The Steve Rubel Stream

Photo: The "front 24" - my most essential apps.

Friday is here and I am five days into my week-long experiment of using my iPad as my primary computer both at home and in the office. To recap: I am continuing to use my phone (mostly when I am away from my desk) and I am only using my home/office computers for basic file management and more complex tasks that require it, like editing PowerPoint decks. All email, writing, note taking, Tweeting and web work takes place on the slate.

In short, it's going really really well. I believe that when this experiment ends I will continue to use the iPad as my primary computer, though I may use my PC more than I do now, especially when I am in the office. I am also looking forward to trying out other slates, like HP's (an Edelman client.)

Some general observations...

First, you would be surprised what a joy it is to have a device that: turns on instantly, requires no saving (!), is completely silent and has incredible battery life. This should be the default for every system. I can't stand noisy computers and my MacBook Air is by far the nosiest I have ever used. It also has terrible battery life. With the iPad, I can go almost 12 hrs with wifi and Bluetooth on.

Second, there's no doubt in my mind that the iPad marks a pivotal moment in the history of computing. People want computing to be simpler. And there will be lots of winners and competitors to deliver on this promise. And while multitasking is now coming to the iPad in the fall with version 4.0, I am not particularly keen on it. I like that I can only do one thing at a time. It makes it easier to focus on the task at hand.

Finally, I notice that now when I use my phone it feels, well, tiny! I am using my smart phones less and using the iPad more. However, I am sure that it will balance out over time. So net net, for most I don't see the iPad replacing a PC but complementing it (as is Apple's intent). However, as more apps that take advantage of the full canvas are developed, that could change.

Some thoughts on productivity and creativity...

First, slates are perfect go-everywhere writing machines, despite what some say about their potential for creating. Pages is easy to use and it makes it a snap to get Word documents in and out. Also, I am using the iPad extensively for note-taking. It comes with me to every meeting and I find myself taking better notes as I listen more intently to capture what's being said. Also, I am starting to see iPads pop up in meetings. So maybe others are doing the same. Evernote on the iPad is particularly impressive but I am unsure how to enable it to geotag my notes.

The ergonomics and typing on glass takes time to get used to. At times I feel like I am typing on a digital picture frame. However, I find that when I type in horizontal mode I am getting pretty fast. At home and work I use an external keyboard. I am getting used to looking down at the screen too - it reminds me of ye olde typewriter days.

Where the iPad falls down is PowerPoint. If your decks are done on a PC and you bring them into Keynote or Photos apps, you're ready to present. This should cover my needs outside the office. However, Keynote for the iPad doesn't import PowerPoint files too well and it doesn't export to them at all, unless you are using the Mac desktop version too - which I am not in the office. So it's not ideal for editing and therefore true mobile productivity just yet. Hopefully, QuickOffice and Documents to Go will remedy this fast.

I also believe that slates are going to unlock a new era of creativity. I find myself using mind mapping more to problem solve and think up new ideas. My favorite mind mapping app, Mindnode, is tablet ready. Also I have downloaded Omnigraffle, Photogene and Layers and plan to integrate them into my workflow, particularly for enhancing my presentations. I know that other members of the broader Edelman team are already tinkering with these devices and thinking about ho they can be used in our work. I suspect the same is true at thousands of companies around the world.

Finally, it took awhile, but I finally found a Twitter client that takes advantage of the full screen and has all the features I need - notifications, the old re-tweet style, Instapaper support and more. It's called Tweetings It's a good stop-gap until a fully optimized version of Tweetie is released.

More to come as I wrap up the week. Next up, some thoughts on the iPad/slate's broader implications for marketers and PR professionals. As always, if you have questions, I am all ears.

Today I began a week-long challenge to use a tablet computer, in this case the iPad, as my primary content creation and consumption device. Here are my observations from day one.

When I arrived in the office this morning, everyone of course wanted to see the iPad and what it could do. We had some challenges to get it connected to the wireless access point on our floor (it worked fine elsewhere), but this was fine since it gave me time to do more complex editing of a PowerPoint deck on my PC - something Keynote doesn't quite handle as well.

With connectivity restored, I was off to the races, and just in time too as the rest of my day - like most - was consumed with meetings and calls. This is where the iPad shined.

In some corporate cultures, it's more than OK to bring a laptop to a meeting for note taking. However, I often find that it puts a barrier between you and others. If you're taking notes on a smart phone, people just think you're checking your email. A tablet computer changes the dynamic because everyone can tell you are taking notes. I used the iPad to take notes throughout the day, which was terrific since I have terrible handwriting.

However, it also unleashed more collaboration as well. During a meeting when I was trying to explain a concept, I opened up the free brand new Adobe Ideas app (Adobe is a client) and sketched out a schematic that illustrated my thinking. This was terrific since I could plop it on the table and we could sketch together. Even better, I was able to attach the doodle and send it with my notes to attendees.

As a next step I am going to download Omnigraffle, so that when we collaborate we can create more structured diagrams. I suspect many of these apps won't port video out - but that's something Apple can perhaps one day remedy with APIs. Still, it's easy to take a screen shot to get something into the Photos app, which does support video out, so that we can put it on a big screen.

During the rest of the day I checked emails and took notes as I participated on calls. One important observation is that the iPad's ergonomics really are not ideal. If you use it without an external keyboard you're basically looking straight down all the time. It reminds me of when I wrote papers in college on electronic typewriters. It's ok for shorter writings but not longer ones.

However, when you couple the iPad with the cool Apple case and a keyboard, as Brian Lam from Gizmodo does here (and pictured above), then it really sings. That's how I am writing this post at home. I have the iPad in its case propped on top of a book with my Apple wireless keyboard in front. Sweet.

More to come as I continue the week-long challenge. Leave a comment to ask a question.

Here are two fresh interviews that might be of interest. The first covers blogging's place in a microblog world. The second captures the essence of my productivity system, how I work and the tools I use

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