How To Make Your Ipad Business Ready

So now you have an iPad and you want to convert it into a business-ready productivity tool, right?

The iPad just sneaks by just a bit more as something that is comfortable for business. As long as you dont need to rely on Flash, youre set with an app eco-system that now numbers 200,000 at last check.

To make your iPad business-ready, please follow these steps:

1. Purchase the iWork suite for iPad through the App Store. Apple has completely reworked iWork (Pages, Numbers, and Keynote) for iPad, it is absolutely functional for your business needs in between meetings or as a preparation tool for the next meeting with creation and editing capabilities for documents. Each iPad app is priced at $9.99 which is one of the more expensive price points in the App Store but these are given apps and are quite cost-effective for what you need to do in the end.

2. While the iPad is a beautiful device to look at, it is an investment and requires care. There are countless versions to meet your particular tastes. The Apple iPad case is priced below $50 and has a sleek fit and acts as a mini-stand when you need to type on the iPads virtual keyboard at a coffee shop, lobby or anywhere else. Apples iPad case like any other case has the right fit and openings to allow you to access the headphone input, dock connector and volume controls.

3. You will also want to have the iPad Dock and Keyboard as part of your toolset for business readiness. The iPad dock and keyboard is sold as a single unit but the only disadvantage sighted as seen in Apple support forums is that it doesnt support landscape mode because the connector is available at the bottom of the iPad in portrait mode. So, if youre looking for that kind of flexibility, the single unit option will not help you. The single unit dock connector charges and syncs as youd expect. If you wanted a physical keyboard, Apples blue tooth wireless keyboard is a beauty to use and the blue tooth connectivity is flawless.

4. As a business professional, you know about travel and having your act together in-between meetings. The 10W USB power adapter/charger is designed for the business professional who travels frequently. This adapter allows you to charge your iPad when you are computer-less and dont need to sync. The adapter works for iPhone and iPod Touch so youre not getting ripped off or inconvenienced by Apple with multiple adapters. The marketplace also has longer adapter cords with extremely long reach you may require if the random hotel room has a plug on the far side of the world.

5. The iPad Dock connector to VGA adapter is an excellent tool for connecting your iPad to a television or monitor when you need to display a large group presentation from Keynote or any other type of presenting app. But while youre on a business trip, you can even use your iPad as home entertainment away from home by watching your iTunes purchased content or other important media at the hotel.

6. While Steve Jobs used cool marketing to suggest that the only thing you need for your iPhone was natures own creation, the finger, it simply isnt as helpful on the iPad with some of the amazing knew sketch, napkin-style iPads apps that allow you to brainstorm. One brand, Logix, has produced a unique, high-quality stylus that is perfect for handwriting and sketch brainstorm sessions. While you can still use your finger to do the same work, albeit, less easily, you also reduce the amount of smudging you add to your iPad screen; unless of course, you have purchased an iPad screen protector as well.

7. Without a doubt, a business professional needs to be in the cloud. The cloud, you ask? The cloud is a buzz word term for technology professionals to reference the Internet and wireless connectivity associated with all your data. Your data in the cloud simply means you will be able to sync your documents and other important files seamlessly, between devices, with any-point of access to be able to edit and update and then continue on any other device such as your desktop computer or laptop.

MobileMe from Apple is a great product which does have an annual subscription. It offers iDisk cloud functionality but also gives you a me.com email address, calendar and event alerts to sync in the cloud for all your meetings, in addition to simplified tools to host a website easily with their iWeb product. Also, the MobileMe subscription includes the locate my iPhone/iPad feature should you lose your iPad or other iOS device such as iPhone and iPod Touch. The added benefit is that you can do a remote lock and wipe of all your data should it be stolen while in transit. Another cloud-based product for file sharing which is actually very useful across a myriad of iPad apps is a product called DropBox. They offer a storage limit per annual fee subscription model. With DropBox, you can store data/files in the cloud, and depending on your device, can access, edit, update this data from your iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad or any other mobile device platform supported by Dropbox (such as Android and Blackberry)

8. While wed like to believe that a WiFI-only iPad is enough, it isnt. With the iPad, the business professional must have reliable access and an available data connection through their 3G network provider. In the case of the iPad, all the U.S. telecom providers offer a package. As of this writing, data 3G for iPhone is only available through AT&T. Because many iPad apps function in the cloud the Internet and you want to be sure you are connected through WiFi and 3G. Depending on the provider you choose for iPad 3G, you can find yourself with some good data consumption bundles which start small and go to unlimited use. While providers like AT&T have suffered from the onslaught of iPhone data usage, the customer base for iPad is spread across more telecom providers in the U.S. market and this should alleviate any bandwidth and stability concerns over the long run.

Following these steps, you will find yourself in a good starting position with your iPad which may even complement your jet-set business lifestyle. This new category of mobile device (dubbed the Tablet or Slate) is a fast-moving market situation which means you will find many more apps, many more accessories, and many more functional uses for the iPad over time. In fact, you may find yourself using your laptop or desktop Mac or PC far less as a result of the iPad.