iPad/tablet apps

[eamich]

My company is considering purchasing iPads or other tablets for calculations. I have used the Nebo app that comes on the iPad and it seems reasonable. I don't care for the handwriting recognition conversion. I'd love an app that would resemble my old calc pads - one where I could input the job name/number/designer/date and have a screened grid background. And then better handwriting to text conversion where it would do the math instead of me punching it into my calculator. Another bonus would be "calling" frequently used equations and inputting values to have it spit out an answer.

So my question is - does anyone use apps that accomplish any of this? Are there other good apps that you use on a tablet?

Thanks!

 

[appot]

Sounds like you want mathcad for iPad. It currently does not exist; I have searched extensively for a comparable app. Hopefully somebody else has a suggestion.

 

[IDS]

Unless you have engineers needing to do complex calculations in situations where it is physically impossible to use a lap-top, it seems crazy to me to switch to tablets for engineering calculations.

But if they must do that I'd suggest they get ones that run Windows, then you can use Excel and whatever other design software you need.

Android tablets (and I presume iPads) will run MS Office, but don't have VBA, so that makes them virtually useless as far as I'm concerned.

Doug Jenkins
Interactive Design Services

http://newtonexcelbach.wordpress.com/

 

[IRstuff]

There are possibly other options. SMath Studio now has a cloud version that is accessible in Chrome on a phone:

http://en.smath.info/cloud/

TTFN (ta ta for now)
I can do absolutely anything. I'm an expert!

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[CBSE]

Maybe this is an odd question, but when would you need an ipad to do calculations? I'm assuming in the field potentially? I have an ipad and thought I would use the heck out of it for note taking and pictures, etc., but haven't really used it that much compared to my phone.

What types of calculations would you be doing?

 

[appot]

@CBSE
With the new writing tools (e.g. Apple Pencil, larger dimension iPad) that are available, I would ultimately like to move all of my pencil/paper handwritten calcs to iPad/PDF handwritten calcs.

To expand on that, I would love a mathcad-esque app where I could handwrite the following lines and have "Moment" auto-calculate. Then later, I would like to be able to erase "12 ft" and change it to "15 ft" and have the "Moment" recalculate.

Beam length = L = 12 ft
Midspan point load = P = 1 k
Moment = P*L/4 = _______ k-ft

*edit: fixed the moment equation; the powerful new tools can only be as smart as the end-user.

*edit #2: I know that this is essentially what a spreadsheet is for, but there are some one-off hand calculations that are not easily manipulated into a spreadsheet. Then weeks later, you need to make a minor change, and you have to follow that correction all of the way through the entire calculation package.

 

[eamich]

We're actually a nearly paperless office. General project info and simple calculations are recorded in word/excel. More complex calc are done in appropriate design software on computers. Sometimes, it's really a lot easier to write out calc and draw a sketch. This gets scanned and saved in the project file. My goal is the same as appot's. I have used the new iPad and pen and fine the apps that come with it work like a sheet of paper and a pencil, but I would love to see the software recognize my handwriting and calculate the equations. The ones I have used didn't work as well as I hoped. I suppose I'll have to be patient!

 

[MrHershey]

We've looked into this and come up empty as well, granted this was maybe a year ago or so. Things just haven't quite caught up to what we'd like. All of the apps we found that tout 'handwriting recognition' really mean something more like 'handwriting support'. They'll let you write with a stylus, but they won't actually recognize what you're writing. So you can take meeting minutes and easily save them to cloud storage, but it won't recognize what you're writing and be able to convert to text or do any manipulations.

If you're doing repetitive work, we've had luck with creating custom forms (like for observation or inspection reports) that are very easy to fill out. Would imagine the industry is probably not that far away from being able to dictate responses or even entire notes to Siri/Cortana/Google Now/Alexa/whatever.

 

[gravityandinertia]

What about this?

https://developer.myscript.com/

 

[EZBuilding]

I would recommend a Surface Pro. All of the portability of an IPAD or tablet without the hassle of worrying about apps. You can likely just use the same programs you are utilizing on your desktop, excel/ mathcad etc...

 

[dik]

One of my tablets is an ASUS Nexus 7; it's Android and very good. I have installed Graphing Calculator by Mathlab. Extremely good and powerful calculator and the paid version is relatively inexpensive. I would highly recommend the combination. It was a temporary replacement for my stolen TI89 Titanium and I use it as my current spare calculator.

Dik

 

[dik]

Screen shot attached. Cannot use editor to insert pix in posting. There are multiple functions in a library.

Dik

 

[appot]

I would recommend a Surface Pro.

But I am an Apple Fan-boy

 

[Agent666]

My understanding is that Microsoft OneNote does what you are after, recognising text and numbers and its able to do the maths. Note I have zero experience in using it, but maybe someone else can chime in with how good/bad it might be based on personal experience.
Link

 

[IDS]

But I am an Apple Fan-boy

Comments below about facilities available on ipad and MacBook are based on a 10 minute web search. Please correct any mistakes.

It seems that if you must have Apple, and must have a touch screen which you can sketch and do handwriting on, then an ipad is your only option, and maths/engineering software is very limited, to say the least.

It looks like a MacBook will run most maths/engineering software in native mode, but will run Windows anyway, so from that point of view is just as good as a Windows laptop, but they don't have touch screens.

A Surface-Pro seems to offer the best of both worlds, other than not being an Apple.

Personally I don't see the attraction of entering text and numbers in hand-writing and converting it, but I do agree that sketching in the mainstream Office programs is ridiculously clumsy (in fact I can't see there has been any improvement in that department for over 20 years), so there is an opportunity there for somebody.

As things stand, it seems to me that if you need to run maths/engineering software (which includes Excel), then Windows or Apple lap-tops are equally good, but if handwriting/sketching input is important to you then a Surface Pro is the only sensible option.

Doug Jenkins
Interactive Design Services

http://newtonexcelbach.wordpress.com/

 

[IDS]

(in fact I can't see there has been any improvement in that department for over 20 years),

Except for OneNote that is (thanks Agent 666). I haven't used it either, but looking at what they say it does, it does look like connecting a pad with OneNote (or equivalent) to a lap-top (either Apple or Windows) would do everything anybody is looking for.

Doug Jenkins
Interactive Design Services

http://newtonexcelbach.wordpress.com/

 

[dik]

Took a quick peek at Onenote on the net, and the math capabilities of it appear to be pretty primitive.

Dik

 

[IDS]

Took a quick peek at Onenote on the net, and the math capabilities of it appear to be pretty primitive.

I expect they are, it's not supposed to be Mathcad, but you can link to OneNote from Excel via VBA:

https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh377183(v=office.14).aspx

so you can make the math capabilities as powerful as you want (with a bit of work).

I should add that I haven't actually done that, so I have no idea how well or badly it works.

Doug Jenkins
Interactive Design Services

http://newtonexcelbach.wordpress.com/

 

[dik]

The Graphing Calculator by Matlab does most of the math I use... Also have a TI Nspire CX CAS that does the balance. It's almost too powerful for a calculator.

Dik

 

[IDS]

Following a link in the FEA Forum I found:

https://www.xceed-eng.com/top-5-apps-engineers/

which is worth a look.

Doug Jenkins
Interactive Design Services

http://newtonexcelbach.wordpress.com/