Wearable iPad

With iPad apps quickly flowing in by the hundreds since the launch of the device, there is definitely no shortage of great apps that take advantage of the iPad’s larger screen and better processor and ram, in comparison to the iPhone. There is also the lion’s share of your favorite iPhone and iPod Touch apps making appearances on the iPad.

One thing is for sure, there is quickly going to be more apps that you can keep track of soon enough, so we will attempt to share the best of the best with you here. Below is a selection of some our favorite iPad apps currently available on the App Store.

Games

Plants vs. Zombies ($10): While it might be a simple tower defense game at first glance, and it is, this popular port of the PC browser version of Plants vs. Zombies sold over 300,000 copies in just 9 days on the iPhone. With a new version built to take advantage of the iPad’s large screen, this is definitely going to be a hit on Apple’s new device.

Scrabble ($10): Scrabble is obviously a classic board game that already has millions of fans all over the world. So the fact that this incredibly elegant, animated iPad version of the game received phenomenal reviews on the device since launch day is definitely going to keep it on top iPad app lists for a while. Must have for Scrabble fans.

Mirror’s Edge ($13): Console gamers that are use to high budget triple A titles may be looking for a little more action and depth than Scrabble can provide. If that’s the case, you may want to try Mirror’s Edge for iPad, which is a popular, innovative platformer originally released as a PS3 and Xbox 360 title.

Entertainment

ABC Player (FREE): This is an absolute must have for any iPad owner interested in watching free TV shows. Its quite evident iPad users have taken note of this brilliant app with over 250,000 downloads and over 650,000 TV shows streamed in just 10 days. And it’s FREE!

Pandora (FREE): Pandora has been the go-to-app for iPhone and iPod Touch users interested in streaming and creating free, personalized radio. While not much has been changed with the app’s transition to the iPad, it remains the best radio-streaming app available for all iDevices.

News

With the iPad being touted as the ultimate ibook/magazine/comic reader there is certainly no shortage of great news apps available on the device from the USA Today (FREE) to the Wall Street Journal (FREE) and the New York Times (FREE). All three of these apps have been completely redesigned to take advantage of the iPad’s large screen and all truly innovative on how news is read on a new wave of”slate” style devices.

There are also a couple other, not so traditional, news sources that have created incredibly interactive and entertaining iPad versions of their publications. For example, the Popular Science ($5) app got us excited about the potential for beautifully presented publications on the device when Steve Jobs talked about the app.

Utilities/Productivity

iWork ($30): While there will more than likely be a slew of apps coming out in the coming months that try to compete with the iWork suite developed by Apple for the iPad. Until then, this is definitely the best productivity suite on the device, which includes Keynote, Numbers, and Pages. If you just want one of the apps included in iWork, you can purchase them individually for $10 each.

Sketchbook Pro ($8): The majority of the focus for the iPad has been on gaming and ibooks, however the potential for the device to be a great tablet for artists is quite clear. Serious artists will definitely want to check out Sketchbook Pro which is much like a professional’s alternative to popular iPhone app Brushes ($10). While Brushes also has an iPad version of their painting application, we recommend Sketchbook Pro.

Voice Memos (FREE): The majority of iPad users are typically iPhone users as well and are undoubtedly missing some of the stock iPhone OS apps omitted from the iPad. Voice memos is a biggie that many people miss and luckily this free app looks and acts much like Apple’s stock voice memos app.

Social/IM

IM+ ($10): There are more than enough free apps to choose from for IM on the iPad and all are quite functional and similar. However, if you are willing to pay $10, IM+ will give you a multi-protocol messaging service for pretty much every network you can think of all from within one of the better looking IM iPad UI’s available.

TweetDeck (FREE): If you plan on using Twitter on your iPad a lot, there will be a ton of options but none that take advantage of the iPad’s screen as well as TweetDeck. Everything that you loved about the app on the iPhone remains, but a redesign of the UI makes it feel right at home on the iPad.

Buy an Apple iPad on Amazon.com

Check Amazon.com for your Apple iPad needs.

Check out the iTunes Store Music

2 Responses to “iPad Apps Roundup: Essential iPad Apps Available Now”