Ipad 2 for business still a long way to reality

[DrHouse]

I'm not very good at takings notes with pen and paper. My handwriting is awful and I tend to get lost with papers over time... Anyway, I finally solve my problem using mind mapping softwares. I've been doing this on laptops for years, and it always worked for me. But now, I do it on my iPad. So in my case, note taking in the form of mind maps did replaced my laptop.

The thing I like with mind maps is that you can sit with a customer and start building your map with him. Having links between ideas or concepts makes it very visual for everybody and the customer can validate on the spot your comprehension. If something is in the wrong place, just a simple drag'n drop will fix it. And when you're done, you can email a copy to your customer so you both have the same point of view of the project.

Then putting this information into a formal document is easy, you just need to follow the map...

The weakest point when taking notes, on paper or laptop, is that while you are writing, you are not listening. Also, while you write, your customer has to wait on you, doing nothing. This can result in misunderstandings, confusion, etc... Getting your customer involved in the process, meaning that your are both building the foundation of the knowledge will insure that the data is accurate, validated and properly organized.

I've done this with a lot of customers, and they all liked the idea. Better is you can put your display on a projector when there is more than two persons. In the end, everybody see the same thing, understand the same concepts and have the same priorities.

I try to keep each node with keywords or really short sentences, adding a comment node if needed in some cases. Using colors, shapes and icons will highlight priorities, critical tasks, etc...

As for other business tasks, it's a matter of the tools you are using already. You cannot replace MS Office by Pages or OpenOffice, nor you can replace your CRM by a spreadsheet. It's a matter of using the right tool for the right job, what ever the device used...

My 2 cents!

VicoPad addict!

 

[Ingoiolo]

I think it's mainly a matter of identifying what it can do.
I'm a senior banker in the m&a dept of one of the main international banks... My company tried to roll out iPads for juniors, who have to work with mega excel files and create presentations. Failure, that is impossible.
But for senior bankers, who need mobility, capacity to review documents on the go and carry materials to prepare ourselves while hopping from one country to the other on a plane that is perfect... And it also make the kids' lives better, as they can get my comments while I'm on a taxi, without waiting for me to get home, login and review at 11pm, while they just wait wait wait...


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[NYHorsewoman]

I'm not very good at takings notes with pen and paper. My handwriting is awful and I tend to get lost with papers over time... Anyway, I finally solve my problem using mind mapping softwares. I've been doing this on laptops for years, and it always worked for me. But now, I do it on my iPad. So in my case, note taking in the form of mind maps did replaced my laptop.

!

I love mind mapping, what apps do you use?

 

[jnoslop]

Try a stylus. You don't do finger painting on note pads why do you try to do finger painting on your iPad?

I agree, stylus is an absolute necessity for note taking. I work in a law office and use my iPad everyday, for staying on top of email and calendar. I can take it with me when I meet with clients, and can calendar appointments on the fly. My lawyer boss is a three finger typist extrordinaire, and can out-type my stylus writing, or typing, hands down. Where iPad shines, though, is the ability to load our huge, unwieldy files into Goodreader and take them to hearings. No more paper files. We bookmark the files, and he's on top of his game. Very organized.

 

[jnoslop]

I've tried a couple of styles but the don't work well. If Apple would have found an styles that worked I'm sure they would have produce one. Maybe on the iPad 3...

Try Wacom Bamboo. I love it!

 

[jnoslop]

Can't speak for Seadog, but no, I don't think. I've tried just about all of the various hand note taking apps and not only do they not replace a legal pad, I don't think it's possible to engineer them to do so, at least not without significant changes in the hardware.

From my perspective there are two major problems.

() It is simply not possible to engineer software in a way that is as simple to use as a pen and paper. In the latter environment I can vary the color, size, and placement of information on a piece of paper without resorting to multiple touches, swipes, menu choices, etc. With enough practice, I can become relatively proficient with an app like Note Taker HD. It's a great piece of work. But I daresay I'll never be able to "jot down" notes as quickly and cleanly as I can on a piece of paper.

() My second problem is more specific to my own situation. I happen to be one of those disabled folks so discriminated against in this culture. I'm left-handed Trying to prevent my hand from touching the screen while I'm writing is almost impossible. For me, the placement of a "palm rest" (where touching the screen does not register) is in the wrong place. It should be above the space in which I'm writing, not below. So far I haven't found a single notetaking app that enables me to accomplish this.

If you doubt all this, consider the following hypothetical. Imagine that you grew up using an iPad (or any electronic device) to write. Then imagine that someone provided you with a legal pad, a pencil, a pen, and a marker. I suspect you'd be delighted by the extraordinary advance in technology your new discovery represents.

I'm a southpaw, but leaened in school to turn the paper so I write below the palm rest, i turn the paper to the left. Try holding your pen above the nib, like you would a paintbrush. It works better that way! ;-)

 

[DrHouse]

I love mind mapping, what apps do you use?

I use simplemind, but I haven't look if there is something new in the AppStore. On laptop, I was using FreeMind... Will have to look if it's available on the iPad...

Edit: I checked again, and found Idea Sketch, pretty good app for mind map...

VicoPad addict!

 

[Yleoni]

An iPad is not a substitute for pad and paper, nor a desktop unit. You don't use a screwdriver to put a nail in a board. There are just some things that electronics do not replace. And everything has it's limitations.

I have to respectfully disagree about the pen and paper. I use penultimate in meetings every day. It has totally replaced pen and paper in my personal work environment. I use a high end stylus, BTW, and not my finger which probably makes a difference.

How do you manage all the files created from you notes. Do you keep all of them, do you store them? I would like to move away from pen & paper, only if I can manage the notes files in the same way as my current paper notebook, ie by attaching the notes to a calendar for instance (asked that question a few weeks ago but still no reply). Can not find a calendar app that allows attaching file (notes, pdf , jpg etc..)

 

[roberthorg]

Taking quick notes seems to be a problem. I i'm using Dragon on my ipad2 for this task with just copy and paste with remarkable accuracy!