iPad - making it a business tool - part 1

I have an iPad.  I've been working with if for several months now and appreciate the ability to have such a powerful tool available that is far lighter than my laptop and, for many tasks, more appropriate.

Of course the primary applications to make an iPad truly useful in a business sense is the ability to sync with corporate email and calendar.  This is such a major benefit that I honestly can't imagine why anyone wouldn't put this at the top of their customization immediately upon unboxing this or any other tablet.    The ability to receive and send email, basically anywhere if 3G or 4G, or by wifi if not 3G/4G is such a time saver.  The calendar function is equally important.  By updating or adding an event to my iPad it automatically syncs with Outlook at work or the other way around.

I know most of our smart phones do these two functions as well, so maybe that is not enough of a benefit to invest in an iPad, however, this might change your mind.

Using an app called Notability I have been able to completely eliminate any other form of note taking at meetings.  This program is literally amazing.  I take a lot of notes and have traditionally used a spiralbound notebook and have several on my shelf that I have collected over the years, allowing me to look back and track down information as well as recall conversations.  But it also means that I only have with me what is in the current notebook.

Now I do all of that and more with Notability.  The application allows input from typing, pen, recording, and even inserts pictures within the notes.  The typing is about what you would expect and without a keyboard it is limiting.  The pen input, however, IS AMAZING!  There is an easy way to set up a place for your palm to rest and write within a zoom box that works so well and intuitively that keeping up with any meeting is easy.  And if the meeting has information which is too detailed for notes, a simple tap at the top of the application turns on a recorder which syncs with the location where you are writing for playback.  If there is information on the whiteboard, no problem, simply tap another icon and easily take a picture and insert it right into the notes.  Have .pdfs sent to you by email, such as an agenda, and want to take notes on that, no problem, as notability opens both .pdf files and .rtf files.  If I know I'm going into a meeting and have been sent the material in a Word document, I will convert it to a .pdf and then open it in Notability, allowing the same functionality with recordings, pictures, pen input and even highlighting.

These files can then be stored in the cloud or natively on the iPad - or BOTH.  Additionally they can be sent by email and easily printed either from the email through your computer or on an AirPrint enabled printer.

The best part - the application has an easy file organizer for keeping track of notes and that means that I can carry with me ALL my notes as well as all the may other wonderful things possible with a tablet and have them available anytime, anywhere.

More later about iPad efficiencies.