OK, I’ll admit to being an unabashed fan of the OmniGroup and their software packages for a long time now. That is because they consistently deliver quality software that does exactly what I want, in a way that I find easy and effective to use. OmniGraffle has been my go-to diagram editor for a number of years now, but I’ve been on the fence now for a while considering OmniGraffle for the iPad.
Mobile toolkit
I’ve been able to move over much of my mobile document work to the iPad with a minimum of fuss with the following toolkit:
- Simplenote
- Markdown
- DropBox
My last report (~25 pages) was written almost entirely on the iPad in Simplenote, with a few stopovers in Notational Velocity Alt while on the computer. Output to RTF and final formatting in Word (sigh).
Pictures?
But the missing piece has been the ability to do the diagrams to accompany the text. This part meant I had to reserve a chunk of time exclusively for the computer to use OmniGraffle.
So I bit the bullet and bought OmniGraffle for the iPad. It’s an excellent rethink of the application for the touch UI. It’s not as easy to fire through complex diagrams as on the computer due to the lack of precision of using fingers directly instead of a mouse, but it’s certainly up to the task for straightforward network architectures and the like.
One of the coolest features is that it is integrated with the Graffletopia web site which has a nice collection of stencils so you can easily add in a variety of complex and professionally designed graphical elements - you’re not limited to the built in templates. Here’s a quick sample thrown together from the VMware stencil.
Jumping back and forth from the edit and manipulate modes takes some getting used to since there is no equivalent state change on the desktop version, but that comes fairly quickly.
The mobile workspace
Replacing a notebook computer with an iPad is something that takes some planning and an understanding of the limitations, but it is entirely possible to handle much of the day to day grind of communications, writing and diagramming with these tools. It’s worth noting that there are a slew of DropBox capable text editors for each person’s particular aesthetic, I just happen to like the ones noted here.
The biggest change with this addition is that I can seriously consider heading out the door in the morning with just the iPad and the iPhone. My bag is lighter, I’m not looking for a power outlet every time I turn around, and with a VPN connection and Screens, I still have access to my computer in a pinch.
Cost
Granted it’s an expensive iPad application, but currently I have yet to find a serious competitor in the iPad store that lives up to the Omni quality standard.