How Can Web Designers Wring Value from an iPad?

This week in the Elated Extra ( http://www.elated.com/newsletter/ ), I moot the possibility of buying an iPad for testing websites. That's my excuse, anyway. But I need convincing.

Do we have any readers using an iPad for actual productive web design/development work? Maybe you've become a iPad interface ninja and generated new revenue streams with your new skills? Let us know below!

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From your piece in the newsleter:

"The trouble is, I also need a new PC laptop so I can run the IE9 preview (my old netbook running XP home isn't going to cut it I fear)."

Why not Win7 running on VMware/Parallels on your Mac? You'd save a ton of money and have a complete dev/test environment on a single laptop.

"And an Android phone, so I can test on that platform too."

YMMV, but I find the Android emulator does a pretty good job without needing an actual Android phone to test with:

http://developer.android.com/guide/developing/tools/emulator.html

I suspect that an iPad wouldn't be much use for web design work (although it sounds like we might have some sort of Photoshop on the iPad soon: http://www.inrumor.com/in/technology/photoshop-companion-type-applications-for-tablets-and-phones/ ). However I reckon you can justify it on testing grounds alone, assuming you're producing sites for reasonably big clients who care about this sort of thing (which is a growing number).

Mobile web app development? Definitely a growing area, and you'll doubtless need an array of devices to test on if you're going to do it properly.

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Matt Doyle, Elated
3rd Edition of my jQuery Mobile book out now! Learn to build mobile web apps. Free sample chapter: http://store.elated.com/

The Window VMs are a good option, but I lack the disk space sadly. My colleague just told me about an Oracle thing called VirtualBox where you can run the Windows disk images on an external drive, which is interesting.

The Android emulator's interesting though.

I think really the iPad is entirely justifiable - I just lack the cash!

Simon

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VirtualBox is just another virtualization app, like VMware Fusion and Parallels:

http://mac.elated.com/2008/05/30/virtualbox-16-review-free-vm-software-for-the-mac/

It's pretty good (and free) but not as polished or fast as the other 2.

All 3 can run a Windows VM from an external USB drive. It's just another filesystem after all.

I'd seriously recommend going this route. I have several Windows VMs which let me test various different versions of IE, with no messing about. VMware Fusion will happily run at least 2 VMs simultaneously on a MacBook Pro with 4GB.

Another plus point is you have more screen real estate than a netbook!

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Matt Doyle, Elated
3rd Edition of my jQuery Mobile book out now! Learn to build mobile web apps. Free sample chapter: http://store.elated.com/

Hello guys! Long time no see... I know, I know, it is my fault, but I will try to compensate, ehehhe!
Well, back again on the iPad subject, hein? So you need an excuse? Matt just gave you a few... If the problem is the same as mine, «lack of money», well then, Matt can't help us there. For the Android version, however, since I am currently (still) unemployed, I am wanting an iPad runner, Android OS based, and if you guys want, I can give you the details of it later. Around 7" touch screen, and less then 100 euro, shipping already included, coming from China. If not mistaken, around 80, more precisely!
Well, for me it will be, I hope, my Xmas gift this year...
Sorry for the long absence guys...

Cheers from Portugal!

Márcio Guerra

P.s.- If you really do want me to give some other details I'm happy to do it! Really! I even know of some stuff being called as iPad, apparently unlocked, with or without 3G, around 300/400 euros, also from China. Those, in fact, I don't recommend, but for 80 euro, or 60/70 quid, I think that that Android tablet is a nice bargain... See ya!

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There are only 2 infinite things, the universe and mens stupidity, and Im not sure about the first one!

Or something like it...
By Albert Einstein