Blogging on iPad with Byword and Bluetooth Keyboard

Thanks to how silly my workplace is when it comes to access to the Internet I now have to use multiple devices to access many of the services that I previously used to run on my work machine. They have instituted a 100 connection throttle on all inbound and outbound TCP/IP connections. This explains a LOT about why I’ve been having such problems accessing the network.

Of course I won’t change my habits, I’ll just shift some of what I do onto other devices. In this case, pressing my iPhone and iPad into service. They’ll be responsible for the more social apps like Google Plus, Twitter, and such.

One thing that intrigued me was trying out Byword for the iPad using a Bluetooth Keyboard. How is blogging on my iPad different than blogging on my iMac? Byword makes this almost a seamless move. I type and the text appears on my iPad, since there are no network issues for my iPad there really shouldn’t be any lag, beach balls of death, or anything else getting in my way when it comes to blogging. The bluetooth keyboard means I can kick back and relax, put the keyboard anywhere I like and the iPad will still hear it and respond well. I don’t expect there to be any issues with WordPress. The app may be a little crunky around the edges but I can post by email just as well as open the app and copy the text into that. Sometimes I think that the post-by-email feature is more compelling for me than the application is.

At least with a bluetooth keyboard at home and at work I won’t have to lug one back and forth when I go back and forth from home to work during the day. I will however take my bluetooth keyboard with me on my upcoming work trip and see how well I can use it to do office-type things with just my iPad.

My trusty 1st Generation iPad, which by the way, still works great, has great resolution and fits me perfectly. Apple, you missed out on planned obsolescence when it came to this device!

Time to post this sucker…

Comic Con Day 3 – iPad is Disabled

Just exited the Family Guy panel on Day 3 of San Diego Comic Con and after it was done I opened up my Apple iPad and to my chagrin it said “This iPad is Disabled, please try again in 4 minutes” and my Bluetooth was active. I immediately thought that someone was being hacky and clever with my open Bluetooth stack being a security risk. I left Ballroom 20 with concern that somehow my iPad had been broken into and was now for some reason vulnerable. As I walked along, trying to reset the iPad and turn it on and off to no effect I waited and eventually the device was unlocked. I opened up Google on my POS Blackberry and looked up the phrase, “iPad is Disabled”.

This is where my chagrin was firmly planted. I also brought with me my Apple Wireless Keyboard today, and didn’t think anything about it. While I’m traveling I have my iPad in secure mode with a passcode. Apparently somehow my Apple Wireless Keyboard turned on (probably a nudge) and then it started to feed my iPad guesses to the unlock code. With enough wrong guesses the iPad started to limit access. I’m thankful that I caught it when I did, after 10 wrong guesses my iPad deletes all the content within it.

Apparently my handy Apple Wireless Keyboard has a very touchy power button so now when I travel I’m just going to pull it’s batteries out. A part of me wishes it wasn’t that hard to screw everything up, and another part of me is embarrassed that I even let it happen.

If you are traveling with an iPad and an Apple Wireless Keyboard, check your batteries!