Mommy In Suburbia

Guess who got an iPad?

My husband surprised me last Friday by taking me to Best Buy and letting me pick out the iPad that I’ve wanted forever.

Best. Husband. Ever!

I of course tend to have a “go big or go home” approach to tech goodies, and picked out the new iPad Retina (aka iPad 4) with 32 gb of storage. I know a lot of people say that the mini is easier to hold, but my main reason for getting it was as a more portable solution for working while being out with my family, and with all the photo editing and design work I do the large screen was a must have.

Also, all the purses I carry are large enough to hold it. I’m not the type of girl who can walk around with a phone and a tiny clutch. If I can’t fit a sippy cup, Katie’s shoes, a mini computer, a first aid and stain removal kit, and 37 some odd lipsticks in it, then it’s too small. And yes, I have a diaper bag too.

But anyway, my new is really freaking fast, and I can touch type on it without the need for an external keyboard.

I didn’t see the point in getting one with a huge amount of storage, because most of my work stuff is stored on my laptop and is in files that are hard to open on the iPad. I just needed enough space to store some music, movies for the kids when we’re on a trip, and all the apps I use.

Though, there are some pretty good apps for photo editing, to do lists, and blogging. Which, really does constitute most of the work I do.

I tried using a remote access app to use my laptop though the ipad, but it’s just too laggy and fiddly for the speed I usually create most of my Etsy products at. 

Here’s what I’ve been able to accomplish faster and easier on my new toy:

1. Replying to email. It’s amazingly efficient to send a quick reply to someone, rather than trying to type it out on the tiny iPhone keypad or opening up the laptop.

2. Grocery lists. I use the Penultimate app for handwriting my grocery lists, and crossing them off as I go. The Jot stylus is the best I’ve found for handwriting, but my finger works just fine if I’ve forgotten it at home.

3. Quick photo editing and watermarking. Both Snapseed and Photoshop touch are good for editing, though I (a Photoshop junkie) actually prefer Snapseed unless I need to do something highly detailed. For watermarking, I use iwatermark. I tried other text adding apps, and none of them have the ability to save a section of text and apply it with one click. This one does, which makes it a huge time saver when I can’t get to the laptop to edit my photos.

4. Dropbox for sharing files between our computer, my phone, my husband’s phone, and the ipad. We both love ebooks and try to read whenever we have extra time, and dropping the mobi files into Dropbox is so much faster than pulling out all the necessary USB cables.

5. Writing blog posts! Anyone notice that I’ve been writing a lot more this week? I started using the WordPress app, but got frustrated when I realized that there is no wysiwyg editor on it. It’s all in HTML, which makes adding photos much more difficult. I found an amazing free app called Posts, that includes a wysiwyg editor, with the ability to place you photos wherever you want in your text. Now we’re talking!

6. My to do list. I’ve used just about every method for staying organized under the sun, and I return to the same thing time and again. A plain to do list, often scratched out in a notebook. I finally found a digital equivalent that can do everything I need it to. It’s called Wunderlist. You can have one massive to do list, add sub to dos, notes, due dates, reminders, or break it down into multiple lists. I love that it can be as simple or as complex as I need it to be.

Reading the news, watching YouTube videos, and checking the weather radar are all easier. Plus, I love that if I’m working on projects on the laptop, I can put on a movie on the ipad while I work. 

I used to have 3-4 windows open on my laptop to be able to do that, and now I can have that extra space to actually see my projects.

Yep. Official new ipad fan girl here, and proud of it.

P.S: the case I purchased is the Martha Stewart ipad case.  It works as a vertical and horizontal stand, and can attach to a headrest for playing movies in the car. I really like it.

P.S.S: Both Apple and Martha Stewart have no idea who I am, and I made my bank account cry a little by purchasing both of these myself. I just love them a lot, and I always look online before I buy things to see what people really think of them. These are just my two cents.

Have a great weekend!!