If you have never worked on a computer that has two monitors you are missing out. You may think it is a geek thing but really, dual monitors can help just about everyone. The biggest benefit is during those times where you need to reference information while working on something else. For example, you are putting together a presentation and need the numbers from a separate report. You could constantly switch back and forth between the presentation and the report, or you could use your second screen. Place the presentation on one monitor and the report on the other. It really makes things move quicker.
Having dual screens works well for desktop users, but what about laptop workers, or people who don’t want to spend the money on a second monitor? That is where your Ipad can come in. There are a number of applications available for the Ipad that can turn it into a second monitor, I chose Diplaypad because it is inexpensive and very easy to use. All you need is a wireless connection.
To set it up
- Download display pad onto your Ipad.
- Download the Displaypad app onto your mac or pc from the companies website.
- Make sure the laptop and Ipad are on the same wireless network.
- Launch Displaypad on the Ipad
- Launch Displaypad on the laptop
- Select your Ipad from the list of available devices on the Laptop
Thats it, simple. Now all you have to do is drag things to the right of your main screen and they will appear on the Ipad. For this to work really well, I put my Ipad standing up vertically in it’s case and set it to the right of my Macbook.
The resolution and screen refresh rate are not great, so this is not for watching video, but it really excels when it comes to setting up a second screen.
Best of all you can take this setup anywhere. It also looks pretty cool to anyone passing by.