Calling Apple's (Nasdaq: AAPL) Pages a word processor is a misnomer. Words are only a small part of what this software is designed to process.
The application combines desktop publishing with text entry -- and on the iPad, it not only combines the two well, but in a way that makes document creation fun.
The tactile features of the tablet literally give you a feel for a document unmatched by any other platform.
You start a document in Pages for the iPad (US$9.99) by choosing a template.
It can be one resembling a blank sheet of paper, a letter, a resume or any of 16 included with the app.
A toolbar located at the top of the iPad's display when it's in portrait mode gives you access to most commonly used functions when you're working on a document.
Object Handling
On the left side of the bar are buttons for opening and creating documents and undoing actions. Documents are automatically saved as you make changes in them so you don't have to worry about losing your work unexpectedly.
The name of your document is displayed in the center of the bar. To the right of that title are tools for toggling between full screen and edit mode, changing the properties of text or objects, adding objects to your document and performing a bunch of functions including spell checking, search and document setup.
When you tap an object in a document, a blue box with handles surrounds it. The handles can be used to grow or shrink the object horizontally or vertically. The object can be uniformly resized by double tapping it and moving a slider control that appears below the object.
If you poke the Info tool after selecting an object, you can change its style and arrangement. Style choices allow you to add borders to the object or effects like shadows or reflections. Arrangement options let you flip objects horizontally or vertically and determine how text will wrap around an object.
Quite Nifty
Moving an object on a page is wicked nifty. Placing two fingers on it allows you to rotate it any which way you want to. You can also drag the object anywhere on the page and text will automatically realign itself to accommodate the object's new location.If you select text and tap Info, you can style your words to make subheads, for example, or bulleted lists. You can also choose various fonts, as well as their size and color, and pick layout options like text alignment, column structure and line spacing.
Most likely, though, you won't be using Info for most of your text styling needs because when text is tapped in a document, a ruler bar appears. It has tools for swift access to some of the Info tool's more common functions.
Double-tapping a word will place it in a blue box with handles. The handles can be used to expand the box and select more text. Triple-tapping text will select an entire paragraph.
Definitions, No Synonyms
The Insert tool permits you to insert objects into your document. From the Insert menu you can add to your creation photos from the iPad photo album, tables, charts and shapes.Pumping data into tables and charts is a breeze. In a table, you can tap a cell and type in what you want there--text or numbers. In a chart, you double tap a bar, segment or such and a table appears where you can enter your data. Pages makes what's a chore in other word processors into a trip to the playground.
Text can be typed into shapes filled with color or bordered in color. Shapes can be useful for creating "pull quotes" for a document, fashioning flow charts or mind maps or even making comics with voice bubbles.
Margins for a document, as well as its headers and footers, can be controlled with the Document Settings item in the Tools menu. You can also turn on spell checking and locate help on the Web for the program from Tools, too.
You can find the definitions of words by double tapping them and choosing "More ..." to access Pages' built-in dictionary. Sadly, no thesaurus is included with the program.
Dolled-Up Document
Tools also has a Find function. Search is dynamic. As you type, words containing your letters are immediately found so you may not have to completely type your word before you find what you're looking for.Moving through pages in a document quickly is easy with Pages' Navigator feature. With it, you hold your finger on the right edge of the screen. A magnifying glass appears with a thumbnail of a page in it. As you move your finger along the screen's edge, you can see thumbs of the pages in your document. Lift your finger and you jump to that page.
Once you finish your document, you'll want to get it out of the iPad. Pages lets you email it, store it at iWorks.com or export it as a Pages, PDF or Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) Word file.
Pages' emphasis on pretty documents makes it more suitable for light desktop publishing tasks than composition. The absence of a built-in thesaurus and a dynamic word counter will induce many writers to look elsewhere for a tool for plying their trade on their iPads.
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