iPad on the road, by Emily Winslow

I’m on the road right now, doing everything I can in my book’s first month to nudge it along. I’ve been VERY lucky that it’s been front-tabled in Borders. I’ve been doing events at various indies, and am meeting with book clubs too, which is a real pleasure.

I didn’t want to lug my laptop around with me; it’s too precious and fragile. So right now I’m typing this on an iPad.

We got an iPad because my sweetheart is a gadgety guy. I don’t think he could not have one. Our excuse was that I needed it for the photos I showat events. We’d compared all kinds of photo frames, and the iPad does that job a lot better: great resolution, doesn’t need to be plugged in. And it’s a multi-use laptop replacement! Sort of.

It’s kind of driving me crazy.

Okay, this what I love:
It shows my pictures great.
It lets me keep up with Facebook and gmail and my blog (http://emilywinslow.wordpress.com).
I really need to be in contact with people, coordinating all these travel and event plans, and I can do it in a portable way. In case you’re wondering, a touchscreen keyboard pops up onto the screen whenever the need for typing arises. It’s fab.

But the keyboard lacks:
Arrow keys!!!!! Moving around in the text without typing depends on touching the text with your finger–which is fine, if the text is showing. Sometimes the text is bigger thethe window, and there areno scroll bars. I still haven’t figured out how to cope with this.

It also lacks a keystroke for “paste.” When you touch your text a certain way, you get the opportunity to “copy” it. I cannot figure out how to paste it anywhere.

I’m so crazy-busy that I haven’t tried it as an ereader yet. But if I was choosing an ereader, multi-use would sure be tempting to me.

Conclusion: I’m glad I have it; it’s better than lugging around my laptop.

I don’t know how easily I’ll be able to view this post fully or get around it to edit it. So I guess the typos herein will be part of the review in their own way!

10 Replies to “iPad on the road, by Emily Winslow”

  3. I got to play with a friend’s iPad a couple weeks ago, but I don’t think I’m ready for one myself. I figure I’ll let everyone else figure it out for a year or so and THEN I’ll jump on the bandwagon when I can benefit from what others have learned. I’m lazy that way 🙂

    Super huge good luck to you with the book promo!

    Tawna

  4. My agent says he’ll never travel with a laptop again now that he’s got his iPad. He’s a techy type of guy, so maybe he’ll stop by the ball and answer your questions! Have a great tour. I did a week and can’t IMAGINE what a month would be like. You’re made of stronger stuff than me!

  5. Thank you for the practical use review, Emily. I’ve ben considering an iPad, never feeling comfortable with a bulky laptop.

    Also happy to know you’re enjoying the book tour, along with your two children and Mom!

  6. I’ve been considering an iPad, but your comments are exactly the reason I’m not sure it’s for me… For it to be truly useful for me (vs a toy) I’d need/want to be able to type easily…

    And my one try of the keypad didn’t sell me. I think I have lazy fingers and rest them on the keypad… which doesn’t work with a touch pad.

    A friend has an external keyboard with hers… and she likes it.. But to me, that’s just another thing to lug around and I might as well take my laptop.

    Now, if I can make it work with the keyboard I bought for my Palm several years ago… Then we’d be talking. That keyboard folds up to be smaller than most paperback books.

  7. Maureen–My sweetheart has an external keyboard that *rolls up*. So cool!

    Thanks, all, for the well-wishes re my tour. Yes, a month is INSANE–I realize that now! But, productive. It’s been so exciting see old friends and meeting readers and booksellers.

    I’m typing this from a friend’s laptop in sunny California. I admit that when I have the chance to use a more substantial setup than the ipad, I do…

  8. I thought your iPad displayed your gorgeous photos really well – and you’ve made me want to buy one! It was so much fun signing with you at Union Station…. hope everyone is healthy and you’re enjoying the rest of the tour.

  9. Thanks for blogging about the iPad, Emily! I’ve never actually seen one up close, and so I’ve been asking myself, “Isn’t it just like a really big phone that you can’t make calls with?” and, “Why wouldn’t you just get a laptop?” It does seem much less clunky than a laptop, but the keyboard issues would drive me totally insane. Then again, if I had one of those super-cool roll-up keyboards …. !

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