Technology
Laptop or iPad?
I thought the day would never come where I could travel without my laptop. For almost a decade it has gone everywhere that I go. From sitting by a campfire in the woods to riding up Mount Washington on my motorcycle with the Sons of Grace it has always been at my side, like a faithful dog. Thankfully I haven't always needed it but it was there when I did.
Lugging a laptop around was somewhat inconvenient. First off, my 15" Dell Studio weighed in at 7lbs with the a/c adapter. I couldn't travel without the adapter because battery life was about 3 hours max and finding a power source when I needed it wasn't always easy. Not to mention waiting for it to boot, lots of moving parts to break, etc. made it not so ideal for certain travel conditions.
Welcome the iPad 2. Weighing in at 1.33lbs for the WI-FI only model it is thin, sleek and can be packed in just about any size bag, or no bag at all. It even fits in my saddlebag with room to spare. The A/C adapter is small enough to fit in my pocket but I won't need to bring it everywhere I go because the battery life is 3x that of my laptop! I decided against the 3G model because I can wirelessly tether my Android phone when I need it.
After unpacking the iPad 2 my first priority was to load up all of the the apps that I had been researching for the past few months. These are the essential apps that will allow me to manage every network and technology that I support from anywhere I go, with the tap of a finger.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Citrix Receiver
This app allows me to manage my Citrix environments from virtually anywhere. It also provides me access to Windows virtual desktops, published applications, Microsoft Exchange, network files, Active Directory and more, all in HIGH DEFINITION.
AdminPad
Created by AdminPraise this app gives me an iPad-optimized interface for all of my client's Joomla websites.Join.Me
From the creators of LogMeIn the join.me app allows me to provide remote support to any computer, anywhere in the world in addition to instant online meetings, chat, and file transfer.
Rackpace Cloud
Since all of our hosting is done through the Rackspace Cloud I can manage all of our "Cloud Files" and "Cloud Servers" from the simple, easy to use interface of the iPad app. From rebooting a server to creating a new one, it can all be done on the iPad.
Log Me In Ignition
I use the Log Me In client software on multiple networks. While this was the most expensive app I purchased ($29.99) it gives me the ability to take remote control of any remote system without user interaction on the other end. I can login to any system, at any time and take full control as long as the remote system has a connection to the internet. The Log Me In software is simply brilliant.
Dropbox
I opted for the 16GB iPad because most of the files I need to access are stored remotely. I don't need to take a ton of media with me and when I do 16GB will cover a few movies and a decent amount of music. The rest of my files I put in Dropbox. Dropbox is an incredible platform that allows me to share and synchronize files between my iPad, Android Phone, Windows laptop, home PC and even share files with my Mac buddies on their Dropbox accounts. You can get a 2GB Dropbox account for FREE.
FTP on the Go
Managing websites, networks and files often requires FTP access. FTP on the Go PRO is hands-down the best FTP client for mobile access. This handy app allows me upload and download files, compress/uncompress archives, and even edit on the fly. It is a must-have for anyone that needs mobile FTP access.
To sum it up...
The iPad 2 is an amazing tool for the network administrator who needs portability, reliability and quick access to effective tools either in or out of the office.
Today, people all around the world waited in line for the iPad 2 to go on sale. I have never been a big fan of Apple products. If you know me personally you would most likely call that an understatement.
A few years ago I purchased a 16GB iPhone 3G. I had 3 smartphones prior to purchasing the iPhone: a Samsung Blackjack, Samsung Blackjack II and a HTC. All 3 of these phones ran Windows Mobile 5 or 6. I was generally happy with them but I like to be on the cutting edge so I jumped at the chance to upgrade. The iPhone 3G was a decent phone, minus the limitations that AT&T and Apple put on it. After a quick jailbreak and a few apps from Cydia I had all the functionality I needed.
Last year I was introduced to the Android platform by a friend, Dan Simrak. My iPhone was running very slow. The limitations were frustrating and I was anxious to purchase some new technology. When the 1GHz chips came out I again took the opportunity to upgrade, this time to a Samsung Captivate. The Captivate is stupid fast compared to the iPhone 3G. While the Android Market lacked some of the apps that I had from the App Store I was blown away by some new features such as Swype, widgets, and Google Apps support. After 6 months of owning the Captivate AT&T had still not released the 2.2 "Froyo" update so I had to root the phone and install a hacked version of Froyo. It was well worth my time though for Adobe Flash support and performance enhancements. Froyo also gives me the mobile hotspot feature that AT&T doesn't want me to have on my grandfathered unlimited data package.
This all brings me up to today. This morning I visited MacOutfitters in Doylestown, PA to pick up a "deli number" for the 5pm release of the iPad 2. The store opened at 9am and when I showed up at 9:08 I was given deli number 36 (and 37 for my friend Jim Worth). I wasn't even sure if I would get an iPad 2 but I found out later that they had 100 in inventory. Jim and I returned to the store at 4:30pm with our boys to get on line with about 70 other people. As I was standing at checkout my 3 year old says to me, "daddy, can I get my own iPad?" My response, "sure, as soon as you get a job!"
Sitting in the parking lot I quickly connected my iPad 2 to my Windows 7 laptop for activation. In Doylestown you would expect to find some open wireless access points but a quick scan revealed nothing. So I turned on the mobile hotspot feature on my Android 2.2 phone, wirelessly tethered my laptop, plugged in the iPad and VOILA! The iPad activated and we were on our way.
Driving home I didn't see much of the iPad 2. Actually, I have owned it for about 8 hours now and have only used it for about 20 minutes. But it is nice to know that it will be there when I need it, as long as I have my Windows 7 laptop with iTunes for syncing, and my Android phone for tethering.
So how soon until I jailbreak my new iPad 2? Not soon enough.
A few days ago I received a phone call from someone asking me what a new Blackberry Storm would cost on eBay. I asked them why they were looking for a used phone and their response was that they had dropped their beloved Blackberry and the screen was cracked. It was still semi-useable but understandably they wanted a replacement. I asked them if they had thought about replacing just the screen, since the phone was still in working condition. Their response was, "you can do that?"
I recently got an iPhone 4 for my wife. Her old phone was a Droid Eris that we bought from a friend and while she liked the platform, she was not a fan of the phone. The Eris was a phone that should have never been. The initial conception was great but the lack of processing power and cheap components made it a real pain to work with.
After months of frustration, I checked on a whim to see if she was eligible for an upgrade and sure enough she qualified for an iPhone 4 preorder. It's hard to tell who was actually more excited about her new phone, me or her. She was excited to have a phone that would work. I was excited to have a new "toy" to fidget with and figure out.
When I first got my iPhone 3G I was amazed at all of the useless apps that I could download from the Apple App Store. 20,000+ at the time. Now they advertise over 200,000. I quickly found though, that if you didn't sync your iPhone through iTunes you would lose any purchased apps once you restored your phone. Also, on the iPhone you can only install one application at a time. Pretty lame.
After activating my Samsung Captivate the first thing I did was browse the Android Market for the same apps that I had been using on my iPhone. Foursquare, Facebook, Twitter, Meebo, Wordpress, Weather Channel... they were all there! As I tapped to install each app it ran in the background and before I knew it I had installed all of my apps at the same time without ever leaving the Android Market. I was amazed! And I don't have to sync my phone with anything to save my apps. The Android Market keeps track of it all for me!