Scott Grossberg is a California attorney, motivational speaker and even a magician, but I know of him because he frequently writes and speaks about lawyers using iPads. In early 2013, he released a Kindle ebook called The iPad Lawyer with tips for using an iPad in the practice of law. More recently, he released a Kindle ebook called The Million Dollar iPad with tips for using an iPad in any business. That book is normally $9.99, but thanks to Grossberg, if you download it today (Tuesday, September 3, 2013) it is free. It is a Kindle ebook so you can either read it on a Kindle hardware device if you have one, or you can read it on your iPad or iPhone using Amazon’s free Kindle app.
The ebook starts by covering the basics of how to use an iPad, then
provides a great set of iPad shortcuts and tips, then recommends some of
the most valuable iPad accessories (covers, styluses, chargers,
keyboards, etc.), and then recommends apps to accomplish lots of
different tasks.
Grossberg’s writing style is sometimes a little aggressive — I am not surprised to see that he is also a motivational speaker — but it is never boring. My favorite part of the book is the discussion of iPad tips. He includes tips that you might already know but are always worth reading again such as keyboard shortcuts and tips on maximizing battery life. I also liked his discussion of inserting a document into an email reply — something that the iPad doesn’t really support except for pictures/videos, but he explains some good workarounds.
A large portion of the book is devoted to recommending apps. This part of the book is helpful if you want to find an app to do something and don’t now where to start looking. Unfortunately, he doesn’t offer explanations of the apps or describe why you might want to pick one app over another. For example, his section on Word Processing apps simply identifies eight apps. He includes some great ones, but doesn’t explain that there are huge differences between using an remote access-based app like CloudOn and OnLive Desktop versus native apps that keep your document on your iPad such as Documents to Go or Pages.
The book also omits many apps that I would include — for example, he describes seven apps for taking handwritten notes with the iPad but excludes my current favorite, GoodNotes — but to be fair, I recognize that app recommendations are necessarily subjective and different people recommend different apps.
If you have that nagging feeling that you could be more productive with your iPad but you just don’t know how to do it, I’m sure you will learn something from this book. I strongly encourage you to get this book today while it is free.
When the price returns to $9.99, I suppose it is more debatable whether the book is worth it. I can’t help but think of another California attorney publishing ebooks, David Sparks, and his $9.99 book on going paperless is not only full of great information but also is a beautiful book that takes full advantage of all of the bells and whistles that an Apple iBookstore book can offer such as lots of video, audio and animation. Any simple Kindle book is going to pale by comparision. On the other hand, $9.99 is not going to break the bank for anyone, and fortunately you can use the helpful Amazon “Look Inside” feature to get a feel this book. The Look Inside feature provides you with the entire index and overview of all of the chapters, which should help you decide how helpful the book will be for you, plus it even includes Grossberg’s valuable checklist at the beginning of the book where he describes the apps and accessories that he says that he cannot live without — valuable information whether you buy the book or not.
If you are reading this post on September 3, 2013, get the book right away while you can. Otherwise, take a look at the Amazon Look Inside preview to decide if the valuable information in this book would be helpful to you. I feel like I know a lot about the iPad, and even so, reading this book taught me a few new things.
Click here to get The Million Dollar iPad ebook for Kindle ($9.99, but free today).
Not offering it in the iBookstore seems weird. David Sparks needs to start an imprint. iBooks Author requires some skill.