My Writing Tool-Kit - Testing DNoteIt and iPad 2 with external keyboard

This is the first text I really write on the iPad 2. I have connected a bluetooth keyboard to it, which makes the iPad a great writing tool.

I have several different writing tools on my Macbook Pro. Now the challenge is to find good tools for the iPad, preferably tools that work with the tools I already use. Especially, my love for Scrivener, the best writers tool I have found by far, requires some searching - since it is not currently available for iPad.

The search for Scrivener for iPad turned my eyes to DNoteIt, a note writing application for the iPad. One of many. The reason for me to try it out, is that it is supposed to sync with Scrivener on the Mac. Time will show for sure!

My plans for the iPad is for it to replace my Macbook Pro. I travel light, and the lighter I can travel, while still bringing all I need, the better. And the travel light principle is true for my writing tools too. The fewer apps and tools I need, the better. In other words, the more the writing app does, that relates to my kind of use, the more happy I become. My writers toolkit need to help with the following:

- writing blog posts (like this one)
- writing books (mostly non-fiction, but also playing with fiction)
- writing reports, proposals and letters (for my business)

For these needs, I use different tools, including Scrivener, Pages, inDesign and BlogPress. I also use various apps for syncing information, notes and resarch, including Evernote and Dropbox. And for collaborative writing, I use Google Docs, Mind42.com (great for collaborating on mind maps) as well as the Wordpress app.

There are always quirks needed to be sorted out when using a new application.

* Some quirks are user error (PEBCAK - Problem Exists Between Chair And Keyboard), which generally means that some time must be spent on learning how to use the tools.

* Some quirks are based on the fact that we (people) are highly habitual. Trying something new, always comparing to what we know or like, mean we also need some time to adjust and adopt to the new environments.

*And finally, some quirks are part of the technology.

Let me explain:

I use the iPad 2 with an external Apple Bluetooth keyboard. This is a great companion to the iPad if you plan to use it for writing. Especially if you are like me, who find the screen tapping writing style to be slow, inaccurate and quickly to become annoying.

Enters the quirk: Using DNoteIt in Edit mode, with the external keyboard, brings up the On-screen keyboard of the iPad - except it only show a black background - not the keys themselves (see the image).

It actually took me a while to realize what was going on - as you can see on the image, half of my screen just turned black, and only some special symbols are shown. Initially, I had no idea what happend, and why. I spent some time trying to turn it off, believing it was a special edit mode. At one point, I thought the whole app just had crashed, and only after looking through the help file, did I figure out what was going on.

Now that I know what it is, it does not bother me much, except I would love to see an update where the on-screen keyboard is not shown at all when an external keyboard is attached. I guess the reason it glitches like it does, are those added keys - very handy when using the default keyboard. But not something I really need with the external one.

I will give DNoteIt a try over the next weeks. So far, except for the keyboard issue, which may very well be an iOS issue for what I know, is the only thing I do not like with the app. And the strong point of being able to sync with Scrivener is a key feature for me.

On a final note - I must admit I just love the way technology is making it easier and easier to do what I love - write!

What are your favorite writing tool? Which software do you prefer?

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad