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This week we’re asking: what do you use your iPad’s side switch for? Of course, you’ve got the standard offering between locking the screen rotation or muting your iPad, but if you’ve jailbroken your iPad then you’ve got almost infinite possibilites with it! It seems like a pretty mundane question but one that will be sure to divide our readership community! So go ahead and let us know what you use your side switch for in this week’s poll on the right!
This week’s weekly sponsor is DraftCode, a fantastic new PHP development tool for the iPad.
DraftCode features built-in code execution which allows you to develop PHP offline without requiring access to a server or the internet. The app includes standard PHP 5.4.10 and supports a growing list of popular PHP extensions, POST and GET forms, includes and linking to other PHP files in your project, along with a whole host of other features. With its easy to use workspace for all your files, the option to hand over your code to other apps like Dropbox and an extended iPad keyboard, you can take PHP development into the creative and casual habit field of an iPad.
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Last week, Jonathan made a very compelling argument as to why we would need an external keyboard on the iPad. Now while I concede that on some occasions this would be a boon — typing on the mini for instance — I have to disagree that an external keyboard is needed. Let me share a few of my thoughts on why I feel that it could even be a hindrance and maybe sway you to agree with me.
This week, we’re asking whether you prefer to use your iPad in either portrait or landscape mode. I personally love landscape mode as it allows me to type easier, it works better with my Smart Cover and it gives me a much better view of my screen, especially when I’m watching videos or editing articles, but sometimes working in portrait view is far easier.
So, it’s over to you! Do you use your iPad mostly in portrait or landscape mode, or a bit of both? Let us know in the poll box on the right!
From the very beginning, the iPad was meant to represent a limited device. While Apple continuously pushes it as the harbinger of the next generation of computing, there is no denying the fact that it simply isn’t good at certain tasks. Some of those tasks are trivial: file management, multitasking, and various other small issues annoy those who try to get actual work done on the device. Thankfully, applications are released daily that help to alleviate many of these pain points, and limitation often helps breed creativity.
The largest issue, however, isn’t one that developers can fix: data entry on the iPad is abysmal for any task that involves typing more than 500 characters.
Freemium apps have become something of a boom recently. Some of the most popular games on the App Store go by this model, whereby the actual app is “free” but to progress through the game, you’ll need to spend some real cash to actually get anywhere. Hannah Richards wrote an excellent piece arguing why freemium apps are great but now it’s time for me to vent my anger at them and why I won’t be downloading any in the future.
Before I start my rant, let me say that I was a fan of freemium games. I used to play quite regularly on The Sims: Freeplay, The Simpsons: Tapped Out and Pocket Planes (all of which received highly favourable reviews on this site) and I enjoyed it until I realised that I was actually wasting my life, money and, indirectly, my university degree trying to make my Sims to fall in love and get married or get my Bearclaw-P to Stockholm to deliver a valuable batch of screws.
I have reviewed a number of freemium apps during my time here at iPad.AppStorm, and have come to notice that this particular revenue model tends to polarize opinion, with people either strongly for or strongly against it. I fall into the former camp, and firmly believe that the freemium model is a worthwhile addition to the App Store. Want to know why? Hit the jump to find out!
Keyboard cases for the iPad are becoming increasingly more popular with plenty of models to choose from. Of course, Apple designed the iPad to make typing on it fairly seamless (especially with the optional Smart Cover) however some people feel that typing on an iPad still feels a little cramped and they prefer an external keyboard instead.
This week, we’ve got a debate coming up between two writers on precisely this topic – should you buy an external keyboard? – but before they lock horns it’s over to you as the reader: do you use an external keyboard with your iPad? This could be Apple’s standard default offering or one from a third-party manufacturer (Logitech, for example). There’s even a handy Mac app, 1Keyboard, which allows you to hook your Mac up to your iPad via Bluetooth and use your Mac’s keyboard as an external Bluetooth keyboard for your iPad.
Whatever option you use, please feel free to vote in this week’s poll on the right! And of course, stay tuned for this week’s debate on the subject of keyboard cases – it’ll be a good one!
Sony’s revealing of the PlayStation 4 left more questions than answers. For starters, what’s the launch date? How much does it cost? And what does it actually look like? Almost every single facet of Sony’s presentation was positively Lost-ian, answering questions with more mysteries and dropping clues which seemed to go absolutely nowhere. I wonder if they’re simply out to beat Microsoft to the punch by announcing an unfinished product to the masses just so they can say they were first.
One area that Sony does seem sold on is making sure that the PS4 is cloud-based and mobile. Their branding is a little confusing, but I know they really want me to buy a PS Vita with my PS4 so I can play games on the go. I also know that they’ll eventually be supporting the iPad, but they haven’t exactly clarified how yet. And in what seems like typical Sony launching fanfare, they haven’t shown off the interface either — they only teased it. What we’re left with are important questions: What will the iPad do when we pair it with a PS4? And most importantly, will it work?
Is this a good idea? Let’s find out.
A little less than a year ago, I wrote an article about how the iPad could become that college student’s perfect machine. A little less than a year ago is a very long time for a product’s development life-cycle when it comes to Apple products. Even nowadays, I am constantly asked on campus by my colleges the same question, “Should I get an iPad or a laptop?” Luckily, Apple has made the answer to this question a little less black and white with the introduction of the iPad mini.
Has the last year made it easier for students to supplement their long-lived tradition of buying a laptop for an iPad? Is the iPad mini a better choice now that the power of Apple’s second generation iPad has been packed into a miniaturized form factor? Let’s find out. (more…)
