Tag Archives: iPad

Kandy’s Lips Painting

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Kandy's lips (and fangs)

Kandy Fangs is a novella I’m sharing this Autumn in serialized fashion here on the blog. You may read the weekend updates by visiting Short Fiction-Kandy Fangs in the menu above. For the finished ebook, I wanted to try painting something.

I painted Kandy’s lips using Autodesk SketchBook Pro on my iPad using a Pogo Sketch stylus. I’m impressed with the application. At first I missed my paper and pencil, but after playing around with simple sketches it felt like drawing. Finding the right brushes for the job, I fell into painting by building color. Layers make some cool things possible, allow experimentation, or use a pencil-on-paper sketch as a base to paint over. Like Photoshop, layers support transparency.

Kandy's lips stage 1

I built up the image using layers: white background, a black mask, upper lip, lower lip, teeth, and the blood drip. Lips are on different layers because I wasn’t certain at first if I only wanted an upper lip. In stage 1 image we see the upper lip, black mask, and the beginning of teeth.

Wide paintbrushes create the lips. For highlights and between colors, I used a stippling pencil.

In the image below, we see the lower lip and coloring on the teeth. These aren’t my best teeth, but they fit the style of the overall image. At the end I added the blood drip building from darker to lighter reds shown in the top

Kandy's lips complete without blood

image. And yes, the blood curls around the fang like candy. I added a candy-blood stripe to the title in the same manner, but I imported the font as a bitmap.

I enjoy painting on the iPad and plan on doing more.

How-To: Make Contents Links in Ebook for Smashwords

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You want a working contents page in your ebook. Readers love them. Anything that improves navigation is good. Done properly, the Smashwords Meatgrinder will produce epub and PDF with working contents page linking to your chapters or parts. Software like Adobe Digital Editions and iBooks on iPad will allow the reader to jump to chapters in your book. Below are screen shots of my novel, Raven Memory in Adobe Digital Editions and iBooks. The iBooks contents work by scrolling. In addition, iBooks reveals how many pages remain in the chapter. Note: In my first revision of Raven Memory, I used flowing text between chapters, and my recent revision (Sep 3) uses chapter headers.

Screen shot of iBooks showing chapter and page feature. Touch chapter slider to reveal chapter info.

Adobe Digital Editions Screen Shot of Raven Memory 1st revision with chapters flowing together. No formatted headers.

iBooks on iPad Screen Shot scrolling contents page

The Quick Guide to Working Contents

It’s that simple. Well, almost. The  Smashwords Meatgrinder is picky about formatting, and some issues may not be clear. Pay close attention to the entire guide. It doesn’t matter if you use Microsoft Word or OpenOffice.org Writer, the directions for creating working contents links are the same.

About Chapter Headers

Coker’s guide mentions using header formatting for your chapter headers. This is optional, but a good idea if your book is long. Using headers tells Meatgrinder to create a new xhtml page for the epub which may render as chapter breaks in software like Adobe Digital Editions and iBooks. You may end up with a few nearly blank pages with only a sentence or two. Ugly, but preferable over the alternative. Without formatted headers the text flows, but Smashwords Meatgrinder will break longer works into segments which may cause page breaks in undesirable spots when reading epub. Format headers for chapters to avoid Meatgrinder choosing breaks for you in epub conversion. This doesn’t apply to PDF or online reading.

As seen in the Adobe Digital Editions screen capture above, my first revision of Raven Memory didn’t format the chapter headers allowing flowing text. Due to 3 abrupt page breaks in the epub, I revised using header formatting. Now Adobe Digital Editions produces one nearly blank page (depending on screen size,) but looks fine in iBooks. See the screen shot below. This is better than breaking between paragraphs, and epub readers may get better in the future at pushing text so there isn’t a single line left on a page. (Dear epub reader software creators: Learn how to flow text correctly.)

Tips on formatting with linking contents for your ebook

  • Make sure the entire document has consistent formatting, paying close attention to the paragraph style name. If you use formatted chapter headers, they should also be consistent.
  • Use Styles and Formatting sheet.
  • Internal contents links work like external hyperlinks.
  • Don’t use automation. Create your contents links by hand.
  • Before uploaded to Smashwords, export to PDF and test every link.
  • After uploading, test the PDF and the epub in Adobe Digital Editions. Click every link to make sure it goes to the correct place in your document.

My How-To: Create Contents Links Formatted for Smashwords

Save your contents page for last after you have made certain your entire document is formatted correctly. Heading styles are optional, but recommended for longer works. Edit your styles sheet for your body text and header. If you name your chapters starting with “Chapter” then Meatgrinder will make things easier. In Shadow Memories, I named each as the title of the short story. Still works as long as you make internal hyperlinks. See Step 20 in Coker’s guide.

Your table of contents should list each chapter single-spaced after the license information. No page numbers. The contents entry should be the same as the matching heading.

  1. Go to each chapter heading and highlight the text.
  2. (Optional, but recommended) Set the format to header using the same or similar font. (Remember to use style sheets.)
  3. Use the Insert Bookmark feature. Name the bookmark matching the header, but without spaces.
  4. After you named all the bookmarks matched to headers, go back to the contents page. Select each entry and use your Insert Hyperlink feature, select internal hyperlink and select the matching bookmark.

In your document, test each bookmark hyperlink. If you missed one or made a mistake, correct. Then export to PDF and test the links there. If it works in a PDF, and your book is formatted properly, it will work after going through the Meatgrinder.

Questions?

Screen shot of iBooks showing chapter break produced by using a header format for Smashwords

Designers: Are You Paying Attention?

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Is the iPad magical? That depends on your definition of magic. Revolutionary? Maybe, maybe not. In under two months, over two million units have sold beating expectations. Why? The iPad is not for Apple “fanboys” or “techies.” The iPad is what computers should strive to be, a device that brings the user closer to their data.

User Case: Non-Techie

I showed a book lover an iPad. At first she almost seemed skeptical. She doesn’t get along with computers. Gizmos never impress her. Copying a file between drives is an advanced concept. After a few minutes, she warmed up to the device—a little. A couple weeks later she put the iPad through a full test.

After a few days, she had purchased books and installed a couple apps. Then she went on a trip. She had no trouble connecting to wi-fi networks at airports or homes of relatives. Not only did she read several books, but she took notes, imported photos, added pictures to her contacts, e-mail, and more! On her return, she showed me a funny YouTube video and had no trouble bringing it back up—a process she’s not as familiar with on other computers. Just a couple taps and we were watching it.

After just two weeks, this person—a technology hater—uses the iPad extensively. She now uses Mail on iPad instead of accessing her e-mail on the desktop computer. Why? Mail for iPad is so much easier. She wants more applications on the iPad, ones that helps her get work done.

Some Questions for Software Engineers and Designers

  • Why does MS Windows make it so difficult to connect to a wireless network?
  • Why are so many applications cluttered with buttons, menus, bells-and-whistles, many of which never get used?
  • Why are users more concerned about file systems and CPU stats than using their data?
  • Why do so many basic applications consume so much memory and run slow?
  • Why do computers still use the same design; file systems, windows concept, a mouse since the 1960s?
  • Why is your OS or application hard to use?

Software engineers and designers: Are you paying attention?

Evolution

We are at a major transition point in computer evolution. Users want to get closer to their data and work more efficiently. Let’s move away from the large applications that try to do everything and come up short, and move to applications that do a few things very well. And let’s get things done on computers that are easier to use. The iPad sales show that consumers are ready for the transition. The iPad may not be the future, but it marks the a step in the evolution of the computer.

Is the iPad magical? You bet your butt it is.

Hear the origins of the iPad from Steve Jobs on this D8 video.

B&N eReader

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B&N eReader for iPad screen shot

Barnes and Noble released their eReader for iPad a few days ago. Similar to the Kindle Reader, B&N eReader uses Safari to find and purchase books. Only books purchased from B&N are available on supported devices. Even though eReader uses the ePub format, there is no support for reading DRM-free ePub books from other sources. Which is fine since iBooks allows this. B&N eReader covers the basics including text search, bookmarking, and built-in dictionary. The table of contents is a nice looking pop-up. Where the eReader excels is in thematic presentation allowing shades of colors for when black-on-white might be too much contrast. There is also a button for publisher’s choice theme keeping the presentation closer to the intended look, or a “Night Light” which uses a black background to keep the light level low. Missing is a built-in brightness adjustment as in iBooks, but the themes nearly make up for it. The big feature B&N supports is book lending, but not all books are available for lending.

I like the B&N eReader over Kindle Reader. Choosing between iBooks and B&N will likely depend on availability and price of the book. That’s the best part: choice. With several book readers and a huge selection of books, the iPad is looking like one darn good reading device.

See the review on Gizmodo.

iPad Apps for Writers

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Yes, the iPad is practical. After a month, I find myself leaving the laptop behind and using the iPad including doing some heavy IT work. The right applications make all the difference. Here is a list of my favorite iPad apps for the traveling writer.

Reading Software

Don’t forget to test your latest eBook in all the readers including iBooks (iTunes link,) Kindle for iPad, Stanza for iPhone, and B&N Reader (soon.) Make sure the contents page works and pictures look nice.

Pages

The iPad version of Pages has everything a writer needs. I love the lack of “bells and whistles” clutter seen in other word processors. It supports formatting options, pictures with text flow, headers and footers. Save the fancy layout for a page layout program like InDesign if print is necessary. Share documents with your desktop using mail, MobileMe, DropBox, or using GoodReader (below.) A Bluetooth keyboard allows faster typing.  I paid $9.99 for Pages.

Dictionary.com

The Dictionary.com (iTunes link) dictionary and thesaurus based on Random House Unabridged Dictionary includes audio pronunciation, and stores recent queries. A free app.

GoodReader

Use GoodReader to read PDFs with flowing text, move office documents from your desktop computer to your iPad wirelessly, read the office documents, or open them in iWork using the new Document Sharing feature in iPhone OS. (See my last post.) I paid $0.99 for this app.

SketchBook Pro

Sketch latest ideas or produce cover artwork using Autodesk SketchBook Pro with or without a stylus. Layers support allows complex drawing or working from a pencil sketch template. I paid $7.99 for this app and purchased a Pogo Sketch stylus to go with it.

Advanced Tools

If you need to work on your home or office computer while away try Desktop Connect or iTap. Some network knowledge required. Non-techies may try LogMeIn service.

Other Considerations

  • Evernote: Some like this; some don’t. Supports voice and other multimedia notes. Service in the cloud for access from other machines.
  • PaperDesk: organize notes or doodle with a stylus.

How do you keep productive on your iPad?

Document Sharing on iPad

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As I noted in my previous post, “Why iPad,” the goal of computer design is to allow users to interact with their data without the burden of understanding the underlying system. In the last 3o years we have spent energy moving away from this goal. Many users have accumulated technical knowledge allowing them to perform simple tasks. Other users still struggle with their computer. The file system is one of the technical aspects of a computer most users have learned to some degree (and most people still don’t understand it.)

Since the iPad announcement many have made statements such as: The iPad storage is too small for all my files. How do I move my files without a USB connection? Using iTunes to sync files is ridiculous! These statements manifest from a file-oriented design. Users become more concerned about their files than the data the files hold.

The iPad uses a task-oriented philosophy. The goal is to bring the user closer to their data and not worry about files. For all those still uncertain what a gigabyte is or how to copy a file: rejoice! The iPad is for you. For the rest of us, we may need to build a bridge between file-oriented design and task-oriented thinking.

The Problem

Screenshot of iTunes Apps tab

The iPad is all about the applications. (No, this isn’t the problem. It’s a good thing.) Each application has its own storage space for user generated data (or photos library.) For many tasks, this is not a big deal. Just like on the PC, we don’t really care about the Twitter cache files, e-mail header files, or special settings storage. We do care about the spreadsheet data, the family vacation photo, and the story draft. We don’t truly care about the files that contain our data, but sometimes we must deal with them (for now.)

The Basic Solutions

iTunes is great for syncing music, photos, and some videos. It also provides back-up for your iPad. Some applications allow access to documents from within iTunes as a convenience. This is not a great solution, but an option if there is no other way. You may also e-mail the file to yourself. Seems silly, but it is no different than using a flash drive to sneaker-net between devices.

Better solutions include using MobileMe with iDisk or some other sharing service in the cloud. iWork apps (Pages, Numbers, Keynote) can share documents with iWork.com (beta.) Google Docs is another solution where your files stay in the cloud.

Another service is Dropbox.com which syncs your common documents with all your computers. Currently, Dropbox only provides viewing on iPhone or iPad. Opening in other iPad apps is coming soon using Document Sharing.

Document Sharing

Screenshot of iPad Mail Open In selection

This is a new feature in iPhone OS available on the iPad with apps like Mail, GoodReader, and Air Sharing Pro. If another app on the iPad supports the document, the Document Sharing supported app will provide a button to open in the other app. It works by creating a link and opening the other app which copies the document into its own storage space. You may notice an e-mail attachment with a Pages icon as seen in the screenshot.

Some might say document sharing is a “bandage” for the sandbox design of iPhone OS, but it supports task-oriented philosophy. Choosing the best tool for the job sometimes requires using multiple applications. Edit a document in one app then pass it on to another. Document sharing is about task-oriented work.

Screenshot of GoodReader file selection

File Utilities Solution

A file utility using document sharing builds a bridge connecting your file-oriented lifestyle with your task-oriented world. GoodReader and Air Sharing Pro support document sharing bringing common formats to your iPad from your e-mail, your desktop computer, Google Docs, Dropbox, MobileMe, or some other remote server. Until other apps begin using Document Sharing, one of these apps may be your good friend.

Let’s say you have a story in Word that you need to work on while traveling. Use GoodReader to connect with your desktop and just drag-drop files! Using GoodReader, “Open In…” to send your Word document to Pages so you can edit on the go! Back from traveling? The current version of Pages doesn’t share, but you may use iWork.com or e-mail the document back (to iPad in GoodReader or to desktop.)

As you might have noticed, you can also use GoodReader or Air Sharing to turn your iPad into a storage device to carry documents around. (But that’s file-oriented thinking!)

Remote Desktop Solution

Screenshot iPad RPD to Windows (click to enlarge)

If you have internet access, you can connect to your desktop at work or home and run programs as if you are there. No file copying and run any application. Apps like Desktop Connect and iTap will connect your iPad to another computer using RDP (Windows machines) or VNC (Linux or Mac.)

Wrap-up

Once Document Sharing becomes common, the iPad will support better workflows across multiple applications and sharing in the cloud or on other computers. Many tasks don’t require file management. When it becomes necessary to access documents outside of the iPad, choose the best method for your task and available resources.

[Update: Dropbox supports iPad Document Sharing. Here is the Mashable post.]

Find eBooks

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If you’re new to digital books or have a shiny new digital book reader, you may be wondering where to find books. Some stores use DRM that may limit the book to a device, while others sell DRM-free books allowing you transfer the book to a new device. Below are some quick lists to help get you started.

eBook Stores

The iBookstore provides searching Project Gutenberg, but if you are shopping elsewhere you may find it easier to download an ePub using your PC then import the book using iTunes same as a song.

iPad reading software

iPhone / iPod Touch reading software

Android reading software

PC reading software

Digital Reading

Until recently, I considered myself a traditional reader especially with technical books. I preferred using the physical book, marking pages and quickly flipping through to find something. PDF documents on the PC are difficult to work with, and many eBooks on the PC aren’t much better with the ability to search as the only benefit. Searching usually just jumps through the document, but the iBooks search reveals a list of results showing surrounded context. Some of my technical books are full of sticky notes, many of which I’ve forgotten their purpose for being there and end up checking each one. Digital readers make bookmarking cleaner.

The iPad using iBooks and GoodReader has changed my opinion. The iBooks bookmarking tool is handy. I highlight as much text to give me enough information, a reminder that may be all I need in a pinch. If I need to read more, I can jump to the page. Devices like Kindle and iPad allow the reader to hold and carry the device like a book, even leaf through pages. Even better, I can now carry my 1,500 page technical book around without breaking my back. Another great bonus: some technical eBooks get updates downloaded straight to my reader. No need to visit the web for corrections.

The pages of my favorite book has turned yellow and the spine is falling apart. I read it too much. When I replace it, I will get the eBook.

iPad At Work

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The iPad is truly a portable computing device. The tablet design is more suitable than clam shell notebook for working in the field where there isn’t a place to set a device down. The iPad is a light user friendly tablet that gets work done. For some, the iPad may replace their notebook.

Besides mail, a portable device must allow primary tasks for getting work done: connect to the office and create documents. Connecting to another computer turns the portable computer into a portal to computers that do special tasks or using a more powerful machine.

VPN and Remote Desktop

iPad RPD to Windows

Many work places require logging into web servers hidden from the public using a virtual private network (VPN,) or connecting to machines using remote desktop (RDP.) At my office, we have servers that require checking or updating running applications while I’m away from the office. The iPad supports VPN which is found in the network settings. Using a third-party RDP app, I can access the servers using my iPad to check or make changes to running operations. I could also do work as if I’m on a Windows OS machine. A person could also RDP to their own desktop while away from the office. The experience depends on the quality of the RDP app. Heavy work may be best reserved for the office, but RDP apps allow getting something done while on the road.

Search the app store for “RDP” and you’ll find several. Some will help you setup your Windows OS desktop if that’s all you need to do.

iWork

iWork Pages Screen Shot

Writing documents, working spreadsheets, and creating presentations is a big part of daily work. The iWork set of apps: Pages, Numbers, and Keynote may be purchased individually for the iPad. Pages is a word processor with all the basics including inserting pictures. I find editing documents quick and easy, including my blog post from earlier this week. Export documents, including Word format, to your PC using iTunes or a wireless service like MobileMe. The touch keyboard is large enough in the horizontal direction for regular typing. Some may prefer connecting a bluetooth keyboard for extensive typing. Not all the features of a full word processor are here, but the limited bells-and-whistles app is refreshing and allows the user to focus on getting work done. iWork for iPad proves that the device is capable of content creation.

Some apps support file sharing through iTunes. Connect iPad, click on the Apps tab, and click on the app that has your file. Apps may support other means of transferring files such as wireless connection with your PC or to sharing services.

Working on iPad

  • VPN and RDP to a Windows server or desktop while away
  • Write stories, post blogs, or create presentations
  • Sketch ideas or create art using Autodesk Sketchpad Pro
  • Deliver presentations using VGA connector kit
  • Photo editing with Masque (alternatives?)
  • Mail, calendar, notes, social media, view videos, browse web
  • Voice dictation

Nice to See

  • Connect bar code reader (or cam) for counting inventory
  • Annotations in iBooks (Coming soon)

Video conferencing might be nice, but all phones should already be doing this.

I purchased my iPad primarily to read books and do lightweight work, but I’m already finding myself doing more work than I expected. It will be interesting to see what kind of powerful apps arrive in the future. The iPad marks a transition. It shows us that we can get work done on a lightweight device with 10+ hours of battery life. The user-friendly interface and apps force designers to think more about bringing the user closer to their data. The future of portable computing will be interesting.

Are you getting work done on the iPad? What kind of apps would help you get more work done?

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