Designing for the iPad ... kind of

I know in (not so) recent posts, I have talked about using a new content management system at the newspaper. It's been rough going while they work out all the kinks. I've tried my best to remain positive during this time of short staffing and high stress, and not until today did I actually see the fruit of my/our efforts.

The new system is supposed to help merge all platforms for the newspaper, namely on the iPad. It is actually a reall cool app. It takes the PDFs of the daily paper and enhances them for tap-, swipe- and zoomability. We can add videos, slideshows and links to the stories on the page while we are designing the section for tomorrow's print edition, and today was the first day I saw my A section on the iPad. It was pretty exciting -- especially because the copydesk has an iPad now!

Technology is an amazing thing.

Tools of the trade

So, Internet world, I bit the bullet. I bought a new Macbook Pro! A lot of thought and planning went into this purchase -- mainly just because big purchases freak me out. I weighed the options and features of each available mac, and I decided to go with the upgraded 13" laptop. The screen is way too small to do my designing, but I am also investing in an external monitor. I can get a 20" for about $100. The way I see it, the 13" is a great size for traveling, and when I want to do the big things, having a screen that's even bigger than my old laptop screen (15") will be a treat.



Courtesy of gadgetmix.com.

 
I'm just happy to be able to do things on my computer and not have it crash on me!