Potential Newbie IPad Dude...can the IPad work for me?

[r12rtpilot]

Hi everybody!
Found this site a few days ago, and I’ve been busy reading posts. Lots of collective genius out there, which is wonderful for us newbies! I’m looking forward to reading and learning much more. After reading, soul searching, and more reading, I’ve decided on an I Pad2 over the 11†Macbook Air. I think. It seems the I Pad will do everything I’d like to do while away from my desktop, but I do have a few questions.

My first question has to do with compatibility…. My phone is a Droid X, I have a Mac desktop at home, and work from a windows platform at school, on a severely outdated pc. Our district provides POP accounts for email. Can I get my work emails to go to the I Pad? My Gmail account is no worry, but I’d sure like to be able to read my work correspondence on the Pad… Likewise, can I read my work files that live on my work PC/server on my I Pad? Do I email them to myself to make this work? Is a .doc file supported by the I Pad? What about my Google Calendar? Can I synch work and personal events to the I Pad?
Essentially I am asking if my I Pad can be used for some work purposes, knowing full well that the I Pad is NOT a replacement for my pc….

Second, are there photo apps for the IPad? I understand I Photo is not available to the I Pad as of now. Or do you photographers just save to the I Pad then download to your home computer for processing?

Third, what does lack of flash REALLY mean? One of the main reasons I am buying an I Pad is for entertainment…ie, posting to my blog, email, surfing the web etc. Does lack of flash capability hinder this experience?

Thanks in advance everyone! I am looking forward to purchasing my new I Pad2 in the next few days, though I am def. not a “wait-in-line†kinda guy!
Cheers,
Steve

 

[biobunny]

Welcome to the iPad forums and hope you'll enjoy your future iPad 2!
Here's my best attempt at answering your questions
1.yes you can get your emails to work at your iPad! No you don't have to troublesomely email emails to yourself! Some apps also support .doc files but expect to pay some money. Also google calendar works with the iPad! (I even added a attachment as proof!)
2.unfortunately for the best result I recommend using a real PC/Mac for photo editing but I think there should be some apps that work nicely for photo editing.
3. Flash doesn't ruin any of the experience of entertainment because I found that a lot of websites use YouTube videos within their websites and they work perfectly.

I'd prefer an MacBook Air but I got this for my birthday,

bi0bunny

 

[r12rtpilot]

Hey BB,

Thanks for your answer...I appreciate it. I am still a bit conflicted as to whether an IPad or MBA is best for me. Since I've got a nice Mac Desktop at home I'm thinkin' the IPad might be a good choice, especially when I travel.

Best,
Steve

 

[col.bris]

Welcome on board.
The iPad is an excellent choice however it is all about apps Appshopper and Appadvice are two excellent programs that offer details of the latest apps available. I have not used my MacBook since last October except for sync and back up so that gives you some idea. I use gmail and a variety of programs such as Whitenote informanthd evernote etc for day to day work so hope that helps.

 

[r12rtpilot]

Thanks so much for the information, Col!

Steve in So Cal

 

[Mountainbikermark]

My iPad works for everything my Droid Incredible does except a Flash based app called Kid Mode and the PBS kids games
I've actually found syncing with my desktop,email,calendars, etc. to be much smoother on my iPad than my Inc.
Hope that helps. I'm an iOS newb so it's all Greek to me but I have found the iPad easy to learn and easier to use for other than just playing around an easier experience


Support Our Troops!!
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk.
You read it correctly, iPad and Tapatalk muhahaha!

 

[Gabriel1]

Can't help much with your first question but as for photos there are a lot of Apps in the App Store for photography, I guess it depends on what you want to do.

I got my iPad wondering about lack of flash but found it had little effect but then this morning I came across a free App which allows me to see flash sites.

It's all good news!

The Archangel

 

[biobunny]

Download the iPad user guide if you haven't yet done so.http://support.apple.com/manuals/.

 

[Jimtowner]

Steve, I'll share my experiences which may help. Bottom line, the iPad Is a great and lifestyle changing device. With one exception, I highly recommend it.

The exception is if you heavily rely on Flash conten for workt. this may show up when using special registration sites such as for training or certifications. You will have to do that from a desktop PC. If you travel a lot this could be a major consideration. I don't particularly care about entertainment sites, many of whichbuse Flash but this may be a consideration for you. Even if it is I would still recommend the iPad and suggestbthat you just adapt your useage to this unfortunate limitation.

I got my iPad the first day it came out last year and it is always by my side. I originally got it for personal use. I soon found that it reenergized my photography because of the excellent photoapps. I personally like Photogene. With this and other apps my experience of photo editing is totally changed, I think the fact that I edit with my fingers makes it more like my creation. And most edits are fast and easy to do and undo. The only limitation is that you loose some image resolution because I think Apple places some limits on file sizes. What I do is for the few photos that I really care about, I use the iPad as my drafting tool to "get the effect.." Then I match the effect on my desktop in Photoshop. I also use yhe $30 photo connector to bring images straight in from the camera. This does not affect image sizes so it's a great way to store and see photos on vacation until you get home to transfer them to your computer. Works for RAW images too. The iPad has become my digital darkroom of preference.

I'm starting to use it more and more for work and I'm still experimenting and learning. But here are some suggestions for how to harness it for work.

1. Sign up for a free DropBox account. This makes it very easy to get files into and out of apps that support DropBox and onto your computer. Most of the apps I use do support it and the ones that don't say they soon will.

2. I use GoodReader as my custom library for pdf files. It has very many featus including an excellent nested folder creation abilit and the ability to annotate documents with your own notes. It supports DropBox so geting files in/out is a snap.

3. I use Ofice HD for writing and simple spreadsheets. It is compatible with Word and supports DropBox. There are other apps and they seem much the same to me.

4. I use UPAD for note taking. It's got a handwriting magnification feature that makes it precise to use, especialy with a stylus which I also recommend. There are good ones on Amazon. Unfortunately, it does not support DropBox but the developer says it's comming soon.

5. I use SyncPad, a wonderful app and may wind up being the most useful for collaboration. It is a white board that you draw anything on and whomever else has logged into the same "Room" sees what you draw. But they can also draw and change the same drawing. So you get to write together in the same space. Setting up a Room is very easy. In a WebEx you can display the Room on a special view-only web page. Then anything your draw is seen by everyone. Try this if you want to get amazed reactions of "how did you do that?". Suports DropBox so you save the drawing as an image file.

I hope this helps. My only caution is to hide the iPad so your significant other doesn't see it. I didn't know about that so now my wife and I both have iPads. She shares my enthusiasm for the device but for different reasons. So the range of use and appeal is enormous.

Steve