Last
week someone asked me this: “Give me three reasons to get an iPad. Is it worth
the $600 price tag for a pastor?”
Is it worth the price? For me? Yes. For you? I don’t know. It all depends
on the apps you use, so I will give you the Top 3 apps that give me a significant
return on my investment. Then I’ll mention a couple of bonus ones that are pure
icing. Also, it should be known that most apps work on both the iPhone and the iPad,
so it is impossible for me to separate the two.
#1) Jump
Desktop — This app allows Elizabeth to use her PC without triggering a
migraine. For some reason when she uses her PC the screen gives her a headache.
Not so with her iPhone or iPad. This app creates a link over the Internet that turns
the iPad into a Remote Access Tool for the PC. Basically, she can control her
PC on the iPad. It is a HUGE tool for her.
#2) Documents
to Go/Dropbox — These apps work together.
Documents to Go is a way to view and edit Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents
on the iPad. Dropbox is an easy way to store and sync documents and files. It
sits in your hard drive and anything that gets placed in it is accessible
online. Documents to Go syncs with Dropbox, which allows all of your devices (e.g.
iPhone, iPad, PC/Mac, etc.) to be up to date with the latest changes. No more
saving docs in three places. No more notes with handwritten ideas lost after a Sunday.
No more wishing you had that scripture, illustration, or notes from that
message you spoke last year that would apply to this situation. It is all right
there. Click here to get dropbox.
#3)
Kindle/YouVersion — This is an amazing tool for reading. You can
read at night and not wake your love up. You can also sync with these tools and
access them on the other devices you use often (Mac/PC, iPhone, iPad, Blackberry,
Android). I love always having what I am reading with me. It makes it more
likely that I will start reading while I have down time. With Kindle, I also
love the ability to recall my highlights and notes on one page through Amazon’s
media site.
Honorable mentions: Evernote, Pandora, Elmo's Monster Maker, EBay, Nike+ GPS, Pro Presenter Remote, Rhapsody Music, Tweet Deck, Flipboard, USA Today, Youmail*
*I use this for my answering service instead of the stock one provided by my phone company.
The iPad/iPhone is not a full functioning computer but it was never
intended to be. It saves me time, keeps me organized, and I can read it in a
dark theater. I also love that I can have notes prepped on my Macbook then
access them in a theater, at the pool before a baptism, or in a church for a
wedding. I expect now that E has basically taken mine I will be getting the
next generation next year so that she and I don’t have to fight share
it.
Is it worth the price? You can do everything it does with something
else. But no one device does everything it does in one device. For us, it is
very much worth having. Let me know if it is worth it for you.
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