Idea of the Day - A new idea each day. Some Don't Suck!

Our Latest Posts About: iPad

Why Is There No Calculator App On The iPad?

Thursday, August 3, 2017 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

Apparently, Apple does't think people with iPads need to do math.

Apple does a great job of integrating all their devices into one friendly ecosystem. Just about anything you can do on your iPhone, you can do on your Mac or your iPad. However, for some reason Apple still doesn't have a Calculator App on the iPad. Why is that?

This has bugged me for almost 10 years. Although there are a number of free or paid Calculator Apps in the App store, there's no reason for Apple to leave it out. The Calculator App is one of the few things that Apple has included in every platform since the original Macintosh in 1984, yet here it is nearly 10 years after the introduction of the iPad, and they still don't have a Calculator App.

An Instagram App For iPad

Saturday, September 17, 2016 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

Why the heck doesn't Instagram have an iPad App?

Isn't it pretty strange that Instagram STILL doesn't have an iPad App? Ever since they were taken over by Facebook, they've got tons of resources, so why is it taking them so long to make a REAL App that works on the iPad.

Technically, you can use the iPhone App on the iPad, but that's pretty lame. It's not designed for a larger screen, so everything is distorted. When you think of it, Instagram is a photo sharing site, so doesn't it make sense to give people the best possible way to view their photos?

Why iPads Need User Profiles

Wednesday, May 18, 2016 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

Sharing an iPad with family members is a pain in the neck.

If you've ever tried to share your iPad with a friend or family member, you know the frustration with trying to keep your Apps, Email, settings, and Photos private.

Why iPads Need User Profiles

Tuesday, March 29, 2016 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

There's one thing wrong with sharing your iPad with your family... nothing is private.

Most people today have their own email address and social media account. This means that a typical family of four will have at least four different email address, and at least as many social media accounts. In fact, each family member is likely to have multiple social media accounts for everything from YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, so there's a pretty good chance that there could be 20 or more accounts to juggle on the typical iPad.

Unfortunately, since the iPad doesn't have a feature that lets each family member have their own User Profile, anyone who uses it will end up using the same email and social media accounts.

This can be particularly disturbing if a child acci... [More]

Continue...Why iPads Need User Profiles...

How Media Should Be Organized On Apple Devices (video)

Thursday, March 3, 2016 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

I hate the way media is organized on my iPhone.

One of the great things about iOS devices is that they can store many different types of media. The trouble is Apple doesn't do a good job of organizing things.

There are dedicated Apps for Photos, Videos, Podcasts, Books, Magazines and Music. Sounds simple enough, but some media blurs the lines between categories making it hard to pin down.

For example, the Video App has buttons for Movies, TV Shows and Music Videos, but it doesn't have an option to show videos you made yourself, which are located inside the Photos App.

Although it seems to make sense that music videos are located inside the Music App, they really shouldn't be there. They're already in the Videos App, and doesn't make sense for the Music App to include... [More]

Continue...How Media Should Be Organized On Apple Devices (video)...

Close All Apps at Once on iPhone and iPad

Monday, October 5, 2015 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

I like simplicity.

I often see people flicking at their iPhone screens to get rid of all the "Open" Apps. Foe some people, that takes a long time, because their iPhone shows them dozens of these apps whenever they double tap the home button. Technically, these Apps aren't necessarily running, but Apple shows all the recently used Apps, whether they're running or not.

We've all been conditioned to put out things away, so even a lot of technical people like me still get the urge to "clean up" their iPhone by closing each and every one, until there're all gone. For what it's worth, anything past the last 5 screens is completely redundant because it takes longer to scroll through the recently used Apps than it would to launch them from scratch, so it's pointless that Apple show... [More]

Continue...Close All Apps at Once on iPhone and iPad...

Rediscovering Picture Frame Mode, While Charging Tablets.

Tuesday, June 2, 2015 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

Remember when Apple had a button on the lock screen to turn your iPad into a Digital Picture Frame?

I've been a fan of digital photography for quite a long time. When digital picture frames started to catch on, I was eager to pop one on my desk to see my favorite photos. As it turns out, it was too much work.

Digital picture frames seem pretty simple. You pop in an SD card full of photos, and turn it on. The trouble is, the hardware and software are slow and difficult to use, making it hard to constantly update the photos.

When iPad was introduced with a 9.7 inch screen, and the ability to automatically sync my photos, one of the first things I wanted to do with it was use it as a digital picture frame. For a while, all you needed to do was hit an icon on the lock scre... [More]

Continue...Rediscovering Picture Frame Mode, While Charging Tablets....

Longer iPhone / iPad Cables

Thursday, December 25, 2014 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

Why doesn't Apple make longer cables?

When Apple designed the iPhone, they made some assumptions, including how long the cable should be. The length they chose was about 3 feet long (1 meter), the perfect length if you plan on plugging it into your computer. Not bad, assuming your computer is a laptop.

But is 3 feet long enough if you don't use a laptop... and it's a big tower under your desk? Or if you don't even have a computer, and you just want to plug it into a wall?

So, Apple eventually released a 6.5 foot cord (2 meters)... That may solve the problem of using a tower under your desk, but it's still not long enough for people who need a bit more flexibility in where they charge their devices.

If you plan on using it from your sofa or near your bed, unless the ou... [More]

Continue...Longer iPhone / iPad Cables...

Apple Should Create Folder Passwords, to Protect Private Apps like Mail

Wednesday, September 24, 2014 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

It's great that iOS devices have passwords that protect your information from strangers. However, they don't offer a way to control access by friends or family to individual Apps like Mail.

Have you ever handed your iPad to a toddler?

There's a great joy that comes from handing a toddler your iPad so they can learn the alphabet, draw some pictures or play a game. The only trouble is you just hope they don't accidentally open your eMail App and start deleting your mail.

There's an easy solution... give people the ability to put Mail and other private Apps into a folder that has a separate password, so they can't accidentally access your sensitive information.

Another bonus... it'll keep your teens from reading your emails too.

Apple Should Give You the Choice to Archive or Delete Emails on iPhones / iPads

Tuesday, September 23, 2014 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

Swipe Right to Mark Read or Archive

This sounds so obvious to me, but for some reason Apple only gives you one option when you swipe right... Mark as Read. Why is there no quick option for archiving?

My Inbox is stuffed is because I configured my left swipe for "Deleted Mailbox" (so I can delete Spam). Now, I have no quick way to archive the other messages using my iOS devices... so the Inbox keeps growing.

I'm fully aware I can change the "Trash" setting to "Archive Mailbox" which will make a left swipe say "Archive" instead, but that means I will also be archiving Spam, Facebook notifications and tons of things I want gone for good... not archived.

The bottom line, some messages you want to delete, some you want to archive. Just give us the choice and we'll clean up... [More]

Continue...Apple Should Give You the Choice to Archive or Delete Emails on iPhones / iPads...

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Amazon Echo as an Intercom. Room to Room Communication, Even Across the World.

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A Car Periscope? Why Not?

Digital String on Your Finger... To Remind You You Left Something Behind...

Use Social Media to Listen To Your Customers, or They'll find Somebody Who Does.

Why Doesn't Apple Offer a FULL SIZED Wireless Keyboard?

How Banks Can Make Checking Accounts More Secure

4 Cell Phone Parental Control Ideas Your Kids are Guaranteed to Hate.

.Podcast Domain TLDs. A Direct Domain For Podcasters.

* Note: The ideas on "Idea of the Day" were posted without any formal research into existing inventions.

In some cases, patents may already exist for these ideas, in other cases, there may not be any existing patents and you are free to develop and explore the viability of developing and patenting the ideas.

The authors make no claim that any of the ideas are safe, practical, or suitable for any particular purpose. You are responsible for the results of trying, developing, patenting or using any of the ideas on this site.

For some people, our ideas are just an interesting read, but our goal is to encourage you to take action. If you see an idea that you like, do something with it... Take action.

- Joe

Idea Of The Day. A new Idea Each Day. Some Don't Suck.