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- Blogging on the iPad
Prior to the launch of the iPad bloggers started thinking about how convenient the slate might be for sharing information. Some even believed the iPad would make such an impact on the process that it would change blogging for the better. While it’s certainly true the iPad makes interacting with the web easy, and something that can be done almost anytime, it’s still not clear how useful it can be for the actual process of blogging. The fog is clearing, however, and some bloggers are using the iPad to handle most of the blogging process. I would never want to use the iPad as my only blogging tool, but I admit I am finding it far more useful for the task than I thought it would be. With some careful thought and best practices, blogging can indeed be done on the iPad.I would never recommend bloggers to dump whatever computer they are using for blogging — that would be silly. Where I do see advantage to using the iPad for blogging is on short trips, or during outings when a computer is normally not carried for the day. The iPad is easy to travel with, and the tool that is with the blogger is better than any tool that is not. The muse can strike at the most unexpected times, and if the iPad is at hand it’s the right tool for the job.
The first obstacle that must be crossed to do serious blogging on the iPad is the lack of blog editors in the App Store. At last check the WordPress app is the only one that has been released for the iPad. Since we use WordPress on the GigaOM Network, this works to my advantage. Those with blogs on other platforms will have to do some experimenting to determine how best to create posts on the iPad without a specific editor.
Most blog platforms have web-based editors, and it’s worth trying in the Safari browser on the iPad to see if yours will work. We have many special widgets at GigaOM that makes our WordPress online editor a very useful tool, and some of these widgets will not work in the iPad browser. If a given editor doesn’t work in the browser, then post creation becomes a two-part process — writing and posting.
Of course, writing can be done in any text editor, and there are a few for the iPad. The Pages app from Apple works fine for writing blog posts; writing blog posts can even be done in the Notes app. The trick is writing the post and then pasting the content into the final destination. I can’t address every possible situation that one might face, so I’ll concentrate on how I blog using the iPad.
The WordPress app for the iPad is pretty good, and I usually write the entire blog post in this editor. It’s important to note that there is no fancy visual editor (WYSIWYG) like in the web-based version. It’s a simple text editor that works well for text entry. It’s also a HTML editor, so those familiar with HTML can use it to make posts with sophisticated formatting. I’m too far removed from the old HTML blogging days, so I avoid it. I simply use the WordPress app for writing the text content of the blog post. The photo handling capability of this app is not very sophisticated, so I avoid using it for that purpose.TIP: The WordPress app is great for following comments left on the blog, so don’t overlook that ability. Even if you don’t write blog posts using the app you might find it useful for working with blog comments.
Writing blog posts in the WordPress editor using the iPad’s on-screen keyboard is more efficient than I dreamed possible. I expected this keyboard to be good for knocking off a very short email, but not for writing blog posts consisting of hundreds of words. What I’ve discovered is with a little practice it’s easier to type on the screen than you might think; it’s certainly a viable method in a pinch. For much longer posts I use an external Bluetooth keyboard. It folds up and fits in my pocket, yet opens into a full-sized keyboard. I don’t absolutely need it for writing on the iPad, but I’m no glutton for punishment. I have the tool so I use it when it makes more sense.Having written a blog post in the WordPress app, when done I publish it as a draft to the blog. This brings it into the WordPress online system for the final editing — adding links, images and implementing the special widget controls we use on the site. The next time I log into the web-based editor the post will be waiting in draft mode for this work.
It may seem that my iPad work with the blog post is over at this point; if that were true, then full blogging couldn’t be done on the iPad in my case. This is where it gets really fun — I fire up LogMeIn Ignition on the iPad, and log into either a Mac or Windows PC in my home office. I leave at least one of them running for this purpose, with the LogMeIn server running in the background.
Using this method, I am in effect working with my Mac (for example) on the iPad, using the slate display as the Mac’s monitor. More importantly, since LogMeIn is optimized for interaction via touch on the iPad, I am able to do anything I normally do on the Mac (or Windows PC) by touching the screen. I use this method to start the Firefox browser, and enter the web-based WordPress editor on the home machine.
I have the “full” browsing experience this way, and the final post editing process is just as it would be in the office, but using touch on the iPad. I add any links I need; upload, grab and edit any images for the post; and enable any of the special GigaOM widgets needed for the particular post. There is hardly any lag and it’s amazing how well this method works. It turns the iPad into a full Mac or Windows system, with no limits. This is why my method is working so well for me.
Clever readers will ask why I don’t just log into the home machine and write the post in the browser, rather than create the draft using the iPad local app. That’s a fair question and the proper answer is I could easily do that. But as well as the LogMeIn method works, when I am concentrating on the post writing process itself, I prefer the distraction-free environment of the local editor. It’s strictly personal preference, but there’s no reason doing it all through the remote connection wouldn’t work. I have done it that way, as a matter of fact, and still prefer to do it in two steps.
I must make it clear that this method works for me as I already have everything in place to make it work. I have multiple computers in the home office, so it’s no burden (financial or otherwise) to have one available for remote access. I already owned LogMeIn on the iPad ($29.99), so I didn’t have to spend the money just for blogging. This may not be the case for you, and I am not recommending you spend a lot of money to do this.
This method is working so well for me that I could easily employ it for short trips without impacting my ability to work. I don’t intend to do that, but I could if I needed to. That’s a liberating thought.
Disclosure: Automattic, maker of WordPress.com, is backed by True Ventures, a venture capital firm that is an investor in the parent company of this blog, Giga Omni Media. Om Malik, founder of Giga Omni Media, is also a venture partner at True.
Related content on GigaOM Pro (subscription required):
Переслать - How-To: Print Using Active Directory Credentials
In a large-scale environment, you may have no choice but to authenticate your Macs to Active Directory. This process is generally pretty smooth and only a few things get in your way, but the big annoyance for me was having to give my credentials every time I wanted to print to our Windows print server.The problem is that your credentials aren’t passed along properly and this causes an annoying pop-up window to appear.
The “Remember this password” check box does nothing to help, either. I use DeployStudio a lot around our campus and they have a free utility called ksmbprintd which alleviates this problem. Their utility passes your credentials along with the print job and you no longer get the error window above. Here’s how to easily change your printer to make this all work.
- Download and install ksmbprintd. When the install is finished, it will want you to log out and then back in to startup the utility.
- You can modify the printer URL through the terminal, but I like to use the CUPS web interface instead. To do this, goto http://localhost:631.
- Click on the Administration tab and then the Manage Printers button.
- Click the printer you want to edit. On the next screen, select Modify Printer from the drop down menu.
- Now this is where we modify the printer’s URL. Copy the original URL at the top of the page. Then click the button next to Windows Printer via SAMBA with kerberos support v1.0.
- Paste the original URL in the Connection: box and add a k to the front of it so it says ksmb.
- Continue through the other two windows quickly since nothing should need changing. Click the Modify Printer button to save the changes.
Now you should be able to print without having to enter your Active Directory credentials every time. This can be really useful if you are charging for prints. Trying to make people retype in their credentials when ever they print is not very acceptable in our environment. I thank DeployStudio for making such a nice little app that saves us a lot of headaches.
Переслать - Download and install ksmbprintd. When the install is finished, it will want you to log out and then back in to startup the utility.
- Apple After ARM? If So, This Means War
London newspaper the Evening Standard reported a very interesting rumor following Apple’s quarterly financial report Tuesday. According to the British paper, Apple is in talks with ARM Holdings, the UK company that designs the chip used in the iPhone, along with a huge percentage of the chips found in mobile devices in general.The sources cited by the Evening Standard are well-informed “gossips,” but there’s evidence to suggest that this rumor may have more too it than just idle speculation, since the stock price of ARM rose significantly on the news as five-thousand shares of the company were traded, making it the biggest gainer on the day.
In case you’re unfamiliar with the company, ARM isn’t actually a chip maker itself, but instead it licenses its designs to hardware manufacturers like Apple, who will then build the tech into their own products. A prime example is the A4 chip that powers the iPad, which Apple developed in-house. The A4 is based on an ARM design. It isn’t the only one, either. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon, a popular Android processor, also uses an ARM-based design. In fact, 75 percent of global devices that use 32-bit processors use ARM tech.
The Advantages of Acquisition
Apple’s bid is said to be around the $8 billion range, which sounds crazy, until you consider that Apple apparently has cash reserves of $41.7 billion on hand to fund ventures and acquisitions exactly like this one. Once acquired, ARM would allow Apple certain privileges. First of all, it wouldn’t have to license its own tech in order to develop new chips, so you can bet more projects like the A4 would go ahead, especially for Apple’s growing stable of mobile devices.
Of course, that’s not the only advantage. ARM would still likely continue to be the place most mobile device makers go to get their chip design licenses, so Apple would then gain all the revenue from that branch of the business, too. And not only would they get that revenue, but they would also be in the power position of owning the technology most of its competitors license whenever they create a new device.
Antitrust and other industry regulations would obviously prevent them from doing anything as brash as blocking competitors like those using Google’s Android OS from being granted licenses, but that’s not the only way Apple could use its new found authority. Since other hardware makers would have to apply for a license before beginning their chip development, Apple would be privy to information about its competitors’ product release plans well in advance of usual, and Cupertino would be paid for the privilege.
An Arms Race
If this is an arms race between Google and Apple, an ARM acquisition would definitely put Apple ahead in the chip department. Google only recently nabbed AdMob out from under Apple’s own bid for the company, forcing the Mac maker to look elsewhere to help back its iAds plan.
It’s only just come out that Google has since answered Apple’s acquisition of chip maker P.A. Semi with the purchase of AgniLux, a startup chip company founded by P.A. Semi employees who left that company when Apple originally acquired it. Ars Technica doesn’t think Google acquired the company with any intent of making its own chips, but as a preemptive defense against possibly having to route its chip licensing plans through Apple…it could make sense.
The most likely outcome if an ARM acquisition actually does go through? Nothing but good things for future iPhone, iPod and iPad owners. All iDevices could conceivably receive significant boosts in battery life and processor power with an entire chip design company working ’round the clock to eke more out of ever more energy conserving designs, with direct access to prototype Apple hardware to test them out on. So cross your fingers for this one, even if it does put more power in the hands of Apple than it should rightly have.
Related GigaOM Pro Research: As Devices Converge, Chip Vendors Girding For a Fight
Переслать - iSight: What's Happening?
In June 2003 at WWDC, Apple released the FireWire iSight webcam. Steve Jobs and Phil Schiller took the stage to show off the new iSight which everyone applauded and subsequently purchased. The $129 webcam allowed you to broadcast video to friends via iChat AV (in beta at the time) at 640×480 resolution. iChat AV received full 1.0 status that year with the release of Mac OS X Panther.Soon, the iSight made its way into Apple's entire line-up of notebooks and iMacs; even the 24" LED display Apple sells has a built-in webcam. Now, the only Apple computers that don't have an iSight are the Mac Pro and Mac mini, for obvious reasons.
In Apple’s press release for the iMac G5, which was the first machine to have an iSight built-in, Steve Jobs was quoted, “Plus, the built-in iSight video camera delivers out-of-the-box video conferencing with friends and family, as well as hours of fun with our new Photo Booth application."
So, what happened to the iSight? It certainly wasn't Apple's fault that iSight didn't get the adoption that it needed. These days, iSight has gone the way of MySpace-using teens that upload Photo Booth snaps while at the Apple Store and Skype conversations between grandparents. iSight is accessible via Apple's Development APIs so developing for it is a cinch. There may be hope for iSight and the long-forgotten “AV” features of iChat. With the rumors of a forward facing camera in Apple’s next generation iPhone, we may see Apple’s seven-year investment into tiny cameras and easy to use chat software make its way to those away from their desk, without ever having to open a notebook and find a Wi-Fi network. But first, let’s discuss my thoughts behind where iSight has failed so far.
Where iSight Has Failed
I think it's a philosophical reason that the iSight use never picked up, and maybe Apple will prove us wrong by making video conversations as easy as grabbing our cell phone. Technically, Apple was able to fit a video camera into the ultra-thin MacBook Air but I think Apple knew that video conversations on the go just wasn't going to be used by consumers if it wasn’t easy.
I’d argue that Apple did it best. Sure, this is an Apple-centric blog but after years of working in IT, I’ve used video solutions from Microsoft, Logitech and Cisco and each of these had their own quirks, device compatibility and performance issues. Any Mac sold has iChat AV built-in along with its camera. The video icon appears if someone has the same functionality, click and you see them within seconds. The problem is that it doesn’t travel. Apple’s notebooks don’t have built-in 3G and Wi-Fi isn’t always available. The iPad was my bet for truly making video conferencing mobile but that didn’t happen, at least in the first generation device. The holy grail for bringing video chat to everyone is to make it fit in your pocket, with the basic requirement being a data connection.
How it Could Work
Didn’t other handsets have video chatting software built-in? Sure. Nokia included these front facing cameras in many of its smartphones. The issue was compatibility where two handsets have the video camera and software and they frequently had to be on the same carrier, plus this was only being used in Europe and Asia. Yes, those are huge markets but it wasn’t “universal” across devices and carriers. From what I hear, the connections were too slow and the software too buggy to take over voice or texting as a preferred method of communicating with peers on the go. If the next iPhone gets this functionality, there are huge advantages that Apple has.
- iPhones are available globally
- Data speeds to mobile phones is much faster in 2010 compared to 2006
- iChat on Mac OS X
I could sit at home and video chat with someone on the go in Chicago, London or Tokyo. This is what it will take for video conferencing to truly take off and receive mass adoption.
Then Again…
Then again, there are cultural and behavioral observations that show video as a direct communications tool just doesn't sync up with how we engage these days. In theory, video seems like a great way to go. Instead of a long email that takes 15 minutes to type, we'd rather phone a friend or video chat with them, but it just doesn't happen. The video chat isn't distributable to the team. The video chat can't be searched or indexed and storage is still pricey if you're doing a lot of video conversations. Not to mention, multitasking goes out the window; instead of plowing through 25 emails, I'm getting 25 iChat or Skype video calls every 10 minutes. It's just not going to scale very well.
So what does the future hold for iSight? That's a tough one. The video camera is cheap for Apple to include, but is it useful to use R&D resources to include iSight in future devices? Will iSight appear in more consumer Apple devices? Will Apple take more risks by pushing this on us only to realize that we still won’t video chat despite having instant access to the service on our iPhones, laptops and desktops? If the new iPhone does get iChat AV w/ a forward-facing camera, we’ll see if the population uses it as much as we would hope…or maybe video conferencing goes the way of ExpressCard slots on Apple notebooks only used by a small percentage of the user base. Would you use iChat more if your iPhone or iPod touch had it built-in?
Переслать - TAB Welcomes: Wayne Bishop
Well, where do I begin? First of all, it’s great to become a contributing member of TheAppleBlog. I’ve been a TAB fan for quite some time so it feels pretty surreal to be part of the team. I look forward to hearing about your projects and ideas!I’ll start off by letting you know that I hail from The Emerald City (yeah that’s Seattle). Most folks think we are an unassuming bunch who drink too much coffee while working on our Windows PC’s. While I do like a good a mocha, I’m also part of Seattle’s growing Mac community that’s building some pretty cool stuff for the iPhone and iPod touch.
As a self-described geek and software engineer I’ll be writing articles to help unravel the mystery of developing apps for iPhone OS. In addition to writing code, I’ll examine various aspects of the software development process including planning, testing and design. If you’re planning the next great app hopefully I can provide the “secret sauce” to help move your concept from idea to the App Store.
Don’t think coding is for you? Even if you are a project manager, sales person or business type, learning about the technology that has captured world attention may prove useful to your company or career.
My Background
I’ve spent my entire career in software development, with a primary focus on building web-based applications. Over the years I've worked in project management, coding, database development and quality assurance. I also ran my own software consulting company for 5 years.
In 2009 I took notice of iPhone OS as a legitimate development platform when Apple announced they had 50,000 apps in its app store. Like many iPhone developers I'd spent most of my career immersed in other technologies so I spent many months learning a new set of tools, processes and programming language.
This past year I released my first iPhone app called Jingle! that integrates music and social media. I also have an interest in education, mapping and GPS systems and plan to develop new titles for the iPad.
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