Since I got the iPad, I’ve been using it extensively. I’ve finally gotten used to the keyboard and I’ve stopped sending half written emails. I’ve also downloaded quite a few apps. The vast majority of these have gone virtually untouched. Out of all the apps I currently have, besides the stock apps (browser, mail, calendar, notes) only about 5 of them are used probably 90% of the time. Sure it’s a small number, but in my opinion, these apps alone are worth the purchase of the iPad…
Zinio – I used to buy magazines like crack. Not only was this an expensive habit, the issues of Harpers, Men’s Health, High Times and Thrasher piled up in the office was a little out of hand. I eventually went cold turkey and stopped buying them. But now I can finally get back into the habit. Only this time without the clutter and at a reduced cost with Zinio and the iPad. Zinio isn’t strictly for the iPad, but their iPad app is slick and the quality of the magazines is phenomenal on the iPad’s screen. Although magazine subscriptions do cost money (less than a physical copy subscription) the app is fortunately free and every month a smattering of articles are available from popular publishers free for your perusal. The Zinio magazines also offer similar features as that single five dollar issue of Wired that everyone seemed to buy at launch (except at a fraction of the file size – what was with that 500 mb file size anyway?).
Good Reader – I have a whack of pdf’s (all legit, of course) and word docs and other files that the iPad doesn’t really support outside of maybe email. Good Reader lets users load their device with these files and read them later through a pretty swanky interface. The process for uploading files to the iPad with Good Reader is incredibly simple too. Start Good Reader then navigate from your computer to the URL provided by the app. the Good Reader app hosts a website that lets you browse to your files and upload them with a click of a button. I also found the uploading to be fairly snappy, compared to the uploading process that some other pdf reading apps offer.
Skype – sure they don’t have an official iPad client yet, but the iPhone version actually works incredibly well on the iPad. Maybe it’s the peppy processor or something. I found that the sound was very good and the mic picks up my voice no problem at all. Besides, you certainly don’t need crisp graphics with the Skype app. Blow it up with the 2X iPhone to iPad conversion button and your fat fingers won’t have a problem dialing any numbers on the big iPad screen (and if your fingers are still too fat, you can fortunately smash the keypad with the palm of your hand to get voice assistance… just kidding… but I do love that episode of the Simpsons).
Tweet Deck – you Twitter? This is my favorite Twitter client for the iPad. It’s free and has no advertising. Bonus. And the slick portrait mode takes advantage of nearly every iPad UI element available. Clicking on links in tweets simply opens them in an integrated browser control in the upper half of the screen, allowing you to continue to scan your twitter feeds at the bottom. Of course, all the other great Tweet Deck features are there as well including multiple accounts, list integration and classic style retweets.
RDP is a Remote Desktop client for the iPad, supporting the Remote Desktop Protocol. This app is fantastic. Sitting on my couch, I can quickly log into my Windows box and check the status of a long running download or 3D rendering. There’s both a regular version and a lite version. The lite version makes it difficult to scroll and move windows around and stuff, but it’s decent for a quick login.
