Wortzman Nickle – All Now Equipped With iPad 2s

Wortzman Nickle recently equipped all staff with iPad 2s. These data consumption tools will help to further streamline and enhance the services Wortzman Nickle provides to our clients.

Apart from reading the Globe or playing Angry Birds, the iPad is revolutionizing the way we access digital information. This is especially true for information junkies. Compared to other tablet devices, the quality iPad design is unsurpassed, and it simply works better – its faster, less glitchy, and far more intuitive than the competition. Even our kids love it.

The usefulness of the iPad is directly related to how well it’s wielded. This is exemplified by the “Apps” that are installed. There are currently over 350,000 official, Apple-approved apps that can be installed on the iPad. While all of these have been vetted by Apple to ensure they do not contain viruses, Apple does not scrutinize Apps for usefulness or usability. No question, there are some real stinkers out there as well as some gems. To separate the wheat from the chaff, and help you to use your iPad to the fullest, we’ve listed some easy to implement tips:

• Security – although the iPad is relatively insulated from threats such as viruses and trojans, due to its portability and popularity, it is a frequent target of theft. To ensure that the valuable and confidential information you access from your iPad is secure, there are simple steps to implement.

1. Set up a passcode. The iPad allows you to configure either a 4-digit simple passcode or a more secure, alphanumeric passcode. Just like the password you use on your computer, for maximum security, your passcode should be alphanumeric and include both upper and lower case characters, as well as numbers and punctuation. A passcode of at least 8 characters is recommended.

2. Once you set up the passcode, you’ll also want to set the AutoLock time. We’ve found that 15 minutes is a good compromise between usability and security.

3. Finally, in case your iPad does go missing, Apple has create a useful little app called “Find My iPad”. Once installed and configured, you can log into Apple’s website from any computer, enter your username and password, and locate the exact position of your iPad. You can also remotely lock the iPad, or, in a worst case scenario, remotely wipe the iPad’s entire contents.

• File Sharing – There are a number of ways to move files between your iPad and your other digital devices. We’ve found two of the best are DropBox and Evernote. Dropbox is a cloud based storage repository. On your PC, it appears as a folder that you can drag files into and out of. On your iPad, the files appear within a foldered list, and can easily be transferred to other Apps for markup.

Evernote is a note-taking App on steroids. It lets your photograph a document using the iPads camera, and will automatically OCR it. You can transfer text and pictures directly from websites, and use it to take notes.

iAnnotate and Goodreader are PDF readers that are extremely popular with legal types. Both apps allow the user to enter fully integrated notes, highlights, sketches, drawings and more into PDFs. Both apps also work well with Dropbox. You may consider purchasing a stylus for your iPad to make the most of these apps.

• One obvious use for the iPad is as an e-Reader. Apple makes the iBooks App, but there are several others that outshine iBooks. If you have an account with Amazon, you can install the free Kindle App, essentially turning you iPad into a Kindle device. If, on the other hand, you obtain your eBooks from multiple sources, the app of choice should be Stanza. This is by far the most highly rated eBook reader for the iPad.

• Finally, the iPad is a superb email device. It will let you simultaneous view your email from multiple accounts, and will optionally group email threads together. The interface is very simple and easy to use. However, with that simplicity comes a danger – the trash can button is very easy to accidently push. To avoid deleting emails that you didn’t really want to delete, make sure you turn on the feature to prompt you before deletion – its located in the mail configuration section of the settings App.

​It’s important to remember that the iPad is really “just” information consumption (rather than creation) device. In the context of document creation and manipulation, a laptop or netbook provide superior functionality. The iPad does not replace your computer or smartphone, but it is an amazing supplement and complement to those devices.