Using Remote Access Software To View Reid Reviews on an Apple iPad Many owners of Apple's iPad tablet have been frustrated that the device does not directly support Flash web content. A quick web search on this topic reveals lots of information about the disagreements between Apple and Adobe on this issue. Adobe, obviously, would like to see this programming supported on the iPad and iPhone but Apple, as of late 2010, has not yet built that support into these devices. My comments on this topic can be found on this site's home page in the section titled "Subscribing". In the meantime, we're aware that many Reid Reviews subscribers would like to read the site on their iPads. We still strongly recommend using a calibrated, high quality editing monitor to view the technical articles on the site. An uncalibrated monitor often won't show the subtle differences between lenses or cameras that many of the illustrations reveal. So, when possible, its best to read the site on the same calibrated monitor that one uses to edit photographs. But a British reader named Chris Bampton recently discovered that the site can indeed be viewed on an iPad if one uses remote control software and a source computer. The software in question is called Ignition and it is made by a company called LogMeIn. It costs about $30 as of this writing. What it does, essentially, is allow the Ipad to remotely control (and view the content displayed by) a host computer. So once it is set up one should be able to access files and programs on that computer via the Ipad so long as both devices are connected to the Internet. As Bampton pointed out with enthusiasm, this allows one to do much more than read Flash sites on an Ipad. The host computer can be a Macintosh or one running Windows. In order to see how well all this works in practice, I recently purchased an iPad and the Ignition software (which may sometimes also be available in a free trial version). I found that the combination actually works quite well for viewing Reid Reviews. Below, I'll overview how I set up and used the software. Set Up 1. Turn on Ipad and click the "App store" icon. 2. In the "App Store" window search box, type in: logmein ignition 3. "Logmein Ignition" costs $30 and may also be available as a free trial. Download the program and create a "logmein" account. 4. Turn on your host computer (which can be Mac or Windows) and go to https://secure.logmein.com/login.asp to log in 5. Once logged in, click on the "Add Computer" link. 6. Follow the directions there to download and install the "logmein" software on the host computer. 7. Make sure that the host computer is switched on and connected to the Internet whenever you want to access it remotely using "logmein". Obviously, a web browser and Flash must be installed on this computer. Using Ignition to View Reid Reviews 1. Turn on the Ipad 2. Click the "Logmein" icon 3. Enter your "Logmein" account information the first time you do this. The process will then be easier and faster in the future if you set "Remember login" here to "On". Click the green button to log in. 4. A list of host computers will appear. Click on the one you want to access. If your computer access is secure you'll need to enter the log in information, for that computer, the first time you connect to it with "Logmein". But if you set the program to remember that computer access information it will log you in automatically from then on. 5. An image of your host computer's current display will appear on the iPad and a small blue mouse icon will appear when you tap the screen. Put your finger over the mouse to move it and tap it to click. Use this method to select Safari or whatever web browser you normally use on the host computer. 6. Assuming Reid Reviews is in your bookmarks, use the "virtual mouse" to select that bookmark. 7. Click on the Reid Reviews header to go to the log in page. If your host computer is set to remember your RR log in information then just click the "log in" button. Otherwise, use the keyboard icon at the bottom of the screen to open the keyboard for typing in your log-in information. You can then click a blue button above the keyboard to hide it. 8. Using the virtual mouse click on whatever article you want to read. 9. Use the iPad two finger spread (opposite of pinch) to enlarge the active window so that it fills most of the iPad screen. I found that this size makes the pictures easy to view and the text easy to read. The active window size actually works quite well for the iPad. 10. Tap one finger in the Reid Reviews article window to make it active. This will allow you to scroll the article up or down using two fingers on the iPad. You now won't need the virtual mouse for scrolling. 11. Use the virtual mouse again when you want to select another article. I found that it does indeed take some time to get used to transitioning between the usual iPad finger controls and the little blue virtual mouse. But it gets easier with practice and it can be wonderful to be able to access your host computer via the iPad. The main limitations I noticed, as of this writing, are that sound does not relay from the host computer and video does not work well at all. So, unfortunately, one can't yet use the iPad to view a DVD that is in the drive of the host computer. But maybe that functionality will come in time. Obviously, it would be much better for iPad users if Apple would simply allow these devices to support Flash. But until that happens, Ignition not only allows one to view Reid Reviews on the iPad but also allows one to access all kinds of files and programs using the host computer. So if one can make use of that functionality, the program might be worth the $30. Chris Bampton, a strong fan of the Ipad, tells me he has found this software to be enormously useful. As for the iPad itself...It's a very nice device (well made, beautiful to look at, easy to use) but I don't really have a use for it so I returned it. Bampton explains that he uses computers for work and the iPad for relaxation and fun. He finds it very useful to have a device that is dedicated to the latter purpose. I certainly understand that and can see why some have really taken to this new device. But I spend a lot of time working in front of a Mac Pro computer screen, obviously, and I don't necessarily want to be in front of any computer screen when I'm relaxing. Frankly, I find it useful to get away from the Internet when possible and back into the world of...everything else (actual people, fields, trees, buildings, stars, coffee shops, motorcycles, sailboats, etc.). If I'm going to read at night, I like actual books made of paper. If I'm going to watch a movie, I like a comfortable chair and a good sized screen. If I need a computer when I'm traveling I want a real computer (with an actual keyboard, Photoshop, writing software, etc.) and so I use a Macbook Pro. Away from my home stereo system I use an Ipod Classic (lots of uncompressed music files) and a good set of Sennheiser headphones. The iPad just doesn't fill any particular need I have and I, fortunately, have a well tuned resistance to buying something just because it is "the latest thing". But that's me. I know that many love the iPad and want to read this site on it. So until Apple starts supporting Flash, Ignition provides a way to do that (and much more). Reid Reviews, by the way, is created using Macintosh computers. In fact, between my studio and home we have four Macintosh computers, multiple iPods, etc. I like Apple products very much. I simply don't support the company's current policy on Flash for the iPad. Macbook Air vs. iPad Apple recently introduced two new Macbook Air models that combine many of the advantages of the iPad (instant-on from a deep sleep the computer can be in for up to 30 days, very compact size,  light weight, extensive touch control, etc.) with the usual advantages of a real notebook computer. These models, of course, will support Flash in Safari but they also give one a real keyboard. They also allow one to use many of the touch motions that people like in the iPad without spreading finger grease all over the screen he or she is viewing. And when it is closed, a Macbook Air provides some natural protection for its own screen - something an iPad can't do. At about $1000, an 11" Macbook Air is about $300 more than an iPad (with the same storage capacity) but it is also much more computer. And even the 11" Macbook Air has enough screen resolution (1366 x 768 pixels) to easily show the Reid Reviews active Flash window and menu bar at full size. In fact I tried one recently and the Reid Reviews window fits perfectly on it. One can also scroll the RR articles on a Macbook Air using a two-finger swipe. Like all Macintoshes, however (including the four models we own) text on most web sites will be much easier to read if one disables font smoothing using a free program called "TinkerTool". Otherwise, the Mac's natural font smoothing gives me a headache when I read most web sites. Since a Macbook Air actually runs Snow Leopard, its screen can be calibrated using a colorimeter (perhaps the same one a photographer uses for his or her editing monitor). Apple is also introducing a new Mac App Store that reportedly will give Mac users access to the same kinds of apps that are available for the iPad and iPhone. For me personally, a Macbook Air makes more sense than an iPad because it can do virtually anything an iPad can do but also many things that an iPad can't currently do  - like serious photo editing with industry standard software. As a subscriber recently pointed out to me, even the little 11" Macbook Air can run C1, Lightroom, Aperture, Photoshop, etc. (and show the results on a calibrated screen). One doesn't have to do work on a Macbook Air but it can be useful to have a device that is useful for both fun and work. One can treat it as a sort of "Super iPad" or as a very compact workstation. If I decide to supplement my 17" Macbook Pro (a portable workstation), at some point, it might be with one of these. Articles that might be of interest to photographers deciding between a Macbook Air and an iPad include: Photographers: Macbook Air vs. iPad MacBook Air vs. iPad Smackdown: Which is Best for You? This article was published December 4, 2010 and last revised December 30, 2010.