Mini Display App - Check it out! #edchat #Apps

Recently, I purchased a new Mac and mounted it on my wall to be super fancy. I also had an older Ipad my wife and son were not using very much. I thought it would be cool to mount them on the wall to give me a couple of extra screens while working on my Mac. I could keep Twitter and Email up on these screens and work on school stuff on the big screen. Here is a picture of what I set up.

I used Pad Tab to mount the iPads. Here is the link and what the connectors look like. 

The cool thing about Pad Tab is that I can take the iPads with me and use my cases as if I did not have anything on the back. When I'm working, I can just mount it on the wall. The Pad Tab set comes with an extra wall mount, so I could pace the wall mounts in other places I might want to hang my iPad. The kitchen is one place that comes to mind. 

Anyway, this was a cool set up, but it just got a bit cooler thanks to the Mini Display app I read about on The Next Web the other day. The app is $12.99 and it allows you to connect to your Mac and add an extra screen. There is a free download you need to do from their website so your computer will connect to the app. The download was quick and easy. After a restart, I was ready to go.

The connection is quick and gives you a brief tutorial on the different hand gestures you can use with the connection. The mouse moves right over to the iPad and you can do all of the things you want to do on the screen as if it were another monitor. Even better, it is still touch sensitive. As I'm writing this, I have my iTunes open and I can quickly switch songs by rolling my mouse over to the far left and watch it appear on the iPad screen where I can choose another song. I can throw up my Twitter feed, my email and all of the other things I want and it matches the screen size of the iPad. 

Now, I know I could have placed all of those things on the iPad without paying thirteen dollars, but it's the fact that I do not have to change keyboards or reaching out and touch the iPad to do work on that screen. It is a seamless transition once I select the screen I want to work on with the mouse. If I wanted, I could take the iPad off the wall and sit on the couch and do some work while still being connected to the Mac. 

Overall, this is a great app for those that feel they need an extra screen when they are on the road with their laptop and need some space for more work. My situation is a bit unique, but there are definitely possibilities with this app down the line and is worth exploring if you are the nerdy time like I am.