iPad "Word Processor" apps?

gismo

gismo

Touchdown! Greaser!
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iGismo
While flying to Indiana last night my wife asked if she could use the iPad to compose her Christmas letter. I'd never tried entering any text data besides small snippets in the OEM Notes app and didn't see anything installed that might work. So that got me wondering what's out there that could be used for this (free or "cheap"). No fancy editing/formatting capabilities are needed, just basic type, delete, cut, copy, past and most importantly, the ability to transfer the result to a PC.

I suppose she could have used the email client but I've never used that on the iPad either and didn't have it set up so there was some concern that we'd lose whatever she typed when I configured the email to work.
 
How are you planning on sharing to a PC? Email? Dropbox/Box.net? ICloud?

I ask because support for Dropbox or Box.net is a key feature in some of the available apps. Pages is great but not if you're using Dropbox.

Cheap and easy is the Google Drive app. Create a document and it automatically syncs with your Google account accessible from your PC. The app itself has basic word processing options. Once back on your PC you can finish off your document with many more formatting options as well as the ability to insert photos and links and then print it directly (if necessary) or save it to your computer in a number of formats.

Edit: I see you specified cheap or free and easy. I'm sure there are other text editors out there that I'm missing but Google Drive will do what you want easily with seamless syncing to your PC. Assuming you have a Google account.

However you pretty much need to be online to use it. If you want offline editing, say, in the air, that isn't your best choice.
 
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Henning said:
Apple doesn't want you to use their iPad in that manner.
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Ha. Well there's an argument that no tablet is really designed to do that.

I OTOH use my iPad for this all the time. I wouldn't want to write a book but a letter - no problem. I haven't turned on my desktop computer since October. We even designed our Christmas card on the iPad.
 
The speech to text app works pretty good for email and text - it'd be nice to have a app for that - even if it was web based since Apple is so against using the ipad for doc creating . . .
 
comanchepilot said:
The speech to text app works pretty good for email and text - it'd be nice to have a app for that - even if it was web based since Apple is so against using the ipad for doc creating . . .
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Ok, since two people have said that now... where do you get that impression? Unless you mean the outdated proprietary .doc format which in most cases is wholly unnecessary for document management.

Last time I checked a new computer with windoze doesn't automatically come with a real wordprocessing application either. You have to purchase it either packaged by the computer manufacturer for a premium or from the aftermarket. Same with the iPad.

I didn't list them because he said he wanted free, cheap and easy but for ten dollars and up you can get a wordprocessing app that is pretty darn powerful from the App Store. Several choices actually. Then there is Pages from Apple too.

How much does MS Office cost nowadays?

I use Office2 currently. For less than a small pizza plus a couple of in-app purchases I can do anything I need. Even print. It's not free though.
 
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There is Apple's Pages for the iPad. It looks like it would be pretty good for creating a newsletter type thing and it's only $10.
 
I'd like to see an OpenOffice app for iDevices, myself :)

Evernote is ok but IMO it isn't that great for drafting things to put into another format later, except for email maybe. Not nearly as flexible with sharing data across multiple programs or platforms.

Notability is much better. Two bucks. Can export as a PDF directly from or share with a word processing program, or Dropbox/Box/Drive/Goodreader/etc.

Didn't suggest this because I'm not sure how these note taking programs do with putting text in a letter format but that's a great idea if they do. I'll have to fool around with Notability tonight.
 
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I use Docs to Go to manage, view, present AND manipulate PPT, XLS and DOC (all areoffice suite) files.

I can create those filetypes as well using Docs to Go, but haven't done so yet.
The program can sync with my desktop to keep things up to date.

I've got evernote as well but haven't used it yet. Will need to, based on its recommendation here.
 
I don't have Pages on my iPad (I type slower on the iPad than I do on anything else) but their Numbers spreadsheet for iPad is quite good - I would expect the same from Pages.
 
flyingcheesehead said:
I don't have Pages on my iPad (I type slower on the iPad than I do on anything else) but their Numbers spreadsheet for iPad is quite good - I would expect the same from Pages.
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Just get a wireless folding BT keyboard. You'd be surprised how much easier it is.
 
I use Pages, and Evernote.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
 
Art VanDelay said:
Just get a wireless folding BT keyboard. You'd be surprised how much easier it is.
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I've never understood that. If you're going to do that...why not just carry a laptop?
 
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Actually the iPad works quite well for writing. I've wrote everything from long e-mails to a best man speech. I generally just use Evernote for that sort of thing.

Just look at Nate. He can hammer out a 35 page post on PoA on an iPad in less than 10 minutes.
 
jason said:
I've never understood that. If you're going to do that...why not just carry a laptop?
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Smaller, lighter and a laptop doesn't do what the iPad does which is why I have it along in the first place. So if the iPad can cover for the laptop, it's one less device I need to carry. The Zagg keyboard is small and very light and slips right into the iPad pouch nicely.
 
LDJones said:
Smaller, lighter and a laptop doesn't do what the iPad does which is why I have it along in the first place. So if the iPad can cover for the laptop, it's one less device I need to carry. The Zagg keyboard is small and very light and slips right into the iPad pouch nicely.
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I have the same problem, I'm hoping the Win8Pro tablet offerings will alleviate the situation. Right now I have to carry both.
 
LDJones said:
Smaller, lighter and a laptop doesn't do what the iPad does which is why I have it along in the first place. So if the iPad can cover for the laptop, it's one less device I need to carry. The Zagg keyboard is small and very light and slips right into the iPad pouch nicely.
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An 11" macbook air isn't really heavier by the time that you count the Zagg keyboard, but is much more capable (outside of Foreflight). Plus it's barely thicker than just the Zagg keyboard alone (never mind the thickness of the iPad).

To each their own. There are certainly use cases where the iPad is a better device...but when you carry around a keyboard...it feels to me that you're basically trying to replicate a laptop.
 
jason said:
An 11" macbook air isn't really heavier by the time that you count the Zagg keyboard, but is much more capable (outside of Foreflight). Plus it's barely thicker than just the Zagg keyboard alone (never mind the thickness of the iPad).

To each their own. There are certainly use cases where the iPad is a better device...but when you carry around a keyboard...it feels to me that you're basically trying to replicate a laptop.
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I do not have a keyboard for mine, yet. However, if I am traveling, and do not want to bring my bulky laptop. It is feasible to bring along a keyboard to make typing easier. I assure you the space of a small keyboard is still going to take up considerable less space than my laptop. My iPad fulfills approximately 90% of my needs. I am willing to give up that 10% because of what the laptop can not do, and the inconvenience of hauling around my laptop. I am certainly not going to buy another laptop to try and compete with my iPad.
 
It's all about functionality. They used to say "you can never be too rich or too thin" at least before Howard Hughes disproved both.

I bought the ipad for the aviation apps but found it to be much more functional for day-to-day use than I had anticipated. After using it for a few weeks, I concluded that the slick-surface ipad is like carrying a plate that will probably break if I drop it and the keyboard is basically worthless. The added heft and toughness of the Zagg keyboard/case is actually welcome and allows many storage options (like sticking it down beside the seat in the Yukon) that wouldn't otherwise be feasible, as is the added layer of protection, especially to the corners. When I got the case (as a Christmas present) I assumed there would be times when I didn't use it, but so far that hasn't happened. To each his own.

jason said:
An 11" macbook air isn't really heavier by the time that you count the Zagg keyboard, but is much more capable (outside of Foreflight). Plus it's barely thicker than just the Zagg keyboard alone (never mind the thickness of the iPad).

To each their own. There are certainly use cases where the iPad is a better device...but when you carry around a keyboard...it feels to me that you're basically trying to replicate a laptop.
Click to expand...
 
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jason said:
An 11" macbook air isn't really heavier by the time that you count the Zagg keyboard, but is much more capable (outside of Foreflight). Plus it's barely thicker than just the Zagg keyboard alone (never mind the thickness of the iPad).

To each their own. There are certainly use cases where the iPad is a better device...but when you carry around a keyboard...it feels to me that you're basically trying to replicate a laptop.
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Does the MacBook Air have touchscreen functionality?

For me that is the current deal killer for laptops. I now cannot stand mice or touch pads.

For laptops you are forced to carry around your keyboard 100% of the time. For a tablet you use it when you need it, which for most things I do outside of work is less than 15% of the time. I'm accessing media or typing a few short phrases most of my time.

And as this thread had demonstrated, with the apps currently available out there and with the Cloud finally catching up to Jobs' vision you don't lose much with a tablet over a computer except for raw computing power which most of us will never really need anyhow.
 
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I was considering at one point just getting an iMac as my next computer and ditching laptops since the iPad did such a good job of doing what I needed to do when I was mobile. Had I done that, I'd have probably gotten a keyboard/case for it.

However, now that I'm consulting again and can be at quite a few different places and need my computer, as well as needing Windows to do what I do now, I'm still on laptops so I don't want a keyboard for the iPad - If I need to type something long, I'll just do it on the laptop. I don't use a MacBook Air, but my 15" MacBook Pro with Retina Display is very powerful for its size and weight - It's quite a bit thinner and lighter than my previous laptop. In fact, my backpack's padded laptop slot easily holds both the laptop and the iPad.
 
jason said:
An 11" macbook air isn't really heavier by the time that you count the Zagg keyboard, but is much more capable (outside of Foreflight). Plus it's barely thicker than just the Zagg keyboard alone (never mind the thickness of the iPad).

To each their own. There are certainly use cases where the iPad is a better device...but when you carry around a keyboard...it feels to me that you're basically trying to replicate a laptop.
Click to expand...

The MacBook Air isn't more capable. Its battery maxes out at 7 hours, and it has no built-in cellular data capability. It doesn't have a built-in GPS, doesn't run mobile apps that you'd most likely want when you're mobile, and assuming that's where your data resides, is inherently less secure.

With the iPad and a Bluetooth keyboard, I get the mobility advantages AND use virtual desktop to access multiple laptop or desktop systems to do the same work as if those systems were with me. Those systems stay in the office where backups still run and sensistive data isn't running around with me. A tablet isn't a substitute for a laptop or desktop, but it's a great complement for mobile productivity.


JKG
 
JGoodish said:
The MacBook Air isn't more capable. Its battery maxes out at 7 hours, and it has no built-in cellular data capability. It doesn't have a built-in GPS, doesn't run mobile apps that you'd most likely want when you're mobile, and assuming that's where your data resides, is inherently less secure.

With the iPad and a Bluetooth keyboard, I get the mobility advantages AND use virtual desktop to access multiple laptop or desktop systems to do the same work as if those systems were with me. Those systems stay in the office where backups still run and sensistive data isn't running around with me. A tablet isn't a substitute for a laptop or desktop, but it's a great complement for mobile productivity.
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The big advantage of a MacBook Air is that it is a real computer that will run real programs. I travel with mine and I love it. I've thought about getting an iPad but figured it would just be another thing to carry around since I would still take the MacBook Air with me on trips.
 
jason said:
To each their own. There are certainly use cases where the iPad is a better device...but when you carry around a keyboard...it feels to me that you're basically trying to replicate a laptop.
Click to expand...

No, not really. The iPad is coming along regardless. If I can also have some laptop capability for the few ounces the Zagg keyboard weighs, it's a win over a few pounds of laptop.
 
alaskaflyer said:
Which ones?
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Aperture, Quicken, proprietary Cessna programs for W&B and performance, Excel. I bought Pages but I don't really use it that much. Other programs I have probably come in an iPad version but I haven't checked.

What I have on the MBA is pretty much a duplicate of what I have on my iMac. I don't think I could do that with an iPad.
 
Everskyward said:
What I have on the MBA is pretty much a duplicate of what I have on my iMac. I don't think I could do that with an iPad.
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I think using JKG's approach, you'd use the iPad to remote-desktop back to your iMac so that you'd have the best of both worlds. In your case, however, being at rural airports where you may not have WiFi or good 3g/4g service would limit the usefulness of that method.
 
flyingcheesehead said:
I think using JKG's approach, you'd use the iPad to remote-desktop back to your iMac so that you'd have the best of both worlds. In your case, however, being at rural airports where you may not have WiFi or good 3g/4g service would limit the usefulness of that method.
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Rural airports? Heck, there's not even 3G service at my home. :rofl:

Of course there's WiFi here.
 
flyingcheesehead said:
I think using JKG's approach, you'd use the iPad to remote-desktop back to your iMac so that you'd have the best of both worlds. In your case, however, being at rural airports where you may not have WiFi or good 3g/4g service would limit the usefulness of that method.
Click to expand...

And when it comes to tablets, that last part is key. If I only had a WiFi tablet, or when I travel to an area with no cellular service, the tablet becomes much less useful--but that is true with any mobile device.


JKG
 
alaskaflyer said:
Does the MacBook Air have touchscreen functionality?

For me that is the current deal killer for laptops. I now cannot stand mice or touch pads.

For laptops you are forced to carry around your keyboard 100% of the time. For a tablet you use it when you need it, which for most things I do outside of work is less than 15% of the time. I'm accessing media or typing a few short phrases most of my time.

And as this thread had demonstrated, with the apps currently available out there and with the Cloud finally catching up to Jobs' vision you don't lose much with a tablet over a computer except for raw computing power which most of us will never really need anyhow.
Click to expand...

I get touch screen whatever anymore.
 
jesse said:
Just look at Nate. He can hammer out a 35 page post on PoA on an iPad in less than 10 minutes.
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LOL! But I do it with the full size on screen keyboard and my thumbs. I've tried again and again to use that split keyboard thing you like, and can't do it. Fat thumbs, I guess. ;)
 
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