Writer For iPad Is Simply Amazing
October 5, 2010
In just a few short months, an incredible number of iPad writing apps have hit the App Store. While many are focused on giving the user a place to journalize, others are focused on those that want to write the next great novel.
The newest is simply called: Writer for iPad, and it's from Information Architects. The app is being heavily advertised in the App Store and with good reason. This is a great app that is so simple to use, yet it's packed with so many features. I am surprised that someone hadn’t created something like this earlier in the year.
The app is advertised as follows:
The key to good writing is not that magical glass of Bordeaux, the right kind of tobacco or that groovy background music. The key is focus.With focus in mind, Writer for iPad gives you an uncluttered work space, using a number of nice tools. The first of these is Focus Mode, which eliminates auto-correction, spelling errors, toolbars, scrolling, editing, and cut/copy/paste, which can distract a writer. It also blurs out everything except the current three lines of text you are working on. This tool is supposed to eliminate distractions and allow you to focus on the text at hand. Using Professional Typography, Writer selects the font type, text size, and column width that offers what they call “the best reading experience both in portrait and landscape mode.” Take it from me: this feature works! As you type, your words look amazing on the iPad screen. The app also includes a reading time clock which gives you an approximation of how long it will take to read your text. This is a nice feature, but certainly not something most users will utilize, in my opinion. Writer for iPad is integrated with the Dropbox service, so you can sync your document from the iPad to the cloud for easy backup. There is nothing more frustrating than spending the time to write something only to see it lost thanks to a technical problem on your iPad. Finally, the app includes two features that are great for first time users. The first is the "about Writer" page which explains the app in detail. Be sure to read this page before starting to write, and keep it handy if you have a question. Also, an "Alice in Wonderland" excerpt is included. It is here to show you the end result of an actual novel using the app. What a nice addition. Would-be writers should definitely check out Writer for iPad. After playing around with the app for a few days, I've concluded it's the best such app currently available in the App Store. Not only is it simple to use, but it is backed up by a company that is willing to listen to its customers to implement future enhancements. Be sure to check out the Information Architects website, which is as amazing to look at as the app itself. Writer for iPad is available today in the App Store for $4.99.
