Using an iPad for copywriting
Since I have two jobs, I’ve been toying with the idea of getting a portable device to manage my work on the move. I really like my BlackBerry, but the only thing it excels at is messaging. The apps generally are of no use to me in my freelance job.
I’m an Apple user where computers are concerned, but I had an iPhone years ago and didn’t really like it. I also had an Android phone at Christmas which lasted a week, although the Swype keyboard was a big benefit. I’ve had an Android tablet too (yes, I know, I know) and found that it didn’t do anything I wanted particularly well. It wouldn’t stream audio via Bluetooth with the wifi connected, so I couldn’t listen to online radio. I couldn’t view it from an angle, so it wasn’t much use as a portable TV. I couldn’t (easily) stream music from my computer, and micro SD cards are too expensive to offer any solutions. The biggest problem, though, was that the keyboard double-pressed most letters when the power was plugged in. That made it a total no-go for writing.
So, what’s left? A netbook? I Hackintoshed a Dell Mini 9 for Mathew which was lovely, but I can’t type quickly enough on them to be able to do serious work. He’s now using my three year old Macbook and I am looking to move on. I guess that leaves me with the choice of an iPad or a Macbook Air.
I would be really interested to know if any copywriters or technical authors use an iPad, and whether it’s comfortable to type on. My instinct (and my experience with the iPhone) tells me it’s not going to be very useful; those little auto-correct slips could cost me lots of time and money to fix. But, to be fair, there are various blogs suggesting otherwise. And yes, I have a Bluetooth keyboard for my iMac, but if I’m going to carry that around with me I may as well have a Macbook Air really.
Likewise, do I ditch the BlackBerry and go for a phone with better app support for managing my work? Do I go the whole hog with the Apple gear and see if the iPhone 4 is any better than the 3GS I hated? Or should I wait for Google+ to settle and see if Android offers anything better?
Comments from writers – or non writers – would be most welcome.
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