Everyone at Smack Dab Studios now owns an iPad. That fun-fact has created lots of entertainment for each of us in a different way.  For me and my iPad, our time together has mostly been for entertainment. Nothing pulls me in like a new edition of Food & Wine magazine.  I’ve been known to spend hours late into the night mesmerized by the “shiny, pretty” that radiates from my iPad while my husband lays next to me snoring.

But this week the relationship with my iPad has forever changed. No longer is my iPad just for entertainment. It has become an exceptionally functional tool in my daily routine.  My iPad is now a second monitor for my laptop.  Yes, it sounds simple, but in fact it is quite amazing.

Years ago when I ditched my big “boat anchor” desktop (a PC, sshhhh, don’t tell anyone) and opted for a laptop, my biggest complaint was that I had a very difficult time designing on the small screen of a lappy.  Over the years, my desire to become more mobile outweighed my frustration at smaller screens.  I decided to just get used to dealing with less and less screen space…and nothing says “less screen” like a  13″ MacBook Pro.  But my frustration has ended.

After reading a few reviews (on my iPad, of course), I decided to fork out the $9.99 to purchase “Air Display by Avatron Software“.  The last thing I thought before I pushed “buy now” was – it better be worth $9.99!

Well, it is.  It’s worth more, way more.

I downloaded the app, launched it, and within seconds my lappy found my iPad.  They are now forever happily linked, in dual-screen bliss.  It’s the perfect location for all those palettes in Photoshop, or for that Twitter Feed that you just can’t seem to pull yourself away from.

On the more technical side of things, the app works over wifi, so no cables are required (gotta love that).  And I happened to have a small folding easel that now serves as the stand for my iPad. No expensive iPad case required. Could it be any easier?  I don’t think so.

So, as I say at the end of all the stories I read to my toddler…”and they lived Happily Ever After”.