jon zobrist (dot) com

I’ve had an iPad for 2 days now, and have to say I’m very happy with it. The things I thought would be deal killers seem to be well thought out design choices (cheesy apple rhetoric?).
Here are some things that I think will help me get the mod out of it. Note, I AM typing this on the iPad, vertical thumb-pecking.

. Use Safari. Safari is nowhere near the browser Firefox is. But, we’re stuck with it on the iPad. But thats not all bad news. Many applications you’re used to using as custom apps on your iPhone actually will be better experienced in Safari on your iPad. This goes for news and blog readers the most so far. iPad specific versions will come out, and they may be superior to the web version. But, for now, many things we’ve come to rely on special apps for are just better directly in Safari.

. Embrace the cloud. I’m assuming you’ve already got email, and calendars online and setup on your iPad, but that’s only the beginning. Bring massive shared file access to your iPad with Dropbox. I use this on 3 computers to keep all my frequently uses files backed up, and in sync. And with their free app, I can access all of my files on my iPhone and iPad. Display of basic files, office documents works from within the app, including spreadsheet viewing. Use all of google’s tools, either their full versions, or their mobile versions at m.google.com.

. Buy apps! I know this sounds like more Apple propaganda, but you just dropped at least half a grand on this thing, why not spend a few more bucks to make it even better? I love flight controls updated ipad version. I’ve sprung for – Elements XD (Very cool, but $13, about $11 too much), Racing HD ($10, nice show off, but I’m not into racing games and can’t play it well), Air Video ($3, streams videos from desktop to iPad/iPhone), Artstudio ($3 easy painting). My main complaint here is it’s not obvious if you can get a refund for apps, so i try to read reviews a lot and search the web for info before buying. And why not load up on free apps? I’m using Google’s app, Siri search assistant, Heyway, AIM, and Skype. All carried over from my iPhone, and have added several iPad specific ones that I’m trying out – iBooks, abc player, netflix (streams video well to the iPad, this is HUGE), Associated Press, The Weather Channel Max, Google Earth, Allrecipies, AroundMe, Bloomberg, Adobe Ideas.

. Make bookmarks on your home screen in Safari. I’ve used this for brizzly.com, since their page from an iPad outshines their iPhone app. It’s just like having an app, with the added bonus that it takes me into my already active Safari session. This extends using the cloud to make web pages seem like apps.

. Keep a screen clowning cloth in your bag. This screen is BIG, and SHINY! It gets dirty and smudged ALL the time. A soft screen cleaning cloth handy does more than just keep my screen clean, it relieves the anxiety of letting people “see” my new toy, which is always done with their hands. Favorite thing cleaned off my screen so far was a very dry booger after my kids were playing on it for a few hours. (seriously, WTF? How did they miss that?). I also get my cloth damp before a serious clean.

. Make sure you have soft, shelf like places to set your iPad in places you frequent. For me this means a space on the desk, a spot on the counter in the kitchen, and one on a shelf in the closet, which seems to be my transient storage location.

. Practice. Typing, locating and using things like search, mail, calendar, and settings. Think for a moment what you use most, and spend a minute just practicing doing those things repeatedly. Saving a few seconds on a task you do a few thousand times really adds up, but, more importantly, it increases the usefulness of all the new tools on your iPad. I plan to practice touch typing, checking my calendar, searching my device, searching the net.

. Fix that ailing wifi coverage. If you have an iPad now, you only have wifi networking. I’m hopeful this is enough for me, but it does require I some attention to my wifi networks. I’m setting up another access point, maybe two, around the house, and will be tuning up the ones at work.

. Put your own movies on it. If you’re not already ripping your DVD collection, download handbrake and get started today. Rip in handbrake, import to your iPad via iTunes, or stream via Air Video. Video really shows off on this thing. Only downside is the audio quality stinks, and you really need headphones to watch a full movie. This is the future of kids car trip entertainment.

Well, that’s it for now, I hope it helps you have a better iPad experience.