iPad FAQs for iPad with a heavy dose of civility

[mjhudston]

For Reading Word Docs I use FilesHD, and for PDF's I use PDF Reader (Both IPAD Apps)

[ficbot]

I did not know Stanza could do mobi!

Does anyone know of an app where you can load a PDf and draw on top of it? I don't want iAnnotate since that seems to incorporate your 'annotations' into the actual PDF itself as file changes. I just want to be able to draw on top of the PDF and have the PDF remain unaltered underneath it all. That way I can load worksheets onto it and use them when I tutor, but have them remain pristine for future students.

[DixieGal]

Originally Posted by mjhudston

I have problems using Facebook in Safari on the Ipad. If you look at your or a Friends list of friends, the popup window has no scroll Bar. Does anyone know what the cause is and is there a way around it.

I have also noticed that if you use scroll selectors on Web Forms in Safari, the hight can be very short, making it difficult to see the selections.

Try a gentle swipe inside the box with 2 fingers.

OMG! That sounds so dirty!

[DixieGal]

Here's one that's helpful: In order to enlarge the entire screen, toolbars and all, double tap with 3 fingers. Use 3 fingers to move the screen around to see anything that falls off the edges.

[scottjl]

Although we're a knowledgeable bunch, some questions might be better directed to Apple's official support forums, especially if it concerns hardware or iOS issues. Here are some handy links:

Apple iPad Support Forum

Apple iPhone Support Forum

Apple iPod Touch Support Forum

Apple iTunes Support Forum

Apple Support Forums

[curiousrobot]

Originally Posted by mjhudston

I have problems using Facebook in Safari on the Ipad. If you look at your or a Friends list of friends, the popup window has no scroll Bar. Does anyone know what the cause is and is there a way around it.

A workaround is to hold down the "see all" link on the friends panel on the person's profile page and it'll open in a separate window that works normally.

Good luck!

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by mjhudston

I have problems using Facebook in Safari on the Ipad. If you look at your or a Friends list of friends, the popup window has no scroll Bar. Does anyone know what the cause is and is there a way around it.

I have also noticed that if you use scroll selectors on Web Forms in Safari, the height can be very short, making it difficult to see the selections.

When you get that friends list, you have to use two fingers to scroll it. It's very easy to mess it up and the more friends in that list the more you'll want to toss the iPad against a wall.

[mjhudston]

Thanks for the suggestions guys I'll try them all.

[Crowl]

Originally Posted by kjk

Unsupported:
Sony Reader by Sony. (possibly Txtr?)

Shouldn't this one be more specific, current sony content is already covered by the entry for epub with this one presumably meaning their obsolete lrx format?

[93terp]

Originally Posted by kjk

Non-DRM Formats:

Mobi
Stanza, by Lexcycle (iPad and iPhone apps available)

Thanks for this great, consolidated list of formats & readers! Now it may be that I'm completely misunderstanding this, but as I read it, this list indicates that .mobi files that have been liberated are able to be loaded & read on the Stanza for iPad app. This has not been my experience. I have the Kindle for PC app and have liberated the DRM from all the .mobi files that I have downloaded, but when I load them into my iPad Stanza app they are not able to be opened due to the file format.

What am I missing?

[kjk]

Shouldn't this one be more specific, current sony content is already covered by the entry for epub with this one presumably meaning their obsolete lrx format?

Good point-Sony has converted their entire library by now?

Originally Posted by 93terp

Thanks for this great, consolidated list of formats & readers! Now it may be that I'm completely misunderstanding this, but as I read it, this list indicates that .mobi files that have been liberated are able to be loaded & read on the Stanza for iPad app. This has not been my experience. I have the Kindle for PC app and have liberated the DRM from all the .mobi files that I have downloaded, but when I load them into my iPad Stanza app they are not able to be opened due to the file format.

What am I missing?

Here is the deal, from what I can tell. Stanza provides two ways to transfer books to the iPad (and tomorrow, the iPhone/Touch)-the old way, over wi-fi thru Stanza Desktop, and the "new" way, which is drag and drop into the File Sharing area in iTunes.

The old way (wifi thru Stanza Desktop) still supports non-DRM .MOBI format (just tried it).
It also supports .PDB, and .LIT (non-DRMed).

The new way (drag and drop thru iTunes) only supports the following formats:
unencrypted DRM-free ePub format, DjVu, Comic Book Archive (both CBR & CBZ), and encrypted and unencrypted eReader and PDF files.

[93terp]

Originally Posted by kjk

Here is the deal, from what I can tell. Stanza provides two ways to transfer books to the iPad (and tomorrow, the iPhone/Touch)-the old way, over wi-fi thru Stanza Desktop, and the "new" way, which is drag and drop into the File Sharing area in iTunes.

The old way (wifi thru Stanza Desktop) still supports non-DRM .MOBI format (just tried it).
It also supports .PDB, and .LIT (non-DRMed).

The new way (drag and drop thru iTunes) only supports the following formats:
unencrypted DRM-free ePub format, DjVu, Comic Book Archive (both CBR & CBZ), and encrypted and unencrypted eReader and PDF files.

Thanks for the info, kjk. I don't have Stanza Desktop (not yet). Any instructions on how to use the "old way" to get .mobi files to my iPad via WiFi?

[kjk]

Originally Posted by 93terp

Thanks for the info, kjk. I don't have Stanza Desktop (not yet). Any instructions on how to use the "old way" to get .mobi files to my iPad via WiFi?

Stanza Desktop is free to download and use with Stanza iPhone/iPad, 93terp.
You can also use Calibre to convert those .mobi files to ePub first-that way you can use them in both Stanza and iBooks thru drag and drop.

[artemisblossom]

I am confused about the ipad as an ereader. I have books from Kobo, Sony, Barnes and Noble, Books on Board etc. It seems like there is an app for almost everything on the ipad. Are all the books stored and able to be viewed in one location or do I need to open the kobo app to read a book from there, and the Barnes and Noble (or whatever ) app to read a book purchased from them. What if they were all drm free would they show up in one place? My books are mostly epubs, but I do have some pdf's and Lits. How does this work? I don't need another device but it sure is pretty LOL

[kjk]

Originally Posted by artemisblossom

I am confused about the ipad as an ereader. I have books from Kobo, Sony, Barnes and Noble, Books on Board etc. It seems like there is an app for almost everything on the ipad. Are all the books stored and able to be viewed in one location or do I need to open the kobo app to read a book from there, and the Barnes and Noble (or whatever ) app to read a book purchased from them. What if they were all drm free would they show up in one place? My books are mostly epubs, but I do have some pdf's and Lits. How does this work? I don't need another device but it sure is pretty LOL

If the books are DRMed, you would have to open them in the Apps that they are tied to..but, in most cases, that is done for you within the App itself: The Kindle App will have your purchased books already in the App ready to download, or you can send them from Amazon directly to your iPad's Kindle App. Kobo and Barnes and Noble are similar-you can't actually use their apps to open any books EXCEPT the ones you bought in their respective stores.


If the books are not DRMed, you have a few more choices, depending on what format you choose. You can use iBooks for PDFs and ePubs, Stanza for a variety of formats, etc...

But, to answer your main question-in general, the iPad is App-centric when it comes to file management. Each app keeps books within its own little domain, and there isn't a lot of sharing/mixing going on, and no central location for books to be pooled to read with whatever app you want.

(Some third parties are exploring using third party solutions such as Dropbox to store/share/access files from more than one app, but it isn't that widespread..yet. For example, Goodreader is a PDF reader that can access PDFs stored in a Dropbox folder)