The iPad as a laptop replacement: The Hits!

When Nick got me an iPad 2 for my birthday three years ago, I was obviously, super excited! But I didn't think I really needed one and I never imagined that I'd use it for anything more than browsing the internet or reading eBooks.

Boy was I ever wrong!

Within 6 months, it was 95% iPad and 5% desktop/laptop. The Acer is now peacefully living out the rest of his days in my parents' home as a backup hard drive. I do still need a computer at times (especially now that I have started blogging), but I'm pretty close to being completely laptop/desktop free!

Looks like a mini laptop, eh?

There are a few add-ons that have made the iPad a more viable laptop replacement. As well as some limitations that still force me to use a proper computer. I'll go over the successes in this post and cover the limitations in my next one.

Good Add-Ons	Still Missing
Bluetooth Keyboard	Photo Backup (from iPad to USB key)
PDF Expert	Full-featured blogging
iPhoto and Skitch	Ability to upload documents on web forms
Pages

The Keyboard

Slick and sleek!

The virtual keyboard is fine for short messages or emails. But if you're writing a long email or keeping a journal, it's a drag. I shopped around for bluetooth keyboards for some time before I finally settled on an Ultrathin Keyboard Cover from Logitech.

I love the design of this keyboard as it snaps on just like the smart cover, making it pretty sleek and compact when closed. It holds the iPad really securely, I find the keys comfortable to type on and I've only had to charge it two or three times in the last 2+ years. Not bad at all. The only thing I wish it did was allow the iPad to be used in portrait mode in addition to landscape. But that's hardly a deal-breaker.

PDF support

The next thing that I stopped using a computer for was PDF documents. Being able to read, fill in and sign PDF documents on my iPad has been awesome. I have signed job offers, filled out visa/passport applications and even done my taxes on my iPad.

I tried a few different PDF applications until I stumbled upon the one that had the quality I was looking for: PDF Expert.

It is expensive for an app, at $9.99. But it was worth every penny.

iPhoto and Skitch

I usually don't edit my photos beyond some basic cropping. But the few times I had to do something a little more sophisticated, I turned to one of two apps: iPhoto and Skitch.

I have used iPhoto to tweak the contrast on pictures where my face is a little too dark compared to the surroundings (a common problem with my skin tone and bright sunny days). I have also used it to fix a few photos that were just a little askew. When the tilting isn't enough to pass off as artistic, a little straightening can really save a photo!

The other app I use for photo editing is Skitch. It's great for annotating images with arrows and text. It also has a feature for pixelating parts of the image. For example, when I posted some pictures of my favourite purse, I used Skitch to blur out my driver's license number.

Pages

I haven't tried other word processing apps for the iPad like Office or iA Write. But I have used Pages extensively and I find it meets all of my needs. I just need to be able to write stuff down, tweak the formatting and convert to pdf. Pages does this and a lot more! I updated my resume and wrote cover letters entirely on my iPad last year.