iPad for Christmas

It's a strange time of the year. People act weird, in the bay area, even the weather is weird. Me, I started juicing today. Stephanie and my mom convinced me to watch Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead and it got me thinking — I could try this juice thing.

The first glass I could hardly get down and keep down. It was partially the taste, and had something to do with the texture, smell, and the way it felt like it was rolling through my system. I suppose it was mainly the smell and knowing what was in it. I suppose that the color had something to do with it, too.

Anyway, that's all beside the point. I was thinking about things that I'm thankful for — some years ago, I made a Thanksgiving shout out style blog entry that I'd thought about recreating/updating... oh well — and my iPad is pretty high on the list of the things. I could go on for hours about the people and events, but that's likely beyond superfluous.

This device gives me the power of a notebook computer with enhanced functionality. With it, and apps like Splashtop, I have a device that lets me do basically everything except finalized design work. I can create and conceptualize, doodle and sketch, write, browse the web, play games, talk to people, watch videos, movies and TV, and perhaps most importantly, I can forget about my pain and disability for a few minutes here and there.

The device is so powerful and the App Store has so many great apps. Just recently, Rockstar released the 10 year anniversary iOS edition of Grand Theft Auto III! A few weeks earlier, I got The Bard's Tale, an epic action RPG from some years ago released on PC and PS2. They both look great on the iPad 2. I like to play games on 360 and Playstation 3, but I'm not always physically feeling up to it. (Sad, I know.)

I don't have the 4S, but I'd probably like Siri just as much.

Anyway, there's a lot going on in the world right now, European debt crises, Occupy, upcoming primaries and presidential election... it's a complicated place. The iPad greatly simplifies things for me, putting together several devices and what would be hundreds of pounds of magazines, books, and other resources into one simple, fairly lightweight device. iOS may not be for you, maybe you like Android, or you don't like tablets at all. I'd really like a WACOM tablet or Cintiq screen, but I don't know if I need those things urgently. If I had a MacBook Air, I would probably love that thing a lot, too. iCloud is pretty cool.

Happiness may be hard to come by, in short supply, but find it wherever and however you can. The games I play and the other media I consume makes me a better designer and artist. The articles I read make me a better thinker, and hopefully someday, a better citizen.

Hopefully I can write before Christmas and 2012, but if you don't hear from me or see me, know that if you were ever at all important to me, I've thought about you a lot, and for now, I think I'm doing sort of okay. I could really use some help, too, but I'll manage for a little while. Don't just ignore people around you in pain; someday, it could be you or someone you care about, and you might want someone to care about you.

[Oh! I can help with your app needs, at least. I know a lot about iOS and its goodness. Check out Infinite Sketchpad and AppShopper.]

New "superfluous" logo concepts

Another glimpse behind the scenes; here's an iPhone 4 camera phone pic of my conceptual logo work for this website, Bradtastic's (not) Superfluous (Blog... or journal).

Phase two is a move from an iPhone 4 snapshot of my Brookstone "Boogie Board" (really cool, and inexpensive; Bradtastic Approved) to the iPad 2 — first Penultimate, then Autodesk Sketchbook Pro. From there, it'll be vectored.

The tools are basically all mobile technology now... and I think that that's awesome.

iPad 2 Screen Problems

I now have the iPad 2.

This really is a big deal. The original iPad has served me so well, but this thing is twice as fast with graphics (they say) seven times better. I’ve heard that in reality, it’s less, but even so… this machine is amazing — now that I’m using my second iPad 2.

Yes, the first one was defective.

I was using a 64GB original iPad; I was so thrilled about upgrading to a 64GB with 3G. The anticipation from waiting over one month to receive the new iPad — and as soon as I sync it, I realize.

The screen of my iPad 2 is not centered.

Forget light leakage; the screen of my iPad 2 was offset about 1mm to the left, and tilted a degree to the left. This might not sound like much, but as an artist, it’s a huge deal. The untrained eye without magnification could see that the screen was off-center, so I took it back to the Apple Store for replacement. Apple’s customer service is pretty solid. I’ve been using their products for years now, and I’ve loved them since the beginning of OSX, despite some problems here and there. They saw the problem, and offered replacement… except that store didn’t have one. Luckily, an Apple Store twenty miles away did, so I went there.

It was there that I noticed that the offset screen problem could be a greater issue than just my lemon machine.

The problem is much easier to identify on the white iPad. The pixels of the iPad LED lit LCD screen don’t touch the border of the glass cover; there is a margin, a black border, on all four sides of the screen. At least, there should be — and it should be centered. However, this isn’t always the case. I checked several floor models, and noticed that some of the screens were positioned slightly off-center, though none as bad as the iPad 2 I’d first received. This imperfect placement makes me think that this could be an issue for other people. Please let me know if you’ve had something similar.

A screen with a slightly larger margin on one side is still usable, but a crooked screen isn’t.

That’s what I had. This new one, the one that I’m writing from, is much better. I can’t say that it’s perfect. I would’ve thought that iPad quality control would eliminate those sorts of problems. Other owners have reported light leakage and bright spots. At least dead pixels seem to be a thing of the past. “They don’t make ‘em like they used to” is a good thing with regard to LCDs. Despite my initial trouble, Imam happy with the iPad 2. It’s everything I loved about my old iPad, faster, in a better shell. I highly recommend these things; the iPad isn’t just magical, for me, it’s life-altering — in all of the best ways. I wish that Apple sold some kind of cover for the back of the iPad 2 (the aluminum can scratch really easily), but there are third-party covers like InvisibleShield. I plan to get something to go along with my (PRODUCT) RED smart cover. Because I take my iPad everywhere and use it as my mann computer, I need something sturdy and somewhat rugged. Having communicated with dozens of app developers, I feel like this device has some of the most passionate programmers and designers in the world backing it up and building for it. Despite some issues I have with Apple’s approval process and store policies, I give them my Bradtastic Approved label. I only wish they were more neutral in their apps choices and terms. As Playstation Network is still down, I’ll be writing more reviews, tips, tangents and rants in my spare time,, including a beginner’s guide to “becoming bit literate” — with the first step of reducing email inbox/es to zero emails. For now, I think I’ll enjoy this a little bit and continue organizing after a snack.

Day One Journal, no nonsense.

This app is cool. At $0.99 USD, it’s hard to complain about price. (The same cannot be said for the desktop version, however, at $9.99) DAY ONE (journal) for iPhone is a strong example of a straightforward app uncomplicated by features.

But what about Momento?

How can I not mention Momento? After all, I featured it on this blog. Both are currently iPhone only (as iOS devices go). The two do differ, however. Momento could do everything that Day One does, but it’s not really built for just that. Momento is about capturing feeds and tagging posts; organizing a complex weave of photos, tweets, status updates and memos. Day One doesn’t do photos. It doesn’t do tagging, either. It doesn’t have these things… on purpose. What it does, it does so well; it keeps track of lightweight journal posts and quick thoughts, timestamps them, keeps track of particular favorites, and syncs it all with Dropbox. The app syncs with the expensive desktop version (I don’t understand the ten dollar Mac app price tag — at all. Come on, $4.99 tops, more like $2.99 and it’d be a super app), for those crazy enough to buy it. Momento does offer backups and exporting, but it isn’t super clean and automatic. The (current) lack of a desktop counterpart makes the exports fairly useless, too. Momento is like a personal status archive. Day One is a journal.

What else…

DAY ONE is beautiful. Look at it; it’s stunning. It’s compelling; it makes writing easy, and it never feels clunky. I think that the app could use text markup, specifically bold, italics, strikethrough, but even without, why wouldn’t you use it. Day One journal app is perfect for beginner journal-keepers; paper journals can be daunting for newcomers and anyone who hasn’t actually finished a journal cover-to-cover, and this semi-safe little thing is a perfect tool to capture quick thoughts during downtime. To truly take advantage of its plain text self, Day One can be used with Dragon Dictation: on the go, thoughts can be verbalized, transformed to text, copied, and pasted into Day One with a few taps. Granted, a perfect integration this isn’t, but it’s not that bad. The lack of tagging and feeds is a good thing, I think… at least for some people — maybe most people. Integrating text and images from outside sources can mean clutter, and tagging just isn’t necessary for everyone. The tedium of tagging can be a turn-off; it isn’t useful if it’s only done sometimes, and to tag every single quick post just doesn’t seem (or feel) practical in the real world. Dropbox syncing is a far more practical feature. [If you don’t have a Dropbox account, make one NOW] Entries are therefore self-archiving, and the plain text can then be used wherever with simple copy/paste. Rich text would be neat, but it isn’t always better. Adding some kind of markup could mean loss of flexibility; some apps/websites/tools prefer HTML, some use Textile.

Closing thoughts; Bradtastic Approved?

My recommendation is this: BRADTASTIC APPROVED. If you aren’t currently using a journal app, get Day One (Journal). Even if you do have something else, at $0.99 for an iOS app, the risk is small. Play around with it for a while before investing in the desktop app. I was hesitant of this app at first; I thought (and still believe) that the desktop app was overpriced, that it lacked value, and that there were numerous alternatives. Now that I have it, it’s hard to regret. I see this as a replacement for the now defunct IdeaPad app by Glowfilter. [I have no idea why IdeaPad was removed from the App Store; a copyright issue, maybe, because of the name?] Day One is clean and fast; 2.4mb and four dollars cheaper than Macjournal for iPhone. It’s also better looking by far. [and I actually really like Mariner Software in general] Keeping a daily journal is one of the best simple things anyone can do. Too often, people make excuses — “I don’t have time,” • “I’m not good at writing.” Those are decent reasons not to blog, but this journal can stay private. It’s straightforward and isn’t intimidating. I’ve never had someone I’ve recommended journaling to ever tell me they’ve regretted it, or that it was a bad idea. I do hear about a lot of false starts, however, and I think Day One is a decent countermeasure. [AND: Maybe my unendorsed glowing (fair and honest) review will convince the developers to give me a copy of the desktop app to try!]

Update on Thursday, April 21, 2011 at 3:29 AM by Bradtastic

I’ve been told that I may have the opportunity to review the desktop app for you guys in the near future (a few weeks or less). Also, after learning more about the app from the developer and @dayoneapp at Twitter, I can confidently say that I believe updates will arrive soon that will make Day One easily worth the $9.99 price.

As it is, if the desktop app is as slick and crash-free as the iOS app, it’s not money poorly spent, I think. If you have the means and desire to toss ten dollars at a cool app to support the development of making said app even cooler, by all means, I won’t argue!

As far as features go, I’ve been told that markdown is on the way.

In addition to that, I would appreciate a separate title field for entries, and reminders (a desktop feature) on the iOS app [though that’s not as big of a deal].

Stay tuned!

Update on Tuesday, May 10, 2011 at 2:25 AM by Bradtastic

I have indeed given the Mac OS desktop app a thorough “testing;” I’ve been using the app for over one week now. It is brilliant! The concept behind Day One is something that I’ve come to really love: simple is better. 

It’s not-so-much “less is more” as it is “keep it simple.”

D A Y O N E as they like to write it, is completely different from MacJournal. The iOS app differs from Momento. Day One is focussed—there’s no nonsense, no blogging from within the app, no tagging entries or importing feeds. Day One is a simple, put-your-thoughts-into-it tool. That’s why it is great. 

If you like (or need) that sort of thing, get this app. Even if you think $9.99 might be too much for the desktop counterpart, it’s probably worth it for two reasons: you’ll get your value for money when the app is updated, it’s a small price to pay for a tool you can actually use everyday, quickly. 

Day One is not an app that you feel guilty for ignoring when you need to, and you won’t feel bad about simply writing a few sentences (or phrases even), if that’s what is appropriate—or all you have time for. Day One should absolutely be used with Dropbox; not linking the two is such a waste, since Dropbox is free (or cheap, if you want to pay for it).

NOTE: If you’re concerned about privacy, DAY ONE might not (yet) be for you. The iOS app has password protection, but it’s light, and the data stored isn’t encrypted… and it’s easy to find. The desktop app is far less secure, so: if you think someone will try to snoop, find something else—or censor your writing. But if that’s the case… maybe you have a bigger issue to deal with.

Computer Hardware

Despite all this “antennaegate” nonsense, I got myself an iPhone 4, and I’m happy with it. The retina-display is amazing. I also got a Kindle DX last week; the more time I spend with it, the more I love it. At last, I thought to myself, all I need to get is a 3D HDTV and move out of Oakland, and everything will be peachy!

Alas…

Once again I find myself out of storage space on my main computer. My main computer isn’t new, anymore… and I’ve been giving some thought toward getting a new one. I just don’t know what would best suit me at the moment.

Things are changing.

My life was simpler last year; I knew what I was doing, I knew how to do it, and I wasn’t going out much. I’d made dramatic lifestyle changes and had settled into the uncomfortable routines of pain management. This year, I’m trying to be slightly more active, and I’m once again using computers frequently.

Desktop or notebook?

The iPad was the real game-changer. The iPhone did a lot to make some net-based tasks easier, but typing on one just isn’t quick or convenient enough. With the iPad I was able to establish new routines and processes to get stuff done. Apple’s tablet was the first device of its kind to really replace a notebook — it’s so far beyond the netbook that it’s unreasonable to compare the two.

Unfortunately, I can’t do everything on the iPad. Though there are many wonderful apps available on iTunes’ App Store (there are also many dismal ones), many necessary utilities are missing. I still need a Mac for some stuff. But what would suit me best? I’m debating between the iMac and Mac Pro.

Perhaps someday soon, I’ll have both; a work machine, and a media machine. For now, I need to prioritize, and the next two pieces of hardware I need are a printer and a WACOM Cintiq 12WX. Most of my design work starts as a sketch, and my Tablet PC is just too old to be effective. I can’t even find a replacement battery for it. I did add a Motion Computing LE 1600 to my wishlist, however, and at $450, it’d make for a great gift.

With or without, things are happening. I’ve been creating new artwork and I’m going to release some new designs as well as some writing. Somehow, with all of this going on, I’ve managed to set aside time to watch some Star Trek and post journal entries. However, my books and my aircraft design are drifting toward limbo — I need to rectify that.

If you also want to make some things happen, here’s a book I suggest:

Making Ideas Happen by Scott Belsky

New tech, tools and reviews.

I'm going to try to get an Apple iPhone 4 on Friday. I've heard wonderful things about it; from the retina display to the 5MP camera and video chat, the phone is likely to be a game-changer. Thus far, dual camera devices haven't done much to make mobile video chatting attractive to consumers — seems like the iPhone 4 will change that.

Things from Amazon

Yesterday, I placed an order for Autodesk Sketchbook Pro 2010 and a Sherpa pen. I should receive the software tomorrow. I'd really like a new tablet to take advantage of the awesome drawing tool; I saw the Motion Computing LE1600 for $450 at Amazon, though I've been thinking, a Wacom Cintiq 12WX might make more sense. (if I'm going to sketch at home, I'd rather do it connected to Mac, and if I'm out, I'd use the iPad)

I'm strongly considering getting the new graphite Kindle DX; I'm not upset about waiting now, either, because of the $110 price drop. As much as I love my iPad, reading from a backlit screen just doesn't cut it. Maybe when the iPad gets retina display, the experience will be better. Reading magazines on the iPad is superb, but I'd never spend hours on end reading them — as opposed to books, ad they generally take at least one hour, and I try to read at least two every day.

Other tech

I hope Apple updates the MacBook Air. The new iMacs are really nice; I'd certainly create marvels with the 27". I am out more often now, and with several events coming up in the near future (SC2 Bay Area Launch Party & Tournament, for one), it might be practical to get a 3G iPad.

We'll see. To pay for these things, I'll need to finish up my other designs and projects. Reading up/studying programming and CSS isn't much fun for me, so I've been reading some books on grids and typography as well to break up the bits. I'm putting together new websites (not just for me) and finalizing some print-work — perhaps I'll share some of it, as I think you'll like it.

Tidbit about Draft

Software, idea management, brainstorming

I've enjoyed playing around with mind-mapping and idea-mapping, GTD and other task management solutions (Action Method)... though I'm still trying to be more bit literate. I've found Things for iPhone to be helpful, Taskpaper, and I like Adobe Ideas for iPad. The App Store has a dedicated GTD section filled with great tools such as Momento and Penultimate.

Despite reading negative reviews and the $9.99 pricetag, I decided to try 37signals' first iPad app, called Draft. Its features are limited; with only two color pens, one writing size, an eraser and one-level "undo," the app is hard to comprehend. It can sync to Campfire (a web-based group chat platform with iPhone apps like Ember) but not Backpack (yet). I'm really hoping that it gets better.

I'm going to try Use Your Handwriting Gold ("UYH") today — I see it as being a nice note/task management tool for use during phone calls (for things like writing phone numbers).

I told a friend that I'd post more often

So I will... and I'll try to keep it engaging. I've got another busy week; SF, Infiniti dealership, design, print, meetings — I need to get adequate rest.

The Amazing iPad

I’ve been amazed by the iPad from the moment I first saw one…

And since purchasing and syncing it, it’s rarely left my hands. I’ve read dozens of iPad reviews but none have quite represented how truly incredible the device is for someone like me. It’s replaced my desktop and laptop; the only other device I use regularly is my iPhone, and that’s to make phone calls.

I can’t say that I was ever skeptical of the iPad, but prior to seeing the device on, in person, the hype was easy to ignore. I didn’t want to fight for pole-position in long lines, and I wanted the 3G model.

I still want the 3G model — just not as much. I’m almost never away from WiFi hotspot, and if I am, I’m generally doing something that requires my full attention. WiFi is prevalent where I live and spend time, and I doubt that free hotspots are a fading trend. That said, it would be nice to use the iPad for GPS navigation; attempting to use the iPhone for such a purpose while driving in San Francisco with a visually-impaired passenger is inconvenient, if not dangerous. Luckily, we just got a little lost.

My only other iPad complaints are fairly minor. I’d like WACOM Penabled technology built-in, the screen collects and reflects smudges (making it difficult to view the screen in sunlight), and there isn’t enough software — yet.

I’d like to see a version of Adobe Illustrator for iPad. I’m not sure that that will ever happen because of the Adobe Flash war (conflict), but something similar could be created, like Inkscape.

I know that the iPad was never created to be an everything replacement — but for me, it really could be. The iPad really is a dream, come true… I could never have imagined as a child that I’d one day have a device like this, and for it to have happened so soon! I’m excited to see next year’s model.

Looking back at the first-generation iPhone to the 3GS — the biggest improvements were software, not hardware. I think that current iPad software is barely 1/10 of what’s possible. Let’s hope the Formics don’t attack us until then.

iPad Experience — Impressive

For over one week, I’ve extensively used the iPad everyday for almost all of my work tasks. The only thing that it doesn’t do for me is make calls. So far, the entire experience has blown me away — it’s been beyond my expectations.

More than a large iPod touch, yes…

I could go into this at length, and at some point, I might. For now, I’d rather talk about the quality of the software. So much has already been said about the hardware; brilliant screen, great battery, et cetera. What’s been am unexpected surprise is how great the app developers have been.

All of the developers that I’ve contacted with feedback, questions or feature recommendations have replied promptly and thoughtfully. Since the updates are mostly free and I’ve already paid for the software, they could just ignore me. They haven’t. I suppose it helps that I take the time to properly articulate my ideas and my advice is generally sought after — but that is beside the point. You could contact them, too.

This is NOT the typical computing experience.

I’ve been particularly thrilled about Maxjournal by omax media. As is, the software works… it’s just not exactly what I’d want. I contacted them about adding fonts, rich text, timestamps and tags — my questions were answered and my suggestions, noted. It’s a fry-cry from the days of generic boxed software purchases at the local CompUSA.

I like that there’s no large corporation, automated feel present in the overall iPad experience. It’s an empowering feeling atypical of computers — the ability for a single-mind to make a difference. I think that Apple’s software development kits have a lot to do with it.

It’s not perfect — nothing is — the dev kit is missing a rich text editor amongst other things, and it’s still unclear what criteria Apple uses to accept and reject software for the App Store. For every good app, there’s 3000 crappy ones, and there’s only one iPad app for every 50,000 or so iPhone/touch apps. I’m sure that these ratios will change for the better. (Note: these numbers are estimations… if you have the specifics, please feel free to share, and cite your source/s!)

Add nothing, straight out of the packaging, the iPad still rocks.

Remember what the first-gen iPhone was like? Think about how much better it’s become, all around. I think that the Apple tablet platform has a bright, grand future. The only weak area that I can justifiably complain about is the iBooks app and store. As a bookreader, the iPad isn’t better than the Kindle (or Kindle DX) — I’m not sure about the Barnes and Noble nook, but it’s probably better, too. The e-ink screen offers a much better reading experience in any lighted condition. (The iPad may be superior for people who need to read in low-to-no light often.) The iBooks store offers many books, though the process of translation from print to digital might’ve been rushed, as there are many silly errors in the books that I’ve sampled (in particular, everything written by Orson Scott Card). With Zinio, however, the iPad makes for a much better magazine reading experience than the Kindle (except, for me, the magazine Foreign Affairs, because there aren’t any pictures.) I just wish Zinio offered more magazines; namely Newsweek, and less critically, some US video game magazines (the current offerings are all foreign, mostly European).

If you’re on the fence about the iPad (but you can afford one) — get off.

Get to the Apple store, order one online, do whatever works for you. Price aside, I can’t think of one good reason not to get one. That said, if you read books more than you browse the net, listen to music, watch videos and play games, then you might want to get a Kindle first.

More on Superfluous and Bradtastic Premier soon. This entry was composed on the iPad.

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