Heart Writer Makes Writing On Your iPad Fast And Efficient
Heart Writer ($1.99) by Simzart is the fastest way to write on your iPad.
Let's face it - writing on the iPad is great, but it can prove to be a bit difficult at times. It's especially a hassle when you have to constantly switch between keyboards for numbers and various punctuation or symbols (like brackets) in your notes or other musings. Now there's a writing app that aims to solve those hassles by making writing on the iPad quick and efficient. Meet Heart Writer.
When you first open Heart Writer, you'll be greeted by a very attractive minimalistic interface. The font is monospace, and it is black text on white background. There's no help screen to guide you through the app, but it's pretty simple and straightforward, so there shouldn't be any problems. To create a new document, tap the folder at the top left and hit the + button.
The first thing you'll want to do is set up your syncing options. By tapping on the gear icon (with the cute little heart), you'll get the Settings of the app. There will be four main tabs: Sync, Basics, Presets, and Edit.
The Sync will give you three options - email, Dropbox, or Google Docs. Yes, that's right - there are three options for you. Each will have their own gear icon next to the representing image, and this allows you to set up your account information. Email has a toggle for sending as a .txt file attachment or just as a plain text message, with up to three default To email addresses. Dropbox allows you to rename the folder and set up your account. Google Docs will simply ask for your Google account information.
The Basics tab allows the user to view the current word count of a document, choose font size (Small, Medium, Large), and give a few choices of appearance options. Opacity will adjust how transparent the custom shortcut row on the keyboard will be as you type. The iPad's status bar can be hidden or shown, as well as the Edit Menu.
As you type in Heart Writer, you'll notice that there will be an extremely useful addition to the default iPad keyboard - the shortcut row. This is a row that has nine buttons that are intended to making your writing experience easier and faster. By default, these shortcut buttons contain commonly used characters like @, ( ), [ ], quotes, numbers, and everything else that you use on the alternate keyboard. There are even functions like tabs, next word, previous word, and plenty of others.
To use these buttons, you simply tap on the center of the button and then drag your finger to whichever direction the character you need is. If you need the character in the middle, just tap it and it will be inserted into your writing. Need the function on the top right of a button? Tap and hold the center, then drag to the top right. Letting go will insert the function in your document.
Now, what's with that big heart button? Think of it as the alternate shortcut keyboard button. Tapping and holding on the heart button will reveal another set of shortcut buttons that you can use. By default, there will be other commonly used symbols and functions in these buttons. Unfortunately, you'll have to keep holding on that heart button to access and use these characters, since letting go will revert back to the first shortcut keyboard.
These shortcut buttons can also be customized via the Presets and Edit tabs in the app settings.
As a writer, I find the addition of the shortcut keyboard to be great. It's a fuss to always have to switch keyboards on the iPad, because I still have to search for the symbol I need, and then go back to the main keyboard and readjust myself. Having all of these symbols and functions along with the regular keyboard is great and saves plenty of time, since they'll always be within reach without needing to switch and readjust my hands on the screen.
While you type, you may want to save your work. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem that Heart Writer does automatic syncing. To sync your work to your preferred service, you'll have to go to the Sync tab under settings and slide the image of the sync service. Doing this will upload your work to Dropbox or Google Docs, or email if you prefer. It's a nice way to sync, however, I believe that there should be some kind of automatic syncing implemented for those that are forgetful. There is also iTunes File Sharing support.
In addition to syncing services, Heart Writer also has a feature called "Smart Save." What this does is allow you to always update the document in the cloud with the latest version. But what if you modified that document in the cloud with another program and synced it? Heart Writer will ask you if you want to overwrite this modified version in the cloud, or create a new document to avoid accidental overwriting. Pretty nifty, right?
Since Heart Writer's goal is to help you focus on the writing, there is also a fullscreen mode available. Simply tap on that button with two arrows pointing in the opposite directions. Voila! Fullscreen writing, with no distractions.
Heart Writer is a fantastic little app that most writers will appreciate. However, I really would like to see some kind of automatic syncing in the future - people won't always remember to save (from experience with those computer accidents). It would also be nice to have the ability to search through your documents and even organize them in folders, if possible.
Despite those small wishes, Heart Writer is a great app that any writer should try out. For $2, an app with this much efficiency is a steal.
