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Subject:RE: Best tablet for writing/editing From:"Elissa K. Miller" <emiller -at- doubleknot -dot- com> To:"'techwrl'" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com> Date:Tue, 3 Sep 2013 12:08:17 -0700
Another annoying thing about getting files on and off the iPad is Apple's
insistence on not exposing the file system. So, you can't see a list of the
word processing or spreadsheet documents that are on the iPad--you have to
open the application first to get to your files. Then, as Robert L points
out below, you have to go through some gymnastics to get the files into a
place where they're accessible by any other device. The latest versions of
OfficePlus look like they let you save to Google Docs or iDisk, but I don't
have my iPad with me to confirm.
I bought OfficePlus and an external keyboard thinking I could get some work
done on my iPad, but it's pretty annoying if you write a lot. Now I use
OfficePlus to view documents that people send me if I have my iPad but not
my computer (which isn't often), but I don't use the iPad for content
creation anymore--my Asus eee series laptop is adequately thin and light
(though admittedly not as thin and light as a tablet) and doesn't require
that I learn a new file management paradigm. The keyboard is useful for
filling out forms and entering search terms, and is also a hard case for the
iPad, so I don't regret the purchase, but I couldn't make it work as a
primary content development system.
FWIW, an external keyboard does you control cursor placement with the arrow
keys. (Well, my Kensington keyboard does, and I assume it's standard.)
-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+emiller=doubleknot -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
[mailto:techwr-l-bounces+emiller=doubleknot -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On
Behalf Of Robert Lauriston
Sent: Tuesday, September 03, 2013 11:11 AM
To: Craig Cardimon; techwrl
Subject: Re: Best tablet for writing/editing
iPads are relatively expensive end, so you're presumably not considering
one, but I would not recommend one for writing and editing.
One constant annoyance is that the OS won't let you you place the cursor
within a word. An external keyboard with cursor keys might fix that.
There's no native support for mounting external drives so getting files on
and off the device is sometimes more of a pain than it should be.
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