So I just bought an iPad, it's not my first Apple product by any means, but it's the first I've tried to use at work. I'm running into some issues.
1) We're a Windows shops. We use MS Office, SharePoint...
So how do I incorporate the iPad into my work flow?
What I bought the iPad hoping to be able to do was use it as a capture device. I carry around a Moleskine notebook and pencil everywhere I go. I wanted to replace that with the iPad but I'm not sure how. I can't type as fast as I write and I can't type as fast on the onscreen keyboard as fast as I can type on a physical keyboard.
I also run into this problem when I want to use it to capture meeting notes. I can't keep up.
Then even if I could, how do I get it into a format that I can get onto SharePoint easily? Right now I can use OneNote and create a shared notebook on SharePoint and then send out the link.
But as far as I can tell with the iPad I'd have to type it into Evernote or something else, email it to myself, then back at my desk copy it into OneNote.
Is there a better way?
How do you track your to-do or tasks? We get very granular with our schedules at work. So I have some tasks in Project, but then some tasks in Remember the Milk, RTM is great but it's got some shortcomings that I would like to fix to get better at processing my items.
I need to have Projects, nested lists (and like project when the sub items are done, the top level is marked done), set precedence/order to be accomplished, and I'd like to be able to access and edit it on OSX/PC/iPad.
Is there a good/great task management app? And is there a way to bring it together with Project files?
Thanks!
Wow - lots of questions. I'll try to reply to some of them (notice I didn't say 'answer'!).
For Office apps I use the Apple iWorks suite, but a Forum member has recently done a comprehensive review, so I'll post the link to the thread in which his review appears after this post.
For projects, I use SG Project Pro which is a sort of MS Project style app that can read files saved from MS Project in XML format. There are a couple of versions of that app - the 'Pro' version is the most capable (and expensive!). The developer has a comprehensive User Manual for free download on their web site, so you can read to see if it fits your need.
For diary/calendar/tasks/to-do etc I use Pocket Informant HD
I've read that Pocket Informant was buggy but, in my (admittedly) limited experience, I’ve found no problems at all. It has a very nice user interface that's almost infinitely configurable - a complaint that many Forum members make about the iPad’s native ‘Calendar’ app. So you can choose how tasks, events, projects, appointments are colour coded and there is a wide choice of notifications and alarms - so, for example, you can have different alarm sounds for different categories of notifications.
Pocket Informant ‘sits on top’ of the iPad's native ‘Calendar’ app and (optionally) imports all entries that it finds there. They can be colour coded so they can be distinguished from entries made in Pocket Informant itself.
This is important because many other iPad apps use the native ‘Calendar’ app as the default place to put events, invitations etc. So, for example, if you are invited to a meeting by email and you receive that invitation in the iPad’s native ‘Mail’ app, that app can automatically (and quite cleverly) insert that invitation into the default calendar app. Without that integration between the native app and Pocket Informant, you'd have to enter those invitations all over again.
Pocket Informant has lots of ‘hidden’ features too. One of the reviewers remarked that part of the ‘fun’ of using Pocket Informant was discovering them!! The display is infinitely configurable - day, week, month, year at a time. Tasks, events, overdue tasks, projects, projects in progress etc etc all can be optionally displayed on the main calendar. Projects and tasks can have infinitely nested sub-tasks and projects - these can cleverly be integrated with GPS - so, say you needed to purchase some goods from the hardware store. Put that in a To-Do list and link it to the location of the hardware store using the iPad’s native ‘Maps’ app. Next time you’re driving past the hardware store, up pops the notification (‘Remember to purchase some 2â€x4†timber’).
Repeating events are very flexible too, with the ‘custom’ mode being infinitely (I keep using that word!) configurable. So, meetings that occur on the last Thursday and first Monday of every other month - no problem.
It can sync with external calendars - Google for example - and back-up is cool, it creates a backup file that you can email to yourself for safe keeping. If you lose your iPad or all your data is corrupted, that backup can be imported back into Pocket Informant with a single click.
You can create multiple diaries within Pocket Informant - say ‘Work’, ‘Family’, ‘Golf Club’ etc and have their entries optionally displayed on the main screen or restricted to the display of the individual diary. So it’s easy to check if there’s a clash between the golf tournament and your wife's birthday - and hide it if there is......
If you surf to the developer’s web-site, you can download for free a very comprehensive User Manual that will show you in detail what Pocket Informant can do.
The developers are constantly updating the program - always a good sign in my view.
As I said at the beginning, perhaps I'm not a particularly demanding user, but I’ve had no stability problems at all. I should add the usual disclaimer that I have no contact or other relationship with the developers of Pocket Informant other than being a very satisfied customer.
The 'Swiss Army Knife' of iPad apps is definitely GoodReader - it's a great file management app that allows you easily to move files between your PC/Mac and iPad either using USB or WiFi - no need to sync with iTunes. It's consistently rated the number one 'must have' app by Forum members - read the reviews at the App Store!! It also allows PDF annotation and markup.
OK - enough for now...I'll post the link to that Office-app thread
Tim
Scotland
