I think I must have bought more text processors for my iPad than I have written stories with any of them! But even though UX Write is amongst the more expensive ones (amongst iPad apps, which admittedly are cheap), I got that one too. What sold me was the touch pad it introduces when you press a special key on the virtual keyboard. Finally a solid attempt at solving what I have said even recently, that one of the big weaknesses of the iOS is cursor insertion and text selection. It's embarrassingly tricky, really, and sort of negates Apple's postulate of the iPad as a production device.
UX also works in HTML 5, which I think is a wise choice, lets face it, text these days is electronic, and HTML is basis for so many things, including the standard ebook format ePub.
Admission: I've only started with the app myself, but read John M's review above, he knows his stuff and then some.
Why would one write on an iPad instead of a laptop? Well, it's a judgment call. But say you're carrying your iPad anyway, as an ereader, web browser, entertainment center, navigator, gaming device, etc etc. If the iPad were to be a powerful word processor, you could save a lot of money and weight by not having to carry a laptop also. And the iPad certainly has the screen and all the power anybody needs for word processing. And now it seems the software is coming along also. (Rumor has it MS has Word in the works too for iPad.) For some people like me, an external, physical keyboard might be needed, but that's just a fraction of the price and weight of a laptop. (There are many options, from Apple's own beautiful aluminium model to very light and cheap knock-offs. Here's a (slightly outdated) article of my own on that.)
There's also the "toaster-fridge": Brydge. I may get that one, I'm not sure. They are right in that the quality of the many keyboards for the iPad has never quite been up to snuff. That might be nice, and it might be nice to be able to carry them as a unit, and to not have to bring a case or a stand.
Bruce said...
I'm keeping an eye on the Android Netbook category, which is promising in the long term. Right now you can buy a crummy one that runs Android 2.x for around $100.00, but that's about it. There are quite a few of these for sale at Amazon. A decent one that runs Android 4 for $200 would be very interesting. With a netbook, you always have the keyboard, but sacrifice the touch screen for a trackpad.
Making a netbook with Android, manufacturers save money on a Windows license, can use a less powerful ARM processor instead of Intel, and customers still have a huge ecosystem of apps at the Google Play store. Manufacturers also save money by eliminating the touch screen, and have a larger case in which they can use larger, less expensive parts.
None of the big names are making these, but if some off brand in China or elsewhere can step up their game just a little bit I think they could sell quite a few of these things.
Eolake said...
Yes, that's a quite interesting idea. It might make for some quite interesting machines.
If there are enough good apps.
I don't know if they'll save a lot by eliminating the touch screen, if not I wouldn't mind keeping it along with the trackpad, for many things it's a good interface.
A good keyboard would be important. Not too short travel. I have an old Psion NetBook (before "netbooks" arrived). It's a solid portable word processor. With that as a model and progress since then, it could be interesting.
10 comments:
Will it embed fonts in the PDF? that is the deal breaker for me. Pages doesn’t do it, so what looks good or fancy on your ipad will just look meh and all screwed up on another display, and won’t print as intended.
Yeah, that's a tricky bit, because of licencing. You have to pay to use a font, normally.
I know a good logo company, they say you get all the files to play with. But I have to ask them if one gets the fonts too. I doubt it, for they are surprisingly cheap, so I doubt they can include a $200 font.
I asked the company, and they say:
"When we send a design we always flatten the font. This means you do not need to purchase the font in order to use the design. If you do wish to have a copy of the font you will need to buy it yourself. Because of this we generally do not use anything that is too expensive."
(Update from the developer re this question, under the linked article.)
"Brydge. ... it might be nice to be able to carry them as a unit, and to not have to bring a case or a stand.
That looks awesome. The price is awesome as well.
Logitech makes a less expensive keyboard that clips to the iPad as well. It's called the Ultrathin Keyboard Cover.
Right. I think they actually have that one in the PCWorld right across the street here.
But ... Hmm, new post...
Gotta admit though, it looks really nice and promising.
Slightly off topic, but could be helpful for writing. I'm keeping an eye on the Android Netbook category, which is promising in the long term. Right now you can buy a crummy one that runs Android 2.x for around $100.00, but that's about it. There are quite a few of these for sale at Amazon. A decent one that runs Android 4 for $200 would be very interesting. With a netbook, you always have the keyboard, but sacrifice the touch screen for a trackpad.
Making a netbook with Android, manufacturers save money on a Windows license, can use a less powerful ARM processor instead of Intel, and customers still have a huge ecosystem of apps at the Google Play store. Manufacturers also save money by eliminating the touch screen, and have a larger case in which they can use larger, less expensive parts.
None of the big names are making these, but if some off brand in China or elsewhere can step up their game just a little bit I think they could sell quite a few of these things.
Yes, that's a quite interesting idea. It might make for some quite interesting machines.
If there are enough good apps.
I don't know if they'll save a lot by eliminating the touch screen, if not I wouldn't mind keeping it along with the trackpad, for many things it's a good interface.
Key would be a good keyboard. I have an old Psion NetBook (before "netbooks" arrived). It's a solid portable word processor. With that as a model and progress since then, it could be interesting.
Because they are Android, theoretically you could use every app that is carried at the Google Play store. After doing a bit more research I believe that these little machines do have touch screens. If I find one that 1) uses Android 4, and 2) has half decent specs, I'll let you know.
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