Tablet vs Laptop
Some time back, I wrote my first article on my impressions of the productivity gains that I made after buying an iPad.
It’s now over a year since that article appeared, so where do
things stand and was my initial reaction correct?
My needs were to:
1.
Manage
my diary
2.
Manage
my contacts
3.
Manage
my ToDo lists
4.
Produce
documents/spreadsheets/presentations
5.
Send/receive
email
6.
Internet
Access
7.
Listen
to music
8.
Watch
films
I
didn’t want a screen that was too small or too big.
So, in
order:
1. Manage
My Diary:
On the whole, a success.
My only gripe is that, now that I synchronise everything through iCloud
to Outlook, I can only amend notes on diary items through the iPad. This may be my problem, but perhaps
Apple/Microsoft could look into this.
2. Manage
My Contacts:
No problems.
3. Manage
My ToDo Lists:
Minor niggle here: the Apple “Reminders” app doesn’t allow
for start dates (as far as I can see). I
switched to a third party app which does this and a lot more besides.
4. Produce
Documents/Spreadsheets/Presentations:
Tablets aren’t fully functioning PCs, so expecting full Microsoft
Office functionality is unreasonable (although I gather that the new Windows
Surface will overcome this). I can
produce Word/EXCEL/PowerPoint documents/spreadsheets/presentations, but without
much of the functionality that one would find in the full Office version. I load templates of the documents I need so
that I can save them as new files.
Altogether, I’m pleased.
5. Send/Receive
Email:
No problems here, especially if your email uses an Exchange
or IMAP server which enables you to synchronise folders and their
contents. POP3 servers don’t allow this
functionality (and my “works” email is POP3…).
However, for sending/receiving, absolutely no complaints.
6. Internet
Access:
No issues. As more
places “go WiFi”, you don’t to dig into your precious data allowance either! Social networking apps are plentiful, so I
can access LinkedIn, Facebook and my blog.
7. Listen
To Music:
I use my iPhone (more portable).
8. Watch
Films:
Only limit is memory.
iTunes only plays MP4 films, so if you have something in WMV, AVI, MP3
or MKV format, you need another app.
I’ve found a great one which plays all the common formats.
Screen
size: perfect. I've looked at the new iPad "Mini", but it's not for me, despite it's obvious portability.
In my
previous article, I considered buying a wireless keyboard for when I had to
type long reports. I bought the Apple
keyboard and am very pleased with it (although I find the lack of a “Pg Dn”/”Pg
Up” key a nuisance). It connects
seamlessly with my iPad and iPhone.
I also
commented on lack of ability to read/comment on PDF documents. There’s an app that I’ve since discovered…
I
bought a longer (6’) charging cable and a Griffin Survivor case. It’s pricey, but my
expensive iPad is protected from falls up to 6’ onto concrete (I’ve tested it
up to 3’) and from rain. It has a handy
fold-out stand that holds the iPad in landscape mode. The case makes the iPad heavier and thicker
(25.5 x 20 x 2.5 cm), but it’s safer.
The
other item I bought was an external battery pack no larger than an iPhone 4
which charges my iPhone up to 3 ½ times or my iPad to about 80%. This helps on long train or plane journeys where
power plugs aren’t available.
As an
experiment, I took the iPad on a 2-week business trip and left my laptop
behind. I did take an external hard disk drive with all my documents (and
also backed them up to my Dropbox account), because I knew that I’d have access
to various PCs. I have to say that there
were times when I missed my laptop.
Since then, a friend has shown me an app that allows me to remote access
my laptop wherever I am provided that the laptop is on.
So…:
·
No
regrets about investing in a tablet.
·
There
are free and paid apps out there which meet almost every need; these will
continue to increase.
·
For
“heavy duty” work, the laptop is still needed, but if you have access to a
desktop/laptop and all your files on memory stick, external HDD or Dropbox, you
can still function.
I have spent more than half my life delivering change in different world markets from the most developed to “emerging” economies. With more than 20 years in the world financial services industry running different service, operations and lending businesses, I started my own Performance Management Consultancy and work with individuals, small businesses, charities, quoted companies and academic institutions across the world. An international speaker, trainer, author and fund-raiser, I can be contacted by email . My website provides a full picture of my portfolio of services. For strategic questions that you should be asking yourself, follow me at @wkm610.
Labels: Productivity
posted by William Martin @ 01:55
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