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random iPad question
I'm still debating what to do about my laptop when we move abroad in January. Can you do light work on an iPad? The work I lined up for the spring mostly involves editing, so going through printed docs with a big red pencil and fedexing them back to publishers in the U.S. I'll probably need to use MS Word a little and be able to use email a lot.
Is this doable with an iPad? I'm thinking that the iPad could also fulfill the function of a lot of other gadgets we currently use here (stereo, video, phone-???-,etc.), plus computer functions. DH will have his own computer for his job, so I could use it if absolutely necessary, but wouldn't have access to it every day while he is at work.
I am completely ignorant of the whole "i" world. I have a shuffle from 2007 and that's it. TIA.
Re: random iPad question
You can't run MS Word on an iPad. You can open Word docs in Pages, but I'm not sure that's what you're looking for as an editor. I edited a newsletter where I got all the copy in a Word doc and made the newsletter in Pages. I could track changes and see comments and all that stuff, so maybe it would work for you, but it's not Word and it would take getting used to, especially since you'd also be dealing with the multitouch iPad interface instead of the mouse and keyboard interface you'd be used to on a regular computer.
Email on an iPad is fine.
I'm not sure what you mean about the iPad replacing your stereo, but I wouldn't want it to replace my phone. You can Skype with it, but it's really, really big as a phone?.
Sorry, I meant Skype or similar technology. I am planning on getting a regular French cell phone when we get there. I don't have a fancy phone here.
Duke's House: Eating and Running with the Big Dog in Chennai: eatrunbrit.com
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Pages can export to Word documents as well, and I've done some basic word processing on the iPad while I was on holiday (don't ask). The touch makes it a different kind of interface, and in some ways it works very well, though it does take some getting used to.
If you're going to be writing on it, I would highly recommend buying a bluetooth keyboard to use with it. The on-screen keyboard is fine for light work, but it can really slow you down if you're typing something like a 5-page paper -- especially if you need numbers, special characters, etc. since you have to keep switching keyboards. Even more so, the hotkeys you get with an actual keyboard are huge time savers. Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V etc? Oh, it's awkward when you don't have those. Just moving a paragraph or sentence from one place to another is kind of painful using only the iPad touch interface. And arrow keys! It's hard to tap exactly between two characters, and I find that taking my fingers off the keyboard to touch-position the cursor is a nuisance.
But using a keyboard, I found that I could write quite efficiently. I just propped up the iPad in front of me, and off I went.
Mostly I use it for reading and web surfing. It's very nice to be able to just sit down on the sofa, turn it on, and off I go. And with a 3G connection (you need the AT&T model if you're going to use 3G outside the US), I find that I can comfortably do all this on the train as well! So amazing for my commute, because I can read emails, read the news, etc.
YouTube video and films/shows from iTunes are great on the iPad when you travel or if you don't mind the small screen at home. If you download stuff of questionable sources, you'll have to convert it to a different format and then import it through iTunes. This is kind of a pain, so I usually only do it before I travel.
Stereo is also great. You can hook it directly up to a speaker system via a mini-audio (headphone) cable. Spotify doesn't have an iPad app yet, but you can use the iPhone version.
And for phone, Skype just (finally) released their iPad app (though the iPhone version was working fine for me up to now). The camera angle can be a little awkward, but I've gotten used to it.
Overall, I would say that the iPad replaces 85-90% of what I use my home computer for. However, you generally still need a computer to hook it up to for synching, and there are a few things you still can't do on an iPad. Some websites still don't work, and things like downloading still need a computer.
It sounds like you're considering leaving your laptop behind? I'm curious about why. Is it that bulky or heavy that you can't spare the carry-on space? Because to use it, you really only need a simple plug adapter, which will cost $2-10 depending on where you buy it. I actually bought my laptop on a trip back to the US and have always used it with a plug adapter. No problems. In fact, the only computer bits I've ever had to do more for were our printer and wireless router, both of which needed to be plugged into a 50-watt voltage converter.
Thanks for posting so much info. Honestly, at this point, I am considering leaving everything behind except my DD and DH. Thinking about all this "stuff" is really bringing me down.
Any other stint I've had abroad, I've had access to computers either at my workplace or place of study and have been able to get away with just a suitcase or backpack full of clothes, some books and a yoga mat. This will be my first stint abroad as a work-at-home type, and to boot with a child who is very attached to her own stuff.
I'm just trying to think of any way possible to pare down the number of things going into our bags...
Unless you have one of the huge gaming laptops, I really can't see it being that much of a drain on traveling.
But, if it is, I suggest getting a netbook. I have one of the 8" ASUS Eee's and use it as my everyday computer.