Quote:
Originally Posted by geekraver
Maynard, you can use iAnnotatePDF as a PDF reader that supports annotations on iPad.
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I saw iAnnotate and I wondered whether it would compete with the edge on the main features of the e-ink screen, but it looks like it doesn't (yet) for a few reasons:
- One review mentions that you can basically only use the iPad in close proximity to your computer because of the way the app makes use of its own supporting app using shared folders to get your pdfs. You can't transfer pdfs to the device any other way (file transfer, email, download from web) or else they won't have the proper encoding to be able to use the annotation features. It looks like the next version is going to try to do away with the need to use their specific transfer app, but I still can't exactly figure out whether the pdfs are in fact "downloaded" to the iPad or simply "shared" from your computer. Similarly, you can only transfer back to your shared folder, not email or upload anyway. Kind of defeats the purpose if you can't take the iPad out and about or away from the network your laptop is on.
- the pencil tool (meant to be used with your finger, not a stylus) is reported as bulky and inaccurate. One person on the forum mentions that the only way they can really make handwritten notes is to zoom in a lot, write, then zoom back out and it looks OK. That will be fine for some people, but it doesn't lend itself to using the iPad as a journal
- they are having similar problems with being able to annotate pdfs accurately (especially highlighting) with any consistency just like we've been having on the edge because of the way the pdf is processed. Some work great, some not at all. But, all of the pdfs have to be transfered through the secondary app in order to work at all because it's not just a file transfer program; it also writes/encodes/finds (whatever the right action is) metadata that the annotation app can read. Otherwise, every pdf is just like the ones we struggle to highlight accurately on the edge.
I understand it's a first gen product, and the user manual has notes about the limitations of the first version of the app because it was written without access to an iPad, so I'm sure it will get better.
But, right now the two big things seem to be file transfer/management and handwriting. Though there may be improvements coming with the first, it doesn't sound like creating a real handwriting experience (even without recognition) is even on the radar. So it's definitely not a journal substitute, and if the stylus input is important to someone, it doesn't sound like this app will cut it.