A discussion in the Book Bloggers Google+ group about how we read blogs now—more than a year after the demise of Google Reader—got me thinking about tech. Specifically, I started thinking about what activities I prefer doing on laptop/desktop computer, tablet, and/or smartphone.
- Laptop/desktop computer:
The stationary platform with the big screen is still my preferred place for composing blog posts and writing other lengthy pieces, although I do I draft and take notes on a mobile device. However, since I still find formatting a blog post for publishing is easiest on a conventional computer, sometimes it seems more efficient to work on the whole thing there. Many blog-related tasks are still easiest on a laptop or desktop, to be honest, and that includes both commenting on other blogs and responding to comments here. (Don’t many of us blame reading blogs on mobile devices for the decline of comments?)
I use my mobile devices to read emails, but to send any email other than a quick reply, I’d rather be on a computer. And because Facebook’s mobile app is just not good, I prefer using that site on a computer too.
- Tablet (iPad mini):
I read blogs on my laptop or desktop when that’s where I’m working; I was using Feedly long before Google Reader went away, and I have few complaints about it. However, I’d rather read blog posts on my tablet (even if it is harder to comment there), where my Feedly account is synced with the Mr. Reader app. It’s only for iPad and it’s not a freebie, but I love its features and versatility and have never regretted buying it.
I do nearly all my photo editing on my iPad, and I confess to a mild addiction to apps in this category. I’d like to say that’s because I’ve yet to find the one app that does everything exactly the way I want it to, but I don’t think that’s entirely true. I’ve tried and liked too many to list them all here, but please ask me about them if you’re interested!
I gave up using a dedicated e-reader a few years ago, and one reason I downscaled to the iPad mini is that it’s a more comfortable size for reading ebooks. That said, I’d consider going back to an e-reader if I read more e-galleys; I think I’d keep up with them better if I kept them on a device all their own.
- Phone (iPhone 5, for now–we’re eligible to upgrade before year-end):
I edit photos on the iPad, but unless there’s a special reason to bring my camera somewhere, I take pictures with my iPhone. Sometimes I’ll do simple edits to them right there too, if I intend to post them to social media right away. When that’s not my plan, the cloud (iCloud Photo Stream, with automated backup to Dropbox) lets me work on them on the iPad later on.
On a related note, Instagram and Twitter are primarily phone-use apps for me. My bad eyes prefer them on the iPad mini’s bigger screen (despite the fact Instagram’s not optimized for it), but since my iPad is wi-fi only, that’s not always an option.
Let’s talk tech–where do you prefer to do the things you do?
