The Methods Section

I have compiled a list of my favorite apps for the iPad.  These are the apps I use daily for work, reading, and entertainment.  Since I do not own my iPad, I’ve been loathe to purchase any apps for it, so freebies make up most of my list!  I’ll be posting my list over time, 4 apps at a time, so let’s get to it:

1. Dropbox (download here)

Dropbox is a FREE web-based file hosting service.  By saving your documents in a Dropbox account, you can access them from any computer or mobile device.  It’s an example of cloud computing; no for USB drives – everything lives online.  Any changes you make to a document in Dropbox is saved there as well, so no matter where or when you access a document, it should be synced up with your last edits.  You can allow others to share your folders or specific documents too.

There are a lot of these cloud-based file hosting services out there right now, but I prefer Dropbox over the others I’ve tried.  The interface on the desktop, iPad, and online are very easy to navigate.  Dropbox has also been integrated with many mobile editing apps, so it’s a good choice for iPad/iPhone users.  Plus you get 2GB of free storage per account, and there are various ways to increase your storage space, including paying a fee.

Pros: Easy to use, syncing is fast, integrated with most mobile editing apps

Cons: 2GB might not be enough for some people, no private key encryption

2. IM + (download here)

We do chat reference at my library, and this app lets me help out whoever is scheduled for reference that day, even if I’m away from the office.  IM+ is an all-in-one messenger that works with MSN, Google, Twitter, Facebook, AIM, Yahoo, Jabber, and more!  We subscribe to LibraryH3lp and use it with Pidgin for our chat reference.  However, Pidgin does not yet make an app for iPad use.  IM+ has been working great for me!  I was easily able to get all of my personal and work accounts up and running in no time.

It’s not perfect.  Opening the app can log you in automatically, which is not always helpful.  Also, the interface is not labeled, and the icons are not particularly descriptive.  It took me a little bit to remember what they all did!  This app is FREE, but there is a pay version without ads and Skype integration.

Pros: Easy to set up quickly, works with most chat services, FREE

Cons: Ads, interface icons are not intuitive

3. Feeddler RSS (download here)

Feeddler is my favorite FREE RSS reader for the iPad.  It syncs with Google Reader – so if you already have an account there, you’re all set to use the app.  I really do not have a lot to say about this app – it works great, syncs quickly, and crashes a lot less frequently than most of the other free RSS readers out there.  You can also get a pay version which adds some compatibility bells and whistles but overall seems unnecessary. If you want to pay for a premium RSS reader, go with NewsRack.

Pros: Free with unobtrusive ads; easy to navigate; plays nice with Google Reader; shows the full post (when possible)

Cons: Some updates were less reliable and crashed often, but that seems to have been corrected in the last update; basics functionality only (but it’s free, so that’s less of a con)

Note: I also use and love Flipboard but it can be annoying for reading blog posts.  I like to be able to read the whole blog post right in the app, and with a Flipboard/GoogleReader combo, you have to go through a few clicks to read an entire post.  I use Flipboard for getting my many science blog feeds in magazine format, since I can’t possibly read them all and would rather browse.

4. Desktop Connect by Antecea (download here)

Desktop Connect was the first premium ($10.99) app I purchased.  This app allows you to quickly set up a VNC or remote desktop connection with almost any computer.  Mac, Linux, Windows – it doesn’t matter.  The app basically turns your iPad into a monitor, and you are viewing the desktop of whatever computer you wish!  The connection is encrypted and secure.  Plus, the app can find and connect to any of your computers by using your Google account!

Pros: Access everything on your home/work computer on the iPad; use flash

Cons: If you use the Google account connection, you must install the product Easy Connect on your other computer.  This program crashes a lot, and if it does, you cannot access your computer remotely.  However, if you set up the VPN yourself, it works like a charm!

I should hate the iPad.  Freedom of information, open access, ending censorship – the iPad stomps all over these issues.  Apple keeps all content sold in iTunes under its close surveillance, often refusing to allow certain apps to be sold based on content alone.  No flash? No ‘adult content’ in apps? These kinds of limiters on a product would usually make me wrinkle my nose in disdain.

But I love it.  Oh how I love it…

Now, to be fair, I did not purchase my iPad myself. While my love for it grows stronger everyday, my pocketbook remains the same.  There is no way in hell I would spend $600 on a glorified iTouch.  I was given an iPad through the IT department at my university.  One of the biology professors is piloting iPads in her Animal Behavior course, and as the Science Librarian, I support that course.  Much of the online content in the course lives on a LibGuide I built with our Digital Resources librarian.

It’s very trendy right now to use iPads in higher education.  I know for  a fact there will be multiple iPad discussion groups and poster sessions at all of the up coming conferences regarding higher education, libraries, and pedagogy.  So far, our pilot group is enjoying the new dimension the iPad brings to the course, and I am excited to be a part of this new venture.  That said, I love my iPad for purely selfish reasons…

Ariel’s Reasons for iPad Love

1)  Mobility+Size:        I have never owned a laptop.  Whenever I would borrow one from a friend or work, I loved being able to work from anywhere.  However, laptops can be heavy and a pain to tote around an airport or city.  Not only that, but they get HOT.  You cannot comfortably use a laptop on your lap without breaking out in a sweat or having burn marks on your legs after an hour.  The iPad stays cool and weighs 1.5lbs.  Fits in a purse.  Heaven.

2)  Battery Life: This thing lasts forever.  I plug my iPad in maybe once ever 4 nights to recharge.  I have never had it die on me.  You could go to a weekend conference, forget your charger, and be totally fine.  Try that with a laptop.

3)  Intuitive Use: I love me some touchscreen.  It’s so natural feeling to just reach out and touch what I want to interact with on the screen.  Plus, the accuracy of touching is spot on.  I usually have difficulty getting most smart phones with touchscreens to recognize which link I am trying to touch.  You’d think tiny fingers would help with that (they really are stylus sized), but it’s always been an issue for me since the first iPhone.  No longer.  Now I find myself reaching out and touching my monitor at work! Now maybe that’s just me being obsessed, but I think it’s a sign that touch interaction in technology is far more intuitive than using a mouse.

4)  Information Retrieval: I am able to keep up with my favorite blogs, twitter feeds, and news sites so much easier with the iPad.  The variety of apps makes it quick to switch between different information sources.  I can curl up on the couch and read my blog feeds or articles I’ve saved to Dropbox, and it’s much more comfortable than sitting at my desk.  Comfort is huge;  I read more now that I have my iPad.

5)  Entertainment: Yes this counts too.  A happy librarian is a more productive librarian!  I have 2 games I am addicted to, but I’ll talk about them in my next post on apps.

However, there are a lot of reasons to not like the iPad.  Besides the issues I mentioned at the beginning of this post, I have a few less ideological complaints about this technology.

Ariel’s iPad Gripes (that don’t stop her from loving it)

1)  Cannot run multiple apps: Opening my email and clicking on a web link will close my email and open Safari.  To get back, I have to close Safari and reopen my email.  No, it doesn’t take much time to do that, but I’m used to having multiple programs open at once.

2)  No Inputs: While I do enjoy working in “the cloud,” sometimes I need to plug in a USB drive and save or upload something.  I try to use my iPad as my out-of-office office, but in some instances that just isn’t possible.  However, I believe the next iPad generation will have USB ports, so that’s a plus.

3)  Typing Takes Practice I had to relearn how to type on the iPad.  The keyboard is much easier to use in landscape mode, but the portrait orientation makes it so cramped.  Does anyone else find they hit the Shift key instead of A all the time? There is no wY it cN be just me!  I’d like to buy the wireless iPad keyboard they sell, but $60?! No thanks.

4) Charger cord is too short! OK that’s kind of picky, especially since you really shouldn’t have an issue with battery life and need it plugged in to use.  But it could happen, and that cord is short.  Of course, Apple offers a 6″ foot extension – Isn’t it great when companies charge for accessories that easily could have come with the product?

In my next post I’ll give a list of my favorite apps for productivity and entertainment.  I’ve only purchases 2 apps, so most will be freebies!

Now that I’ve been regularly walking in the evenings, I’ve been getting sick of the same songs on my iPod.  Enter the Radiolab podcasts.  I dread the day when I run out of their archived episodes!

NPR has been playing in my car for years, but I had never caught an episode of Radiolab.  There is no set schedule for this program – they come out when they come out.  I’ve heard the promos for Radiolab many times, and I always wanted to listen to it.  I love Science Fridays on NPR, and I knew this program would be right up my alley.

I am officially addicted.  The research stories and anecdotes are well produced and extremely entertaining.  I find myself laughing out loud often, usually startling some birds, on my walks.  Some of the topics on the show will almost certainly be discussed in this blog – many are just too interesting not investigate further.  For example, the short episode “Strangers in the Mirror” detailed the lives of two people with Facial Blindness. These people are incapable of identifying individuals by their faces.  After listing, I went online and found the “Famous Faces” test they discussed during the show.  That test is part of a collection of many on the Test My Brain site from Harvard University.  I ended up spending a few hours testing my brain!

The sound quality on Radiolab is unreal.  The show seamlessly integrates sound effects and music into its interview/reporting style format.  During some segments, the background audio is just as important as the interview.  Honestly, I feel more immersed in the stories when I listen to Radiolab than when I watch TV.

New episodes are posted sporadically on the show’s website and can be heard on your local NPR channel.