Considering an Ipad - some questions

[Sviatapolk]

Hi,

I'm considering either Ipad or a tablet laptop, but the cost of the latter may be too prohibitive. So I have some questions i hope someone can answer for me. Will I be able on an Ipad to:

-Mark up pdf files (underline passages, make little notes in the margins) and then transfer the file to a Windows PC with all the markups preserved?
-Be able to read Word, Excel, PDF documents. Can I edit them or mark them up?
-Use some sort of VNC client to access my Windows computer?
-Access my files stored on dropbox?

Thanks!

 

[Bluesjam]

Sounds like you already know those answers. The iPad is not for everyone, it's not going to replace the desktop computer. Sounds like you need to do your work on your PC and then at night you can play with the iPad like the rest of us.

 

[Mickey330]

Hi,

I'm considering either Ipad or a tablet laptop, but the cost of the latter may be too prohibitive. So I have some questions i hope someone can answer for me. Will I be able on an Ipad to:

-Mark up pdf files (underline passages, make little notes in the margins) and then transfer the file to a Windows PC with all the markups preserved?
Yes, using the iAnnotate app and Dropbox (which you can access on your PC).

-Be able to read Word, Excel, PDF documents. Can I edit them or mark them up? Yes, either using iAnnotate (PDF) and Documents To Go.
-Use some sort of VNC client to access my Windows computer? Yes.
-Access my files stored on dropbox?Again, yes.

Thanks!

With the exception of accessing your PC remotely (which I've read you can - but I've not had a need to try), I've done all these things using my iPad, Dropbox, my Windows PC running XP SP3, and the apps I've mentioned here. It's a learning curve ... but it can be done. And, ultimately, without too much trouble.

Marilyn

 

[irwaffles]

Just posting to vouch for iAnnotate. It is my #1 used app in school as I can mark up ALL of my pdf lectures that my professors post and even record the lecture if I sit close enough! It's marvelous!

 

[col.bris]

Greatj post thanks

Hi,

I'm considering either Ipad or a tablet laptop, but the cost of the latter may be too prohibitive. So I have some questions i hope someone can answer for me. Will I be able on an Ipad to:

-Mark up pdf files (underline passages, make little notes in the margins) and then transfer the file to a Windows PC with all the markups preserved?
Yes, using the iAnnotate app and Dropbox (which you can access on your PC).

-Be able to read Word, Excel, PDF documents. Can I edit them or mark them up? Yes, either using iAnnotate (PDF) and Documents To Go.
-Use some sort of VNC client to access my Windows computer? Yes.
-Access my files stored on dropbox?Again, yes.

Thanks!

With the exception of accessing your PC remotely (which I've read you can - but I've not had a need to try), I've done all these things using my iPad, Dropbox, my Windows PC running XP SP3, and the apps I've mentioned here. It's a learning curve ... but it can be done. And, ultimately, without too much trouble.

Marilyn

Great post thanks

 

[Sviatapolk]

Bought it - some more questions

So I bought the Ipad. I've installed the dropbox app and iannotate. I have some questions:

-How exactly do I get pdf files onto the device, and how do I save them after using Iannotate? I'm able to open a file from dropbox, but there seems to be no way to save it afterwards. Ideally I'd like to be able to store the edited pdfs locally and then transfer them off. Can I transfer them to/from via Itunes?

-Does the device shut off automatically after a certain amount of time after turning the screen off?

-How do I get the keyboard to pop up in a particular app (let's say the notes).

-Can I sync the device with my gmail calendar and contacts?

Thanks!

 

[brhon]

Congrats on your purchase. You will love and be amazed at how much people will help you here.

Yes you can load files to your Ipad from Itunes. Every app that has the ability to transfer files will be listed in Itunes under Apps at the bottom. You can control what you put on your Ipad. When you close your app every app is designed to save what you were doing at that point. If you open a file it should be there after you leave the app and come back to it. There are more Folder features coming in the next Os update.

Device will not shut off on its own. The screen will go dark to save the battery but is like going to sleep vs shutting off completely.

Keyboard should pop up when you place your finger in the body of the note to start typing if it doesnt come up auto.

yes you can sync with gmail. Help features are great. If you have any problems go to Google and type in what you want and the Google help files are great too. I sync my BB to my ipad, and my Imac, as well as work.

Good luck

 

[Sonny Burnett]

I would recommend LogMeIn Ignition for accessing your PC remotely. It is secure and the app is only $30.00 and the backend and service are free.

 

[Pinchot]

I use LogMeIn and it works great for accessing your remote computer from the iPad. It will allow you to run either a windows PC or a Mac OSX machine from any Internet connection. There is a free version that will do most of what you want, and a $30.00 version that will allow you to do remote printing and file sharing.

As for the other things that you want to do, you should not have any trouble doing any of them, except for editing excel files and sending the changes back to excel. Numbers does a nice job of allowing you to edit spreadsheets, but moving those files back to excel is not easy. I hope that this gets addressed soon.

All in all, the iPad can be a PC or laptop replacement for most people, but it does have it's limitations. I work on my desktop at work, but I do not use my laptop for traveling or for home use anymore. I use the iPad 99% of the time when I am away from the office and I have not looked back (or opened up my laptop) in months.

 

[wrecklass]

So I bought the Ipad. I've installed the dropbox app and iannotate. I have some questions:
-Does the device shut off automatically after a certain amount of time after turning the screen off?

The iPad will not shut down in the normal sense unless you:

1. Power it down yourself: Hold the Sleep button down until the "slide to power off" slider appears and slide it to power down.
2. Leave the iPad off of the charger for a couple of days and it will power itself down to a low power state to conserve battery.

In either event when you go to wake the iPad up you will get a screen with the Apple Logo and the iPad will essentially reboot.

-How do I get the keyboard to pop up in a particular app (let's say the notes).

I highly recommend the Apple Bluetooth keyboard if you are doing a lot of editing on the iPad. The onscreen keyboard is great for small notes and the occasional email. But for really big writing chores a real keyboard cannot be beat.

-Can I sync the device with my gmail calendar and contacts?

Yes you can, and the best way is not to just set up the email client to a Gmail account. Instead use the iPads "Microsoft Exchange" configuration with Gmail. You must first change the settings on your Gmail account to allow IMAP access, via a browser.

Using the iPad Exchange sync with Google allows you to sync Gmail, Contacts and Google Calendar to the iPad apps. Also you get push notification, so you get a notification whenever new email arrives even if you are using another App at the time. There are some pretty severe limitations with the iPad applications, but you can do most of the things you would want to do this way. Anything else you feel you need to do can be done by logging into your Gmail account via an iPad browser.

BTW, I also recommend the iCab Mobile browser. It has a lot of features I felt were missing in the standard Safari browser that comes with the iPad. Although Safari is a reasonably good browser.