Hi,
I was given an iPad for my birthday yesterday and previoulsy have only used microsoft products.
I want to use my iPad for writing a diary. Can anyone recommend an app please?
Also can I run Word on it? If not, again what app woudl you recommend?
Thanks.
Jen
Welcome to the Forum - you'll find thousands of iPad enthusiasts here who are only too willing to help you with any problems you may have - in fact, the only problem you'll have is getting too much advice!!
In terms of Microsoft Word, that specific software won't run on the iPad - no Microsoft products will - but there are compatible apps that will work just fine.
I use Apple's 'Pages' app, which is MS Word compatible. It can read .doc and .docx (i.e. Office 2005, 2007 and 2010) format documents and export .doc and .pdf documents. It's a 'stripped down' version of Apple's Macintosh version of Pages so, if you have documents that are very complex in terms of formatting, you may find some slight incompatibilities, but it generally does a good job.
Certainly, any document that you author on the iPad will be 100% compatible with MS Word.
If you want to read the 'User Manual' (Help files) for Pages then have a look here
http://help.apple.com/iwork/1.3/mobile/interface/index.html#tan724868a9
You'll see, too, that Apple also produce other MS Office compatible products - such as Numbers (Excel compatible) and Keynote (PowerPoint compatible).
There are, of course, several other MS Office compatible apps out there - Docs2Go, Quick Office to mention just two, but I have no experience of them so I cannot really comment. I'm sure you'll get lots of feedback from Forum members who'll be able to give you their impressions of these other packages.
As regards a diary app - do you want one in which you can keep (write) a diary, or are you referring to keeping appointments etc? Maybe both!?
As I'm sure you're aware, the iPad has an 'inbuilt' native Calendar app that most people use to keep appointments etc. It's pretty limited in its capabilities, so several Forum members use other third-party calendar apps. I use 'Informant HD' which is a comprehensive diary, calendar, task and project manager. It 'sits on top of' the iPad's native calendar app and displays any appointments etc that are in that app. This can be important because several of the iPad's apps use its native calendar to register appointments and meeting requests or timetables etc..so, for example, if a friend emails you inviting you to a party at their house on Wednesday, March 2nd the iPad's in-built Mail app is 'clever enough' to recognise that this email contains a potential appointment or meeting and it underlines them and colours them in blue. If you touch on that it offers you the opportunity to put the appointment into the iPad's native calendar app and it does a pretty good job too!
So the fact that Informat HD 'picks this up' is a great attribute, because it saves you having to type all that information out again. If you want to see more of what Informant HD can do, search for it in the Apple App store and then click on 'Developer Website', where you can download their very comprehensive User Manual.
I should, as always, add the disclaimer that I have no connection with either Apple or the authors of Informant HD - other than being a satisfied customer.
You're going to really enjoy your iPad - it's a great machine and it becomes addictive.
Oh - and I nearly forgot - a belated Happy Birthday from everyone in the iPad Forum....have fun and enjoy your iPad.
Tim
Scotland
