; however, it shouldn’t be fait accompli.

As the article states, the driver will be application development and Apple has a lead on that front; however, if the projections are correct, developers will create in both environments. And since the iOS is a bit easier to develop because of the fragmented nature of Android, I don’t see that changing unless Google (developer of Android) reins in the different flavors to make it a more standard platform.

Thoughts?

Google Android Tablets To Gain on Apple iPad — Campus Technology.

Apple fails me for the last time. Never Again

Anyone want any lightly used Apple products? I have sworn off all Apple products from this point on. As you can see from the slide show, I am NOT speaking from the point of view of someone who doesn’t have or has very few Apple items. I love their products but lately I’ve been down on them. Between the Gizmodo incident, which just smacks of overkill, (did leaking the iPhone 4 cause their sales to be “irreparably damaged?” Judging from today’s lines at the stores, it seems unlikely) and the new phone’s reception problems due to its  poorly conceived exterior antenna as well as their row with Adobe vis-a-vis Flash, I’m done with them.

My Apple products. Yes, I still have every single one.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

I am also on the side of Flash vs HTML 5 not because I am unawares of the security issues that arise from the installation of Flash but rather because

1. HTML 5 is still not very prevalent
2. This is more about controlling the delivery than security
3. A lot of sites I go to don’t work because it doesn’t have a QT version
4. 80% of the multimedia content out there is Flash driven

Today, with the release of the iPhone 4, I tried to get in and purchase the now-lower-priced and previously available iPhone 3GS. Imagine my surprise when, upon getting to the door that I was told that since I hadn’t reserved a 3GS (please tell me Apple, how was I to know you had to reserve a phone that was ALREADY AVAILABLE?) that I had to stand in line with all the other people waiting for the iPhone 4. Which happened to stretch around the corner and down the block.

I asked if he was kidding and I was informed that they weren’t. Now, I understand they were under a lot of stress but can common sense play a part in their decision making?

So, you see a variety of products here. I am more than willing to sell ANY of them. We can negotiate price later. For now, just know that I will be joining the ranks of the former Apple fan boys.

Oh and regarding the new phone issues, here’s one of literally dozens of videos showcasing the new iPhone’s “dropped call” feature.

*UPDATE*

According to an Apple release, the official stance on the antenna/dropped call issues with the iPhone 4 is “stop holding it that way” or “buy a case.” From Mashable

Iphone 4 blah blah HTC EVO blah HTC Droid Incredible -STOP!

OK, we’re back into the market frenzy over a new tech toy. Yesterday, at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) for Apple, Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone 4. Not that we weren’t expecting it (since Gizmodo published pictures of the phone two months ago) and not that we need it. I am so tired of the hype surrounding [insert product here] that feeds into the feeling of wanting something we don’t need.

I lost my iPhone about two weeks ago and have been using a corporate loaner phone since then. It’s another iPhone which is fine with me (3G) and as soon as I got it, I jailbroke it with the excellent Spirit application, allowing me to access the Cydia repositories. I don’t need anything more than that. This can allow me to do all the things I need it to do.  If you are attempting to jailbreak your iPhone, please research before you do so. You need to back up your SHSH Blobs before you try to jb it!

Cydia app to access alternate repositories

Home screen of jailbroken iphone

Lock screen of jailbroken iPhone

Anyway, I need to get a new phone since I cannot have the loaner indefinitely. In a previous post, I posted a poll asking all of you what phone to get to replace the one that I lost. The winner was the iPhone 4. *sigh*

I have mixed feeling about the new iPhone. On the one hand, it’s sweet looking and would let me access my music/videos/apps that I’ve already purchased through Apple. I know that the number of apps far surpasses that of any of the Android phones (although in reality, having a choice of 70,000 vs 215,000 becomes pretty insignificant since I will be using the “major” apps available on both platforms). I don’t have to worry about phone contracts and the like because I am already with AT&T.

On the other hand, I am down on Apple. The whole Flash brouhaha with Adobe, the over-the-top Gestapo tactics on the Gizmodo folks, and the fact I have to spend $300 to get a 32 GB phone with a non-user replaceable battery. I also m beginning to dislike Steve Jobs’ smug attitude (which is why I loved the network issues he had yesterday during the WWDC demo – schadenfreude is alive and well!).

My next phone/dumbbell

As a result, I expanded my research to include two Android phones, the HTC Incredible (on Verizon) and the HTC Evo 4G (on Sprint). I had almost purchased the Evo on Sunday but American Express Fraud Control put a temporary kibbosh on the sale, thinking my card had been stolen. When they called me, I told them it was a legitimate attempt by me to purchase a phone and they allowed it; unfortunately, by the time I retried purchasing, the phone was out of stock. Karma? The Incredible is also out of stock so I may just wait it out and hope some faculty or staff above me in the pecking order doesn’t need the loaner phone and make me turn it back in.

So as I was doing my comparison shopping of the two Droid phones, I came upon this infographic from skattertech.com that was very useful. Bottom line, none of the phones I am researching are currently available, the loaner phone I have has been jailbroken (thereby voiding the warranty) and I am still loathe to spend more than $200 on a cell phone. Maybe I’ll just kick it old skool.

Will the iPad work as a skateboard?

Not for the faint-of-heart geek. We know the iPad blends but will it shred?

(From my good friend and best man, Jim Martin. Check out his blog! He’s got some AMAZING pictures)

iPad 3G vs. the Kindle vs. the Nook (con’t)

OK, here is a more in-depth analysis of the three types of e-readers. Unfortunately, they’re really two e-readers and a hybrid netbook so as a result, it’s almost an unfair comparison. The iPad is more of a whole entertainment/business handheld computer system. As a result, while I jokingly declared the iPad the winner, I mainly focus on the reading applications for the iPad.

Having said that, while the iPad looks good, the eReader applications LOOK nicer and obviously the color pictures look better (I downloaded a Berenstain Bears book for the kids and the color was great), I can read faster and with less strain on either the nook or the Kindle. The eInk used on the Kindle and nook is optimized for bright viewing and the weight of the devices (see chart below) make reading a tad easier than with the iPad. Believe it or not, that extra .75 lb does make a difference.

Another difference is the cost. $249 for the eReaders and $849 for the model I purchased ($699 for the 64GB iPad plus $130 extra because I got the 3G model PLUS, unlike the Kindle (where 3G connectivity is free), the mobile broadband costs at least $14.95 per month.

So how do I declare the iPad the winner, given I’ve just said that the eReaders are lighter, cause less eye strain, AND are cheaper? Because I can read anything I purchase for the nook and the kindle on the iPad. Because it’s an entertainment device, I simply downloaded the Amazon Kindle and B&N nook apps from the app store (free) and I can read anything that was purchased by my wife on the nook OR purchased by me on the Kindle on the iPad via the proprietary apps. Moreover, there are many other eReader apps, including one that provides 25,000 free books. You will never have to purchase another copy of Moby Dick, Ethan Frome, or Grapes of Wrath again as all works in public domain are available to you via the Gutenberg Project.

Yes, it’s more expensive, but because of the flexibility and variety of uses, spend the extra money and get the iPad. I find myself using my iPhone, my PC, and Kindle less and less because I have all that I need at my fingertips.

*UPDATE*

I wanted to add some images of the iPad and what I was talking about with regards to the choices in book readers. I also wanted to show a screen displaying Windows Explorer using the Citrix app. While not perfect, I am able to do 90% of what i need to do – albeit slower than normal – using the iPad.

e-Reader Comparison: iPad vs. Kindle vs. nook

	iPad	Kindle 2	Kindle DX	nook	Sony Reader (3 models)
screen (inches)/ resolution	9.7 / 1024 x 768	6/ 600 x 800	9.7/ 1200 x 824	6/ 600 x 800 (second screen – 3.5)	5-7.1/ 800 x 600 – 600 x 1024
screen type	LCD	E Ink	E Ink	E Ink	E Ink
color?	yes	16 shades gray	16 shades gray	16 shades gray	8/16 shades gray
capacity	16GB-64GB	2GB	4GB	2GB (expandable)	512MB (expandable)
connectivity	WiFi, 3G	3G	3G	WiFi, 3G	3G
connectivity cost	US$14.99 – $30/month	free	free	free	free
required contract	no	no	no	no	no
e-book format	ePub (Kindle, via Kindle app), PDF	Kindle, PDF, MOBI	Kindle, PDF, MOBI	ePub, eReader, PDF, PDB	ePub, PDF, TXT, RTF, DOC, BBeB Book
web browser	yes	no	no	no	no
multimedia	audio + video	audio	audio	audio	audio + images
games	yes	no	no	no	no
third-party apps	App Store	no	no	no	no
size (inches)	9.56 x 7.47 x 0.5	8 x 5.3 x 0.36	10.4 x 7.2 x 0.38	7.7 x 4.9 x 0.50	varies
weight (pounds)	1.5	0.64	1.2	0.75	0.485-0.798
price	US$499-$829	US$259	US$489	US$259	US$169-$349
reviews	iPad review	Kindle 2 review	coming soon	nook review	Sony Reader review