Not Just A Pretty Device - As A Productivity Tool The iPad Excels!

Having used the iPad for the past month i can say it exceeds my expectations. Prior to the release there were many online discussions about how this would fit into someones toolkit -- can it replace a laptop? is it just an oversized iPod touch? The truth is the iPad is a new category and it's a great addition. It's best when you are consuming content such as watching videos, TV shows, checking out web-sites, listening to music, reading a book or sharing photos. As a Professional Organizer though I'm all about productivity and I can safely say as a productivity tool, the iPad is great.

Everything you need in a portable device

Ten days ago i was in Columbus, Ohio for the National Association of Professional Organizers annual Conference and for the first time in 6 conferences opted to not bring my laptop and instead rely solely on the iPad. I was of course able to access the internet (via WiFi) and check my emails, check out my schedule, look up contacts in my database but the iPad turned out to be great for other things. I opted not to bring the keyboard-dock as I really wanted to check out how "regular" typing on the larger keyboard compared to the smaller iPhones would be and while I did have to get used to the touch keyboard and had to correct several mistakes in my typing I was able to take notes easily and had the added benefit of emailing myself those notes afterwords so I had clear typewritten notes to work from when back at the office. Prior to heading to Columbus I also downloaded GoodReader which is an application that allows you to load PDF's onto your iPad. This years conference organizers opted to go digital instead of supply a printed workbook so it was extremely helpful to be able to have over 400 pages of session presentation notes, files, meeting room floor plans and other PDF's that I wanted to access during the conference on one small digital device.  And loading the documents was really easy. Like the iWork Apps (Pages, Numbers & Keynote) you can simply upload files from within iTunes. Everyday i'm finding new, useful iPad applications (i'll be posting more of those in later posts,) but i'm extremely satisfied with the iPad as a productivity tool. 

iPhone Credit Card Reader

I work with a lot of small business owners and consultants who generally are paid by check because they meet with clients directly and don't have the ability to accept credit cards during the consultation. Imagine being able to get paid with a credit card using just your iPhone to make the transaction. That's what coming from the creator of Twitter; a device which attached to your iPhone allows you to scan credit cards from customers and take payment on the fly changing the way people do business & get paid -- For all the entrepreneurs and small businesses out there this is amazing!  It's in Beta testing but you can learn more at squareup.com and be sure check out the demo below.