The iPad’s sleek design is one of the main reason why I am so fond of this particular tablet. I simply enjoy a beautiful design, and I always found that a stylish iPad case can add, not distract, to the overall iPad experience. This post is a running list of beautiful iPad cases that I find around the web.
Adonit Jot: The Best Stylus for Academics
August 8, 2012 by (16 Comments)
The stylus is making a huge come back nowadays. New forms and shapes have proliferated over the last few years, begging the question: what is the best stylus for academics? I personally think that Adonit’s Jot is the best stylus out there for people in Higher Education. In this post I share my personal experience with the Jot, discuss its pros and cons, and compare the different members of the Jot family (Pro vs. Flip vs. Touch) with each other.
Made for students and professors
First, lets quickly think about what you would you use a stylus for. Most academics want to use a stylus to develop ideas. Thus, the capacity to capture handwriting (e.g., when taking notes) and to draw lines (e.g., when making conceptual maps) are the most important aspects to look for in a stylus made for students, professors, and everybody else whose main business is conceptual work. In other words, what we need is a stylus optimized for precision. [Read more...]
Stylus Academicus: What stylus is optimized for handwriting and conceptualizing ideas?
July 30, 2012 by (22 Comments)
Many people ask me what stylus I can recommend for taking notes in class or to conceptualize ideas; and for a long time, I became unusually quiet. The truth is: I am somewhat torn about using a stylus. For the most time, I have found neither hardware nor software developed enough for digital handwriting, but this has been changing for some time now with improvements on both sides. And with Bluetooth 4 being introduced in the new iPad, even better styluses are looming around the corner.
It is therefore time to finally enter the stylus debate: Does it make sense to buy a stylus for university and college work? The short answer is: Only if you don’t expect miracles. A true paper-notebook-like experience is impossible until the next generation of styluses rolls around. However, there are a few styluses today that are optimized for handwriting and drawing conceptual maps, and these are worth a try if you are willing to experiment a little in your analog/digital workflow.
This article brings you up to date with what you should look out for when shopping for a stylus today, tells you what I think is the best stylus for academics (spoiler alert: its the Adonit Jot), and discusses what exciting developments in the stylus world are lying ahead. [Read more...]
Serious writing with iPad: What keyboard case fits your writing style?
May 28, 2012 by (22 Comments)
The iPad can be an incredible tool for the serious writer, but only if paired with an external keyboard. Which of the countless alternatives out there is the right keyboard case for you? Its simple: Go for a quality keyboard that fits your writing style. This guide discusses three things you should consider about your writing style, and it reviews ten of my personal favourite keyboard cases.
Before going into the details of quality and writing style, you might wonder what makes the iPad a great tool to do some serious academic writing? I have written a complete post about the benefits of writing with the iPad that I encourage you to check out. In short, during the warmer months I frequently use my iPad to write my dissertation “in the wild” or, as you might call it, the city park. I find this change of place to boost my productivity, and the iPad helps me to get into the flow and stay there. There are other reason that make the iPad a fine machine for academic writers (e.g., battery life, health, comfort, focus, and even screen estate), but an external keyboard is a must. [Read more...]
Magical screen cleaner? Don’t waste your money to clean iPad!
April 12, 2012 by (7 Comments)
Browsing through the Apple accessories aisle of some stores is sometimes like entering a strange, medieval-times bazaar: you can find everything from bare necessities to magical potions. Screen cleaner fall under the second category.
One of my most favorite, ridiculous “must-have” accessory you should not buy are screen cleaner solutions. For the bargain price of $20, iKlear (and many others) will sell you a cleaning kit that “contains everything you need to clean, protect, and preserve your iPad” and all your other Apple gadgets. [Read more...]
Why buying a Smart Cover (or Smart Case) is a stupid idea
March 9, 2012 by (8 Comments)
For some time, I thought Apple’s Smart Cover was one of the coolest features of the iPad. But then I saw it in action and changed my mind. In fact, the Smart Cover is a stupid idea, because it is a disappointing compromise between screen protection, a stand, and the desire to show off the iPad’s slim design. For this reason, the Smart Cover lands on my list of “must-have” iPad accessories you should not buy. Read on for more details on what is wrong with the Smart Cover and what might be better alternatives.
UPDATE: Someone at Apple must read my blog, because they introduced the Smart Case ($49). While the Smart Case addresses the first point of my Smart Cover critique below, the other points still seem to be relevant, and I still think that there are better alternatives for a case out there. A few are listed in this post, and I have written an update on stylish iPad cases here. If you are more about function than form: I have also written a post about keyboard covers that not only protect your iPad but also turn it into the ultimate writing machine.
“Must-have” iPad accessories you should NOT buy: Screen Protectors
March 2, 2012 by (16 Comments)
Especially if you are buying your very first iPad, you might be very excited to complete your new gadget with some “must-have” iPad accessories that are touted all around the web. But lets stop and breathe a little bit: do you really need to spend almost half of the price of your iPad again on accessories? You can if you like, but please don’t spend your money on these four “must-have” iPad accessories that are absolute bogus! Read on to learn how you can save almost $200… [Read more...]
