IOS 6 Update on Pad whilst asleep! Plus first thoughts.

IOS 6 Update

Currently on a weeks holiday with friends in Norfolk and had previously decided not to update IOS devices until I returned home on the weekend. But you know how it is….


I had with me my MacBook, iPad(1) now claimed by my wife, iPad(3) and iPhone(4). So in the evening I ran App updates on iPad(3), 18 of them and backed up iPad via iTunes onto MacBook. Once in bed I started upgrade on iPad and left it running beside pillow (holiday home had twin beds so my wife was none the wiser). Woke up a couple of times and squinted at iPad and all seemed to be progressing OK.


Next morning reached for iPad and was away with new IOS 6. I must say although an easy upgrade I am yet to be amazed. First experience was a slight disappointment. I had hoped that the Notes App would be the same as Mountain Lion, but no. Still cannot add photos or display photos of Notes created on Mac and synced across. And of course new Apple Maps in UK is not too hot and no StreetView. So Apple has created the state where nearly all of us IOS enthusiasts are looking forward to Google releasing a stand alone Map App!

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Update

Back home now. Did not have time to finish this whilst in Norfolk, too much time spent walking and board games.

One thing in IOS 6 I really like is the ability to upload a photo from my iPad when using Safari.


Last night whilst watching Downton Abbey I was creating a few eBay entries. The eBay APP did not accept the photos I wanted to use without cropping so I went online and used standard eBay on Safari. In the photos part of eBay I was able to select Standard and then Add Photo which opened a dialogue from which I could select photo from my iPad Photos.

Footnote

This blog was written completely on ipad with Writing Kit The amazing art work created inInkflow and saved to Photos then uploaded to Flickr in Safari using technique described above. Now All I need to do is load it into Blogger+, or maybe straight into Blogger on Safari and wait for it to go viral!

Blogger+ Tip. How to make list button work.

When stating to use Blogger+ on my iPad I could not get the list button to work.

Solution is:

1. Type in the list first just using enter key between each item.


2. Select the whole list.


3. Hit list button and select required format.

In fact all the buttons work better by selecting target text and then hitting button.

Blogging from your iPad

The nights are drawing in again, so my blogging activity begins to rise again. So what blogger app to use? I have the following on my iPad:

WordPress
BlogPress
Blogger+
Blogsy

WordPress

Not a user of WordPress services, so this was installed for a look-see and kept just in case.

BlogPress

Never really got this to work, probably my fault, but will probably delete once I am certain of the last two.

Blogger+

Current favourite. Easy to add images, you came include HTML and so can use MarkDown and WritingKit to prepare and paste into this. Interfaces well with Google Blogger which is my blogging vehicle.
I have written this article completely within Blogger+

Blogsy

A very comprehensive App but quite a steep learning curve for casual use. I will keep it on iPad and asses it more when I have time.

MarkDown Editor for IPad - Writing Kit

MarkDown Editor for IPad

Having just purchased the small cheaper Kindle I discovered that you can email various types of data to my-id@kindle.com and it will be converted to Kindle Mobi format and loaded into my Kindle.

This prompted me to review the few Markdown Apps I have on my iPad and I have decided to make Writing Kit my prime vehicle for creating documents I wish to keep on my Kindle. It has additional keys for entering the MarkDown commands and features to ease moving the cursor.

Another important feature, well a feature of MarkDown really, is the ability to specify native HTML for finer control, which can be mixed with MarkDown commands. I used this feature to position the Writing Kit icon on the left of the text in this article.

What's a Kindle doing on this blog.

I am now on my second iPad, the original and now the new(3), so why have I bought a Kindle.

Two reasons

 
1. On recent holiday in glorious weather reading a book on iPad at best was difficult.
   
2. New announcement meant Kindle price now £69 . The Touch model is £109

 For reading outside it is brilliant. It is small and weighs next to nothing.

What I did not expect is how easy it is to send other material to it, e.g. photos, useful for say screen grabbing your reminder's list and putting it on Kindle. It will take HTML amongst others formats, which you email to your-id@kindle.com and they are converted to native Kindle.

The on-screen keyboard is a pain to use, not a problem to me as I only want to use it as a reader but if you do not have an iPad or similar tablet then I would pay the extra money and get a Touch or Fire model.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

My suggested Apps for my Sister who bought her 1st iPad today

My sister emailed me from her new iPad tonight and here is the list of Apps I sugested she may like.

I am sure you will not regret buying the iPad. Since I gave Shirley my original iPad she has not used PC or laptop, does all she needs.

Here is a list of Apps I think all iPad users should get..

• Flipboard .... No need to buy paers or magazines once you get this setuo
• Instapaper ... Copies and saves web pages onto your iPad so that you can read them offline
• Dropbox ... Share files between PC and iPad
• Snapseed ... Edit photos
• iPlayer ... You can now download BBC programmes to iPad and watch them offline, e.g. on the train to Brighton
• TV Catchup ... Watch live TV. I use it to watch Cricket on Channel 5 when washing up
• Pinnacle Studio ... Editing and creating movies. Free for next few days I think.
• iBird ... Very good for birders, a bit expensive though.
• GoSkyWatch ... Point iPad at the sky and it will tell you where the planets and stars are.
• SketchBook ... Draw and paint
• Garage Band ... One for Richard
• Kindle ... buy books from Amazon and read them on iPad
• Free Books ... Pay a couple of quid and have access to loads of older books. I'm reading Ana Karenia at the moment

Now if your iPad has telephone (3G) feature it will also have GPS, and so you can use

• NavFree  ..SatNav 
• UK Map ...  Download the maps you need and you will not have to buy any. Also tells you exactly where you are.
• Trails ... Records where you have been. Use it when we are out walking or cycling. Also shows map.

If it's not 3G model then no GPS but these Apps may still work, using Wireless Routers to approximately locate iPad. GPS accuracy is a few meters wherever you are, non GPS it can be a few meters to a few miles depending how many wireless routers it can find.

There are over 200,000 Apps according to Apple so plenty to choose from.