Reading in Bed with iOS 4.2

iOS 4.2 on the iPad has changed some things. Most of them are good, but one is odd. There is a small switch on the right side of the iPad near the volume button. This used to lock the orientation of the iPad so it wouldn't rotate the picture when you rotated the iPad. This is good for reading in bed so if you lie on your side the picture stays correct for the way you're lilting, not for gravity. Well, that switch is now a mute switch. How do you lock orientation? Double-click your main button to bring up a menu bar on the bottom. Swipe to the left to find an orientation lock button. See instructions with pictures here

http://www.theipadguide.com/content/ipad-ios-42-nixes-rotation-lock-switch/7175207

Social Reading

I just read this article about Copia. It is a social reading platform for the iPad. This really takes e-reading to another level. There are several social bookmark sites for listing and reviewing books you have read, but this integrates that functionality and more into the book itself. Imagine reading a book and all your friend's comments are listed in the sidebar. Or imagine assigning a book to a class and engaging in discussion in the book itself. I don't know if I'll have time to try it in the near future (and I hear it is still a bit clunky), but it is a powerful concept with some interesting implications for education.

David Marcovitz

I Love iOS 4.2

I've only been using it for a few minutes, and I already love multitasking on the iPad. I use Feeddler to subscribe to RSS feeds. In the past, if I was reading something and clicked out to check my email or find some related information, the article I was reading would be lost. Now, if I exit Feeddler while reading something, it takes me right back to it.

I have also noticed that threading has been added to Mail. This means that if I have a bunch of emails that responses to one another, they are grouped together, rather than listed separately. This will take a little getting used to, but I think I like it. I'm sure I can turn it off in Settings if I decide I don't.

David Marcovitz

iOS 4.2 for iPad

The long-awaited update to the operating system for the iPad has arrived (iOS 4.2). This is supposed to be a big deal, allowing multitasking (that means that when you leave one app, you can come back to it in the same place you left instead of having to start over). Some apps (like Mail) already allowed you to leave and come back, but many didn't.

The instructions I received to update were to simply plug in the iPad and follow the on-screen instructions in iTunes. Unfortunately, it wasn't that simple. I had to plug in my iPad to my computer, and click on the iPad icon (on the left sidebar) in iTunes. Then, I had a button to click to check for updates. Once I did that, it began to download and install the update. It is updating now. In fact, it just finished so the whole process took about 5 minutes. I'm very excited about this.

By the way, this update is free.

David Marcovitz

iPad for the Fourth of July

I am talking to my class about blogs. They are wondering why I got an iPad for the Fourth of July.