I have not reviewed specific iPad productivity apps yet, but after installing Reeder for iPad (iTunes link) this weekend, I just had to share.

My reaction was WOW. Reeder is a shining star in design for the iPad. It has gotten right what so many developers have not yet figured out, which is the the interface power of the iPad. Simple, yet elegant, Reeder is a pleasure to use.

What is Reeder?

Reeder is an RSS reader. If you are not familiar with RSS readers, think of them as news collectors. They go out to your favorite websites and collect all the new articles for you to read in one place.

Reeder syncs with a Google Reader account. If you are not familiar with Google Reader, it is a web-based RSS reader that is folded into the Google suite of tools. Definitely recommended to keep all your news feeds in one place.

Reeder gives me one app to keep up with all the news I want and the blogs that I follow. It saves me time by preventing me from endlessly surfing the Net for the information that is of interest to me.

It’s the User Interface

When you use Reeder for the first time, you may be underwhelmed. It is not flashy. It is not full of buttons and options.
(more…)

In less than one month, the iPad has almost entirely replaced my laptop.  Both at work and at home.

It is truly an amazing device.  It is mind boggling that something so small and thin, can be such a powerful tool.

It is Not a Laptop

I’ll start by saying that if you need a laptop, then by all means, buy a laptop.  But, these days most people don’t need a laptop.

The iPad is a different class of device.  It doesn’t do everything that a laptop does.

But, it shines in many areas that laptops do not.  It is lightweight, but high on productivity.  It does certain tasks such as email, calendar, web, and niche applications.  And it does them very well.

I can do 90% of what I need to accomplish on my iPad.  My laptop has been relegated to sitting on my desk at work.  I only use it when I need to do something more suited to the desktop environment.

Productivity Shines

I find that with my iPad that I spend more time doing and less time fiddling.  Yes, you could spend all day surfing the Internet at work.  However, like any powerful tool, it can be used for good or evil. (more…)

The other day, I tweeted the question, “Would you rather lose your phone or your wallet?”

The question seemed to hit a nerve.  At some point, each of us has probably endured one or the other.  (And for some, more often than others…)

But, more interesting, was that the camps were divided.  Many said they would rather lose their phone.  However, almost as many said they would pick their wallet to lose.

Are you surprised that some would rather lose their wallet before their phone?  It just goes to show how much we have become dependent on these little devices.  Whether an iPhone, Blackberry, or even a simple cellphone, many of us have come to rely on them as our pocket brains.

I know many people who would not be able to recite their spouse’s number without their phone!

What’s in your wallet?

Like a popular ad slogan asks, “Do you know what’s in your wallet?”  This is going to be an important question after you lose it.

The majority of people do not have an inventory of what is in their wallet.  So, when they do lose it, they are scrambling to figure out who to call to report lost cards.

In this day and age, what in your wallet is not really replaceable?  Credit cards? A driver’s license?  Even receipts are not as important as they once were.

Many people live solely by their cards and rarely use cash.  I do this, so it could be particularly inconvenient from this aspect.  And, of course, losing your driver’s license can be a pain if you travel often and need it for ID.

Reducing the impact: (more…)

I have been using the iPad for a short time now.  Yesterday, I started an experiment to try and replace my laptop with the iPad and will provide details in the near future.

Today, I wanted to demonstrate some of the basic iPad productivity functionality.

Let me know what you think.  Also, if there are specific time management apps you would like me to review, please let me know if the comments below.

————————–

Mentioned in this video:

“9 Ways the iPad Will Change Time Management” – An article by me.

Evernote – Great application for collecting all your notes and being able to access them from almost anywhere.

Goodtodo – Simple, yet powerful, web-based Todo list application by Mark Hurst.

My initial thoughts after testing out the iPad for a day.

Read my previous article: ”9 Ways the iPad Will Change Time Management”

Have an iPad? What are you initial impressions?