fitzage.me

Now that I've had both an iPhone and an iPad for a while, I thought I'd write a little bit about the breakdown between the two devices. In other words, what do I use them for?

When I first got the iPad, I used it a lot for all kinds of things. Now that the newness has worn off, my usage of it is falling into a more steady rhythm, and I'm back to using the iPhone for some things that I had been using the iPad for (although some of this could be the fault of getting a new iPhone 4, from which the newness hasn't quite worn off).

For some of these things, I know the iPad is better but tend to use the iPhone instead because it's almost always in my pocket. I don't always remember to grab the iPad when I leave the office, and don't always feel like going back to get it.

Reading

I've mentioned in previous articles that I do my long-form reading on the Kindle. There are some things that I still read on the iPad or iPhone, however. Primarily, this means Instapaper. I like Instapaper on the iPad because of the larger screen, but I like the crisper text on the iPhone 4. Lately, I've been doing most of my Instapaper reading on the iPhone 4 because I'm doing it out of convenience rather than purpose.

What I mean by that is that when I decide that I'm going to read some articles, I'll grab the iPad. But what I've mostly been doing lately is just reading when I'm in the bathroom or have some other available time, and then I use the iPhone because it's handy. I didn't really do this before the iPhone 4, though, so it's probably also a matter of the crisper text.

Writing and Note Taking

The iPad is much more pleasant to type on than the iPhone, in my opinion, unless I'm laying in bed or something. But sometimes I get an idea for a blog idea when I'm not at my computer and don't feel like getting the computer. Or I'll take notes in church in Pages. All of this works better on the iPad than the iPhone. Obviously, it's nicer to type with a physical keyboard, but the iPad isn't bad in a pinch.

Email

Email includes kind of a combination of several other items, like reading and writing and maybe some others. I prefer reading emails on the iPad because of screen space, and most emails aren't optimal for the iPhone screen size.

I tend to write more emails on the iPhone, but they tend to be short and are usually replies. I write longer ones on the iPad, though, because it's so much easier to type.

Also, the screen size makes it easier to read things like the three daily comic strip emails I get. I tend to read these along with my news feeds at breakfast.

The iPad suffers from some usability concerns in the Mail app, though. First is the fact that there is no unified inbox yet (that should come when iOS 4 comes to the iPad), and I've gotten quite used to having a unified inbox on my iPhone. It takes too many taps to go back to another account on the iPad.

But the biggest problem goes beyond that. I have always been obsessive about disabling the preview pane in my email clients. I remember doing this with GroupWise back in my college days. The iPhone doesn't offer a preview pane because of screen size, so I don't have to do this. The iPad, on the other hand, doesn't offer a view with no preview pane.

At first this doesn't seem like a big deal, until you realize that this means an email must always be selected. What happens is I often end up deleting that email from another device (either my iPhone or my computer), and then the iPad sometimes ends up marking an email as read that I haven't actually read yet because it switches from the email I deleted to the next email which isn't necessarily an email that I've seen. I've submitted this as a bug to Apple, but I doubt it will make much difference.

Remote Access

Occasionally I'll use the iPad or iPhone to remotely access one of my Macs or one of my servers. I have an app called iTeleport (which is like VNC, with much better control features than the other iPad VNC apps I've tried) for accessing the Macs, and I use an SSH client for accessing the servers.

Obviously, when it comes to remotely controlling a screen, the iPad is a better choice. The iPhone works in a pinch, but the iPad is actually quite useful. The iPad also works better for SSH, but that's more due to keyboard usability than it is to screen size, although the screen size also makes a difference.

Twitter

When I first got the iPad, I used Twitter on it a lot. I also used it a lot when travelling. For normal daily usage, however, I find myself almost never using Twitter on the iPad. I use it on the iPhone a lot and on my laptop a lot, but not on the iPad much. I'm not really sure why this is, but that's the way it's settled out.

Facebook

Facebook on the iPhone has the advantage of having a purpose-built app that's pretty well done. Facebook on the iPad uses the normal Facebook web interface. I probably use Facebook more on the iPhone, just because it's handy for checking things quickly, but I use it fairly frequently on the iPad as well.

Gaming

The iPad is better for most games just because of the size of the screen. It makes such a huge difference even for apps like Angry Birds that are really not that much different between the two devices. Again, though, iPhone gaming tends to happen a lot when I'm out and about with some downtime, or on the toilet.

Surfing

Surfing is by far better on the iPad, and I do more on the iPad than I do on the iPhone. But again, if I just want to look something up quickly, the iPhone often wins out because of convenience. Sometimes, though, I think that going and finding my iPad and using it would take less time than dealing with the screen restraints of the iPhone.

Shopping

I probably do online shopping more on the iPad than the iPhone, although the iPhone Amazon app makes it really easy to do price comparisons when I'm out shopping in a physical store.

I did run into one little problem with the iPad Amazon app the other day, though. I was looking at an item that turned out to be way overpriced. The price was so high, I thought it was a multi-pack before I tapped it and pulled up the full listing. I was about to tap the next item in the list when my other thumb accidentally bumped the one-click ordering button.

I cancelled the order within 5 minutes, but it shipped anyway and I had to return it. Evidently they have to actually have human intervention to cancel the order, and the human wasn't available at the time.

News

I read a number of RSS feeds, and Reeder on the iPad is awesome for this. This is probably one of the things I use the iPad for the most. I prop it up using the awesome Apple case, sit it on the kitchen counter, and go through my feeds while making breakfast. Then, when I sit down to eat breakfast, I put the iPad on the table next to me and continue reading and eating.

I occasionally use the iPhone for news feeds, but again this is a matter of being out and about. Are you sensing a theme here yet?

Chat

I don't do this while mobile often, but when I do I almost exclusively use the iPad. After all, it's all about typing and the iPad is way better for typing than the iPhone. Of course there's SMS. Not really any options for that.

Task Management

I do almost no task management on either mobile device. If I want to do some organizing of tasks and such, the iPad is way better because there's lest switching of screens and such. I usually only use my mobile task management apps when adding tasks. I should probably do more of this. Of course, if I'm out and about running errands and have them listed somewhere, the iPhone is the best option. No need to carry the iPad around the stores with me.

Video

This is one of the key things I use my iPad for, whether it be to watch the latest Futurama episode, or a screencast to help me learn programming or something. I often have it propped up next to me at my desk so I can put the screencast on there, and do my programming on my laptop and external monitor. It's easier than switching back and forth between the screencast and my text editor.

The iPhone is decent for watching video, but the screen is still so small that the iPad is much preferred.

Music

I have most of my music on my iPad because it has so much more storage space than my iPhone. I often use it to listen to music when sitting at my desk since I'm already running so many things on my computer I don't need to run iTunes as well.

Sometimes, if I'm not driving, I'll use the iPad for music in the car. Lately, though, I just use an SD card or my iPhone since both of them integrate into the stereo.

Directions

The iPad is excellent for mapping out routes, but so is the iPhone. I like doing this on the iPad more, but I kind of tend to forget I can use it for that. I think it's partly because I've been mapping out routes on my iPhone for a few years already, so that's just an ingrained habit that having the iPad hasn't changed. It probably also has something to do with the fact that I don't take my iPad with me to that many places, so I'm more likely to use the device that I always have with me.

IMDB

I thought IMDB deserved a specific mention. I mainly use IMDB to look up information on specific actors while I'm watching TV. This is how I do things like verify that the actor who played Bo Duke in the original Dukes of Hazzard series has been showing up on shows like CSI and Leverage as a bad guy in recent years.

The iPad version of the IMDB app is awesome, but I've hardly used it. Why? I guess it's because I already developed the habit of using the iPhone for such things, and I don't have the iPad with me in front of the TV as much as I thought I would.

Summary

So as I've been writing this, it's helped me realize one key thing: I often use my iPhone for things that the iPad is better suited for just because I'm more likely to have the iPhone handy. Perhaps I will start to make an effort to have the iPad handier to be better able to put it to use, or maybe I'll just realize that sometimes good enough is good enough, as long as it's convenient.

So I finally got my Hulu Plus invitation, and signed up immediately. I was expecting not to be charged yet since it's still in "preview" state, but I was. No big deal, but good to know.

I was expecting that I could then use the iPad app to watch all the Hulu Plus videos I wanted, as well as all the publicly available videos that I can watch on the website.

Not so.

The iPad app only shows the exclusive Hulu Plus content. Granted, there is a lot of content here that I would be interested in. All seasons of Airwolf, for example, and Arrested Devopment. But it seems an unusual limitation to only show premium content in the app, but make me use the computer to view the rest. That's a pain. Also, much of this content is already available from Netflix streaming, which has an iPad app and lets me stream to my TV via my XBox.

Also, Hulu Desktop only shows the available public videos, and doesn't show the premium content, so I'm stuck using the website if I want to watch any content on the computer.

This separation of content is really annoying. Now I have to keep track of which shows I can watch where.

From what I've seen, this applies to the options they offer for getting stuff onto your TV as well, like the XBox streaming (which isn't even available yet) or the PS3.

To add insult to injury, the one show that I've wanted to watch that hasn't been recording on my DVR yet this season, and has started expiring on Hulu is not available in Hulu Plus, so I'm stuck.

I don't see any reason I'll renew this next month, unless I get really hooked on watching old shows on my iPad. The Hulu Plus app is much better designed than the Netflix app.

Update:

I also submitted a complaint to Hulu support, and they got back to me impressively quickly with this response:

"Thanks for taking the time to write in, and I'd like you to know that we recognize the annoyance this cause, and we're working very hard to secure streaming clearances across all devices. We are actively growing our available library and I know you'll see a drastic improvement as we move forward."

I was going to write this big long article that went into detail about various differences between the Kindle and the iPad, and why I prefer the Kindle to the iPad for long-form reading. The more I thought about it, though, the more I realized just how subjective this all is. There are things that I consider advantages of the Kindle, that other people wouldn't care about. There are things that other people would think are advantages of the iPad that I don't care about (when it comes to long-form reading, at least).

So I think I'll make a much shorter article, pointing out a lot of the areas that need to be considered when deciding if you want to use a Kindle or an iPad for reading. I'm kind of assuming that you'll get an iPad just because it's so awesome for other stuff, so the question is whether to actually get a Kindle to supplement it.

Backlight

The iPad has a backlight, the Kindle doesn't.

The Kindle is better for reading in bright sunlight, the iPad is better for reading in the dark.

The backlight can cause eyestrain, but it doesn't for everybody.

The Kindle is better for reading on the beach, or on the bench in the backyard, or in the park.

The iPad is better for reading in bed before you go to sleep, or on the bench in the backyard at night, or in the park at night, or in a dark alley, or a bar, or wherever might be darker.

I tend to like the Kindle better because it doesn't have a backlight. I spend enough time staring at backlit screens already. My eyes need a rest. Other people don't seem to be bothered.

Text Rendering

The text on the iPad is a bit fuzzy, in my opinion. The text on the Kindle is fairly crisp (and the Kindle 3 is supposed to be even better).

Some people don't find the text on the iPad to be fuzzy enough to bother them. I do. Eventually the iPhone 4 display quality will make its way to the iPad, and this won't be an issue.

Contrast

The iPad has much better contrast than the Kindle. I find the Kindle contrast level acceptable for reading, but some people don't. The Kindle 3 has improved contrast, but I have yet to see one in person.

Size and Weight

The Kindle weighs a lot less than an iPad, and is therefore easier to hold in one hand without your arm getting tired. Some people don't really hold the device so much as set it on something, so it's not a big deal. If you do hold it while reading, especially if you hold it in one hand, this could make a big difference.

Speed

The iPad is definitely a faster device. E-ink screens, like on the kindle, tend to be slow at turning pages. This has never been slow enough to bother me, but it is slow enough to bother some people. The Kindle 3 turns pages faster, so it may be fast enough for people who were bothered by the old one. Maybe note.

Page Turning

This is a toss-up in some ways, and pretty much depends on your opinion on the preceding two sections: size and weight, and speed. If you like to hold the device in one hand while reading, the iPad can turn pages fine if you're using your right hand. It's a bit more difficult if you're using your left. The Kindle is equally easy with either hand. But if you hold it with two hands, or set it on something, then it really doesn't matter.

Bling Factor

One of my friends pointed out that he feels safer reading on his Kindle on the train, rather than his iPad. It's much less of a theft target, and much cheaper to replace if it is stolen. Personally, I don't spend much time reading in public, so this isn't such a big deal.

Distractibility

I'm easily distracted. If I want to do some quality reading, it's best to get away from the iPhone and the iPad. If I grab the iPad, chances are I'll end up playing Angry Birds instead of reading. Some people probably don't have this problem, but I'm sure I'm not the only one.

Highlighting and Notes

I highlight a lot of stuff in Kindle books. I've gotten used to the whole joystick-based method, and can do it fairly quickly now, but it's still easier to highlight in books on the iPad. The Kindle keyboard blows chunks. Typing on the iPad is way better. I don't type very many notes on the Kindle, and it's probably partly because the keyboard sucks so much. I'm not sure if the Kindle 3 has any new advantages in this regard.

Price

Obviously, the iPad is more expensive, but it can do a lot more stuff. If you're only getting one device, you should probably get the iPad. Unless you don't see yourself using such a device for anything other than reading. But we're assuming you're going to get an iPad anyway, or that you already have one.

So, you'll be out at least $139 to get a Kindle in addition to your iPad. Is it worth it? It is for me. To decide if it's worth it for yourself, you'll need to analyze the issues above (and maybe others).

Loosely Related

Instapaper

Instapaper is awesome. If you haven't checked it out, do so.

I have an app that syncs Instapaper articles to my Kindle when I plug it into my computer. This works OK, but I never plug my Kindle into my computer. The iPad and iPhone have an Instapaper app that downloads articles over the air. I was doing all my Instapaper reading on the iPad for a while because of this, but now I'm doing most of it on the iPhone 4 because of the killer text rendering.

If there was a better way to get Instapaper onto my Kindle, I'd use that. There is an option to have Instapaper email a file to your Kindle, but it was having serious problems last time I tried it.

Paper Books

One-handed operation doesn't always work well, and portability isn't very good. And you can't read them in the dark.

On the other hand, they're not big theft targets and you're out less money if you drop it in the pool. And you can read them in bright sunlight.

But despite the fact that I like the bumper, it has some significant downsides:

1. Remember the first generation iPhone? Where you could only use headphones specifically designed to work with it because of the recessed headphone jack? If you get a bumper, expect a return to that. The hole for the headphone jack is exactly the same size as the headphone jack itself.

This doesn't present a problem for my Shure earphones, but it does present a problem with the speakers in the bedroom, the aux cable in the car, and my AKG over-the-ear headphones.

2. This is related to number 1. The hole for the dock connector is designed specifically to work with the Apple USB cable. The tolerance is very tight, so here are some things it won't work with:

a. The dock connector in my car.
b. The iPhone 4 dock you can buy from Apple.
c. The cheap Chinese knock-off cable that is almost identical to the Apple cable.
d. The older Apple cables that have the spring clips to hold it in.

3. Dirt. The rubberized portion of the case seems to pick up black dirt like crazy, especially on the corners. I have yet to find an effective method of cleaning this, although I haven't tried throwing it in the dishwasher yet. The shiny edges are fine. If you have a black or gray bumper, it's probably not a problem. But the colored bumpers are prone to this issue.

For now, I'm going to continue using the bumper, but the drawbacks are really starting to get to me.

The main way to approach dieting with this in mind is to count calories. I've written about this before in relation to the various iPhone apps available for counting calories. But counting calories can be a lot of work. I lost 15 pounds at one point with calorie counting, but I've never been able to get back into it since.

So I decided to look into WeightWatchers instead. I figured that it might be a little easier to count points instead of specifically counting calories. WeightWatchers points are based on calories, fat, and fiber. Something with high fiber and low fat may be fewer points than something with low fiber and high fat, even though it's the same number of calories.

The general idea seems to be that they're pushing you towards foods that will fill you up more so that you'll be less hungry and get fewer snacking urges. Essentially, this diet is counting calories with a little bit extra thrown in to help you eat healthier.

It seems that it might be a little less work than counting calories because it might require a little less precision to do it right. But while I was looking into WeightWatchers, I discovered their "Simply Filling" plan.

WeightWatchers Simply Filling gives you a list of what they call "filling foods" from which you're allowed to eat "however much you want." You then get a number of points to use throughout the week for going beyond the list. It's important to keep in mind that you are supposed to watch your hunger levels. The "however much you want" should only be in relation to your hunger levels. The general idea is you shouldn't let yourself get either too hungry or too full, which is good advice for any diet.

The beauty of this plan is that it takes significantly less work to stick with the diet. As long as you stick with foods on the filling foods list, you don't need to be constantly measuring and weighing everything you eat.

This is still based on the one diet principle that works: burn more calories than you consume. The filling foods list focuses on foods that are low in fat and high in fiber. Fat is a significant calorie source, and fiber helps keep you filled up longer so you're less likely to snack. But the list is much broader than I expected it to be. It includes, of course, wide varieties of vegetables, but also dairy (fat free, of course) and lean meats. It's a broad enough list that it can easily keep you satisfied, and if you need something a little extra you can dip into your weekly points. I find that I can usually satisfy any snacking urges with an orange or other piece of fruit, and these are also included in the filling foods list.

I've actually found that it's so successful for me, that I'm usually in danger of losing too much weight each week. I don't even usually pay much attention to sticking to the diet on weekends, although I try not to go overboard and overeat.

One thing that is missing from the list that I really miss is breads. I occasionally use some of my points for toast or English muffins, but I generally haven't had too much trouble. I am allowed some whole wheat pasta and brown rice, which helps out with this carb craving.

The WeightWatchers plan has other advantages in addition to their tracking system:

1. A great iPhone app. This rivals the best of the iPhone calorie tracking apps. I've been very impressed with it, although it doesn't allow entry of my weight each week. For that I have to use the website, which is nice enough even though it's Flash based.
2. A great selection of recipes. They even mark ones that work for the Simply Filling plan so you don't have to figure it all out. I can access these either on the computer or in the iPhone app. The iPhone method comes in quite handy when actually making the recipes.
3. A variety of helpful articles about diet and fitness, including tips about how to keep your hunger in check, diet myths, how to eat out without killing your diet, how to reduce your cholesterol, etc.

WeightWatchers has also recently lowered the barrier to entry for their online program. When I lost some weight a few years ago, I didn't sign up for weight watchers because the signup fee was as much as buying Calorie King software, and then you had to pay a monthly fee. Now, they give you the option of paying for the first three months in advance and waiving the signup fee. So for about the same amount as it used to take to get into the program, you're paid up for three months instead of one. This should also help provide a little extra incentive to stick with it if you've already paid for three months.

Based on my experience of the last 5 weeks, I highly recommend the WeightWatchers Simply Filling plan for the slackers like me who just can't be bothered to measure everything they eat.

When I lived in Wisconsin, there was a Panera Bread in the mall, a little too close to where I worked. By that I mean that it was too easy for me to go get some bagels or whatever, which was not good for either the pocketbook or the waistline.

For those of you unfamiliar with Panera, they are essentially a bakery and cafe. They make a wide variety of specialty breads, including things like Onion and Rosemary Focacia bread, Asiago cheese bagels, etc, that comes in all shapes and sizes. They also have excellent coffee, and serve sandwiches made with their delicious bread, along with a variety of soups, salads, pastries, cookies, etc.

To top it all off, they are using free Wi-Fi in all their new stores, and are working on adding it to older stores.

The reason I mention this is because there are no Panera Bread locations in Tucson, which is a great loss. The bagels that Panera turns out are the best I have ever tasted. In fact, I avoid most other bagels because I cannot find any in Tucson that measure up (even though we have Einstein and Breugers all over).

Well, today when I was going for lunch, I drove in a loop around the mall to see if there were any restaurants I hadn’t noticed yet, and I saw Panera. So of course I ate lunch there, and now I am enjoying their coffee while partaking in their free Wi-Fi, as opposed to doing the same thing at Barnes and Noble or Starbucks and having to pay for the Wi-Fi. And, interestingly enough, I think that Panera’s coffee is at least as good as Starbucks’.

So if you have a Panera near you, don’t miss out on the opportunity.

Wow! I just had the best blue cheese burger ever. If you are ever in Concourse A at the Denver Airport with a little time on your hands, stop by Chef Jimmy's (it's a sit-down restaurant).

They have a variety of (what seem to be) fine items on their menu, but I only had the Bacon Blue Burger. You can get it in either char-broiled Angus or Chicken. I had the Angus.The average blue cheese burger or steak will err in one of two areas. Either it will have not enough blue cheese to taste, or it will have so much blue cheese that you get very tired of it by the end of the sandwich. There are some types of cheese (extra shard cheddar, for example) that you can never have too much of. But blue cheese is not one of those cheeses.

This sandwich had exactly the right amount of blue cheese, and was absolutely fantastic.They also have a wide variety of wines, etc., and even list the best wines for each menu item next to the item. I only had Dr. Pepper (a Pepsi establishment, so no Coke, the only downside I encountered), but for those of you inclined to do what (I've heard) enhances the eating experience by choosing the perfect wine for the meal, they make it easy. Their prices aren't too bad either. I ate for about the same amount as it costs me to get a good meal at IHOP.