Quick question, looks like my Mrs has a new job, which will see her commuting by train, 1hr each way.

She is thinking of getting an ipad or netbook (something small to carry) to read emails, work on excel and music, etc.

Most of the netbooks she has seen the screens look, well, poor compared to the ipad, I know there is also quite a cost difference too, but I think she is hankering for an ipad?

How easy is the ipad to work on using spreadsheets, without a real keyboard?

Is anyone here in the same boat, what did you go for/use?

Ta.

excel/office on an iPad is an ‘acquired taste’ and if that’s going to be a large portion of what it’s used for I’d say go with macbook air

if it’s more viewing the docs than inputting she might get away with it.

for everything else the ipad will be right up her alley (oo-er)

or get an iPad 2 and a cheapo netbook (prob pick one up for £150 these days)

Mrs Toys19 just got an ipad yesterday, the lack of arrows on the keyboard a major frustration, they say that you can just touch where you want to edit but there is no precision. Annoying with a capital eff.
I can’t imagine me ever trying to run word or excel on a train without me gluing the thing to the rails and praying for an an intercity 125.

toys19 – Member

Mrs Toys19 just got an ipad yesterday, the lack of arrows on the keyboard a major frustration, they say that you can just touch where you want to edit but there is no precision. Annoying with a capital eff.
I can’t imagine me ever trying to run word or excel on a train without me gluing the thing to the rails and praying for an an intercity 125.

This is what I feared Toys, thanks for the reply, it looks like it might have to be a tiny laptop or netbook then.

Thanks all, for the advice…

If it’s in budget, a(Windows) ultrabooks would be pretty good, nice and light too. A Macbook Air would be another alternative.

A Macbook Air would be another alternative.

if she had married richer 😉

I will check out the ultrabooks though, thanks mogrim.

couldn’t she get one of these to go with the ipad?

http://www.pinnaclemicrogb.co.uk/newcart/dsku.php?g=K39357US&m=Kensington+Technology

Lots of the netbooks run linux variants which I found to be light and fast, run libre office (free office suite reads and edits MSOFFICE) . I likes em.

I will check out the ultrabooks though, thanks mogrim.

They’re a bit cheaper than the Mac, though nothing like as cheap as a netbook. You can pick up an Acer something or other for about 700gbp.

There’s a roundup here: http://www.reghardware.com/2012/05/12/review_round_up_ten_ultrabook_laptop_pcs/

Lots of the netbooks run linux variants which I found to be light and fast, run libre office (free office suite reads and edits MSOFFICE) . I likes em.

I like linux, use it exclusively at home, but Libre Office is a big steaming pile of poo compared to MS Office, and the compatibility is a long way from perfect.

I do 20 page excel models with functions etc in it with no bother. Have no issues saving as .xls and sending to clients. Graphing is good. I expect it doesn’t have any of the fancy looking stuff, but the ability to actually solve problems is the major function I need.

I do 20 page excel models with functions etc in it with no bother. Have no issues saving as .xls and sending to clients. Graphing is good. I expect it doesn’t have any of the fancy looking stuff, but being actually able to solve problems is the major function I need.

The Word/Writer stuff definitely isn’t compatible. I may have jumped the gun on Excel compatibility, though – although the interface is still butt-ugly…

The little differences between the way the two packages work is also irritating (things like what happens when you move the cursor when adding two cells – does the cursor start from where you are, or the last cell you selected?). This isn’t a criticism of Libre Office, but if you regularly switch between the two is a bit of a pain.

Ah yes, well I exclusively used Open office and now libre office when it splintered. I would not want to to be trying to use both oo/libre and MSOFFICE.
I would say start using libre and stick with it for a week, after that you will have forgotten all about microsoft…

It’s funny how adaptable you can be when something is free, I think that’s why I get effed off with the wifes ipad, 700 odd quid (64gb 4g version). For that kind of wedge I expect it to do what I want.

A crummy netbook runnning linux that you can do whatever you want with has me salivating..

The Word/Writer stuff definitely isn’t compatible

Agreed there are some compatibility issues with formatting etc, but I haven’t had any problems that were not easily solved in word. Examples?

I think that’s why I get effed off with the wifes ipad, 700 odd quid (64gb 4g version). For that kind of wedge I expect it to do what I want.

Your mistake there was buying a device primarily designed for consumption when your main use is apparently producing spreadsheets.

Still, does Numbers not do what you want?

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0aOZWKl2fM[/video]

Agreed there are some compatibility issues with formatting etc, but I haven’t had any problems that were not easily solved in word. Examples?

All formatting related – which isn’t ideal when it’s documentation you want to send to your client, looks pretty unprofessional… Yeah, you could fix the formatting in Word later, but that’s a bit of a waste of time…

Your mistake there was buying a device primarily designed for consumption when your main use is apparently producing spreadsheets.

Yes I agree, (luckily I did not buy it,) and the fact that it is a lifestyle device and not actually a useful computer essentially excludes it from the OP’s need.

Still, does Numbers not do what you want?

Only if you want me to vomit and then smash the thing into tiny pieces. Still no arrows, loads of “specially apple designed” spreadsheeets. ie exactly what you don’t want and not configurable to what you do want. Apples work very well if you are prepared to meld your mind with steve jobs soul.

Fair enough. I’ve not used it. Don’t touch spreadsheets much myself. Just thought it looked like a reasonable solution.

Still no arrows

Just touch on the cell you want to edit?
Also it looked like it had two enter keys (one for enter and go right, and one for enter and go down) which probably helps a lot with data entry.

http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/data-entry-basics-for-the-numbers-app-for-ipad.html

loads of “specially apple designed” spreadsheeets

They just appear to be templates though, much as you get with MS Word etc.
There was a blank one there and it did say it can open Excel files.

Just touch on the cell you want to edit?

Yes you can do this, but there is no precision, (I haven’t used numbers but in normal typeing you click the word and it selcts the whole word, then the beginning or the end, but not the actual gap between the letters like you want. Its hard event o do witha mouse, msot people used to writing docs or doing spread sheets use the arrows.

Try editing this:

singletrackworld.com/forum/edit.php?id=3821561

on a fricking ipad – change the singletrackworld to singletrickworld. Utter frustration.

Just try it, makes you want to do horrible things to the device.

It’s fine, I have accepted that it’s a fashion/lifestyle device and not a computer, and I am glad that I didn’t invest the money to find this out.

They just appear to be templates

I haven’t used the numbers app, but my experience of using the device yesterday is that it’s Apples way or the highway. Much like microsoft were until about 10 years ago.

I struggle with long sentences but Im guessing Im just going to reinforce some of the comments above.

I spend 5 hrs a week on a train in 2×2.5hr journeys. I have a 7″ android tablet for music, podcasts and films/tv.

As and when I need to I take an Acer Aspire One netbook with me. This only has excel and chrome on it and I find I can within reason comfortably work on my excel models (and theyre big things). The extended battery pack gives me 9hrs. The compact one 3hrs.

I wouldnt dream of trying to do anything serious on excel on a tablet, even a jesus slab.

Android phone generated wifi hotspot as I need it.

Works well for me.

Netbook £240
http://www.morgancomputers.co.uk/product_detail/12929/Acer-Aspire-Happy-2-10-1-N455-1GB-250GB-Orange-Windows-7-Android/

Tablet £135
http://gadgetfreakz.co.uk/tablet-pc/ainol-novo-7-aurora-android-4-0-7-ips-tablet.html

Yes you can do this, but there is no precision. Just try it, makes you want to do horrible things to the device.

Hmmm.. I don’t have Numbers, but can’t say I have any particular difficulty managing to hit the right place on the screen in other apps. And I have proper monkey hands.

If you’ve only had it a day could it just be the learning curve for using a tablet? (I came to iPad from iPhone so was already acclimatised).

it’s Apples way or the highway

Yeah that is generally true. Submitting to the One True Apple Way is easiest way to avoid frustration. Sometimes it even makes more sense, once you get over the mental hurdle.

Oooh sorry just saw this bit:

Try editing this:

singletrackworld.com/forum/edit.php?id=3821561

on a fricking ipad – change the singletrackworld to singletrickworld. Utter frustration.

I browse the forum regularly on the iPad. Not an issue.
For what you describe there you just press and hold. You should get a little magnifying glass pop up that shows you the area around the text cursor and lets you position it very accurately.

Like this:

Where are the Arrow Keys on the iPad Keyboard?

I have an iPad, I have numbers on it and I would not recommend it for any sort of complex spreadsheet work, entering data is quite frustrating compared with MS Office and a keyboard, If she has to do that a cheap netbook with office will be ideal, I had one of those too and sold it when i got the iPad. Fortunately I don’t have much need to work on spreadsheets on it.

Thanks for all the advice, I think I am going to get her a cheap netbook and see how she gets on.

You could always add a keyboard to the iPad if it is a major issue (kind of ruins the point for me, but some might like it):

I got one of these for the father-in-law and he is quite happy with it:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0055WZD5U

Another option – google chromebook 3g

There’s always the Apple BT keyboard that comes with iMacs, etc.
As far as precision editing, the touch and hold to place a cursor in a particular place works very well, and is much easier on an iPad, but it can still be frustrating sometimes.
The advantage of some of the add-on keyboard systems is that when you want to use the pad for ‘civilian’ purposes, like web browsing, book reading, drawing using Paper, or other things, it’s easy to just take the keyboard away, leaving the pad free; you can’t do that with a netbook…

I looked at the Apple one Count, but I decided the Amazon one above was actually superior (for FIL’s needs) as it also functions as a case and it holds the iPad up in landscape or portrait.

What’s not obvious from that graphic is that the keyboard is completely separate and removable from the case part – so depending on the situation you can either use it laptop style, or ditch the case and just use the keyboard (or of course ditch the keyboard and just use it as a tablet like God Jobs intended)

ski, is she being paid to work on the train? if so id assume they would be giving her a laptop, paying your own money to do more work in your own time, thats a new one on me.

+1 for Stato’s comment. I suggest paperbacks for the train. Much better than email & the like, unless you’re billing for the time.

I bought a netbook for using on the train – primarily documents and spreadsheets – and despite the smaller than ideal keyboard it was fine. I really wouldn’t want to do any substantial work on a tablet though.

I don’t use the netbook much now though as I went to a 13.3″ laptop (Dell Latitude E4300) and found that a better general compromise. One major advantage is that it’s quite powerful so I can use it to play the likes of MW3 when I get bored with working.

I had completely forgotten about this thread !

For what you describe there you just press and hold. You should get a little magnifying glass pop up that shows you the area around the text cursor and lets you position it very accurately.

Its marginally better, but often I want to change more than one thing in a word or letter string, With the magnifying glas there is lots of toing and froing, much much faster with arrows. Also urls are at the top of the screen and whent he magnifying glass decides to operate, have the image can be hidden. Arrows better by a long way..

FYI I have no axe to grind, I was genuinely excited when the wifes ipad turned up, a few days later I am genuinely dissapointed. It’s all abit emporers new clothes. I have yet to see it do anything better than my laptop or a cheap netbook running linux. In fact my htc desire hd with less than half the screeen size is more usable.

I suppose it’s a bit late to point you here?
http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/fsot-toshiba-nb200-10z-netbook

I have yet to see it do anything better than my laptop or a cheap netbook running linux.

Easy. Just display a photo – admire the colour and level of detail. I’m willing to bet it is waaaay ahead of what your laptop, netbook or even your HDTV can display. Easily compares to my big 26″ IPS monitor which cost almost as much as the 16GB iPad.

Likewise try looking at a Singletrack mag on it. Or play some of the high end games. (Infinity Blade 2, Real Racing, Grand Theft Auto 3, Dead Space, Shadowgun).

In fact my htc desire hd with less than half the screeen size is more usable.

Now that’s fighting talk! 😉

I looked at the Apple one Count, but I decided the Amazon one above was actually superior (for FIL’s needs) as it also functions as a case and it holds the iPad up in landscape or portrait.

Good point, well made. 😀

Easy. Just display a photo – admire the colour and level of detail. I’m willing to bet it is waaaay ahead of what your laptop, netbook

Accepted, wow, a 10 inch digital foto frame for only 500 quid!

🙄 you can’t play Grand Theft Auto 3 on any other “10 inch photo frame”.

Or post on here for that matter 🙂