tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2262248064872290742024-02-08T11:51:51.033-08:00iPad CPAiPad CPA - Dedicated to iPad use in the Accocunting Profession.
See http://www.CPAFirmTech.com as well.Val Steedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04142996485727917561noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-226224806487229074.post-49205826176927076242014-05-12T13:40:00.001-07:002014-05-12T13:41:10.731-07:00Office for iPad<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Microsoft Office for
the iPad<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Microsoft Office is now available and developed
specifically for the iPad. Released on March 27, 2014, Microsoft Word for iPad,
Microsoft Excel for iPad, Microsoft PowerPoint for iPad, and Microsoft OneNote
for iPad provide touch-optimized experiences for users of traditional Microsoft
Office applications.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Office for iPad apps are free to all users. However, for you
to have edit functionality within any of the apps, you must have an active,
qualifying Office 365 subscription. Qualifying plans are listed below.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
• Office 365
Home <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
• Office 365
Small Business Premium <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
• Office 365
Midsize Business<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
• Office 365
Enterprise E3 and E4 (Enterprise and Government)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
• Office 365
Education A3 and A4<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
• Office 365
ProPlus<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
• Office 365
University<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
• Office 365
trial subscriptions<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Of course, each of the Office apps developed for the iPad
possess the same look and feel as their desktop counterparts. Further, Office
for iPad apps take full advantage of the ability to save data to OneDrive and
to share documents with other collaborators.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
One of the
limitations in the early releases of Office for iPad apps was the inability to
print directly from the app. Various workarounds for this limitation existed,
including simply opening a document from the desktop version of the app and
printing from there. However, on April 29, 2014, Microsoft released and update
to the Office for iPad apps that included support for in-app printing.
Therefore, once you download the updated versions of these apps, you will no
longer need to engage in workarounds to print documents associated with Office
for iPad apps.<o:p></o:p></div>
Val Steedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04142996485727917561noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-226224806487229074.post-7843589229676998392012-12-11T04:08:00.000-08:002012-12-11T04:08:53.757-08:00Multi Finger GesturesThere are some multi finger gestures that are very handy on the Apple iPad:<br />
<br />
1. Swipe left or right on a running app with four fingers touching the iPad and it will switch to other apps that are running in memory.<br />
<br />
2. Swipe up with four fingers on the home screen or app and you go into mult-task mode.<br />
<br />
3. Touch five fingers on the screen and grasp the screen to close an app.Val Steedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04142996485727917561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-226224806487229074.post-17920239333305384432012-12-05T07:59:00.003-08:002012-12-05T07:59:59.865-08:00Air ServerAir Server is a nice product that will allow you to hook any i-Device to your laptop or desk system using Air Display technology. For example, you can connect your iPad to your laptop via 802.11 using Air Server and show information via the laptop connected to a projector, screen, etc. This is sure nice to not need cables anymore.Val Steedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04142996485727917561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-226224806487229074.post-632841774143326482012-12-02T21:40:00.001-08:002012-12-02T21:40:14.391-08:00Using an iPad in Business
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua;">December 2, 2012<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua;">You already know the iPad and other mobile devices can be
extremely helpful for personal use and just plain fun, but can an iPad really
be productive in business?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, that
depends on what business and job functions we are discussing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since the release of the iPad, business users
have needed the ability to do more than just read documents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As it stands now we can do a whole lot more
than just read stuff.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua;">For business use of an iPad I strongly recommend that you
add a Bluetooth keyboard and stylus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>These two additional devices will expand your business use capabilities
dramatically.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also, there are apps such
as Air Display that will allow you to use your iPad as a second monitor for
your laptop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The last recommendation on
hardware is that you buy the iPad it’s own data plan and hopefully you have LTE
available in your area.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>LTE is
significantly faster than 4G.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua;">The key to successful use of an iPad in business revolves
around the job function of the user.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If
the user can do his or her job by viewing and editing information then the iPad
has a chance at success.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People that
consume or use information are great candidates.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For example, a controller can run the
corporate accounting via an RDP (Remote Data Processing) app, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>such as Citrix or PocketCloud, and get the
information they need beyond email and instant messages including running the
legacy accounting application from the iPad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Believe it or not, you can run older Windows accounting systems with the
iPad touch control.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course this
requires some setup on the server side but is very possible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For events where I speak I often show Open
Systems TRAVERSE running on my iPad via PocketCloud Pro (courtesy of Open
Systems, Inc.) And it runs very well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua;">On the other hand, people that produce information are not
good candidates due to the smaller keyboard, screen, hard drive, and limited
applications in this area.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For example,
a tax preparer can easily review tax returns on an iPad, but preparing them on
an iPad even with a RDP tool can be very tedious.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua;">Also, there are some industries that just fit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For example, a large national delivery
company is now fully committed to the iPad Mini because it is a powerful iPad
in a smaller form factor and can be held in one had for signature on package
delivery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Mini is not expensive or
hard to find if a replacement is needed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Advantage, iPad Mini.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua;">iPads can also be as secure as you like.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With 256 bit AES encryption built into the
hardware all you really need to do is stop using the simple lock code in
General Settings and go for a more secure passcode.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can also use the Apple Configurator, a
utility to manage corporate policy settings, on either<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>a Windows or Mac system then upload the HTML
file to the iPad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This will lock the
iPad and users can only reset back to factory settings if they try to go around
corporate policy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You certainly want to
setup each iPad so that it can be located from iCloud including invoking Erase
Data setting after 10 failed passcode attempts which is located in Settings,
General, Passcode Lock.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua;">No USB port on the iPad?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>No problem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can get data
files from email or data sync applications.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I prefer to use the data sync approach and my preference right now is
Dropbox or ShareFile.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua;">Data Sync apps:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Book Antiqua;">Dropbox<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Book Antiqua;">ShareFile<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Book Antiqua;">SugarSync<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Book Antiqua;">Box<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua;">You can read, edit, and even sign PDF files easily.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In my opinion, all a business iPad user will
need is the free Adobe Reader for normal use and GoodReader for large
documents. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua;">Popular PDF apps:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Book Antiqua;">Adobe Reader for iPad<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Book Antiqua;">GoodReader<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Book Antiqua;">Penultimate<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Book Antiqua;">SignMyPad<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Book Antiqua;">iAnnotate PDF<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua;">MS Office documents can be a challenge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Apple’s office tools Keynote, Numbers, and
Pages are not really MS Office compliant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>While Microsoft has announced a version of Office for the iPad it will
not be here until late spring next year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua;">In the meantime, here are some apps that do work they just
require a bit of learning and setup.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If
you need to view, edit, or manage MS Office documents then you need to
investigate this list.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The most
impressive one on the list, OnLive Desktop, requires that you upload and
download files via your desktop or laptop to the OnLive Desktop website.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can then edit them with your iPad. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can even pay $5 per month for the Pro
version and get full flash browsing via IE 9.0 on your iPad. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Other users combine Dropbox with CloudOn and
they are good to go.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One caveat - CloudOn
has a built in auto-save mode so you don’t want to make changes to documents
unless you want to keep the changes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua;">Popular MS Office apps:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Book Antiqua;">SlideShark<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Book Antiqua;">CloudOn<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Book Antiqua;">OnLive Desktop<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua;">For the CPA in public practice we are starting to see many
iPad apps that will draw information from your practice management, tax prep,
and even client’s QuickBooks data installed on their systems.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua;">CPA firm apps:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Book Antiqua;">Mobile CS – Thomson Reuters<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Book Antiqua;">Practice Intelligence – CCH (access via Atomic
Web browser app)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Book Antiqua;">CCH Mobile<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Book Antiqua;">CCH Tax News<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Book Antiqua;">Avatax Rates<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Book Antiqua;">Five Plus (coming in Jan to access QuickBooks
data)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua;">Accounting solutions with mobile apps:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo5; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Book Antiqua;">Xero<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo5; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Book Antiqua;">Concur<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo5; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Book Antiqua;">Freshbooks<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua;">Bottom line, can an iPad replace a laptop?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, if all the user needs to do is manage
information such as email, PDF files, MS Office files (review, edit, make small
changes to documents).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An iPad is not good
for someone who produces a lot of information.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Instead it is an excellent tool for someone who consumes a lot of
information with small management tasks.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Val Steedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04142996485727917561noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-226224806487229074.post-12761699253144858722012-11-21T23:00:00.001-08:002012-11-21T23:00:07.124-08:00The MiniWell, just because I have to teach about the Mini I bought one. Well, that isn't actually true. I have been really looking forward to comparing the Mini to what I have seen in the Kindle and Kindle Fire. Let's just say I am very pleased and believe the Mini can stand up to any of these products and then some. The display is not Retina but it is still crystal clear. I am actually a fan of the new Lightning connector (I have just as many old 30 accessories as you) but I love the positive click and universal plug (either side up). Improved wireless is good but not the killer feature. I think the shape, size, feel, speed, and apps make this the winner. I am biased I know but this is a great product any way you want to argue this one. I do see the Mini cutting into some iPad sales but a lot more into Kindle sales.Val Steedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04142996485727917561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-226224806487229074.post-55811678415497798482012-11-19T09:54:00.002-08:002012-11-19T09:54:22.892-08:00Here is a video of a Tech Update presentation I did for the Pennsylvania Society of CPAs a few weeks back that has a lot of iPad and Mac stuff live in the presentation. <span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://www.picpa.org/Content/45585.aspx"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.picpa.org/Content/45585.aspx</span></a> </span>Val Steedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04142996485727917561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-226224806487229074.post-14707459649617606452012-11-05T15:59:00.002-08:002012-11-05T15:59:33.914-08:00Slide SharkIn a presentation today I forgot to add one item to a slide. Slide Shark is another good tool to use for showing PPT files on an iPad. You must upload the file to Slide Shark's site but it runs great. Completely PowerPoint compatible as far as I can determine.Val Steedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04142996485727917561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-226224806487229074.post-57405859250483058112012-11-05T11:51:00.000-08:002012-11-05T11:51:07.566-08:00CloudOn vs. Onlive DesktopJust an additional note about both CloudOn and Onlive Desktop. CloudOn will support your Dropbox account and your changes are automatically saved back to Dropbox. Hence, don't be changing files unless you want the changes to stick. Onlive Desktop will not work with your cellular account, no, not even the Pro edition so you will need another Wi-Fi network to get Onlive Desktop to work well.Val Steedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04142996485727917561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-226224806487229074.post-42161385058552875972012-08-20T13:10:00.001-07:002012-08-20T20:46:59.625-07:00Xero Accounting - Xero Touch AppFolks, Xero Accounting (<a href="http://www.xero.com/">www.xero.com</a>) is a very well done SaaS accounting product that works great on the iPad with any browser. Think very solid software like QuickBooks only running via any browser on any device. Today, I was shown their iPad/iPhone app (not new but new to me) that will integrate to your Xero SaaS accounting and provide you with quick access to many key items. I think the most helpful is the instant dashboard view but CPAs in public practice may love the ability to check on clients by backing up one level to the My Xero screen and choosing a different client data set. Easy, peasy. The Dashboard shows bank balances, invoices, expenses and you can easily add an expense and take a picture of the receipt with you camera then upload. Viola, you toss the receipt. My compliments to Xero Accounting for this nice add to their well designed SaaS accounting.Val Steedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04142996485727917561noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-226224806487229074.post-62107153806233933202012-08-06T14:16:00.003-07:002012-08-06T14:17:40.178-07:00LifeProof iPhone CaseThe LifeProof iPhone case really works to protect an iPhone. I know this is not an iPad tool but it is worth mentioning that it does hold up under some pretty severe conditions. I just completed a 17 mile hike down Zion National Park Narrows. Most of the time we were wading in waist to knee deep water but on occasion you do trip on slippery boulders. My pack went into the water five times and my phone is fine. I, on the other hand, am very sore. Good product but expensive $80.<br />
<br />
The Narrows<br />
<a href="http://www.nps.gov/zion/planyourvisit/thenarrows.htm">http://www.nps.gov/zion/planyourvisit/thenarrows.htm</a><br />
<br />
LifeProof<br />
<a href="http://www.lifeproof.com/">http://www.lifeproof.com</a>Val Steedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04142996485727917561noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-226224806487229074.post-80539734186484846372012-07-25T14:35:00.003-07:002012-07-25T14:35:59.533-07:00iPad PDF Readers<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Book Antiqua;">iPad PDF Tools<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Book Antiqua;">iBooks is a native iPad app and can open PDF
files and read them but you cannot annotate PDF files with iBooks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also note that if you open a PDF file with
iBooks it will appear in your bookshelf in a separate PDF section.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You may or may not like this.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Book Antiqua;">GoodReader<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>$5.99.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The reason many of us are
willing to pay $5.99 for GoodReader is that GoodReader was the first very
popular PDF reading tool on the iPad, it is cheap, and it still works very well
even with large documents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For the money,
GoodReader it is an excellent tool to have handy in case some other PDF reader
tool does not work right.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Book Antiqua;">GoodNotes $3.99.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I actually own this one as well as GoodReader and I love the way it
allows me to takes notes in meetings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
don’t use it to mark up PDFs much but the ability to magnify the note taking
area for general notes makes this a very good tool as well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Book Antiqua;">Adobe Reader (free and the current version will
also allow you to sign a PDF document)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Book Antiqua;">Evernote (free and premium edition)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Book Antiqua;">PDF Pen $14.99<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Book Antiqua;">iAnnotate PDF $9.99.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Book Antiqua;">Quickoffice Pro HD $19.99<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Book Antiqua;">CloudOn (free used mainly to open Microsoft
Office documents not just PDF)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Book Antiqua;">Dropbox (or your data sync tool of choice)<o:p></o:p></span></div>Val Steedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04142996485727917561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-226224806487229074.post-45415482662715654332012-07-17T18:51:00.002-07:002012-07-17T18:51:36.928-07:004G Is Not LTE<span style="font-family: Calibri;">There is 4G and then there is 4G/LTE.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t confuse the two.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also, don’t feel bad if you don’t understand
4G as there is no real clear standard on 4G.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>My iPhone is 4G, my iPad is 4G/LTE, and my carrier for both is
AT&T.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am in a major metro area
right now and the results I have below are very typical as you go around the
country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have been testing this now
for about five months and here is a very vivid and very real world result
comparing AT&T 4G, AT&T 4G/LTE, and Verizon 4G/LTE.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Tested speed with Speedtest.net app:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">iPhone (AT&T 4G)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Ping 124ms<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Download .50 Mbps (no I did not leave out some
digits this is just bad)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Upload<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>1.34 Mbs<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">iPad<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(AT&T
4G/LTE)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Ping 68ms<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Download<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>20.43 Mbps<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Upload<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>7.73 Mbps<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">MacBook Air (tested via Verizon MIFI)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Ping 96<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Download 16.86 Mbps<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Upload<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>7.86 Mbps<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I will let you do your own math but as you can see it is a
VERY significant difference even with the same carrier AT&T.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>LTE (Long Term Evolution) is an evolving
standard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Currently running at best as
drawn up on the chalkboard it can potentially run at 73 Mbps up and 73 Mbps down.
The fastest speeds I have seen with LTE so far this year measured out at 38
Mbps down and 27 up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This past fall I spoke at a large MAP conference for a large
NE state and discussed the merits of using your iPhone as a hotspot for the
iPad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the time it made sense as the
speeds were O.K. and as CPAs we love to save money.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now, it makes NO SENSE to use your iPhone as
a hotspot as it is terrible when compared to real 4G/LTE MIFI hotspots. Marianne,
please let all your members know I feel bad that I ever recommended this
idea.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everyone, please spend the extra
money and buy the iPad it’s own data plan especially now with 4G/LTE.<o:p></o:p></span></div>Val Steedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04142996485727917561noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-226224806487229074.post-6985188997666638442012-07-17T08:15:00.000-07:002012-07-17T08:19:31.066-07:00Apple’s Migration Assistant<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
I know this is not an iPad topic but the story is worth
telling on this blog. Apple’s Migration
Assistant is a lifesaver if you buy a new system and want to transfer
everything from your old Mac including applications, data, and settings. Windows also has such a utility but I have
never been able to get it to work right.
In fact, we are now also being told that we cannot even upgrade in place
from the Beta test of Windows 8 to the final code. Noooooo!
That would be too easy. Instead,
the loyal testers of Windows 8 (myself included) will have to format our
systems and start all over when Microsoft releases the final product in Oct. Typical Microsoft. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Last month I bought a new MacBook Air. I use a lot of virtual machines. I have VMs for Windows XP, Windows 7
Ultimate, Windows 7 Pro, and Windows 8 so you can see how the new MacBook with
8GB of RAM was very attractive to me.
While on the road teaching I went to the Apple Store in Charlotte, NC
and started the process of migrating to a new system. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Here is a brief summary of how the migration:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
6:30 p.m. system purchased, left the Apple Store.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
7:30 p.m. started the Apple Migration Assistant.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
8:00 p.m. realized that using 802.11 to migrate will take
from 24-44 hours this was not going to work well.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
8:20 p.m. connected the two MacBooks with my Thunderbolt
cable restarted Migration Assistant. (If you are going to do this be sure to hold down Option-T while booting the source machine. This will turn the source system into nothing but a Thunderbolt drive.)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
8:55 p.m. done.
Completely Done!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I didn’t have to fix anything it was a seamless full
migration to the new hardware and it left the correct new OS in place. End
story. Well done Apple. <o:p></o:p></div>Val Steedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04142996485727917561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-226224806487229074.post-42942696188736550192012-07-13T15:44:00.005-07:002012-07-13T15:44:58.655-07:00Lantronix xPrintServer<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Having trouble printing from i-devices?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, this one will cost you around $ 140 but
works even better than claimed in the advertising.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, the installation took all of about
one minute.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, that is sixty seconds
folks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In sixty seconds, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the Lantronix xPrintServer (</span><a href="http://www.lantronix.com/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">www.lantronix.com</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">) found all the printers
in my home network and I then printed web sites, email, and PDF files to
various printers from my iPhone and iPad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The only caveat is that all the printers and i-devices need to be hooked
to the same subnet which should be very easy for almost any business or home
network.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At first I thought I needed to
keep this device in the middle of my home like a wireless router then I
realized that it does not work directly back to your i-device but through the
existing wired and wireless network so I plugged the device right into my wired
switch downstairs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This one is a winner
and I would give it a full 10+. I bought mine at Amazon.com.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All the
best!<o:p></o:p></span></div>Val Steedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04142996485727917561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-226224806487229074.post-77218577407693116042012-07-12T09:03:00.000-07:002012-07-12T10:23:01.053-07:00K2 Enterprises Crosses 100,000 Views on YouTubeI am very proud to announce that our company K2 Enterprises (<a href="http://www.k2e.com/">www.k2e.com</a>) has crossed the 100,000 views mark on YouTube with our training videos. See <a href="http://www.youtube.com/K2Enterprises">http://www.YouTube.com/K2Enterprises</a> . We believe we have some excellent training videos on Excel, QuickBooks, iPad, etc. Enjoy!Val Steedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04142996485727917561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-226224806487229074.post-12767280264480016622012-07-10T15:02:00.001-07:002012-07-10T15:02:16.548-07:00Intellicast HDI have written a bit about Intellicast HD before however I have been getting a lot of good response and questions about this app. Intellicast HD is a free app for the iPad (only iPad) and provides some of the best radar images you will ever see including annomated radar. This is real HD radar. Using standard iPad controls such as pinch/zoom, doubletap/two finger tap you can easily navigate the screen and the locate me now button works great. You can zoom down to your rooftop level if you like or plung into the dephts of the oceans. Intellicast HD is probably my 2nd favorite app on the iPad right behind MLB.com. I actually use Intellicast HD sometimes to see a "lay of the land" look from space. :-) Happy iPad-ing.Val Steedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04142996485727917561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-226224806487229074.post-64899550736592868842012-07-09T10:05:00.001-07:002012-07-09T10:05:13.063-07:00iZon IP Camera<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">iZon Stem IZON IOS WRM-WA0-00 Remote Room Monitor<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Well there is a first time for everything I guess.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have never bought a bad product from the
Apple store until this past week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
wanted to get an IP camera setup for my home office that I could check and show
while on the road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This one looked great
on the shelf but my instincts were telling me to check the reviews on
Amazon.com first and they were right.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If
you check the reviews you will see I don’t have to write much today to tell you
other than in my opinion this is the worst product I have tried in ten
years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I spent over six hours trying to
make this thing work with either my iPhone or iPad to no avail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I recommend that you stay away from this one.<o:p></o:p></span></div>Val Steedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04142996485727917561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-226224806487229074.post-19770048371006387382012-06-25T18:35:00.003-07:002012-06-25T18:35:42.546-07:00OnLive Desktop Plus<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">OnLive Desktop Plus<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So I broke down and decided to pay the $ 4.99 per month for
OnLive Desktop Plus just to get full flash support for some CPA technology
sites.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The one I wanted to run the most
was </span><a href="http://www.xcmsolutions.com/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">www.xcmsolutions.com</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> workflow
which is an excellent workflow solution for CPA firms and can fit certain
industries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know they are working on
an iPad app but I want to be able to run the whole workflow tool.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Done and it works great.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If you need to have full flash support on a website and run stuff you
never dreamed you could run on an iPad such as Office 2010 (no kidding) this is
the product for you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Remember to get the
full flash support you must sign up for the Plus version the free version will
not let you open browse to any site.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">OnLive Desktop<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<a href="http://desktop.onlive.com/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">http://desktop.onlive.com/</span></a><o:p></o:p></div>Val Steedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04142996485727917561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-226224806487229074.post-6674685730865043052012-06-21T13:54:00.001-07:002012-06-21T13:54:23.999-07:00Two Strong MS Office App Options<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif";">Two
Strong Office Apps</span></b><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif";"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif";">Need to open a Microsoft
Office document on an iPad? Well, the world of iPad and Office just got better with two
very strong apps.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each one has features
that shine and the good news is the basic version of either is free.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every accountants favorite four letter word,
FREE.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif";">CloudOn
(free)<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif";">CloudOn supports Dropbox,
Box, Google Drive and reads directly to and from these sites.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You will need decent Internet access to make
CloudOn work correctly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With no access
you have no use so you will want to improve your Internet access options.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>CloudOn supports Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and PDF
documents.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">According to their website (www.cloudon.com) here is the
official description….</span><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">CloudOn brings Microsoft Office to your tablet. All of
it. Of course you can format text, change fonts and catch that typo, but
imagine being able to track changes while editing Word documents, use pivot
tables and insert formulas in Excel and present your PowerPoint slides complete
with transitions. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another nifty
little feature is the ability to view PDFs (including 3d PDFs) and fill out PDF
forms on your workspace! You also have a universal viewer that lets you view
virtually any file – from raw Photoshop images to everyday image files like
PNG, JPEG and GIF.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">OnLive
Desktop (basic version free and premium account $4.99 per month)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">OnLive Desktop requires that you sign up for the account
via an Internet browser before the iPad app will work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also, files need to be uploaded to their site with a web browser. They start you at 2GB free.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I found
this one to have the best Microsoft Office interface. to date. By the way, where is the world is Microsoft?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">This one is so close </span>it looks exactly like Windows 7 and Office 2010.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you ever need to load an Excel file and
convert (Save As) to a PDF this is the tool for you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While it does not support your cloud data
sites until you upgrade to the monthly subscription it still is very
impressive.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">According to their website (desktop.online.live) here
is the official description….<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Access a Powerful PC from Anywhere!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">•PC
Microsoft® Office with 2GB cloud storage FREE*<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">•Full-featured
document viewing and editing<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">•Instant-action,
media-rich Windows® cloud desktop<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">•Lightning-fast
Web browsing with Adobe® Flash®<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">•For
iPad and Android™ tablets. Coming soon to PC, Mac®, TVs<o:p></o:p></span></div>Val Steedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04142996485727917561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-226224806487229074.post-45831939378769676912012-06-07T16:34:00.000-07:002012-06-09T06:15:02.923-07:00Verizon Jetpack 4620L MIFI 4G/LTE<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Verizon Jetpack 4620L MIFI (9275)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua";">For two years I
have been packing a Sprint 3G MIFI around with me. Sometimes it worked great. Most of the time it was useless or very
slow. This lead me to drop the Spring
account and then just use my iPhone as a hotspot. The Verizon Jetpack will support up to
ten devices at 4G or LTE speeds. The
initial cost was around $60 (Internet special) with a monthly cost of around
$50 for 5GB.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua";">My service for my
iPhone is AT&T. While AT&T
cellular data service is improving data services is spotty like the Spring MIFI
but not quite as bad. My iPhone 4S
sports 4G or so they claim. While it
shows 4G it often cannot even get data service at all. All carriers when they are overwhelmed will
prioritize voice over data and either throttle back your data or cut the data
feed altogether. Don’t believe me? Go to any large gathering of people like a
concert or sporting event and try to use data services.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua";">Using my iPhone 4S
as a hotspot is fine where I have great service and I don’t connect more than
one device to the iPhone. Two devices
will bring it to it’s knees even with great service. So,
when I read about the Verizon Jetpack MIFI which is capable of not only 4G but
LTE I was very interested. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua";">Many folks like me
have been confused about 4G and LTE. I
actually thought that LTE was a watered down version of 4G. Not true.
Let’s just say that LTE is what you want to see on your device not
4G. In comparing speeds in the real
world on my devices 4G will run from 5Mbps to 7Mbps up and down at it’s best on
a good day. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua";">LTE, on the other
hand, will peg the needle on any of your speed test tools with my tool topping
out this week in Boston at around 55Mbps up and 60Mbps down. No kidding.
I have now tested LTE in Salt Lake City, Dallas, Jackson MS, Portland
OR, and Boston. In all cases the 4G was
good but LTE was great where it worked.
Not all cities had LTE yet. I am
sure that they are all moving to LTE quickly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua";">I learned about LTE
by activating LTE on my new iPad which supports 4G/LTE. When 4G shows it will get 5/6 Mbps. When LTE shows it will peg the speed tests
anywhere from 38Mbps to 60Mbps. From
trying to read various standards on LTE it appears that the standard will
support up to 73Mbps. This is enough to
run a small business. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua";">Even when the
service falls back to 4G it still appears to be stronger than AT&T’s
4G. The device is smaller than the new
Spring 4G device and comes with a wall adapter.
I have also found I can power the device from any USB port. Note, you will not charge from a USB only run
the device which is just fine. Battery
run time with average use appears to be around 5 hours.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua";">So, bottom
line. Is the Verizon Jetpack 4620L MIFI
worth the money? Absolutely the best
Internet connection device I have ever owned. <o:p></o:p></span></div>Val Steedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04142996485727917561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-226224806487229074.post-79474633085001309642012-06-01T15:38:00.002-07:002012-06-01T15:39:54.357-07:00Camera to PDFI just tried a few apps today to convert a picture to a PDF. Most of the time we don't need this as we use Concur.com for our expense reporting and that feature is built into the mobile apps so I didn't have a real favorite. I tried two of them. JotNot Pro and Scan To PDF. Both seemed to work well but the JotNot Pro seemed to work better with the camera and also had some interesting effects you can apply to photos as well as converting them to PDF.
My report on the Verizon 4G/LTE hotspot will come next week after I get to test it in one more city.
Regards.Val Steedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04142996485727917561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-226224806487229074.post-79730839155738405742012-05-27T17:34:00.002-07:002012-05-27T17:34:37.725-07:00The New iPad Review<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The New iPad – An Executive Review<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Yes, I own a “The New iPad”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You already know by now that Apple in one of it’s stupid moments decided
that the latest iPad would not be the iPad 3 but officially “The New iPad”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes they really don’t understand the
business world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>iPad 3 would have worked
much better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now that we have The New iPad what is
different?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">A5X Chip<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Dual core processing with quad core graphics.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Much faster but not really worth selling your
iPad 2 to get this new processor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most
of the increased horsepower is used up by the new display.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you are still on a original iPad then,
yes, upgrade.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Retina Display<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">3.1 million pixels. (2048 x 1536)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This is a higher screen definition than any HD TV you
own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is the most complex display ever
built for any device, mobile or desktop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is brilliant and clear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Whether you need this display or not is up to you and I will just say
that you need to compare this new display sitting right next to your iPad or
iPad 2.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do I think this is the big
reason to upgrade?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">iSight 5MP, five lens, f/2.4, rear facing camera capable of capturing
video at 1080p<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">While this is an improved camera and very clear it is
actually not as robust as the 8MP camera on the iPhone 4S with all the other
same specs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Upgrade for this feature?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No, your current camera is adequate unless
you work for National Geographic taking photos or video.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Dictation<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Yes, you can go download the free Dragon Dictation and be
very close to this feature but now it is built into every aspect of the device
and it works great.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From what I
understand Apple licensed the basis for this dictation from Dragon and improved
how it integrates with the iPad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Upgrade for this feature?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No, go download Dragon Dictation from the app
store and wait your turn with the next iPad.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Bigger battery with longer battery life<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Well, they needed this bigger battery to power the super HD
display and new processor but along the way they also ended up with longer
battery life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, that is unless you
are playing games that are using a lot of video resolution then it will drop
quickly and also tend to heat up a bit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Heat issues?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not for the real
world only for gamers and even then the difference is minimal and was used as a
tempest in a teapot by Apple distractors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The new iPad is a bit heavier and can be a bit warmer but I would not
use the term hot.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">4G/LTE<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">O.K.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is the
biggie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I must confess that I have been
recommending that folks just buy an iPad with 802.11 and forget the extra data
plans then use their iPhone as a hotspot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Well, the iPhone as a hotspot is fine for one device, two if you have
excellent cellular data support, but that is about all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also, I must admit I had never really seen
4G/LTE work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now I have.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Where supported I have been getting speeds as
high as 38-47 Mbs both up and down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>NO
KIDDING.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is for real folks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you need to have better bandwidth this is
the way to go.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have been completely
taken by this new technology.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even it
cities where I only get the 4G and no LTE the speeds are still 4-5 Mbs down and
1-2 Mbs up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have become so enamored
by this technology that I have also purchased a new Verizon hotspot device that
I am testing this week that will support up to 10 devices via 4G/LTE.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will write on this more when I have more
real world results but for now let me say it is already very promising.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another nod to Verizon is that you can turn
your “New iPad” into a hotspot using your 4G/LTE account and that there is GSM
support in the Verizon iPad now catching up with AT&T.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>AT&T will not allow their version of the
iPad to be used as a hotspot, yet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not smart on their part as the data plans are
not unlimited.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is this worth the
upgrade?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, if you are a heavy data
user.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No, if you just check email and
are a light data user.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Hope this helps.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Happy iPadding to all!<o:p></o:p></span></div>Val Steedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04142996485727917561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-226224806487229074.post-27330076889262787702012-05-27T16:07:00.001-07:002012-05-27T16:07:05.028-07:00Dropbox<br />
<br />
One of the best ways to move files to and from an iPad is Dropbox. I have been using Dropbox free account now for over nine months and it has been great. Last fall my HP laptop died when the power on button snapped off in my hand while traveling back from a speaking engagement in NC. I am so grateful that my partner, Tommy Stephens, had recommended Dropbox to me a few months earlier. As soon as I was able to get a new laptop I was able to quickly restore all my critical teaching data and some very important personal files. No, I don't put anything up in Dropbox that contains sensitive personal information but i probably could as Dropbox is both encrypted in transit and encrypted at rest. If you decide to use Dropbox for sensitive data be sure to evaluate the security policies before you put up sensitive data.<br />
<br />
Right now I had Dropbox on two Windows-based PCs, one Macbook Air, an iPhone, iPad, and iPod. All my data flows accross these devices seemlessly. I haven't been this excited about a sync tool since Windows 95's Briefcase.<br />
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Here is a referral link for Dropbox: <a href="http://db.tt/Cl16SlXj">http://db.tt/Cl16SlXj</a><br />
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Next week I will write about SugarSync.<br />
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Regards.Val Steedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04142996485727917561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-226224806487229074.post-23373176008509625692012-05-24T11:34:00.002-07:002012-05-24T11:34:46.963-07:00Back In The Saddle AgainSorry for the lapse of time. It has been a very busy spring but good right? How about that new iPad. You know, the one that should be called the iPad 3 but is officially called "The New iPad". Great update on the screen but the killer feature is LTE. I will write more on LTE soon but for now let me say that if you are buying a new iPad do not buy anything except the The New iPad with 4G/LTE. No question, hands down, the best Internet access to date with speeds up to 72Mbs. <br />
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I am also testing a new Verizon hotspot which I will write about very soon. Hint, it has already blown away anything I have ever owned in hotspot devices. <br />
<br />
Welcome back, tell your friends I will be updating this much more often than ever before.<br />Val Steedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04142996485727917561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-226224806487229074.post-29134127466426949202011-10-20T09:49:00.001-07:002011-10-20T09:49:54.863-07:00<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:allowpng/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:donotpromoteqf/> <w:lidthemeother>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:lidthemeasian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:lidthemecomplexscript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> 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unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Subtle Emphasis"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="21" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Intense Emphasis"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="31" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Subtle Reference"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="32" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Intense Reference"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="33" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Book Title"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="37" name="Bibliography"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" qformat="true" name="TOC Heading"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center" align="center"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Val Steed’s List of Top Ten iPad Apps</b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center" align="center"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">10/20/2011</b></p> <p class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">1.<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span>GoodReader</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.75in">GoodReader is a well-known document reader.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I prefer good reader to any other one as it is cheap, fast, and easy to work.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I can easily annotate a PDF and store the annotations in the file or as a separate file.</p> <p class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">2.<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span>Dropbox</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.75in">Free for up to 2GB Dropbox is probably the best synchronization tool I have ever used.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I have it loaded on my iPad, laptop, and desktop.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>All files sync in seconds and are available across all systems.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Be sure to have strong Windows passwords and invoke the security keys on the iPad.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I seconds I can create a file on my desk system, access it in Dropbox on my iPad then open it in GoodReader.</p> <p class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">3.<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span>Speed Test – OOKLA</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.75in">Free speed test. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>There are many speed test apps so be sure to get the right one.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Only the one from OOKLA is this good.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Great graphics and reliable results.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>You would be surprised at how often the speed of your internet connection changes.</p> <p class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">4.<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span>FaceTime</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.75in">No doubt one of the best communication tools ever invented. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The only issue is that the person on the other end of FaceTime must have an iPad or iPhone 4 or newer. Despite the face this is an Apple app and <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>comes with your iPad do not overlook it’s power and capabilities.</p> <p class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">5.<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span>Photobucket</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.75in">2GB of free cloud storage and an interface that works great across all devices.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The key to Photobucket is that it becomes your library of photos and videos that you can easily link to for Facebook, LinkedIn or any other website posting.</p> <p class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">6.<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span>MLB.com</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.75in">I am a baseball fan so this ranks high on my list despite the fact that you have to buy an annual subscription to the service each year for around $15.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>You get to see any game not blocked by blackouts in HD (internet connection permitting).</p> <span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language: EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA"><br /> </span> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">7.<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span>Intellicast HD Weather</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.75in">I guess I am part Eubank (local joke).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Truth is, I love weather and especially like to know what I am headed for when traveling.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>This is the best of the weather apps to date as it gives you HD radar.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Try zooming in/out and you can examine the world in detail even ocean beds!</p> <p class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">8.<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span>Keynote</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.75in">Not free, Apple app.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>This is a pay for app that is the PowerPoint of the Apple line.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>If you want to do presentations from your iPad this is the tool.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Create the presentation in PowerPoint on your PC, transfer the file with Dropbox, open with Keynote, and present.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Viloa, it is that easy but it will cost you $ 9.99</p> <p class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">9.<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span>Dragon Dictation</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.75in">Free app.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Best voice recongnition to date.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>You talk, it types, this can help with email responses especially when they become lengthy on the iPad.</p> <p class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">10.<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span>Concur</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.75in">The app is free, the account with Concur will not be free.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>You can get a personal free account for you by signing up for the Concur Accountants program.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>See <a href="http://www.cpafirmsoftware.com/cpaprograms.html">http://www.cpafirmsoftware.com/cpaprograms.html</a> click on the Concur Accountants Program and join.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Then you can use this app on your iPad to help track and report expenses.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We have our whole company signed up and this is a great tool.</p>Val Steedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04142996485727917561noreply@blogger.com1