Dealing with App Failure

It happens to all of us, eventually:  an iPad app you're using freezes up, or it takes too long to respond.  Although Apple's mantra "it just works" is true most of the time, sometimes things just don't work.  Fortunately, there are a couple of pretty easy ways to deal with apps gone wild.

Option #1: Quitting an App.  The first (and easiest) thing to try is simply stopping the app that's giving you problems.  First, pull up your task bar by going to your home screen, then pressing the home button twice.  Just press down on the misbehaving app until it starts jiggling, then press the red minus sign in the upper left. Confirm that you want to close the app, and poof!  It's gone.  Now try to restart the app.  In most cases, this will solve the problem.

Option #2: Reinstalling the App.  In those cases where it doesn't work, reinstalling the app is the next thing to try.  To do that, press down on the app icon (not on the task bar, in the regular place where it lives).  Then press the black x in the upper left corner.  Confirm that you want to delete the app, and it will be removed from your iPad.

(Warning:  some apps store data in them, and if you delete them you might lose all the data contained in the app.  Before deleting an app, make sure the data is backed up somewhere else, or that you don't need any data in the app.)

Next, go to the App Store and press Purchased, to see those apps you already own.  At the top of that screen, make sure Not On This iPad is pressed, so you can see a list of those apps that aren't currently installed on the device.  Navigate to the app you just deleted, and press the cloud icon to the right of it.  After you enter your iTunes credentials the app will be reinstalled.

Option #3:  Reboot! If this doesn't solve the problem, or your issue is much worse than a single app, then rebooting the iPad might do the trick.   You've probably done this before:  just press and hold on the sleep/wake button for three second, and slide the button on the screen to power it off.  Once it turns off, press the sleep/wake button again, and it will turn back on.

Sometimes this doesn't work - the iPad is so frozen up that pressing the sleep/wake button has no effect.  If that's the case, the press and hold the sleep/wake button and the home button at the same time for 10 seconds.  This will perform a "hard reset" on your iPad, which is basically the same as a reboot.

The Nuclear Option. If all else fails, you may need to wipe the device and start over.  There are two ways to do this, depending on whether you're using Apple's iCloud service.

First, make sure your iPad is backed up.  You may be using the iCloud service to back up your iPad, or still using iTunes.  Either way, do a backup (if your iPad is in crisis, I hope you did a backup recently!).  Then take a deep breath and head to Settings, then General, then Reset.  Press Erase All Content and Settings.  This will return your iPad to its original factory settings, without any of your content on it.  The iPad is basically a new device for you now, and starts with a Welcome screen; after you choose your preferred language and agreeing to the Legal Terms, you'll get a screen that gives you three options:

• Set up as a New iPad
• Restore from iCloud Backup
• Restore from iTunes Backup

If you're using iCloud, select that option.  You must be connected to a wireless network for this to work, and you'll be prompted to select a nearby network.  You'll be prompted to sign into your iCloud account, and you'll then select the backup you want to restore.  iCloud will then restore all of your settings, and reinstall all of your apps.  If you have music or videos on your iPad you didn't get from the iTunes store, you may need to transfer them manually from their source. 

If you're using iTunes, then you'll be prompted to plug your iPad into your computer.  iTunes will then perform essentially the same restore as iCloud, and you'll be prompted to select the right backup to restore.  The process is the same, and at the end you'll have a fully restored iPad.

An Update on MS Office on the iPad

Back in February I posted about two new apps that allow you to actually work with Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint on the iPad - OnLive Desktop and CloudOn.  Shortly after that, OnLive ran into a bit of trouble with Microsoft, because it wasn't properly licensing the Windows 7 software that users accessed through the app.  This week, OnLive and Microsoft kissed and made up; OnLive will be running its app on the Windows Server 2008 RS engine, rather than Windows 7.  Some users say it doesn't work as well as a Windows 7 environment - for one thing, the fantastic handwriting recognition tool is not available any more - but I didn't notice anything too disturbing when I tried out the update.

I'm still a big fan of CloudOn, and this week they also issued an update.  Now Box users can connect to the service, and the app also provides support for Adobe Reader - so you can read PDF files within the app. Unfortunately, the Commenting and Signing options have been disabled, so really all you can do is read PDF files.  There are certainly better apps for working with PDF files, but it's nice that CloudOn added this feature.

Have you tried out either OnLive or CloudOn?  Leave a comment and let me know which one you prefer.

The Paper App - for Your Creative Side

One of the most beautiful apps I have used was released a couple of weeks ago, and I thought I'd spend some time talking about it today.  It's called Paper - although if you're looking for it in the App Store, make sure to search for "Paper by FiftyThree."  The app itself is free, but to take advantage of all of its tools you'll have to make a couple of in-app purchases - the Color, Sketch, Write and Outline tools will cost $1.99 each, or you can get it all bundled into the "Essentials" package for $7.99.

Let's be clear - Paper may not be an app that would be useful to the average lawyer.  But if you like to sketch, draw, or keep basic lists, the app may be worth a try - because from what I've seen, the app can help you create some pretty amazing drawings.  Here are a few examples from the Fifty-Three site:

These images and many more are available at http://madewithpaper.fiftythree.com.

You can create and keep as many notebooks or journals as you want.  The notebooks are customizable with 11 pre-designed covers - but you can also cover your notebook with the photo of your choice.  In the screenshot below, the last two notebooks are from images I had in my Photo Roll.

To start using Paper, just tap on one of the notebooks.  You can add as many pages you like to the notebook simply by pressing the + button in the menu under the notebooks (Note:  when the notebooks are closed, pressing the + button will create a new notebook.  To add new pages to a notebook, the notebook must be open before you press the + button.

To start working with a page, just do a two-finger spread motion to expand the page to full screen.  Drag your finger up from the bottom to call up the toolbar.  From there you can select the tool you want to use, and the right color.

Pick a tool, and start drawing, writing, or sketching.  If you need to undo something, just swipe two fingers in a counter-clockwise direction - it will remove everything you did in the reverse order it appeared on the screen.  There's also an eraser if you want to get rid of something quickly, or refine something you've drawn.

Paper does not work in Portrait mode - you can certainly draw with that orientation, but it will display sideways when you view the page later.  

Once you are done with a page, you can share the drawing on Tumblr, Facebook, Twitter, or as an image to your camera roll.  You can also mail the page to anyone as a JPEG file.

The main drawback I have with Paper is with writing.  I'm not much of an artist, so if I used this app I would use it to take notes.  Unfortunately, Paper does not come with a wrist protection feature like many of the note-taking apps I have reviewed and regularly use.  I am not sure how the person wrote on the image above; I can only imagine it was done without the wrist touching the iPad, because I am having a lot of trouble writing on it in my usual manner.  Also, if you want to write on this, use a stylus like the Wacom Bamboo - something with a rubber tip.  I was unable to write with my JotPro.

In all, I really like the Paper app - and if you like to sketch accident scenes or other types of diagrams in your practice, then it might work for you.   For taking notes, however, I think it lacks many of the features of other, more robust note-taking apps.  Then again, Paper wasn't designed for the kind of note-taking I have in mind.  I'm keeping it around, though, for fun drawing, and if I ever wind up taking a class that helps me d

Announcing iPad Apps in One Hour for Lawyers

I'm thrilled to announce the publication of my latest book, iPad Apps in One Hour for Lawyers, published by the ABA's Law Practice Management Section.  The idea that drove me to write this book, is the sheer number of apps in the App Store for the iPad - at last count there were somewhere between 80,000 and 90,000.  I keep getting asked the same question - how do you know which apps are best?  So I decided to create a curated listing of what I consider the best iPad apps, in the categories most important to lawyers. The result was this book - short reviews of 220+ iPad apps in the following categories:

• Getting organized and being productive
• Documents:  creating and organizing them
• Apps for the law office
• News, reading and reference apps
• Utilities
• Travel apps

I also spend some time describing how to buy, download and install apps on your iPad.

The book is currently available in print from the link above.  We'll also have an iBook and e-Book version available soon.  Unfortunately, the book won't be available on Amazon for some time, either in print or on the Kindle - this is due to an outmoded ABA policy (don't get me started).

If you'd like to know more about the book, please let me know.  I hope you enjoy it!

The New iPad - First Thoughts

I got my new iPad on Friday, and have had a couple of days to play around with it.  I have also compared it to my iPad 2, and I have to say that my initial thoughts about it match up with my experience.

This is a great device, so I'll cut to the chase: if you are looking for your first tablet, or wondering whether you should upgrade from an iPad 1, the answer is an unqualified yes.  If you have an iPad 2, then it really depends on how you answer these questions:

• Does the resolution on your iPad 2 bother you?
• Do you want a faster cellular connection?
• Do you want a better camera?

If you answer Yes to one or more of these questions, I'd suggest you upgrade.  If you answered No to one or more, you're probably okay keeping the iPad 2 for a while longer.

The first thing I noticed about the new iPad was its weight - it's only 1.8 ounces heavier than the iPad 2, but it is quite noticeable to me, especially when I put the SmartCover and back cover on it.  To be fair, my Switcheasy CoverBuddy doesn't quite fit - it's made for an iPad 2, which is a little thinner than the new iPad - I'll get rid of it when something that fits is available.  That said, it's still lighter than the original iPad, so I'm not complaining.

At first, I couldn't tell the difference between the iPad 2 display and the new iPad's retina display - I thought, "maybe they sent me an iPad 2 by accident."   After a while, though, the differences began to become clearer - literally - the display is significantly better on the new iPad, whether you're reading a book, watching a movie, or reading email.  Here's a comparison of the Gmail app icon - it's from a great review of the new iPad at The Verge:

For most of you, the real difference here will come in the clarity of the text you read with the iPad.  It's clear, crisp, and really enjoyable.

Next - the camera.  I've already said that I just don't get why anyone would want to hold up something this big to take a picture.  But if you happen to be someone who does, you'll want to take a look at the new iPad's camera.  I took two pictures of my new book iPad Apps in One Hour for Lawyers.

Taken with iPad 2 cameraTaken with the new iPadNot even close.

I did not purchase a 4G model - I don't need one because I have a 4G Mi-Fi hotspot - but reviews I have read say that the 4G speeds are "faster than wi-fi fast."  That assumes, of course, you are in an area where 4G networks are available.  

Now, it's not all roses and honey with my new iPad.  There are a couple of things I wish were different, and they all deal with the battery.  In order to keep the iPad's impressive 10-hour battery life, they had to increase the size of the battery, and they did - by about 70%.  For me, there have been two effects of this massive battery:

• The device gets unusually warm after using it for a few hours.  Not "it's going to explode!" warm, but warm enough to know something is working pretty hard under the hood.
• Bigger battery = longer charge time.  Be prepared to leave it plugged in overnight to get a good charge.

The Huffington Post offers a great roundup of 9 reviews on the iPad, if you'd like to read more about what tech experts are saying (spoiler alert:  they all love it, too).

I agree with the experts that the new iPad is the best tablet currently on the market - so I'll say again, if you're thinking about buying a tablet, you owe it to yourself to take a look at the new iPad.

So what's your take?  Do you already have your iPad?  Does my review (or the others above) push you over the edge to buy one?  Is there no way you'll ever one?  Leave your comments below and let's discuss!