Category: Technology

How I Blog On My iPad 


Watch any science fiction movie or show and you will see a common thread – touch screens and tablets are pervasive. Physical keyboards are nowhere to be found. Today, most people’s primary computing device is the phone in their pocket or purse, and that trend seems likely to continue and to escalate.

I happily use my MacBook Air daily for my web design boot camp, podcast editing for my church, recording, and other tasks. But my primary computers are my iPad Air 2 and, to a lesser extent, my iPhone. They are always with me (yes, my iPad too), and are terrific tools for the way I write and manage data. As such, I have decided to intentionally use my iPad as my primary blogging tool whenever possible. I am typing this post on the iPad using the standard iOS keyboard.

Here are three of the tools I use to accomplish this… Continue reading “How I Blog On My iPad “ →

Why Eliminating the Headphone Jack is the Wrong Call

The rumor mill has already begun speculating what new features and form factors will be in the iPhone 7 when it is released next year. As an Apple fan, I follow them with some interest, but I don’t assume that these guesses are correct until I see some hard evidence.

There is one rumor, however, that I hope is incorrect.

It is the removal of the headphone jack. Continue reading “Why Eliminating the Headphone Jack is the Wrong Call” →

I Will Never Hear Adele’s New Album

 When I heard that Adele’s new album would not be released to streaming sites like Spotify, I had one thought…

Well, I guess I’ll never hear Adele’s new album.

I am an all-in Spotify user. I figure, for the cost of one album on iTunes per month, I can listen to almost anything I want on any device I want. I don’t listen to pop radio, so if it isn’t on Spotify, I won’t likely hear it.

I understand why artists like Adele and Taylor Swift would opt to keep their music off streaming services – they feel that they are not adequately compensated by these services, and I can’t necessarily argue against that view. Still, it doesn’t change the fact that I (nor folks like me) won’t hear their music until (or if) they change their minds.

Why Cheap Electronics Cost More

I thought I had it all figured out.

I researched. I read reviews. I read more reviews.

I wanted a small tablet. The iPad Mini had just been introduced, and I already had a first gen Kindle Fire for work. But I thought there might be a better way. So my research pointed me to the first gen Nexus 7. I found a good deal on one and I bought it.

I came to love that thing. It became a vital part of my work flow.

Then it started to slow down. Continue reading “Why Cheap Electronics Cost More” →

The Day the Nexus Died – Coding?

7In my last post, I lamented the passing of my Nexus 7, my discouragement with my techie lameness, and the lack of time to fix either.

I have been tossing around the idea of learning to code for a while now. I even began some CSS lessons on Codecademy a while back, but other things took precedent.

I feel like it’s time to dive back in. Continue reading “The Day the Nexus Died – Coding?” →

Learning to Type Again

Anybody else catch 24: Live Another Day?

(How’s that for the intro line to a post about tablet blogging?)

I love 24. Always have. And for many reasons.  But this isn’t really a fan post, so let me get to the point.

There was a scene early on in the series where Chloe met up with her hacker group at their HQ. I noticed that one of the hackers, aside from having an awesome accent, also used a very large tablet as his primary computer.

Then, a couple of days ago,  I read a news article about Tim Cook. Apparently, he does 80 to 90% of his work on an iPad, and thinks the rest of us should do the same. 

As I mentioned in my last post, I am shaking up my writing by inputting my next few posts on my Nexus 7.

I’ve been meaning to do something like this for a while. For one thing, I like my Nexus. While I primarily use it for content consumption, I know it is a capable tool for other things.

But the primary reason I am doing this experiment, as it were, is that I believe mobiles and tablets are only going to become more of a mainstay of our lives, and there are some skills I need to improve.

Namely, touchscreen typing.

Remember when you first tried to type? Maybe it was a typewriter.  Perhaps it was a computer.  In any event, no one faces the keyboard for the first time and finds it easy. Remembering the home row of keys and gaining the muscle memory necessary to effectively type at a decent speed takes a lot of time and effort.

Aside from thumb typing on our phones, I don’t think there are many folks trying to learn to effectively type on a tablet.

Granted, there are plenty of good Bluetooth keyboards out there. But isn’t that kinda cheating? I mean, I have MacBook Air in the next room.  Why am I taking the time to practice a completely new form of typing?

Because technology, business, and even society is heading in this direction.

Though they have recently rebounded, PC sales have plummeted of late. iPads, Tabs, Nexuses (or whatever the plural of Nexus is) will continue to increase their share of the computing market, so improving the way we interface with these devices will also be increasingly relevant.

Ever thought about this? Anybody else learning to type all over again?

Tablet Blogging

I won’t make excuses for the haphazard frequency of posting lately. It’s a reality, but I quite simply haven’t taken the time to write. Well, I’ve written some things, but nothing ready to publish.

What I thought I’d do is shake up my processes. I think, for the next few posts, I will create, edit, and post them completely from my Nexus 7. Continue reading “Tablet Blogging” →