The iPad Chronicles

Goodbye Cable, Hello Apple TV!

2013-04-06T21:29:00.003-07:00

Last week I received a courtesy call from an AT&T U-verse representative asking for feedback on the company's Digital TV, High Speed Internet & Voice services. It was a spontaneous decision, but I took the opportunity while on the call to cancel the digital TV service.

OK, so it wasn't so spontaneous. I had been thinking about canceling the TV service while investing a few of the dollars saved for higher-speed Internet. We have a large household of active digital device users. We need bandwidth. We need bandwidth more than we need hundreds of cable channels no one in our home ever views.

I appreciated the courtesy call from AT&T and how quickly the first representative passed me to another representative to make my account changes. We now have the additional bandwidth desired and an empty spot under the TV where the Motorola cable receiver used to sit. The receiver has been sent back to AT&T and the Apple TV now has a shelf under the TV all its own.

The Apple TV
We've had an Apple TV since the release of the quirky first generation model that always seemed to need a restart and took forever to download and store content. The newer Apple TV models (generations 2 & 3) only stream content and can be accessed from other Apple-branded devices around the house.

Apple TV image courtesy of Apple

For the $99 purchase price, the new Apple TV provides Internet-based access to the iTunes Store, Netflix, Hulu Plus and a variety of other free and subscription-based content portals. It also facilitates the wireless streaming of iTunes content from other devices via the company's proprietary AirPlay protocol. The newer Apple TVs are easy to set-up and easy to use.

Netflix and Hulu Plus
We have a Netflix account and with the $90 per month saved on cable TV services, I decided to go shopping for other content to be viewed through the Apple TV. It was suggested by members of the household that we evaluate Hulu Plus for TV shows while keeping our Netflix account for movies. While there are pros and cons to both services, I decided to add Hulu Plus to increase the content repertoire for on-demand viewing through the Apple TV.

The High Cost of Cable TV Service
Cable TV is extraordinarily expensive for the few channels our household members viewed each month. I didn't consider surfing through a seemingly endless number of cable TV channels a leisure time sport. I considered it wandering through a listing of channels I paid to access each month but never watched.

Cost Savings and Convenience
With an opportunity to save about $1,000 per year, the decision to cancel cable service wasn't a difficult one. Combined, Netflix and Hulu Plus cost about $30 per month. For less than $400 per year we have a much more cost-effective home entertainment content solution and a net savings of about $600 per year. Additionally, the Netflix and Hulu Plus accounts can be accessed and used from any location and from any of our Apple-branded devices.

The savings are real and in the first week since canceling cable I've watched more content through Apple TV than I watched on cable in the past year. This lower-cost solution provides for on-demand movies and TV shows for a fraction of the cost of cable service. Apparently saying goodbye to cable service is fairly common. All I had to do was bring the U-verse TV receiver to a local UPS Store and it was packaged and shipped back to AT&T for free.

Michael Tsai's Spam Sieve Solution

2012-07-01T10:19:00.000-07:00

As the author of the Posts At Eventide blog and founder of the Braeburn Group of independent analysts, I use a number of different email addresses and a few of the addresses have wide Internet exposure. Spam is a problem. It's been a problem and will remain a problem for anyone engaging a large, global audience of readers in active and ongoing discussions.

To control spam I use Michael Tsai's SpamSieve. I've used SpamSieve since its initial commercial release years ago and I've used the product through each of its successive commercial iterations. I use the product because it works, works well and can be "trained" to meet the specific needs of each product user. SpamSieve uses a Bayesian approach to spam filtering and the more it's "trained" by the user the more accurately the product identifies spam messages.

Although SpamSieve is a Mac-only product, it will work in conjunction with a Mac to filter spam on iOS-based devices sharing access to email accounts. Instructions on setting up SpamSieve on a Mac to filter email traffic to all devices can be found at the SpamSieve site. Overnight and throughout the day SpamSieve filters all of the messages sent to my email accounts and moves suspected spam away from my inboxes and into designated spam folders.

Pictured below is screen shot of my Apple Mail menu and the contents of my color-coded SpamSieve folder. The colors reflect SpamSieve's spam probability rating for each piece of suspect email.

I've known Michael Tsai for the better part of twenty years. He holds a Master of Engineering, Computer Science degree from MIT. SpamSieve is his brainchild and as long as I've known him I've respected his work. The product's effectiveness evidences SpamSieve's smart design while its ease-of-use belies the sophistication that's brewed into this comprehensive spam solution. SpamSieve differentiates between email accounts and factors address traffic and incidences of spam on each email account in determining the mail it filters.

The more a user works with SpamSieve, the more the product responds to the user's spam classification preferences. Pictured below is a screen shot of Apple Mail's message menu with SpamSieve's added options to manage and classify messages. When a message is reclassified as spam it's automatically moved from your inbox to a spam folder.

SpamSieve is my recommended solution for active professionals seeking a comprehensive spam solution that can be tailored by each user to meet their individual needs. It's available for download for only $30. A Family Pack license is $48 and a free trial version is also available at the SpamSieve website.

Robert Paul Leitao

A Home Town Apple Store

2011-08-15T16:06:00.000-07:00

Santa Clarita, California is a classic example of an American boomburb and it's a city that has come into its own over the past twenty years amidst the continuing growth and population migration in Southern California. Santa Clarita is situated about 35 miles from downtown Los Angeles and north of the terminuses of the three-digit numbered highways that carry traffic through and around America's second largest city.

Although Santa Clarita has grown dramatically over the past couple of decades, residents can still hear the sounds of freight trains as they ramble their way across what was once a remote and semi-arid scape. In a bygone era the area served as the location for many Hollywood westerns.

COC Performing Arts Center

The City of Santa Clarita
Incorporated in 1987, the City of Santa Clarita has an estimated population of 176,971 and is home to the world renowned CalArts, the burgeoning College of the Canyons and is near the popular Six Flags Magic Mountain and Six Flags Hurricane Harbor amusement parks. The city is now the site for a new Apple retail store that recently opened at the Valencia Town Center. A home town Apple store is one more indication that Santa Clarita has not only come into its own, the city has also come of age.

Apple Retail Stores

At my last count there were 50 Apple retail stores in California, representing about 15% of the total number of retail stores in the company's global chain. No matter the fact there are a couple of dozen Apple retail stores within a two-hour drive from the city, having a store within a twenty minute drive of most residents of the Santa Clarita Valley will be a boost to Mac and iPad sales in the local area.

I shop at Apple retail stores the way others might shop at home improvement stores. There's often something new to see and there's usually something for which I'd like to save to buy.

Just over ten years ago I stood in line to visit the original Glendale, California retail store on its opening day. It was the second Apple retail store to ever open and followed the first retail store opening in the Tysons Corner, Virginia by three hours. From that day to this day, about 340 Apple retail stores have opened around the world.

Apple Retail Store at the Valencia Town Center

In the most recent four fiscal quarters, Apple retail stores generated revenue of $14.109 billion and represented about 14.1% of the $100.322 billion in revenue the company reported during that time. Over this 12-month period the retail stores sold 3.29 million Macs or more than 21% of the company's total Mac unit sales of $15.407 million units.

In the last holiday quarter, the busiest time of the year for the Apple retail stores, revenue averaged over $12 million per store and the margin generated by the stores exceeded $1 billion. These stores create local jobs, generate local tax revenue and increase customer traffic to the shopping centers in which many of the stores are located.

Apple's retail stores are at the epicenter of the Apple product mutual halo effect. Management has stated repeatedly 50% of Mac buyers at the retail stores are new to the platform. The Apple retail stores sell Macs and the Apple iPad is a traffic magnet for the stores.

Apple carefully selects the location for each new Apple store. Proximity to colleges and universities is among the site selection criteria as well as particular consumer demographics about the local community. The new Apple retail store at the Valencia Town Center is a boost for Apple product users in the area and I look forward to frequent visits to what's now my favorite local store.

A City Comes of Age

Santa Clarita is the fourth largest city in the Los Angeles County expanse and is the twenty fourth largest city in the nation's most populous state. From rural studio back lot to boomburb, Santa Clarita now has a home town Apple store. It's a city that has come into its own and it's a city with a new store for the digital age.

Why Time Machine is a Mac Essential

2011-05-22T15:03:00.000-07:00

In our large household the collective investment in iTunes content might rival the GDP of a few small island nations (slight exaggeration). From music to movies and from photos to college papers, our hard drives are filled with items that can not be easily replaced if they could be replaced at all.

Today's Macs are not only the storage centers for our desktop or laptop data, they also store the backup data for our iPhones, iPads and iPods. Without a reliable backup system a lost hard drive can be the source of months of frustration, weeks of lost work and vanished memories of special occasions and everyday moments that become special when viewed through the passage of time.

To reduce the risk of lost data disasters in our household we deploy a regular Time Machine backup regimen. Last week one of our laptop hard drives gave out. After a year of near 24/7 use by a college student in the household who makes generous use of Netflix streams in between bouts of school work, the drive became unresponsive. A quick trip to an Apple retail store (AppleCare is another Mac essential) the MacBook Pro had a new drive installed and all that was needed to restore the old drive's data was an easy Time Machine step following the new drive's startup and the welcome message from Apple.

My preferred Time Machine regimen is to backup data on the hour using an Apple Time Capsule that also serves as the household's Wi-Fi base station. In the case of the hard drive that failed last week the data had been backed up using Time Machine to a local external hard drive. The Time Machine data restore operation took under an hour to complete and all data was restored as if the user hadn't missed a beat. While flash drives and optical media can be deployed to backup work or school files, the automatic backup regimen and the thorough backup routine of Time Machine makes it a better and more comprehensive backup solution.

As the author of the Posts At Eventide blog my financial analysis worksheets are stored all over my drive along with several years of financial reports and regulatory filings from the nation's top technology companies. Absent a regular backup regimen replacing the information on my drive would require months of personal work and needless hours spent searching the Internet to replace volumes of lost data.

Time Machine is free and is installed with the latest versions of Mac OS X. Time Machine provides for the peace of mind that comes from knowing your Mac's backup data is a virtually up-to-the-minute copy of what's on your drive and all music, movies, photos and personal files are backed up safely in the event of a lost hard drive, a corrupted drive or a more complex repair issue involving your Mac.

Large capacity external backup drives can be purchased for around $100. A Time Capsule can be purchased for $299. Either of these backup options are worth the price when some of what's at risk might be considered priceless.

Robert Paul Leitao

Two iPhones And A Rice Bowl

2011-04-20T08:29:00.000-07:00

This is a tale of two Apple iPhones and one big bowl of uncooked rice:

In mid-January my sister called because she had lost her Apple iPhone 3GS. The iPhone was off so she couldn't call it or send a "Find My iPhone" signal. She suspected it fell from her pocket while shoveling out from one of the winter's biggest storms. As a precaution she had the iPhone deactivated and considered it a loss. She reckoned if it was lost under a couple of feet of snow there was no way it would be found weeks later in working order when the snow eventually melted away. The next day she purchased an iPhone 4 as a replacement. The Apple store staffer suggested if the iPhone 3GS was found as the snow melted to immediately place it in a big bowl of uncooked rice to draw out the moisture.

A little over a month later and following snow accumulations of an additional four feet, sub-freezing temperatures and a few sub-zero overnights, there was one sunny 60 degree February day. The rapidly melting snow left a shimmering black iPhone in its wake. To her astonishment the phone started up with all of her apps and data available. Because the phone had been deactivated, the only thing she couldn't do was make a call.

Two months hence and on the other side of a continent, my daughter accidentally dropped her Apple iPhone 3G into a small, manmade bowl of water commonly found in restrooms stalls. That's as descriptive as I want to get in this story. This was an obvious cause of upset. When I saw the phone after she brought it home it was undeniable that water had penetrated the device. One could see the water move when the touch screen was pressed. Recalling the conversation I had with my sister back in January, I immediately filled a kitchen mixing bowl with uncooked white rice from the pantry and gently pushed the iPhone into the middle of the bowl with the touchscreen facing down.

Eager to see if the rice advice would work, the following day I pulled the phone from the mixing bowl. The iPhone was dry to the touch, but unresponsive to attempts to startup the device. Only slightly discouraged I put the iPhone back in the bowl and waited for a second day. The next day I pulled the phone from the mixing bowl and while the phone wasn't immediately responsive, there was no hint of moisture in or around the device. I plugged the iPhone in to charge it and sure enough the Apple logo appeared. A few minutes later the phone began to beep and a stream of previously unreceived text messages appeared on the screen. Although the iPhone was now encased in a thin film of dry rice residue and the battery was taking a much needed charge, it was apparently no worse for wear. Yesterday, day three, my daughter took her iPhone to school and work as if the mishap had never happened.

Two iPhones and one big bowl of uncooked rice have proven the iPhone is made to be a resilient device.

Robert Paul Leitao

Wonders Never Cease: My Mother Is Getting An iPad

2011-04-09T10:43:00.000-07:00

Wonders never cease. My mother is getting an iPad. The dear woman blissfully bypassed the PC era and has never used a personal computer. This isn't to say she doesn't have one. There has been a designated Mac in the house for use by grandchildren and my mother's wayward adult children who are challenged to spend more than a day in an Internet free zone on trips home.

To provide Internet access in the post dial-up era I labored one summer day to extend an Airport network from my sister's house on an adjacent property to and through my mother's house via of relay stations. Still, my mother until now has never used the Internet and the closest she has come to using a Mac is dusting the dust cover on the keyboard.

That's all about to change. It's not that the woman is information starved in any way. She has an amazing capacity for news and information consumption from traditional sources such as books, magazines and TV. Thanks to satellite TV if my hectic workday keeps me from reading the headlines a quick call to my mother during my evening commute will usually provide an earful of the day's top stories filtered through her unique editorial outlook. For years she has supported and endorsed the use of Apple devices in the educational lives of her grandchildren, but she has never once touched a keyboard.

When the Apple iPad was released last April my sister and I thought this was a natural device for my mother's interest in news and information. Perhaps it was my nephew's enthusiasm for the profusion of apps available, but showcasing Angry Birds and similar digital wares wasn't an enticement. For all my mother has experienced and endured in life, spending time engaged in aerial assaults of digital pigs isn't among her desired hobbies. But recently she has come to realize as a news and book reader the Apple iPad is beyond compare. The home screen and icons that will deliver the tailored content she desires makes sense for a no-nonsense consumer. The abundance of easy-to-use news apps and the iBookstore are a winner.

The Apple iPad is an engaging device. Piercing a demographic of older consumers who view the physical keyboard as a step back and not a step forward is an example of how Apple's tablet product transcends the PC and is ushering in a new era of more intuitive and useful digital devices.

Robert Paul Leitao

My Work PC Has Become A Fork

2011-03-06T18:55:00.000-08:00

In what's now called the post-PC era, I view my work PC as a utensil similar to a fork. Like most kitchen utensils a fork sits in a drawer until selected for limited-use tasks. The difference here is the Windows PC that adorns my work desk won't fit inside a drawer and it can't be cleaned quite as easily. But it has now been relegated to limited and specific-use purposes.

My work PC has become a casualty of the Apple iPad. I've foregone any effort to try and make Outlook work as a productivity solution and rely on OmniFocus, iCal and Apple's Address Book to maintain my schedule, manage projects and tasks and keep my contact register up-to-date. In addition to using my iPhone for personal communication, it has become a "pocket iPad" for personal and business productivity. Alas, my work PC has two functions: business email during business hours and one regular work task for which a conventional desktop or portable PC is still required.

Last week I purchased through the Apple app store the Mac version of OmniFocus for my iMac at home. It syncs with the iPad and iPhone versions of the product through MobileMe and it adds my project due dates into iCal. I now keep one calendar for all of my activities and commitments (personal and business) and it's constantly updated on all of my Apple devices.

Although the iPad 2 was introduced last week, for my uses the original iPad works just fine. There are plenty of uses remaining to be explored and none of those uses at this time require a camera nor a faster processor. I've been pleasantly surprised how many workday tasks can be accomplished more quickly, more easily and more productively on an iPad versus a conventional PC.

It's not that the iPad is a replacement PC. It's that the need for conventional PCs is being eliminated quickly. The conventional PC is becoming irrelevant through a process of consumer and enterprise selection. I just wish my workday fork could be cleaned of its issues and digital debris as quickly as the kitchen variety can be put through a dishwasher.

Robert Paul Leitao

The Daily

2011-02-06T19:49:00.000-08:00

The Daily

On February 2nd the first daily news publication specifically designed for the Apple iPad debuted in the market. Each new issue of The Daily is sent automatically to subscribers and is available at the rate of $.99 per week or $39.99 for a yearly subscription. The Daily app is available at no cost through the iTunes app store. For the first two weeks following the February 2nd release, issues of The Daily are available for free.

I couldn't pass up the opportunity to explore the type and style of content available in The Daily during the two-week promotional period. Downloading each issue does a take just a bit of time. The publication is media rich and covers virtually all areas of popular interest from news to sports to opinion to arts & life and even apps and games. For those who missed last week's launch event, a video is available on the publication's website.

Navigation through each issue is definitely Apple Cover Flow-style and the app tracks each column or article that's been read or sampled. After reviewing The Daily over the past few days I'm impressed by the array of content available, though not all of sections are of personal interest. In my view the style of writing is a mix of a daily newspaper and weekly magazine. The news coverage is timely and topical and each news story can be consumed in just a few minutes time.

I'm intrigued by this first daily news publication designed specifically for the Apple iPad and I intend to purchase a weekly subscription when the trial period ends.

Robert Paul Leitao

The Apple iPad's Versatility

2010-11-20T20:06:00.000-08:00

The Apple iPad's Versatility

The Apple iPad is the most versatile digital device I've ever owned. Lighter and easier to carry than a laptop, the array of comparatively inexpensive app solutions makes the device a winner at both work and at home. Although I purchased the Apple iPad primarily for use at home, it's versatility has made the device a work day essential.

Apple iPad and iPhone Integration

One of the delightful aspects of owning and using an Apple iPad is the easy integration of work processes with the Apple iPhone. As I've mentioned previously, I use both OmniFocus for the iPad and the iPhone to manage work projects. Synching calendars between my Apple iPad, iPhone and my Mac at home is a feature available through Apple's MobileMe service.

iWork apps and iCal

I'm now using Numbers, Pages and Keynote on the Apple iPad and documents from the Mac and iPad versions of the apps can be easily transferred between devices. Being able to integrate project management, synch calendars and share documents among devices is creating a decidedly lesser role for my office PC in day-to-day workflow and accomplishments.

The Apple iPad Transcends The PC

I have my iPad with me at all business meetings for the purposes of taking notes and entering new contact information. Because my iPad, iPhone and Mac at home all synch through Apple's MobileMe service, I no longer bother to enter business contact information into my work PC. All of my business contact information is readily available on my mobile devices when needed and is stored on my Mac at home.

Ironically, my iPad has become my general use device while my work PC has become a limited and specific-use utensil. At home my Mac is used primarily for content creation, Website updates and moderating discussions in the Apple Finance Board. All other tasks from following Twitter activity, reading news, reading books and monitoring my email activity is performed more conveniently on my Apple iPad.

It's not that the Apple iPad "replaces" a netbook or notebook PC. The Apple iPad represents a product paradigm that transcends the netbook and notebook PC. The iPad's touchscreen and app environment is rendering the netbook obsolete.

The Apple iPad and the Era of the iOS app

I have well over 125 iOS apps installed on my Apple iPad and over 100 apps installed on my iPhone. Including the Apple iWork app suite, iPad and iPhone versions of OmniFocus and a few assorted and inexpensive apps for home and work, my collective app investment remains under $125. Matched with pre-installed apps on the Mac, iPhone and Apple iPad such as iCal, Address Book and iTunes, additional app purchases provide for specific desired functionality at attractive prices. Integration of information across devices extends and enhances functionality among all of the devices.

I'm intrigued by the concept of a Macintosh app store and what developers will bring to market for use on the Mac and iOS-based devices. I see opportunities for continued integration and sharing of content among multiple devices.

iOS 4.2.x for the iPad

Meanwhile, I'm patiently waiting on the release of iOS 4.2.x for the Apple iPad and the expected increase in uniformity in the user experience between the Apple iPad and iPhone. There's more to the Apple iPad and its versatility than I expected when I first purchased the device. The integrated uses of the Apple iPad and the iPhone are among the pleasant surprises.

Robert Paul Leitao

OnmiFocus for iPad and iPhone

2010-11-13T10:41:00.000-08:00

I've started the hard work of entering all of my active projects and tasks into OmniFocus for iPad and I'm finding this organizational solution surprisingly effective for my needs. Although I was ambivalent about the $39.99 purchase price, I'm finding the dollars invested to be well spent.

This week I purchased OmniFocus for iPhone to serve as a complement to the Apple iPad version of the product. The two versions synch over MobileMe, allowing for the iPhone version to serve as a pocket-sized personal organizer. In just a few days of use this has proven to be a convenient way to keep track of current projects on-the-go while away from both my office and my iPad.

My investment in the iPad and iPhone versions of OmniFocus totals about $60. So far I consider it money well invested in a mobile productivity solution.

Robert Paul Leitao

OmniFocus For iPad

2010-11-07T18:26:00.000-08:00

Last week I took the plunge and purchased OmniFocus for iPad. It's a $39.99 app for project and task management. The price was outsized for what I would ordinarily pay for an iOS app and I was ambivalent about the price. But time and time again I found myself at the Omni Group Web site checking the features or watching the brief tutorial videos waiting for the impulse to buy the product.

Purchasing a $39.99 app was above the threshold I had set for single app purchases. It's more than I've spent in about the past two years in the iTunes Music Store and more than I spent for the iWork suite of apps the day I purchased the iPad. But there I was looking at the app one more time. What finally prompted me to buy the app is the recommendation of my former boss. He's an extraordinarily organized guy and a recommendation from him in favor of an organizational app carried a lot of weight. I clicked the purchase button, bought the app and I've been busy adding action items, contexts and projects to my OmniFocus database ever since.

A fews days after buying OmniFocus for iPad, I'm now visiting the Omni Group Website looking at the features and watching the video to determine if I should buy OmniFocus for iPhone as well. I'll probably do that a few more times before taking the plunge. The two apps work in concert or as standalone solutions.

I have a lot of things to do and after loading into OmniFocus all the things I need to do that I can remember I need to do it's no wonder I'm constantly thinking about all of the things I need to get done. I've already invested a few hours figuring out how OmniFocus works best (or at least works best the ways I want it to work best). There's one big thing I've already determined from working with the product the past few days. Those things I really don't want to do look much less ominous when reduced to a simple action item among the many things I do need to accomplish.

I'll post a review of OmniFocus for iPad after I work with the product for a few more weeks. Already I feel much more organized after only a few days of active use. The manner in which OmniFocus organizes information has become surprisingly intuitive after only a few days of use.

Robert Paul Leitao

The Apple iPhone As An iPad Companion

2010-10-23T18:24:00.001-07:00

Since purchasing my Apple iPad in July, the device hardly ever leaves my sight. It's on my work desk all day and it's somewhere within easy grasp while at home.

I am an information junkie. The more information I have the more information I want. Both my Apple iPad and my iPhone have over 100 apps installed and most of those apps are news and information gathering apps. Since the purchase of my Apple iPad there are unopened magazines in my mail pile at home that I have yet to even glance at in what I now describe as the "Apple iPad era." At renewal I plan to cancel all but one of the few magazine subscriptions we receive at home. The Apple iPad is a far superior means to access and consume content than waiting on the mail for publications in print.

The impact of the "Apple iPad era" is unfolding before our eyes as developers see opportunities in iPad-specific apps and Apple ramps supply of iOS-based devices to meet global demand and further the company's multi-product, integrated approach to the market. In the iPad era I'm even looking at my Apple iPhone from a new perspective.

In addition to being my primary device for voice communication, the iPhone is a pocket-sized complement to the tablet-sized Apple iPad. From app-based news alerts to dozens of apps shared with the iPad, the iPhone has become a practical extension of the way I use the Apple iPad. In this context the iPhone's functionality has been enhanced by my heavy use of the Apple iPad.

The iPhone is an excellent device for voice communication, text messaging and emails while on the go. As a companion to the Apple iPad it has become more useful mobile resource. I use the Apple iPad for email much more than I use the iPhone. The iPhone has become a pocket-sized means to follow-up on communications that were sourced on the Apple iPad and access updates to news stories I have begun to follow. The shared app resources makes this integration all the more possible.

Apple's MobileMe service syncs all of my iOS-based mobile devices together and with my Mac. Shared bookmarks, calendars, contacts and emails allows me to continue with the work I started on my iPad when the device is out of reach or I'm at locations or events for which I'd prefer not to carry around a tablet-sized device.

There are tens of millions of iPhone users worldwide and millions of those users may come to see the Apple iPad as a practical means to enhance the usefulness of the phone they already own. There will also be tens of millions of new Apple iPad users over the next 12 months. Of those new users there are potentially millions who will see the iPhone as both a logical and natural next step in the iPad's immersive experience.

Apple's multi-product iOS paradigm may prove increasingly irresistible for users seeking to extend, expand or enhance the usefulness of any one particular iOS-based device they own. A mutual halo effect among the devices should be expected.

Robert Paul Leitao

The Apple iPad As A Navigation Device

2010-10-23T10:45:00.000-07:00

In September I activated 3G service on my Apple iPad to use the device at an off-site conference. The iPad worked splendidly as my primary communication and productivity device over the four-day event. The 3G service also came in quite handy when my office lost Internet service on a weekday morning.

Not to let an investment of $14.99 for a month's 3G go to waste without making the most of the dollars, I took the Apple iPad on a short road trip to test its uses as a navigation device. For those of us who have made use of an Apple iPhone or other smartphone to find directions and track progress to a selected destination, the Apple iPad is a singular delight. The iPad's comparatively massive screen eliminates the need to squint when tracking progress and the "pinch and zoom" ability allows one to travel greater distances without moving the map in response to the miles already travelled. Absent the desire for audible turn by turn directions, there's no reason to look beyond the Apple iPad for a navigation solution when 3G service is activated. In addition to providing a much larger screen to track progress to a destination, locations detailed along the way are much easier to see and note.

Alas, I cancelled the 3G service hours before its automatic renewal to save on another month's charge. For now the service isn't needed. But I won't hesitate to activate it again if for no other reason than to have the 3G iPad's navigation tools available for the next business or personal trip out of the area and to unfamiliar surrounds.

Robert Paul Leitao

The Apple iPad And Why I'm Glad I Purchased The 3G Model

2010-09-30T23:55:00.000-07:00

When The Apple iPad was released in April I thought about being among the first buyers. I didn't see a real need for the 3G model which was not yet available and the $499 price point was an attractive one for my budget considering the accessories I also desired to purchase.

I'm not one to buy personal digital devices and leave myself wanting for the accessories that enhance productivity and usefulness. I waited over three months from the April release date and purchased my iPad in early July. I'm glad I waited for the 3G model. Readers of my Posts At Eventide blog are familiar with My $1,000 iPad Purchase Odyssey.

Along with the Apple iPad with 3G, I purchased the Apple keyboard dock, the Apple iPad case and the 6-foot auxiliary power adapter. The auxiliary power adapter was purchased principally to allow for better positioning of the keyboard dock on my work desk. Each of these accessories have proven to be necessities.

I knew the additional $130 for the 3G model would blow my budget, but the 3G capability has proven to be essential for using the Apple iPad as a business tool. About two weeks ago I attended a four day professional conference and activated the 3G service for the first time. While the convention center where the conference was held offered Wi-Fi in the open areas and exhibit halls, the service was non-existent in the conference rooms. The 3G service allowed me to keep working throughout the day.

This morning when I arrived at my office Internet service wasn't available. The Internet service provider for the organization had a regional service outage and it took over three hours to correct the problem. Although outages of this duration aren't common, they are too common when they happen. I pulled the Apple iPad out of my backpack, downloaded, read and responded to the work emails over 3G that otherwise would have stacked up until early afternoon when Internet service at the office was reestablished. If I lose a morning due to a lack of Internet access, I've lost virtually all productivity for the day.

The Apple iPad with 3G activated searches first for available Wi-Fi networks before using 3G. This saves on 3G data use under the AT&T monthly service that has a 250MB quote for the first tier of the pricing plan. The importance of being able to be connected to be connected anywhere and under virtually all conditions can not be overstated if one desires to use the Apple iPad as a home and business tool.

When I purchased the Apple iPad in July I was aware I'd be spending, accessories included, more than what most people would invest in a netbook or notebook PC. After almost three months of very active use, I've come to the conclusion the Apple iPad isn't a replacement for a netbook or notebook PC. Rather, it's a device that transcends the PC paradigm completely.

I'm pleasantly surprised how comfortable it is to position the Apple iPad in my lap to compose or respond to emails. As a resource to find and consume news it's beyond compare. The app environment is a superbly efficient means to get at the news I need and do so quickly. Productivity apps such as Pages and Keynote are as intuitive on the iPad and they are on the Mac.

If you're contemplating the purchase an Apple iPad and deciding between models, I recommend the Apple iPad with Wi-Fi + 3G. It's worth the additional dollars for anyone desiring to use this amazing device at work or anywhere away from home.

Robert Paul Leitao

WolframAlpha And AppShopper

2010-09-25T12:00:00.000-07:00

WolframAlpha is an amazing app. Purportedly you can find information immediately on just about any topic. I purchased the app on an impulse the day I purchased my iPad. Maybe I thought I'd feel smarter just from having the app on this dandy Apple device. The app only cost a $1.99 and I figured it gave me access to the WolframAlpha cloud-based supercomputer. But for what?

My first WolframAlpha query was Pi. I don't know why I even remember Pi. But it seemed like an intelligent thing to query. The results would have been satisfying if I really cared anything about Pi. The three things I remember about Pi are: It determines the circumference of a circle when multiplied by the diameter, my math teachers years ago in high school mentioned it a lot, and in one original Star Trek episode Captain Kirk asked the ship's computer to determine the value of Pi as a means to overwhelm it and retake control of the Starship Enterprise. Why the computer on an intergalactic battleship capable of warp speed would be overwhelmed determining the value of Pi is beyond me. But who said Star Trek is real? I've never met a Vulcan in real life.

My second query was Richard Feynman, the late Nobel Laureate. I find him more interesting than Pi. Again, WolframAlpha produced a list of satisfying results if I wanted to spend some time researching both the person and his work. For my third query I searched on my name, Robert Paul Leitao. The results: Nada. Nothing. Zilch. I was humbled by a $1.99 iPad app.

A few weeks after I bought the Wolfram Alpha app it went on sale for $.99 as a back-to-school special. I felt duped. If I had only waited a few weeks it would have cost one dollar less to be humbled. I really didn't mind being humbled by WolframAlpha. But I would have preferred it be done on the cheap.

In searching for ways to save money in the iTunes app store I discovered AppShopper. It's a free iOS app that tracks changes in prices of apps available through iTunes. I'm always looking for deals on apps and AppShopper assists in finding the most popular free apps and apps with recent price changes. Downloading AppShopper is a smart move. Soon after downloading and installing the app I felt smarter already. I use it regularly to track apps and discover new apps I might not find searching on my own through the iTunes app store.

For students needing easy access to a massive information source for research and for those of us who enjoy searching for information of many different kinds, the WolframAlpha app is an amazing tool. It's worth the purchase even at $1.99. AppShopper is a free app download and is a fast and easy way to discover new apps and apps that have recently gone on sale. I recommend both apps for iPad owners.

Robert Paul Leitao

The Manage iPad App From Kerofrog

2010-09-23T23:03:00.000-07:00

Readers of my Posts At Eventide blog are familiar with my use of Manage, an iPad app developed by a small firm in Australia. In a word, this $2.99 app is charming. That's not a word I'd usually put forward to describe a get-things-done productivity tool. But after a few moments of viewing the product's design in landscape mode you'll understand the description.

Manage provides for the use of digital highlighters for emphasizing tasks and digital pens for scribbling notes and comments. But the one feature I find most useful is the ability to export and email task lists in .pdf format. This one feature puts in visual perspective work to be accomplished and work that's been done.

My work desk had been covered with little notes and reminders about projects and tasks that would become successively buried under new piles of new notes and new reminders about new projects and new tasks. For anyone looking for an intra-day morale boost, organizing all those tasks and all of those little slips of paper into Manage will do the trick.

I now have several task lists neatly organized in Manage. Each task can be delineated with sub-tasks allowing for the listing of the incremental steps involved in task completion. After using the Manage app for a number of weeks, it's no longer a question of how much work I can get accomplished in a day, but what to do with the empty desk space formerly covered by not always discernible paper notes.

The Manage app by Kerofrog makes getting things done just a little bit of fun.

Robert Paul Leitao

Apple iPad Travel Essentials (Part 1)

2010-09-22T20:54:00.000-07:00

In my travels with the Apple iPad there are three items I now consider to be essentials. The first item is iKlear. It's no secret the iPad's screen becomes quickly smudged. Don't even think of using a hotel towel to clean the face of your favorite Apple device. It's a safe and effective cleaner for your digital gear. The cloths that come in the package pickup anything that's been left on the screen.

The second item is the Apple iPad Case. Both my backpack and my business carry bag have laptop compartments that shield the contents from jostling and shock. The Apple iPad Case is an extra layer of protection and assists in setting the iPad in a number of different positions for work or display throughout the day.

The third item is AppleCare. Ninety days of initial phone support passes quickly. I rely on the iPad at work, at home and when away from both work and home. If an issue comes up I want answers quickly. I consider AppleCare a necessary investment for Macs, iPhones and Apple iPads.

Over the next few weeks I will be using the iPad Dock Connector to VGA Adapter for Keynote presentations. I'll provide feedback on the uses of the Apple iPad as presentation device in an upcoming blog post.

The Apple iPad And A Road Warrior's Toolkit

2010-09-21T00:28:00.000-07:00

I don't know if it's one of Murphy's Laws, but work crises tend to rise in degrees of severity proportional to one's distance from the office. The phone calls started yesterday about 8pm. By 9am today there was a second problem that needed immediate attention.

I had desired to relegate checking office email correspondence to the late evenings in order to focus on the content of the multi-day conference at which I'm in attendance. Circumstances denied me that choice.

This morning I was sitting in the front row of a conference workshop session while configuring my iPad to send and receive office emails rather than use the Web interface for correspondence. In less than five minutes about 50 email messages came streaming into my inbox. It was the 24 messages about a singular issue that captured my attention. Within 15 minutes, while listening to the workshop speaker, I had dispatched responses.

Following this early morning session I learned the iPad is a wonderfully stingy device. I set myself up in an open area by the conference exhibits and the free Wi-Fi service kicked in. The iPad is programmed to switch to Wi-Fi from 3G whenever it's available. It saved on the data quota on the monthly AT&T 3G plan while I kept working without interruption.

By early afternoon it was beyond doubt the best road warrior tool kits include an iPhone and an Apple iPad. I was talking on one of the devices while reading and sending emails on the other. The .pdf files that were sent my way were read and forwarded to the office for immediate follow-up.

I'm now used to having my iPad at the office all day. Today proved the Apple iPad can amply assist with crisis management from remote locations as well.

I'm seeing fewer notebook PCs at meetings and conferences these days, but smart phones are in abundance. Smartphones are good for quick notes and email replies. I'm preparing this blog entry using the Pages app for the iPad. For the things I want to do and for those things that just have to get done while away from the office, a smartphone is good. But an iPhone and an Apple iPad combination is simply better. Enclosed in the Apple iPad case and stowed in my bag, the Apple iPad is lighter than any laptop I've ever carried and can be used to get at least as much done.

Robert Paul Leitao

The Apple iPad On The Road

2010-09-19T23:23:00.000-07:00

I'm attending an off-site conference for work and brought along my Apple iPad as an all-in-one productivity solution.

For the first time since purchase I activated the 3G service. The process was almost uncomfortably easy. I need to remind myself to cancel the service before it automatically renews 30 days from today. The 3G service is fast and responsive.

Equipped with the Apple iPad keyboard dock I'm able to quickly respond to emails and I'm using the keyboard to compose this post. I've been using the iPad and keyboard dock at work for the past few weeks. At first I thought moving between the touch screen and the keyboard in the absence of a mouse would be awkward. Quite the contrary. Pinch and zoom is a decided benefit in reading correspondence and in composing responses. If I have a lament it's that the keyboard dock can not be used while the iPad is enclosed in the Apple case and portrait positioning is the only option.

Just for sport I want to see how far I can stretch the 250MB 3G data quota for $14.99. No media-rich Websites or apps until I'm back on Wi-Fi.

The iPad Chronicles

2010-09-17T23:30:00.000-07:00

I've started The iPod Chronicles as a companion to my Posts At Eventide blog. The Apple iPad is the most immersive digital device I have ever owned. I'm convinced it will transform the way we use digital devices to access information and communicate with the world and one another.

The focus of this Web presence is the use of the Apple iPad at work, at home and when away from both work and home.I am testing the Apple iPad's uses in a variety of settings and everyday situations and I will chronicle my experiences on these pages.

I currently own an Apple iPad Wi-Fi + 3G. Though purchased in mid-July, it has quickly become my preferred device for information gathering and personal productivity. I look forward to sharing my iPad experiences on these pages as I chronicle the many uses of this device and explore several of the iOS apps specifically designed for Apple's latest hardware product.

Robert Paul Leitao