APPsolutely!
March 14th, 2011 | 
Author: 
Dragon dictation
Okay, so I promise this will be the last iPad post for a while. (At least a day!)
I’ve written a few other posts about my favorite iPad apps…but I just have to do it again because there are a lot of brand new and innovative apps out there!!
Therap…duh! The app for iPhone and iPad allows the reading and writing of Tlogs, attachment of photos and voice files, as well as tracking the author’s location.
Dragon’s app is free and does an amazingly accurate job at transcribing your speech into text.
Penultimate allows you to use a stylus to take handwritten notes and export single pages or entire notebooks via email. It also allows for the viewing and re-ordering of entire notebooks with one easy screen.
Photogene is for easy editing and sharing of photos straight from your iPad and also syncs with Dropbox.
Mashable and Macworld both offer apps to keep up with their daily postings on the tech world. Both are easy to navigate and pretty snazzy looking.
AppStart is a great app that gives the newbie an overview of functions of their iPad and insightful reviews of what AppAdvice considers to be the best apps (and they are pretty accurate and discerning with their reviews).
Aweditorium appeals to the ravenous music seeker like me, always looking for new Indie and Alternative bands. Simply load it, tap on a photo from the wall of photos and the selected band’s song begins with some biographical information (by tapping), lyrics, and photos (by swiping). Very cool.
Sketchbook Pro allows for all sorts of drawing, painting, and illustration, more commonly found in much more expensive software. There are free and paid versions of this app.
Flipboard is not new (I’ve mentioned it before) but continues to be a fantastic, visually exciting application, that allows you to keep up with your social networks and news of interest.
Blogpress allows for publishing to any blog and simultaneously to numerous blogs. WordPress has a similar app for WP blogs. Both of these apps are great in that they allow fast and seamless remote publishing. I just wish they’d allow for tagging, categories and photos within the given blog…
AirDisplay is for when you are on the road and missing the second screen if you are used to an extended desktop. AirDisplay solves this by making the iPad act as a second monitor for your Mac using common wifi to link the two devices.
LogMeIn is for those looking to lose the laptop and take the iPad on its own without fear. LogMeIn allows you to remotely access your Mac if you need something. The one shortcoming currently is that this app will not wake your Mac if it’s sleeping and I’d suspect that it will not be long before they see to this in an update. At least I hope so…
You should note that the majority of these apps were either free or under $5 (with the exception of LogMeIn and AirDisplay which were a little pricier). The apps for iPad, iPhone, Droid, and Mac have revolutionized software shopping,ease of installation, and price points. And there are endless possibilities…just go see for yourself.
iAllison
Calling all iPad Users…
We are continuing to work on making the iOS version of Safari work well with Therap and your input is very helpful.
Can you all please send feedback and report any glitches you run across while using your iPad (first generation or 2)?
Thanks for your help as we improve the iTheraping experience!
Allison
iLove
On Friday afternoon, I waited in line for an hour and a half for the iPad2. They were a hot commodity, based on reports from fellow waiters; stores in the Portland metro area all had lengthy lines. I was fortunate to be within the first dozen or so at this local Best Buy for if I had arrived even a minute later, I would have walked away disappointed. For some reason, this store had only received ten iPads. I got the second to last one because my karma is good (my first iPad went to a friend who really, really wanted one and could make good use of it).
OUT OF THE BOX
When I opened the box, it looked much the same as the original. It was when I held it that the difference was clear: over one third thinner and, as they said, 15% lighter. It felt solid and made its predecessor feel bloated. I synced it with a backup from the previous iPad without incident. It loaded the apps and synced quickly. I was on my way in under five minutes, even with all the apps, video, and material to load.
PLAY TIME
Although the screen is the same as the first iPad, the images appear sharper. The speaker has been moved to the back and sounds better. Apps loaded instantly, even Netflix, which tends to lag. I would estimate it had twice the speed of my previous iPad and the graphics were much cleaner. Considering that the iPad1 did an excellent job, these improvements are significant. It is evident that there is a new processor under the hood–this thing is screaming fast. I have not played with iMovie or Garage Band, the new apps introduced for this release, but my understanding is that they work well and have a very snazzy interface.
THE CAMERA
There are two cameras, one facing the user for Face Time, and another facing away to grab a picture or a video on the fly. Admittedly, the camera is a little underwhelming in its clarity. But I also do not foresee me snapping a bunch of pictures using a tablet either…and it is perfectly adequate for video conferencing or chatting with the other Apple nerds in your life via Face Time.
Overall, the improvements–especially the weight and thickness–make something awesome simply more awesome. I also plan on trying out the display mirroring during a training or presentation sometime soon. If you have a first generation iPad, you may upgrade or not. If you waited for this iPad iteration, go get this thing and watch your reliance on your laptop slip away (although, based on Apple’s website, you will be waiting for anywhere from three to five weeks to hold it in your hot little hands). It is clear why Apple continues to dominate the tablet market.
Allison
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad2
You’re such a NUDGE!
So, a new toy and an old one.
I’ve written about Dropbox before but it is worth repeating. If you have multiple devices like a Droid, laptop, iPad, and never seem to know where files are, try out Dropbox. You will set up an account online, create a local folder on your laptop, dump your files into the folder which syncs with your online account, making your files available from any browser anywhere. On top of that, there are Dropbox and Dropbox-friendly apps for iPad, Droid, iPhone and any other imaginable device that allows you to get to those files from any place on the planet on any of your mobile toys…This is a great app and it is free for up to 2GB of space.
My new thing is NudgeMail. I have tried a variety of applications for To Do Lists like Things and similar software but find myself never using it. I do, however, live in my Inbox. NudgeMail does just that–pokes you when you need to be reminded about stuff. It is simple to use and is in a free, beta version right now. So, how do you use it? Easy. For example, I want to be reminded to make a call in two hours. To do this, I would send an email to “2hours@nudgemail.com” and include some detail in the summary. In two hours, I’d receive the message to remind me. You can do this for daily, weekly, yearly–essentially any timeframe–reminders. Go get nudged.
I’m still in Utah with Danville…and the rest of the week will be with other UT providers. Back home for a bit on Saturday.
Allison
The Coolest iPad Apps
There are a lot of dead cool applications out there for your iPad. Some are very useful, productive and noteworthy. Some are just cool vampire-killing or molecular bouncing or definition-defying fun (Uzu).
Here are my favorite so far:
1. Instapaper allows you to mark blogs, articles, and anything you want to read later and syncs it on your Mac and iPad…it is like a newsreader but better.
2. Kindle for iPad lets me read books I purchased for my Kindle from Amazon right on my iPad (or Android, Blackberry, or iPhone). Given that the Kindle is getting pounded by iPad, they are working hard at becoming the best ebook seller with the most usable platform. And it may be working.
3. New York Times Editors’ Choice selects their noteworthy articles (including great pictures) and sends them to you daily. For free. ‘Nuff said.
4. Pulse News Reader lets me follow my favorite news suppliers and displays them with a great graphic interface that makes it easy to sort and browse. Much nicer than a simple newsfeed.
5. Speaking of news, the NPR application is equally awesome for those NPR nerds among us.
6. Pages, Apple’s version of MS Word, which was customized to work with iPad allows me to create documents, PDFs and such very easily. Handier with the Bluetooth keyboard, however, as the on-screen keyboard is not ideal for lengthy writing sessions.
7. Draft by 37 Signals is a simple application that allows me sketch and doodle out ideas. This also allows you to email the sketches and dump them into Campfire. Very nice.
8. Dropbox is a storage solution that creates a local folder on your PC or Mac that syncs to an online account, making your material accessible from anywhere–including your iPad if you left your laptop behind.
9. Guardian Eyewitness brings you daily photos from around the world. Some of which are truly breathtaking.
10. Brushes lets you sketch, draw, paint and work with photos on your iPad. For the artist in you, this is a great application…
Allison
Welcome, Julie!
The newest smarty pants to join Therap’s Certified Trainers hails from Cordova, Tennessee. Julie James is the Staff Development Coordinator for Guardian Community Living and she is awesome! Julie is a strong proponent of electronic documentation as she has a background in quality assurance. She knows what’s up (in other words)! Julie also has found that aside from being cool, Therap prevents mold (ask her when you see her…long story!).
Guardian is currently using both Therap and CDS and Julie is instrumental for their success. Welcome, Julie, and get blogging (on your new Mac)!
Allison
Posted in Uncategorized | 
Tags: Certified Trainers, Mac, Tennessee, Therap Customers, Training | 
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Truly iTheraping
So, as you know, I went out and got an iPad. Not really. Given that the entire Portland area is out of EVERY model, I had to order from Apple and it took several weeks to get here. I watched it on FedEx ship from China to Alaska to California (don’t ask why…) and then come back to Portland.
Once I opened the box and turned it on, the first thing I noticed was the display; phenomenal for films and movies, with built-in speakers that were not all too shabby considering the size of the thing. Had to test it out with Lord of the Rings. Of course. 
Here’s my take: this is only the beginning of a tremendously powerful device. The applications include everything from iPad ready versions of Apple’s iWork, to newsreaders, games, art and photography apps, on top of iTunes and about a billion other things. It works with my Kindle in the fact that I can read my books purchased on Amazon here as well…still, given iPad’s size and such, I think my Kindle still will be my primary book reader. However, reading The New York Times on the iPad is a pleasure.
The onscreen keyboard works very well and I can type nearly as fast as on a regular keyboard. I have a Bluetooth-enabled keyboard that I use as well with the iPad perched on its dock as it charges. Handy indeed.
I’ve read some reviews of the iPad dropping connectivity but that has yet to happen to me. It has worked very efficiently and is lightning fast. The gyroscope technology that spins the display is very accurate and quick as well–there is truly no wrong way to hold it.
For Theraping, it works very well, however, some of you will notice that there are some functionality issues around the Safari browser…I have it from a good source that Therap will be looking to support this in the future to make it a fully functional tool for a complete and amazing Therap experience! 
There is plenty more that I could say but I’m tired…long and short of it: it’s just the beginning.
Allison
Cornerstone Associates
Today, there is more training to be done down here in Corvallis. I’ve made some nice friends so far and began today with a session on the iPad. Jane, as you can see, was blown away…I’d better keep my eye on it. She may try and steal it and go watch movies…I love when people are blown away by new technology. It is great fun!
Jane watching "Lord of the Rings"
Away, Away I’ve been…(and then I had cookies)…
and I know my MILLIONS of readers have missed me. So, what was I doing? I had a friend visit from Connecticut and showed her around Oregon: the Coast, the Columbia River Gorge, SE Portland. Here are a couple of pics:
Cannon Beach
Lan Su Chinese Garden in Chinatown
Columbia River Gorge
So we did that…and then I’ve been talking to folks around the country; new providers from Utah, Texas, California and of course, Oregon. Today, I drove all the way down to Corvallis to work with Cornerstone Associates. They run all sorts of businesses in the Corvallis area: bookbinding, nursery, packaging, wood making, a janitorial service and (my favorite) Taylor Street Ovens. They make some mean cookies over there.
Taylor Street Ovens...Nom Nom Nom!...Cookies!
I trained staff and managers and have another visit tomorrow to get them rolling for next week. They are a lovely group of folks indeed.
Now, off to play with my new iPad (I’ll tell you more after some play time!).
Allison