Use Wifi iPad as a Second Display for Your PC

Use iPad as a Second WiFi Display for Your PC ( or in my case fifth )

I've been meaning to try this for a while. Displaylink has some great USB to DVI adapters that let you run extra monitors via your USB ports. Supposedly up to 6 displays, though I have never tried more than two USB. I somehow stumbled across the iPad app via the App store and finally got around to installing the PC side. I wish I had done it earlier. I don't really need the extra display, but the ability to drag a window to the iPad and march into another room to show something to a collegue is extremely handy, because it is a WiFi Display. Read that again.

One small caveat is that you can't use touch as the mouse on the screen and if you hit the home button it will exit. It is hard to break the habit of wanting to tap something on the iPad, so i found it is better if I put it just out of reach.

You can see in the next picture that it shows up as if any other monitor on the screen. 1024x768 isn't a lot of space, but it's enough for email, instant message, or a logging monitor. Again, the part I really think is useful, is the ability to pick up a monitor from your PC and walk into another room, provided you don't leave WiFi range.

Here's some links:

Displaylink iPad Software for PC

Displaylink App in iTunes App Store

Displaylink USB to DVI adapter on Amazon

Summary

In my office configuration, I have two 24" displays running off an ATI/AMD Radeon card, two USB to DVI adapters, and a WiFi iPad screen I can carry around the office ( but not interact with ). If I close the app on the iPad, Windows 7 automatically reorganizes the displays, which can take a few seconds with four monitors. One other thing to note on the USB to DVI adapters, they are not as fast, especially on higher resolution screens, so I tend to put more static content there, ie things that don't need to scroll a lot.

The Trick on How to Apply Screen Protector with no Bubbles

TIP: How to Apply a Screen Protector with no Bubbles

Everyone has experienced frustration with this, but the iPad and other tablets are paticularly difficult devices to apply these to because their screen area is so large. I found a few tricks that really help apply those screen protectors with no bubbles.

First, you need a steamy room. One of the causes of air bubbles is because of lint and dust floating around preventing the protector from laying flat. I have found a high humidity room seems to really make a difference in getting the dust to settle down. This seemed to make all the difference in the world.

Second, scotch tape is a fingerprint free way to pick up dust that lands on the screen. Any oil you get on the screen or screen protector will inevitably cause it to not stick well in that location or impair viewing because of the smudge. A piece of tape will not stick to either of these surfaces and will pull the dust off just like a lint brush from your slacks. Leave a piece of tape on one corner you can use to hold it and roll it out. You can also use it to pick it back up off the surface to get more dust you missed or help push the air bubbles out that get trapped.

Finally, as you lay it down, a folded over business card works well to squeeze air bubbles to the edge. When you feel that it is as good as it is going to get, remove the tape from the corner. I've used this anti glare protector from Speck twice and it works well and I love that it comes as a two pack because you are guaranteed to mess one up. You can see in a youtube video I shot for an older iPad exploit that there is a blemish but no iPad screen protector bubbles.

iPad Weight

Apple made a big deal about the battery life on the iPad but I find I could easily live with 1/3 to 1/2 the battery life in exchange for weight. I thought about replacing the battery with a smaller one, but it looks like it would not make a whole lot of difference as posted by Kyle Wiens on ifixit.com.

-snip- in case link changes

Here's our summary:

Aluminum back 138 grams
Battery 148 grams
LCD 153 grams
Glass (and frame) 193 grams
Speaker: 17 grams
Main board: 21 grams
Everything else: 27 grams

iPad ergonomics

So, I have put away the iPad for a while. I noticed my right eye has been 'hurting', if such a thing is possible. I also realized that I was not able to focus up close as well. At first, I thought it was other issues, but then realized that regardless of text size, I was unable to comfortably hold the iPad far enough away.

I then noticed on the television commercials for iPad that you never see someone holding it in any reasonable manner and to type it is always on a desk. I am not sure there is any ergonomic way to use an iPad without a dock, in which case I may as well just use a laptop.

There are two main problems, but both related to the weight of the device. It is too heavy to hold for any length of time without straining your neck. With most mobile devices it is possible to type while holding the device with two hands. Not possible with iPad. Additionally, in order to exit apps or ( starting with 4.2 ) to lock rotation or such, you have to take a hand off to push the home button. Also related is that when reclined, a laptop keyboard puts the screen up higher from your lap. With the iPad, you have to hold it up, or if you slide it down to read or type, you will likely find your neck bent close to 90 degrees.

Car Charger Review

If you have an iPad or iPhone 3GS+ then this is the car charger for you. The Griffin PowerJolt and PowerJolt Plus allow for full 2.1 amp charging via a 12 volt source. Also, the passthrough socket will allow you to plug another charger or device in through it's passthrough port.

My favorite thing ( besides rapid charging) is that it seems to run cooler than any of the OEM chargers. power jolt plus car charger Charge rate was most noticable on my iPhone 3GS where the charge level increased around 2% per minute during the phase 1 charging. The ability to fully charge my phone in about in hour means I don't have to top off every time I think about it which is detrimental to long term battery life.

iPad charging was good and it was able to charge the iPad while it was awake and busy. Some chargers or cables don't have enough juice or throughput to charge the iPad while in use. This one is 'a-ok'.

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Use Wifi iPad as a Second Display for Your PC

Use iPad as a Second WiFi Display for Your PC ( or in my case fifth )

The Trick on How to Apply Screen Protector with no Bubbles

iPad Weight

iPad ergonomics

Car Charger Review

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