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• Is the iPad a laptop replacement?

  July 21, 2010

  Can the iPad be used as a laptop replacement at work? To figure this out, I kept my laptop off for a week after first deciding to get an iPad, setting it up, and leaving the laptop at the office. Part of the week I was in Manila on a trip, and during the other part my laptop stayed turned off in the office.

  My general impressions? I didn’t miss the extra complexity of the laptop, but I did miss doing some key workflow related tasks that aren’t possible on the iPad:

  1. Pros

  • Singletasking: I found the lack of multitasking (until iOS4 is released on the iPad) to be actually refreshing. Focusing on one task at a time made it easier to get things done.
  • Travel: The iPad is perfect for traveling and leaving the laptop behind. Battery life is outstanding. During my 18 hour trip back, I watched two movies, read an iBook, did some work, and only used up half the battery! And if you get the built in wireless data 3G version, you can work in more places without committing to a wireless data contract.
  • Worklife: Using a tablet is truly “A New Day“ for working. How you sit, being able to work from anywhere with built in Internet access and a longer battery life, making it easy to pass around during group brainstorming, and not having a screen cluttered with too many things at once will change how you work.

  2. Cons

  • Emails and calendar: The Mail app doesn’t show flagged emails for follow up (essential to my system of never filing an email), you can’t search the full text of emails on the server, you can’t click on an original email to view the sent email, no iCal tasks show up, and .ics file import is lacking. Together, these have a major impact on my workflow, although I can use FMYI’s Activity Manager and shared calendar to get around this.
  • Writing: Without a physical keyboard, typing anything more than a paragraph is a pain. A Bluetooth keyboard is a must if you plan to do a lot of writing. Copying and pasting URLs, critical to blog posts, is awkward.
  • Sharing: There’s no videochat (at FMYI, we rely on it because of team members working around the country) and IM through push notifications is a bit clunky. And the biggest problem of all is you can’t upload documents easily to websites/web apps.

  3. Tricks

  • Get access to your laptop’s document folders by using services like Dropbox, MobileMe, or SugarSync. That way, you won’t have to use iTunes to sync individual files.
  • Use web apps to collaborate especially if you have a 3G iPad. This keeps your team’s info in the cloud and accessible from anywhere. Check out FMYI, which blends a social networking site ease of use with project management, contact tracking, file/calendar/task sharing, and more. I may be a little biased, but we created FMYI for exactly this situation.

  My conclusion? If you’re traveling for awhile and shut down the laptop, the iPad works well, but in the office, you’re not going to replace the laptop or desktop computer just yet. You can get close if you have a cloud based file and collaboration solution though.

  Next: final thoughts on the iPad, tablets, and the future of computing in the workplace.

  -Justin

  Continue Reading…

  

• Using the iPad away from the office

  July 06, 2010

  So I’ve been exploring whether I can use the iPad for work. After I set up my iPad, my first experiment was to see if I could leave my laptop behind at the office for a week. The iPad served as my email, web, calendar, and presentation device at home, in between meetings, and during client visits.

  How did it do? Remarkably well. The form factor made running around town a breeze. Not only did I save my back a little because of how much lighter the iPad is than a regular laptop, but I was also able to carry a smaller (man)bag. The simple iOS interface made quick tasks easy like checking email, the weather forecast, tweaking a slide, and finding the best route to my next meeting. A full desktop OS soon felt clunky. And the extra screen real estate is a big benefit over a small smartphone for extended work.

  1. Pros

  
  • The touchscreen interface is a revelation for web browsing. By touching the screen directly to navigate links, the experience is so much faster and fun than using an intermediary input device like a mouse or trackpad. The downside is the time your spend browsing aimlessly goes way up!
  • It’s a pleasure to read PDFs, books, and presentations. You’ll find yourself curling up with the iPad going through all those work documents you haven’t scanned.
  • The speed is outstanding. Combine the fast processor with the simple iOS interface, and you have a winner. Startup takes seconds, as does going from app to app.

  2. Cons

  • The lack of Flash makes it hard to watch embedded videos that haven’t been converted to HTML5. And company websites using Flash for navigation are worthless on the iPad. You can get around this using one of the tricks I mention below.
  • Content creation isn’t ideal as we all know. There’s no multiple undo. You can’t upload files to websites using the Safari browser. Keynote is very limited for presentations. The touchscreen keyboard is a pain for typing more than a few sentences at a time and is missing numerous characters like a bullet (•). Either you have to keep things simple with your presentations, or you’ll need to do them on your laptop/desktop computer.
  • Of course, being an early adopter means the device is a little rough around the edges. I had to return mine after some mysterious problems with the iPad restarting on its own without me touching it. Fortunately, Apple’s legendary customer service was a joy to deal with, and they replaced my unit with a new one. I also had some problems with syncing the iPad and having my apps deleted, meaning I had to reinstall them and set up the preferences all over again.

  3. Tricks

  
  • One of the coolest things you can set up is a VNC client like iTeleport. This allows you to access your work computer remotely from your iPad. You’ll be able to view Flash sites, email yourself a file, or run an application you don’t have on your iPad. Definitely a must have.
  • Definitely get a case of some sort. The iPad is slippery and you’ll want one to prevent it from sliding off a table, and it’s a bonus to have it angled for typing.

  My conclusion? The iPad is ideally suited for mobile work. You can confidently keep your laptop at the office. Having an iPad makes those long hours on the road or burning the midnight oil at home almost enjoyable. And it helps that you’ll never be far from music, videos, and books when you need a break.

  Next: keeping the work computer off for a week and using only the iPad for work!

  -Justin

  Continue Reading…

  

• Setting up the iPad for work

  June 08, 2010

  So I decided to take the plunge and pick up an iPad and use it for work. I opted for the 3G version. which gives me Internet access when I’m not connected to a Wi-Fi network. This comes in handy when traveling or giving presentations where Internet access isn’t available, such as workplaces that don’t allow guests to connect to their network or issues come up when trying to connect. In the past, I’ve used tethering between my laptop and a cell phone, and have considered wireless data devices that plug into a USB port. Both options are a bit cumbersome to set up, and the cost and contracts involved with the wireless data devices are a barrier to entry.

  What I like about the iPad 3G setup is it’s fast to set up, there’s no extra USB device to keep track of, and there’s no contract. I’m using the entry level $14.99/month plan (up to 250 MB in bandwidth) which makes me judicious about when I use 3G service. For the most part, I’m using the iPad at the office, at home, or in other places with Wi-Fi like airports and coffee shops, but the 3G has already come in handy during a presentation at a restaurant and in an office. When I’m not connected to Wi-Fi, I’m typically only using 3G for checking emails and browsing the web. No Pandora or YouTube for me in my quest to save money on the data plan, and the quality isn’t that great when streaming video.

  Setting up the iPad through iTunes takes some time, especially if you’re copying over a lot of audio, video, photos, and apps. It didn’t help that I originally had a lemon that kept restarting on its own. Thankfully, the Apple Store came to the rescue and replaced my iPad free of charge. Once that was taken care of, it was on to exploring what apps to install, and the best way to protect it:

  Essential apps for work

  It becomes quickly apparent that the apps made for the iPad’s screen are way better than running the apps made for the iPhone’s little screen. Definitely opt for the versions that take advantage of the full screen real estate on the iPad (look for “HD” or “XL” at the end of app names). I’ve been a little disappointed with the selection of productivity apps overall, but these are the ones I’ve found to be most useful so far:

  • Documents: GoodReader (essential tool for viewing a variety of files), Keynote (beautiful way to present and create simple presentations), Pages, Numbers
  • Communication: IM+ (unified place for instant messaging chats across multiple platforms), Twitterrific (clean design), TweetDeck (powerful features)
  • Research: Pulse (fun news reader with quite a story), Bloomberg, Zinio (browse magazines and go green), iBooks
  • Brainstorming: Adobe Ideas (Drew Bernard said it best: “I really like their sketch pad. I have tried all kinds of electronic sketchpads over the years Adobe Idea on the iPad is the first one that really works for me.“), SketchBook
  • Utilities: Dragon (turns audio into text), Analytics HD (Google Analytics dashboard), Jumbo (calculator)
  • Travel: Weather Channel, World Clock, Kayak Flights

  Cases and bags

  As opposed to cell phones (you need a case) and laptops (you need a bag), for the iPad you’ll probably want to get both a case (protection against scratches and more grip so the iPad doesn’t fly out of your hands or slide off a table which isn’t a problem with laptops) and a bag (phones can slip into a pocket, but unless you have Stephen Colbert’s iPad suit you’ll need a bag to carry the iPad around).

  First, check out iLounge’s iPad accessory reviews. The number of cases reviewed will make your head spin. Fortunately, I’ve poured through a ton of them and came up with this short list for you:

  • Cases: DODOcase (amazing Moleskine-style bamboo case!), Incase Grip
  • Bags: STM Jacket, STM Scout, Timbuk2 Freestyle, WaterField Muzetto

  In my next post, I’ll explore what happens when I leave my laptop behind and use the iPad outside the office.

  -Justin

  Continue Reading…

  

• Obama: Information becomes a distraction

  June 02, 2010

  Are we in an era of information overload instead of information empowerment? U.S. President Barack Obama recently said:

  “You’re coming of age in a 24/7 media environment that bombards us with all kinds of content and exposes us to all kinds of arguments, some of which don’t always rank all that high on the truth meter,“ Obama said at at Hampton University, Virginia. “With iPods and iPads and Xboxes and PlayStations — none of which I know how to work — information becomes a distraction, a diversion, a form of entertainment, rather than a tool of empowerment, rather than the means of emancipation.“

  Since we’re very focused on social media in the context of work here at FMYI, let’s take a closer look at this from that angle. A recent survey found that although 52.3% of U.S. workers agreed that social media helped them learn more in less time, only 37% felt they got more work done. No doubt we have more information at our fingertips that we can learn from; the question is, are we leveraging new ways of sharing information to achieve goals in the most effective way possible? I think there are three key issues at play here:

  1. We need to manage the information firehose.

  Think about all the streams of information you manage daily. Emails. Text messages. Instant messages. Social networking sites. Phone calls. Voicemails. Snail mail. Face to face meetings. Water cooler talk. Videos. We’re surrounded by content, and if we wanted to, could immerse ourselves in it 24/7. Being deeply involved in social media definitely exposes you to more content. But it takes time to filter, sort, read, scan all the feeds. It’s not a given that “social business” is also synonymous with “effective business” especially with workplace collaboration. We need ways to better aggregate all the streams and filter it down to only the most relevant items needing our attention.

  2. We need to have more creative tools for innovation.

  In terms of the workplace, it’s not enough to just launch brainstorming discussion forums for sharing ideas, or talk crowd sourcing but rely on simple voting mechanisms. Technology needs to help connect ideas with people who have the skills and experience to make them a reality, or provide guidance with suggesting ways to get projects done more efficiently, or set up meetings on the fly based on need, or provide intuitive dashboards that help interpret activity going on and where people can best invest their time.

  3. We need to work in a whole new way.

  Old habits die hard. The only way to create lasting change is to put yourself in an environment that is conducive for the change. Just like it’s sometimes hard to tackle a brainstorming project while in the office because of all the day to day distractions (necessitating an afternoon trip to the neighborhood coffee shop), in order to work more efficiently or generate new ideas we’ll need to embrace a more flexible work structure. President Obama himself has been a supporter of workplace flexibility. We’ll need to build communities around this concept, and build workplaces to maximize the results.

  I believe achieving these is essential to the future growth of our economy. What do you think? We’ll be talking about examples in the coming months that illustrate the power of these solutions to mitigate the information overload we experience today.

  -Justin

  Continue Reading…

  
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