I have been fortunate enough to have had an iPad since they first came out. (As an aside, as much as folks label me an “Apple fanboy,” this is the first Apple product I have purchased in its first run. Usually I wait until the kinks are out.) It is rather amazing to consider just how far the it has come in just over a year. And that is not even considering the advances made in hardware. The first version of the iPad is still a powerful computer and is in fact more powerful today than a year ago. So I thought I would begin my participation in this project by reviewing some of my prior posts and thoughts about the iPad. You can find all my iPad tagged articles on my person blog by simply going here.
First Matters
When the iPad first came out there was a lot of discussion about just what the iPad was for, content consumption or creation? Thirteen months ago I wrote this article about how I was, in fact, using the iPad to create content. Just this January I wrote a more philosophical piece about content creation and operational definitions. This article asking, “What is ‘Content Creation,'” includes a discussion of rabbinic literature as well.
When I wrote the first article one of the real drawbacks for my work in ancient Hebrew and Jewish literature was the lack of Hebrew support. iOS 4.2.1 finally brought Hebrew input in a solid fashion. There are still quirks, the main desktop app I use is Nisus Writer Pro (just updated to v. 2) which saves to RTF. As discussed on the Facebook group, there are no real RTF solutions for the iPad yet. But I am getting ahead of myself.
Tools
In October of 2010 the iPad was already at a point where I could use it on the road as my only machine. In fact, other than one trip in last summer to a conference, where I needed a specific app that only ran in Mac OS (but now it is available on the iPad), I have not taken a notebook with me when traveling, just the iPad and my iPhone. So, as I was saying, in October I created this post outlining what apps I use for research and productivity. There are also various accessories and other apps that I have recommended in the past as well.
One of the reasons I have been able to replace my notebook on the road has been the ability to wirelessly connect Apple’s BlueTooth keyboard to the iPad. It is not a perfect marriage, as I have noted, but it works surprisingly well. A very nice addition I recently made is the Incase Origami Workstation
Finally, I have made much of Sente for the iPad. I have a fairly thorough review here. The desktop app is Mac only and it is not cheap. The collaborative features are also not as open as some other solutions that Chris Long has noted (link to be added…). That being said, it has been nothing short of revolutionary for my research and productivity. I am an administrator as well as an academic, but the former takes precedence over the latter and includes a LOT of travel. This year, thanks to the iPad and Sente, I have been able to read dozens of articles, annotate them, and collaborate with my research assistant. The result is that as I move into the summer when I will finally be able to actually do some writing and real research, I have a running start. For me, that makes all the difference in the world.
Andy, I have not used the BT keyboard while reading and annotating in Sente. I will have to try it out… Certainly the touch interface is used to navigate through the app, highlight, and so on. Just tested it out with the BT keyboard. You simply select your text for highlighting with your finger using the touchscreen but then you can type your notes.
When am I working as depicted above, with the BT keyboard connected, it is a little awkward having to keep reaching up to the screen (iPad) to navigate, select, etc. but that is because it is an iPad. (You can do a certain amount of navigation with arrow keys and tab, but not much.) If that bothers you a MacBook Air is likely a better solution.
I bought the ipad in part for the use of Sente. I love that program…it has really resolved lots of issues in my workflow (namely having all my references with me on several machines, and a way to take notes in a systematic fashion). I have a question about your use of a keyboard with your ipad. Do you find it irritating not having a mouse? I am still getting used to the touchscreen keyboard, and am contemplating a bluetooth keyboard. In your setup photographed above, are you forced to touch the screen to take notes, scroll, etc?
That is the choice: a “walled garden” of Sente where it all works, but you are confined within their app and environment or patching together a solution of several apps. One of the reasons I unabashedly stick with Apple is that I want straight forward solutions that work with minimal fuss on my part. I like to tinker, but not when I have work to do.
One drawback to Sente that someone pointed out via twitter: there is no easy way to import journal abbreviations. I have not come to the point yet where I will use it to format footnotes and bibliography (and I admit, I am spoiled by having a grad assistant managing it all for me right now) so I have not felt this liability. Hopefully a simple CSV file import will be coming soon.
OK, so here is the thing about Sente that gives me pause: as you say in your review: “you must markup the PDF only in a Sente app. You can open them in other apps but the changes will not be synchronized.” That makes me sad.
Now, to be fair, Mendeley too is weak with regard to annotation. In fact, I have started annotating the documents in Mendeley (which are actually all simply saved to Dropbox) in Preview on the Mac and GoodReader on the iPad. When I do that, I can read them in Mendeley and in GoodReader, etc. Still, not the single solution I am envisioning. But I can’t pull the trigger on Sente if I am going to boxed into proprietary software that is not collaborative across platforms.
Honestly, I am stuck between Mendeley, Zotero (which I still use to add references – which is a snap now that the CAT functions with it) and something else. No solution yet to my concern to close the research circle.