I have a 64 GB iPad. I have a lot of apps. It is impossible to find things, and I don't always remember the name. The new folder mechanism in iOS 4.2 is not good enough. I do a lot of organizing and forget I have things. Something new is needed. What is it?
When I installed iOS 4.2, I made folders of everything: games, news sites, etc. But then I realized that my habit was to often go to the same 5-10 apps each time I used the iPad. So I started moving apps out of folders to the front of the line. This solves my open-the-iPad and work problem, but forget about everything else I have unless I'm willing to wade knee-deep into an app swamp.
One of the ways the folder mechanism is insufficient is that, for example, if I wanted to keep a folder of games, I cannot, as each folder can only contain 16 items. That is very limiting.
Besides, sometimes something is a game and it's for kids, should I create a games folder or a kids folder or a kids game folder? And then forget trying to remember where something is. If you aren't sure of the name, you will give up quickly.
The first change Apple could make is to remove the home page limits. There's no reason I can't have more than 16 screens. Further, let me name them so I can easily understand how I've organized everything.
Finally, a few simple additions could make things easier. Make one big list instead of page by page. Let me scroll up and down or left and right. Let me view the list with smaller icons so I can see more at a time. Let me filter and sort. Give me a 3D effect like Time Warp.
For more power, I propose to Apple to look elsewhere for inspiration, Mac OS X, and implement a label system instead of a folder system.
I could have said Google as for Gmail you don't have folders, you get to assign multiple labels to any piece of mail. This works out good because you might want to label something invoices and electricity for easy searching later on.
The good thing about this system is that there is one built in to the App Store already. Each app is already assigned a category by Apple. When you purchase an app, it could retain that category at the outset, until you re-assign it.
Whatever Apple comes up with, I hope it comes soon, before iOS leaves my original iPad behind.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
23-word commentary on the iPad virtual keyboard
This entirety of this article is meant to express my displeasure at how much I hate using the virtual keyboard on my iPad.
The App Refund Issue
Apple's 10 gazillionth download occurred recently. That's a lot of apps. With this many there are bound to be some that sneak through Apple's screening process and don't do what's promised.
Case in point. I wanted to watch showcase.ca on my ipad. They only offer videos through Flash. I noticed Skyfire was available. It's $5. I did my research. In the release notes they say they recently added ctv.ca. In the reviews some people said it was great, others said it didn't work. Worried, I stumbled across a web page on their site allowing you to test a site for compatibility.
"showcase.ca" the domain wasn't working but the Skyfire page stated you should provide a 'deep dive' link to find out if something works. I copied a link for one video and tried it on the test page; it worked.
Satisfied I had done my homework, I bought the app. A week later, I still have not viewed a Flash-based video through it, despite many nights of trying. ctv.ca didn't work. videos from showcase.ca would look like they were working but all that showed was a 1-2 blank clip. After reading forms for help I decided I didn't want this app. It didn't work as advertized. Worse I came across a blog entry from a higher-up in Skyfire explaining that many links in Canada won't work because their servers are based in the U.S. Given how geo-restrictions are nothing new, why even sell this app in Canada in the first place?
So how to get a refund?
If you go to Apple's site, there is no mention of how to do this. Nor in the App store. If you go to Skyfire's site, there is no email link, no mention of getting a refund, although there is a suggestions-for-2.0 list that you can use to send a private message, which I have done. If you search Apple app store refund you will get a link to a cnet article for meekly requesting a refund through a 'report a problem' request.
I tried this and received an automated message saying take it up with Skyfire. After poking through Skyfire's comments pages, I found a way to send a private message to Skyfire. They replied a few days later, asking me what email I used to purchase the app. I assume I got a refund but kept forgetting to check my statement. I deleted the app anyway.
Whether or not I have received my refund is not the discussion here. If I get it I will update this post.
The point here, is that an online store that just fulfilled its 10 gazillionth appstore purchase should, like any other store, have a transparent refund policy that respects the laws of each country. That Apple does not have a clearly stated policy is bad business. I love FutureShop and BestBuy because of their clearly-stated and generous refund/return policies.
The result, right now, is that I will be more wary of buying apps in the future.
Case in point. I wanted to watch showcase.ca on my ipad. They only offer videos through Flash. I noticed Skyfire was available. It's $5. I did my research. In the release notes they say they recently added ctv.ca. In the reviews some people said it was great, others said it didn't work. Worried, I stumbled across a web page on their site allowing you to test a site for compatibility.
"showcase.ca" the domain wasn't working but the Skyfire page stated you should provide a 'deep dive' link to find out if something works. I copied a link for one video and tried it on the test page; it worked.
Satisfied I had done my homework, I bought the app. A week later, I still have not viewed a Flash-based video through it, despite many nights of trying. ctv.ca didn't work. videos from showcase.ca would look like they were working but all that showed was a 1-2 blank clip. After reading forms for help I decided I didn't want this app. It didn't work as advertized. Worse I came across a blog entry from a higher-up in Skyfire explaining that many links in Canada won't work because their servers are based in the U.S. Given how geo-restrictions are nothing new, why even sell this app in Canada in the first place?
So how to get a refund?
If you go to Apple's site, there is no mention of how to do this. Nor in the App store. If you go to Skyfire's site, there is no email link, no mention of getting a refund, although there is a suggestions-for-2.0 list that you can use to send a private message, which I have done. If you search Apple app store refund you will get a link to a cnet article for meekly requesting a refund through a 'report a problem' request.
I tried this and received an automated message saying take it up with Skyfire. After poking through Skyfire's comments pages, I found a way to send a private message to Skyfire. They replied a few days later, asking me what email I used to purchase the app. I assume I got a refund but kept forgetting to check my statement. I deleted the app anyway.
Whether or not I have received my refund is not the discussion here. If I get it I will update this post.
The point here, is that an online store that just fulfilled its 10 gazillionth appstore purchase should, like any other store, have a transparent refund policy that respects the laws of each country. That Apple does not have a clearly stated policy is bad business. I love FutureShop and BestBuy because of their clearly-stated and generous refund/return policies.
The result, right now, is that I will be more wary of buying apps in the future.
Numbers
I love my iPad. Entering numbers, however, sucks. Will Apple swallow its pride and admit adding a slim row of numbers at the top of it's virtual keyboard will make typing on an HP tablet just a little less frustrating? By admission, I mean, add the feature.
I have a personal stake in getting this changed. I live in Canada. Our postal codes (zip codes in the U.S.) have letters in them, like: A1B 2C3. It was designed this way so Santa's postal code could be H0 H0 H0 (H-zero-H, zero-H-zero).
The problem is, to type my postal code in an online form using the virtual keyboard, I have to press the letter, press the numbers key, press the number, press the letters key, press the letter, press space, press the numbers key, press the number, press the letters key, press the letter, press the numbers key, and then press the number. It's more fun to type 'annoying'.
Apple must love getting copied. It's always hard to do so exactly, and this is why Apple will own a substantial portion of the tablet mineshaft, if not marketshare, for years to come. It takes vision to release a product into a brand new space. It takes guts to call it the iPad. Apple has done it.
But it strikes at your pride when a copy comes out that improves on your work. It's lose/lose. If Apple copies an HP idea, it will be seen as a weakness on Apple's part by many. "Apple copies HP, adds top number keys", the headlines will scream.
Please, Apple, don't worry. Make improvements, even if it means copying good ideas. In the '80s, kids would 'play Nintendo' even if they had a Sega Genesis. To regular people, Apple invented tablets. If you update iOS with a feature similar to your competitors, the vast majority of users will think, "What a great improvement." They will never know it was someone else's idea, and if they find, they won't care.
After making this change, we need to talk 2 button mouse.
I have a personal stake in getting this changed. I live in Canada. Our postal codes (zip codes in the U.S.) have letters in them, like: A1B 2C3. It was designed this way so Santa's postal code could be H0 H0 H0 (H-zero-H, zero-H-zero).
The problem is, to type my postal code in an online form using the virtual keyboard, I have to press the letter, press the numbers key, press the number, press the letters key, press the letter, press space, press the numbers key, press the number, press the letters key, press the letter, press the numbers key, and then press the number. It's more fun to type 'annoying'.
Apple must love getting copied. It's always hard to do so exactly, and this is why Apple will own a substantial portion of the tablet mineshaft, if not marketshare, for years to come. It takes vision to release a product into a brand new space. It takes guts to call it the iPad. Apple has done it.
But it strikes at your pride when a copy comes out that improves on your work. It's lose/lose. If Apple copies an HP idea, it will be seen as a weakness on Apple's part by many. "Apple copies HP, adds top number keys", the headlines will scream.
Please, Apple, don't worry. Make improvements, even if it means copying good ideas. In the '80s, kids would 'play Nintendo' even if they had a Sega Genesis. To regular people, Apple invented tablets. If you update iOS with a feature similar to your competitors, the vast majority of users will think, "What a great improvement." They will never know it was someone else's idea, and if they find, they won't care.
After making this change, we need to talk 2 button mouse.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Finding the right iPad cover - review of the Incase Convertible Book Jacket
Like many iPad owners, I quickly realized that having an iPad meant exposing the screen and back to scratches, and I especially feared the results of throwing the iPad into a backpack. I did my research and ended up purchasing the Incase Convertible Book Jacket.
Finding the "right" iPad cover for you will depend on your needs. For me, I only realized after a bit of research that I really wanted some kind of stand. A sleeve, while able to protect the screen, would not help much in that regard. I also wanted something that snapped closed somehow.
(One terrific source I returned to repeatedly was The Complete Guide to iPad Cases and Protection at ilounge. The extensive article covers every type of iPad protection out there and helped me narrow down my options and understand the different terminology better.)
Apple's own case can act as a stand, but it worried me that some reviewers felt the Apple case was cheaply made and that its only redeeming quality was that it was a stand.
The Incase Convertible Book Jacket, while a bit more expensive and thicker than other cases, is worth every penny. (It lists at $59.95 U.S. vs. $39 for Apple's case.) The case feels sturdy, all side buttons and ports are exposed (if a bit snuggily), and it has a strap that wraps around the case when closed, keeping it from opening accidentally.
However for me the winning feature was the multiple angles you can place the stand.
(One terrific source I returned to repeatedly was The Complete Guide to iPad Cases and Protection at ilounge. The extensive article covers every type of iPad protection out there and helped me narrow down my options and understand the different terminology better.)
Apple's own case can act as a stand, but it worried me that some reviewers felt the Apple case was cheaply made and that its only redeeming quality was that it was a stand.
The Incase Convertible Book Jacket, while a bit more expensive and thicker than other cases, is worth every penny. (It lists at $59.95 U.S. vs. $39 for Apple's case.) The case feels sturdy, all side buttons and ports are exposed (if a bit snuggily), and it has a strap that wraps around the case when closed, keeping it from opening accidentally.
However for me the winning feature was the multiple angles you can place the stand.
By positioning the case cover-down and sliding your iPad up, you can sit the iPad into a groove on the inside of the cover that holds the iPad at an angle of your liking. This is great because the angle I need at the breakfast table is different than when I'm on the couch. Additionally you save your arm from soreness because you're not propping up your iPad all the time.
My one tiny complaint is that, because the grooves are not deep and the iPad is not locked into them, the iPad can slip down once in a while. This only really happens when the case is sitting on an uneven surface (*cough* my stomach *cough*) and is not really a big deal.
The Incase Convertible Book Jacket is available from the incase web site but you can also purchase it through your local Apple store ($59.95 U.S. / $64.95 Canada).
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Scrolling a subwindow in Safari on the iPad
The solution to this wasn't obvious to me, so here's hoping you find this post more quickly than I found out my answer.
If you are surfing with iPad Safari and need to scroll a sub window of some kind (that is, a rectangle within the Web page that itself is scrollable), use two fingers pressed inside the sub window area.
In a regular area of a Web page, using two fingers will scroll the entire page, just like swiping 1 finger, but if your 2 fingers don't move exactly in sync with each other, iPad interprets a 'pinch' or 'expand' and zooms in or out.
However, if you swipe 2 fingers within a scrollable sub window, it scrolls only the contents of the sub window.
Making this a bit more confusing is that you can't really tell when something is a scrollable sub window. The iPad standard seems to be to display scroll bars only when you are actually scrolling.
Which brings me to the User Experience tip of the day for developers: An iPad user may not notice that there is more content underneath the "fold". Users are trained to understand that the existence of a scroll bar means "more" - and also trained to believe that lack of a scroll bar means "there is no more". A hint would go a long way. For a different example, install the USA Today app.
If you are surfing with iPad Safari and need to scroll a sub window of some kind (that is, a rectangle within the Web page that itself is scrollable), use two fingers pressed inside the sub window area.
In a regular area of a Web page, using two fingers will scroll the entire page, just like swiping 1 finger, but if your 2 fingers don't move exactly in sync with each other, iPad interprets a 'pinch' or 'expand' and zooms in or out.
However, if you swipe 2 fingers within a scrollable sub window, it scrolls only the contents of the sub window.
Making this a bit more confusing is that you can't really tell when something is a scrollable sub window. The iPad standard seems to be to display scroll bars only when you are actually scrolling.
Which brings me to the User Experience tip of the day for developers: An iPad user may not notice that there is more content underneath the "fold". Users are trained to understand that the existence of a scroll bar means "more" - and also trained to believe that lack of a scroll bar means "there is no more". A hint would go a long way. For a different example, install the USA Today app.
App Diary
July 11 - 7 days since purchasing my iPad
What I'm playing: Warship HD, Time Crisis Lite
What I'm using: Jumbo (Calculator), WeatherEye, Molecules
News is coming from: NYTimes Editor's Choice, USA Today, Wired News (web page link)
Currently excited about: Getting a subscription to comic books
Blogs written on: iPad, with Microsoft Bluetooth keyboard :), Blogger HTML view (doesn't support Compose view yet)
What I'm playing: Warship HD, Time Crisis Lite
What I'm using: Jumbo (Calculator), WeatherEye, Molecules
News is coming from: NYTimes Editor's Choice, USA Today, Wired News (web page link)
Currently excited about: Getting a subscription to comic books
Blogs written on: iPad, with Microsoft Bluetooth keyboard :), Blogger HTML view (doesn't support Compose view yet)
Friday, July 9, 2010
How the iPad changed my life
I confess: The iPad really didn't change my life to an extreme that warrants a title approaching religious rebirth. It's more like I get to consume more Internet with less pain. To explain:
My hands hurt. A lot. It started when Doom came out.
Like many other young men, back in 1993, I was hooked and played almost every night. Unfortunately, I've been using computers since I was 15, and spent 9+ hours a day performing desktop publishing in my day job. Luckily, I never developed carpel tunnel -- but through constant use, wrecked my index finger and endure perpetually sore wrists and arms. These days, I still work with computers every day, and I have to be careful.
Over the last few years I've purchased various editions of the Nintendo DS. The first was the fat red brick, which is now in the hands of my 5-year-old niece.
The second was the DSi, mostly for the brighter screen. (If you have a red brick and have never seen a DSi, it's day and night.)
I actually have two of these. I wore out the left shoulder button and gave it to my oldest son, who plays Pokemon with it.
I needed to use glasses to play the DSi. After testing a DSi XL, I saw I wouldn't need glasses to play. This was important, so I went out and got one.
(If you're asking how I was able to convince my wife of the necessity of so many gadgets, we have a "don't ask don't tell" policy. I don't ask why we go to Sears every few weeks to pick up shoes, and she doesn't ask why the brown DS is better than the white DS is better than the red DS...)
Throughout, the one characteristic I grew to appreciate was the ability to point the stylus and click on something. I didn't have to move a mouse precisely and adjust position and then click; I just pointed. I grew up with a TI-99 4A, a Commodore 64, an Atari 2600, and the Mattel LED one-on-one football game. I've purchased more precision (and expensive) mice and ergonomic keyboards that I care to think about. I've tried 4 speech recognition systems over the last few years, but I can't seem to convert my inner brain thought process for writing to speech. (Besides, the output requires too much cleanup.)
Perhaps I appreciate this kind of thing more than most, but being able to point at something, instead of having to drag a mouse or use arrow keys, is a big step up.
Getting back to the iPad, Steve Jobs calls the ability to point and flick magical. Since I'm used to the DS, I'm a little less impressionable. Indeed it felt magical when I first touched the DS. I'd rather say the iPad is "useful" and even "ignorable".
The thing about the iPad (and, I really hope, about any of the new tablets coming soon), is that you forget there is an interface and you are simply interacting with: a book, a driving sim, a Web page, a kaleidoscope, whatever. When it doesn't work (you click on a link with your finger and it wasn't precise enough for the iPad's touch-sensitive screen), you break out of the dream. That's when you notice it.
Back to the pain. I went on vacation recently. I love browsing the web, especially with Stumbleupon [WARNING! Do not click that link unless you have the next 18 hours free], to discover new things. I like to say I'm an amateur on string theory and the theory of everything, and I've discovered several sites related to string theory that helps me understand it better. As a hobby, however, browsing the Web meant browsing with a mouse and keyboard. Since I have to be careful about my hand usage (insert your lewd joke here), I gave up after day 1.
I tried using speech recognition with Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Mac OS X 10.6. I liked Windows 7 the best but would need a new computer to make it work better. Since I was buying a new computer, why not an iPad?
The rest is the history you will see in this blog. And that's why, albeit undramatically, the iPad changed my life.
My hands hurt. A lot. It started when Doom came out.
Like many other young men, back in 1993, I was hooked and played almost every night. Unfortunately, I've been using computers since I was 15, and spent 9+ hours a day performing desktop publishing in my day job. Luckily, I never developed carpel tunnel -- but through constant use, wrecked my index finger and endure perpetually sore wrists and arms. These days, I still work with computers every day, and I have to be careful.
Over the last few years I've purchased various editions of the Nintendo DS. The first was the fat red brick, which is now in the hands of my 5-year-old niece.
The second was the DSi, mostly for the brighter screen. (If you have a red brick and have never seen a DSi, it's day and night.)
I actually have two of these. I wore out the left shoulder button and gave it to my oldest son, who plays Pokemon with it.
I needed to use glasses to play the DSi. After testing a DSi XL, I saw I wouldn't need glasses to play. This was important, so I went out and got one.
(If you're asking how I was able to convince my wife of the necessity of so many gadgets, we have a "don't ask don't tell" policy. I don't ask why we go to Sears every few weeks to pick up shoes, and she doesn't ask why the brown DS is better than the white DS is better than the red DS...)
Throughout, the one characteristic I grew to appreciate was the ability to point the stylus and click on something. I didn't have to move a mouse precisely and adjust position and then click; I just pointed. I grew up with a TI-99 4A, a Commodore 64, an Atari 2600, and the Mattel LED one-on-one football game. I've purchased more precision (and expensive) mice and ergonomic keyboards that I care to think about. I've tried 4 speech recognition systems over the last few years, but I can't seem to convert my inner brain thought process for writing to speech. (Besides, the output requires too much cleanup.)
Perhaps I appreciate this kind of thing more than most, but being able to point at something, instead of having to drag a mouse or use arrow keys, is a big step up.
Getting back to the iPad, Steve Jobs calls the ability to point and flick magical. Since I'm used to the DS, I'm a little less impressionable. Indeed it felt magical when I first touched the DS. I'd rather say the iPad is "useful" and even "ignorable".
The thing about the iPad (and, I really hope, about any of the new tablets coming soon), is that you forget there is an interface and you are simply interacting with: a book, a driving sim, a Web page, a kaleidoscope, whatever. When it doesn't work (you click on a link with your finger and it wasn't precise enough for the iPad's touch-sensitive screen), you break out of the dream. That's when you notice it.
Back to the pain. I went on vacation recently. I love browsing the web, especially with Stumbleupon [WARNING! Do not click that link unless you have the next 18 hours free], to discover new things. I like to say I'm an amateur on string theory and the theory of everything, and I've discovered several sites related to string theory that helps me understand it better. As a hobby, however, browsing the Web meant browsing with a mouse and keyboard. Since I have to be careful about my hand usage (insert your lewd joke here), I gave up after day 1.
I tried using speech recognition with Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Mac OS X 10.6. I liked Windows 7 the best but would need a new computer to make it work better. Since I was buying a new computer, why not an iPad?
The rest is the history you will see in this blog. And that's why, albeit undramatically, the iPad changed my life.
The First Post, and Recommendation #1
Welcome to my blog about the iPad. Having devoured as much information I could on why I should or shouldn't get an iPad, I finally bought one. It costs $1000 in Canadian dineros, and I can state with 100% honesty and conviction that I do not regret it one bit.
First, about my iPad:
I went whole hog. 64 GB. 3G. Biggest screen I could find. (That's a joke. They're all the same size.) I've ordered a pen. I will buy the Apple case. I will probably buy my son one soon, if only to keep him away from my Precious.
(See the iPad I really want.)
One of the reasons I went for the 64 GB is because it was the only model FutureShop had in stock. (I live in Montreal, Canada.) However I had my eye on the model with the biggest storage because I was frustrated with my previous 'i' purchase, the iPod Touch. I bought the 8 GB model, you see, and kept running out of room.
This brings me to recommendation #1: If you are planning to buy an iPad, buy the most storage you can afford. During the first few weeks you will participate in an App orgy of gargantuan proportions. Not having to worry about storage is very liberating.
That's it for now. I'm typing this on a my wife's MacBook. The irony is this: I was trying to write the whole thing on the iPad. However, in Blogger's editing system, when you get to the body of the text, iPad Safari doesn't recognize the field as editable, and you can't write in it. :)
First, about my iPad:
I went whole hog. 64 GB. 3G. Biggest screen I could find. (That's a joke. They're all the same size.) I've ordered a pen. I will buy the Apple case. I will probably buy my son one soon, if only to keep him away from my Precious.
(See the iPad I really want.)
One of the reasons I went for the 64 GB is because it was the only model FutureShop had in stock. (I live in Montreal, Canada.) However I had my eye on the model with the biggest storage because I was frustrated with my previous 'i' purchase, the iPod Touch. I bought the 8 GB model, you see, and kept running out of room.
This brings me to recommendation #1: If you are planning to buy an iPad, buy the most storage you can afford. During the first few weeks you will participate in an App orgy of gargantuan proportions. Not having to worry about storage is very liberating.
That's it for now. I'm typing this on a my wife's MacBook. The irony is this: I was trying to write the whole thing on the iPad. However, in Blogger's editing system, when you get to the body of the text, iPad Safari doesn't recognize the field as editable, and you can't write in it. :)
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