I never thought I would ever have to worry about using flash on my iPad.  All of the objections I’d heard didn’t apply to me.

What coder uses flash anymore?

They should all know that tablets are taking over, and that no tablet supports flash.  The iPad never supported it. Android tablets no longer support it. I figured they would get the hint and only program stuff usable on tablets.  I mean they are taking over.

Sometimes all it takes is one.

I had heard of using safe-swaps as an easy way to build my list.

Sweet.  An easy way to buy clicks and drive traffic to my offer? Sign me up.

So I went to the website and signed up.  No problems.  Paid my subscription and did some looking around.  Business as usual.  Then I went in to prepare my first campaign.  I wrote out my swipe e-mail.  Got everything set up.  And nothing worked.  Tried again.  Still nothing.  Five times later I figured it probably wasn’t user error and that maybe it was my perfect iPad’s fault.

Here’s the kicker… I was on vacation, at a friend’s house, with no computer in sight.  I was finally going to eat my words.  My iPad wouldn’t be able to do something that you can do on a computer.  Everybody was going to laugh at me.  The world would no longer be the same.  I would have failed at my life quest.

Solving the Flash Problem

I did what I do best. I started trying stuff. I downloaded a few different browsers. Same problem. I didn’t think there was flash on safe-swaps, but what did I know?  On to browsers that allow flash.  I downloaded the Puffin browser. I went to safe-swaps. And it worked!  I ordered my clicks and got going.

Puffin Browser – Avoid at all costs!

Problem solved.  Except for the fact that I hated the Puffin browser.  No way on earth was I going to go through that again unless I absolutely had to.  The user interface was clunky at best.  I couldn’t hold down on text and have the magnifying glass that I’ve gotten used to (I really hate change).  If I wanted to select a block of text little arrows showed up instead of the little blue circles like you get on safari.  There was also a “trackpad” option which gave you a mouse for finite adjustments.  Which you only needed because the user interface made doing anything with your finger close to impossible.  The list could be longer, but I think you get the picture.  I can’t stand this browser.

I get it.  You want your browser to be as close to a computer experience as possible.  If that were the case, though, I’d just drag my laptop along with me.

The solution: Photon

The Solution to my “flash” problem

I knew that I was going to need flash for a few things, so I felt that I could justify spending some money on an App.  The app was 4.99, and I like it better than Safari even.  It plays flash when I need it.  It works with other difficult websites.  It gives me my magnifying glass and blue circles.  And the best part – I can move from tab to tab without the tab that I’m leaving not loading.  I was finally able to watch a video and move from tab to tab without the video stopping.  Bring on the multitasking.

A lot of people don’t like spending money on Apps.  If it’s something I’m going to use it doesn’t bother me.  I just think back to the days of having to spend $50+ on a piece of software.  Hard to imagine what life would be like if Apps were that expensive.

And They Ride Off Into the Sunset…

I never thought I’d need flash on my iPad.  Then I started doing more and more work on it.  Fortunately there is at least one good browser App that makes it possible.  I will say that it doesn’t do EVERYTHING.  I tried using my iPad to submit my W9 for JVZoo and it wouldn’t show the form.  I went through 5 different browsers to try to get it to work, so it wasn’t just a Photon thing.  Fortunately that’s a minor task that only needed to done once.

I got through my vacation without any other “I might need a computer” instances, which was pretty impressive.  Every time I pack my bags to travel I’ve been finding it easier and easier to leave the laptop at home and just throw my iPad into my suitcase.

What functions would you need to have on your iPad in order to leave your laptop at home?  Let me know in the comments below.