Actually, half of all iPad Books are Fiction

Suggestions to my previous post inspired me to normalize our metadata1 for titles available through the U.S. iBooks app. A comment prompted me to rollup iBooks publishers into publishing conglomerates2: Comments from other readers gave me the idea to map the 100+ iBooks categories to the more familiar BISAC categories. Doing so means over half of all iBooks titles are...

iPad 3G and the vacancy of the connected textbook

The iPad 3G takes a small step toward fulfilling the promise of connected textbooks, but there's a lot more work to do.

Tilting at Bookish Windmills, Or - How the iPad Saved Spanish Language Day

I'm a reader. An avid reader (on any surface). And a teacher.It's been almost a month since the U.S. saw the arrival of the iPad. Long lines awaited the release,...

The iPad in Europe (the English speaking part at least)

Editor's note: This is the first in a series of posts exploring the reception--and potential impact, of the iPad in locations other than our good ole USA. In today's entry,...

A few weeks in, a third of iPad Books are Fiction

Measured in terms of number of titles, half of the over 46,000 (paid and free) books available through the iBooks app are from 6 categories1. Fiction & Literature alone account for close to a third of all available iBooks titles: The current set of titles is indicative of the publishers that Apple reached out to prior to the launch of...

Five reasons iPhone vs Android isn't Mac vs Windows

It's human nature to look to the past to predict the future. That's why it's unsurprising to see knee-jerk conclusion that Apple iPhone vs Google Android will mirror the PC wars. Here's five reasons why this time, it's different.

More iPad News & Commentary

Seven Things Every Cocoa Developer Should Know

Whether you're just starting out on your first iPhone app or are already deep into the next big iPad app, you'll appreciate this list of seven things every Cocoa developer should know from Scott Stevenson's Cocoa and Objective-C: Up and Running. Being a Cocoa developer is about more than just writing a lot of code. There are a few key things you must know to make world-class apps for Mac, i... Read more…

How to Set Up Your Calendar on Your iPad

The calendar on the iPad is pretty slick. It has to be. It was designed specifically for the iPad to be a workhorse app, but setting it up might leave you scratching your head. This excerpt from Biersdorfer & Pogue's iPad: The Missing Manual will explain how to set up your calendar on your iPad so you are always up-to-date. Just as iTunes can sync bookmarks and mail settings from your comp... Read more…

How to Prepare an iPhone App for Ad Hoc Distribution

Got an iPhone or iPad app that you'd like to test? Perhaps you'd like to distribute a one-off app to a few friends? This excerpt from Alasdair Allan's Learning iPhone Programming will explain how to set up your app for ad hoc distribution. Ad hoc builds of your application are used to distribute your application outside your own development environment, and are intended to allow you to ... Read more…

Use Skype to Make Internet Calls on an iPad

The iPad is a little large to be used as a cell phone, but it's fully capable of making calls with the right software. This excerpt from Biersdorfer & Pogue's iPad: The Missing Manual will introduce you to Skype on the iPad. The iPad is not an iPhone, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make telephone calls with it. Well, certain kinds of calls, specifically VoIP calls. VoIP stands fo... Read more…

How to add 3G to your Wi-Fi iPad

If you couldn't resist purchasing an iPad when it was released or didn't want to bother waiting around for the 3G model to go through FCC certification, but would still like 3G connectivity, you're in luck. This excerpt from Biersdorfer & Pogue's iPad: The Missing Manual will introduce you to mobile broadband hot spots. So you didn’t buy the Wi-Fi + 3G iPad and now you’re ... Read more…

How to use an external keyboard with the iPad

Here's a tip included in "iPad: The Missing Manual." It's okay, you can admit it. You've tried and tried and tried, but you just can't deal with the iPad's flat glass typing surface. Your fingers long for the tactile feel of softly clicking Chiclet keys beneath them, especially for long documents or programs that require lots of text entry. If this describes you, fear not. You can get th... Read more…

How to quickly transfer a Keynote presentation to your iPad.

If you have purchased a copy of Keynote for the iPad, you may want a quick way to get presentations built for the device. I use my laptop, a MacBook Pro, and use Keynote there to build most of the presentation. So here are a few things to remember. There are 12 templates on your iPad for use by Keynote. On your laptop you likely have at least 44 templates. So you will have more options on your la... Read more…

Designing for the iPad: How it's different from the iPhone and what you need to consider

Translating iPhone design to the iPad isn't as simple as it initially appears. The larger screen size presents one obvious difference. But developers/designers must also consider new use cases and the width/height/weight of the device, too. I got in touch with Josh Clark, author of "Best iPhone Apps" and the upcoming "Tapworthy," to get his thoughts on the quirks and opportunities of iPad desig... Read more…

Do you have iPad Wi-Fi connectivity problems?

I have problems with my iPad recognizing Wi-Fi signals. My laptop works perfectly at locations where the iPad has erratic or no reception at all. I have been researching and determined that Apple has acknowledged the problem and is coming forth with a possible solution. In the meantime one of the strangest solutions (that seems to work) is to set the iPad's brightness to it's maximum se... Read more…

How to get some business productivity out of your iPad

I have been trying to use my iPad as a business tool rather than a large iPod Touch. Two apps have distinguished themselves for practical business use. Roambi, which I explained why I like it here, is an excellent tool for visualizing your data. The second app I just purchased was Keynote for the iPad. I have Keynote on my MacBook Pro, so it was a natural to fork out the $10 bucks for the iPa... Read more…

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