Ipad

Posted by Dr Andus
Jan 22, 2011 at 12:42 PM

Even if Apple positioned iPad as an entertainment device (which makes sense from a marketing point of view), I’m still hoping that with the right software it can be turned into a productivity machine. I have not bought mine yet, but so far I figured that I could import my 1500 PDFs into an iPad using DropBox, and then use the iPad as an e-book reader, reading and annotating PDFs with GoodReader or PDF Expert. I was already able to do this on my iPod Touch and the whole process works pretty well. Apparently it is also possible to map the iPad as a drive on your PC, so syncing PDFs shouldn’t be a problem. Also, GoodReader and PDF Expert can directly access servers such as Dropbox, box.net, Google Docs etc. There are also note-taking software with handwriting recognition. The use of a stylus might further increase productivity.

So if iPad can work as an e-book and a notebook (for taking quick notes) and it can free me from my desk and office chair, so I can do hours and days and weeks of reading in an armchair or a sofa, it already sounds worth it. I’ve tried reading off a laptop and a netbook on the sofa, and it just doesn’t work in the long-run. Here I’m talking about reading for work, not for leisure. As an academic, I need to read for 8 hours or more a day sometimes, and so the ergonomics of the whole thing matters a great deal.

I would be very grateful if anyone out there who had a positive experience of using the iPad as an e-reader could confirm that it is indeed suitable as a workhorse for reading and annotating PDFs.