iPad Apps

The 'computer for your Mum' - the iPad has been surprisingly useful and addictive so far. My wife loves it! I've replaced my physical diary with Evernote, and checking emails and RSS feeds on the iPhone has become somewhat less attractive. The 10 hour battery life is great, and using the additional VGA adaptor allows me to substitute the iPad for a laptop for web-based presentations (except Flash - no Prezi :-( DOH).
Of course there's plenty of annoying quirks with iOS on the iPad (still in version 3.2), not least being the restrictive file management that forces every media application to use a unique directory - so sharing documents and media between apps is extremely painful. The online sharing via iWork, Google Docs, MobileMe is cool - great for backups, but each has limitations - iWork will only share docs with less than 50 pages, Google Docs has a meager Word Doc file size limit, so the MobileMe iDisk seems the best so far.

A short list of iPad apps I've found useful so far.

• Whitcoulls
  I may never have to buy another book - and WAY cheaper!


• StudioTrack
  8-track audio recorder - doing this cost me $2500 for the software in 1995, and my computer could only play back 6 tracks at once! StudioTrack cost $49!


• EyeTv
  Stream media from EyeTV devices


• ReelDirector
  iMovie on the iPad!


• BlogPress


• Expedition
  Present web pages via VGA


• Marvel


• QuickOffice
  Syncs to Google Docs, MobileMe, and Box.net


• BibleReader


• GoodReader
  View almost any document and display on external screen via VGA adaptor


• NetNewsWire
  Great RSS reader


• Twitterrific


• Google Earth


• Pages
  So much nicer to use than QuickOffice or Docs2Go - but limited to iWork synch and email sharing of docs


• tvGuide


• Time Magazine


• Evernote
  Great electronic diary that supports all mobile platforms, and can be used to record audionotes and as a blog editor via email


• Google App
  Shortcut to Google Mobile services


• m-connect
  Turns iPad into UPnP server for viewing media on TV


• And all the built-in Apple Apps of course! Particularly Mail and Safari, plus the App Store for making it so easy to find new apps.

Apps I would like to see iPad optimised:

• iBlogger
  Best mobile blog editor, supports Vox


• Blades of Fury


• UStream


• Amplitube


• PixelPipe


• Fring


• FiRe


• Comic Touch


• Cool Iris


• Band


• AudioBoo


• iDisk
  Doh! this should be a no brainer Apple!