I mentioned Write — a Markdown text editor with a ton of sharing options — a while ago, and I was impressed with it overall. A new version just came out, and an iPad version to go with it. It’s not just a companion app, though. In addition to a round of bug fixes, there’s something else really neat going on here.
Write now implements “device sharing,” with two different modes. The first is a remote keyboard, so you can type on one device while viewing on another. This has appeared in at least one other app that I know of, but I find it handy. Apparently, I’m the opposite of most people; I prefer to use this kind of setup to type on my iPhone while viewing on the iPad, rather than vice versa. I’ve just never become as proficient with the iPad keyboard as I am with the iPhone.
The second utility is even cooler, in my opinion. It’s called “remote clipboard,” and it allows you to link the two devices such that anything you copy to the clipboard on one can immediately paste on the other. The most obvious use for this is probably also the most exciting: you can research and grab urls on one device and insert them into a piece without ever leaving the editor. It’s pretty sweet.
The good news is that Write for iPhone is free for a few days to celebrate the iPad release ($1.99 US), so you can give the device pairing feature a workout without buying two apps. See my previous review for a more in-depth look at Write’s other features.
