How iPad Text Editing Should be Done

I ran across this article on iDownloadBlog that shows a rather interesting video about a YouTuber's take on how text editing on the iPad should be done. After watching the demo video, I'm inclined to agree. With Apple's introduction of more multi-finger gestures on the iPad with iOS 5, adding this type of multitouch functionality into the onscreen keyboard would be awesome!

Essentially the video shows using finger swiping on the onscreen keyboard to scroll the cursor across text, selecting text by holding shift with one finger and swiping with another, and scrolling faster over words using 2 finger swiping over the keyboard.

Yes, the current system that Apple has integrated works pretty well, but it is rather slow when choosing what to select and pinpointing the cursor in between words or individual characters to change what you want to. Even with the quick text selection tricks currently in iOS (like double-tapping a word in text to select the word, or triple tapping to select the entire paragraph), you still need to take your fingers away from the keyboard to accomplish the task.

iDownloadBlog has instructions on how you can request this feature to be included in a future revision of iOS to Apple. I know I'm going to fill out a feature request for this!

Find the best iOS Text Editor for You with iTextEditors

Having trouble finding a text editor for your iPad or iPhone that has all the capabilities and features you need to get your work done? I have, which is why I was happy to find this handy spreadsheet of text editors built by Brett Terpstra. His project, iTextEditors, compares features from a multitude of text editors and word processors found on the iOS App Store and condenses the information down into a handy spreadsheet. The breakdown includes feature support such as DropBox, in-document search, word count, as well as 22 other features. Prices are included for each app, so not only will you know how much you'll need to pay for your perfect text-editing app, you'll know what features you're getting as well.

iCloud, iOS5, and What it Means for Students

A couple of weeks ago I posted about whether a student should buy an iPad for college. In short, the iPad will be a comparable choice for students who are looking to buy a more mobile device in addition to their less-mobile PC, but as a full computer substitute the iPad would not be the best choice...yet. This is mainly because of two reasons:
1) there are still some things better suited for PC-use that the iPad just can't do.
2) a computer is still needed to activate, sync, and back up your iPad.

At the 2011 WWDC, Apple announced big changes with iOS 5 and their new iCloud service coming this Fall, both of which will be to the benefit of students wanting an iPad for class. Here are some of the key features I'm looking forward to the most for use in college:

Computer-free activation

No need to connect the iPad to a PC or Mac in order to start using it. You'll be able to turn it on and use it as soon as you take the iPad out of the box.

Automatic backup via iCloud

Apple allows 5GB of storage on their servers for iOS. However, your purchased music, apps, books, and photo stream photos do not count against this 5GB storage limit, meaning you have a large amount of space to backup and store your documents (essays, homework assignments, projects, etc.), email messages, app setting data, and more. Also, your iOS device makes a digital backup of itself through the iCloud service. This means you can restore your iPad/iPhone via iCloud - without the aid of a computer. This will make the iPad completely PC-independent.

Wireless sync

Your iPad will be able to sync via your home WiFi with your computer (if you have one). Just charge your iPad through the wall outlet and the sync happens automatically over wifi while you sleep (or while you take a break from studying).

New multitasking gestures

iOS5 includes a number of new 4- or 5-fingered multitouch gestures for navigation within iOS. Swipe up/down to display/hide the multitasking panel, swipe left or right to switch between multitasking apps, and pinch to return to the home screen. These gestures will bring so much more productivity from a student's perspective. For example, while working on a research or midterm paper where I need to investigate and cite sources for class I find online, I can swipe towards the left while in Pages to the Safari browser, and swipe back to return to where I left off. No need to double-tap the home button, find Safari in the multitasking tray, switch over, find what I need, double-tap again, find Pages, and switch back. This process will now be reduced down to swipe left/swipe right to actively switch between apps, saving time and bringing fluidity to fast-app switching and increasing ease of use to the iOS experience.

Reminders

iOS5 comes with a built-in to-do list manager, complete with due dates and location-based notifications. Next time you need to return a book from the campus library, you can tell iOS to remind you to turn the book in whenever get closer to the library. You can also tell iOS to send you reminders at certain dates and times, so students can create a list of those important dates when assignments are due or exams occur. Since Reminders is integrated with Apple's iCloud service, the reminders and lists you create are automatically pushed to your other iOS devices and computer.

Safari

Safari will get an overhaul as well. Tabbed browsing is one feature of note. Already included in many other browsing apps, such as Atomic or Terra, tabbed browsing is a must for students. You can load web pages for a research paper on multiple tabs and switch between them quickly and easily - something that will be included right out of the box in iOS5. Another feature of note for Safari is the "Reading List" feature, which can save web articles in a browsable list for later viewing (just like the popular Instapaper service), meaning students who find interesting articles online but need to have access to them later (perhaps offline) can save the articles to the Reading List to access them later. Of course, this feature is also integrated in to the iCloud service so your Reading List will be synced across your iOS devices and your computer.

These are just a few features I thought was of note for students who are looking to buy an iPad for college come fall semester. Luckily enough, Apple announced that both iOS5 and iCloud will arrive this Fall, though a concrete release date within this time frame has not been announced yet. These new additions from, Apple will definitely put the iPad on the road to becoming a strong competitor to traditional computers, and hopefully things will continue to improve for the iPad I'm the future. Go here for a full list of features in iOS5 and here for more information about iCloud.

What features are you most excited about? Let me know in the comments!

Continuing the Experiment

photo © 2011 David Ortez | more info (via: Wylio)

An academic year has passed, and the original requirements put forth by the initial Experiment guidelines have been fulfilled. This does not mean the conclusion of the purpose of TheiPadStudentExperiment.com, however. In fact it has resulted in quite the opposite - I am announcing a continuance of the Experiment for at least the remainder of my undergraduate career. Currently I am on track to graduate by May of 2012, and I will carry the purpose of this Experiment and continue to chronicle my experiences in to the graduate level, with admittance in to such a post-graduate program permitting.

The iPad has proven, in my experiences, to warrant the continued use as my main computing device. I will continue to investigate how the iPad may be used as a college-work powerhouse for fellow students everywhere. Thanks to all of you who have emailed me with your questions and commented on my postings. I look forward to carrying on with the experiment for however long it lasts!

How have your experiences been using the iPad for school? What apps do you use? What apps would you recommend I try out during the coming semesters? Leave a comment below or email any questions or comments to me at theipadstudent@gmail.com!

Using LogMeIn Ignition for Remote Desktop Access

photo © 2010 H S | more info (via: Wylio)

There have been times when I needed access to an actual, full-fledged desktop PC that is more appropriate to perform tasks that the iPad can't necessarily do (yet), such as converting documents from one file format to another, using Flash-specific classroom tools, and testing/compiling program code. For my Web Applications course, I was able to write code for CSS, PHP, Javascript, and the like using the Textastic app, but when it came to actual testing of the code, I needed access to a desktop computer with a more accessible file system so I could test my coded website application.

For this I decided on LogMeIn Ignition from LogMeIn Inc. There are a number of good remote desktop solutions for the iPad, with GoToMyPC included in that list. However, what made me ultimately decide on using LogMeIn Ignition was the pricing model. GoToMyPC is subscription-based for $9.95 a month for a single user, while LogMeIn has both free and subscription-based models, depending on what features you want. The paid version is $69.95 annually and includes features such as remote-to-local file transfer support, remote audio, remote-to-local printing, etc. For a full comparison between the free and paid versions of LogMeIn, go here. With the free version of the service I am still able to control my computer remotely and add/delete files from the desktop-side, and whatever I need transferred to my iPad immediately (or vice-versa) I can place in my DropBox folder for easy access. One feature offered through the free version of the LogMeIn service I like is "wake on LAN." With this feature, my desktop can go in to a low power mode when I don't use it and then power back on when I connect to it from my iPad through the Web.

Where we get in to LogMeIn Ignition pricing is with the app itself, which is $29.99 for an iPhone/iPad universal app. A steep price for an iPad app at first glance, but this is still the better deal of the two, in my opinion. For a one-time fee of ~$30 I can have great remote access to my home desktop computer for doing the essential tasks associated with my college classes. Over the Spring semester, and now going in to the Summer semester, LogMeIn Ignition has already paid for itself almost twice-over compared to using other services such as GoToMyPC.

Do you use any remote-desktop services, iPad or otherwise? Which do you prefer? Let me know in the comments!