Blogging will be a little slower for me over the next few… days? weeks? I’ve been making myself use the Asus TF700 tablet as my primary personal computing device, and there’s a lot I need to figure out.

It’s nowhere near a substitute for my totally awesome Lenovo X220 tablet PC for writing, drawing, replying to e-mail, or even browsing the web. The TF700 is much lighter than the X220, though, so like the way that the best camera is the one that you take with you, I’m seeing if the increased portability will be enough to make up for the limitations. Besides, I’m sure there are all sorts of cool things I’ll be able to do because the tablet runs Android, and I’ll only figure those things out if I use the tablet enough to get past the awkward stage.

It’s a little odd intentionally being less efficient, but I think it will be worthwhile. A new platform, a new type of device… I have to try all sorts of things before I can really understand what’s awkward because I’m new and what’s awkward because the design is just not there. Eventually I’ll figure out how this compares with paper, phone, laptop, and other alternatives, and how I want to improve the mix.

In the meantime, more exploration!

UPDATE 2012-07-29: Hmm, I’m getting some weird mouse behaviour after disconnecting from AirDisplay. I’ll look into this some more tomorrow.

Multiple monitors are great for productivity. You can see more of what you’re working on. You don’t have to switch between applications. You don’t have to remember snippets as you move from window to window. I want to work with multiple monitors, but I don’t want to be confined to the desktop downstairs, or to take up valuable kitchen table space with an LCD.

At 1920×1200, the Asus Infinity TF700 tablet has a higher resolution than my laptop (Lenovo X220 tablet, 1366×768). The Air Display app ($4.99 in Google Play) makes it easy to set up a tablet as a second monitor for your Mac or Windows computer if they’re on the same wireless network.

I installed the app on my tablet, installed the PC version on my laptop, restarted my computer, and set up the connection. Now I can drag windows over or use keyboard shortcuts to move my windows to the tablet. I can touch the tablet to interact with my computer, although the hardware keyboard on my dock doesn’t work. The display has some lag, but it’s useful enough for reading references or checking websites.

Air Display sets my laptop’s graphics scheme to Windows Basic, which removes a lot of the fancy visual effects that Windows uses to make things prettier. It’s a small price to pay for the ease and portability of having a second monitor.

Air Display (Android, $9.99 $4.99)  – Looks like they increased the price!
Air Display from the App Store ($9.99) – for the iPad