These choice apps emerged from the iPad-launch hubbub to command our screen space.
E-reading is one of the cornerstones of the iPad, and iBooks (free) handles that pressure with style. This beautifully designed app is a pleasure to use on almost every level, and it quickly earned a starring role in our dock. Read the full review...
iWork ($9.99 each) will go a long way to making you more productive with the iPad, though it's unlikely to entirely replace its Mac equivalent. Some scaled-back features and the absence of built-in printing are the biggest limitations of the iWork apps, but on a whole, you're getting a tremendous value for $29.97. Read the full review...
Free drawing apps for the iPad like Doodle Buddy and Draw For iPad are okay for quick sketches, but Brushes ($9.99) can take your finger-painting to the next level. Read the full review...
Epicurious Recipes & Shopping List (free) offers a fantastic collection of recipes from Epicurious.com. On the iPad, the app serves up brilliant photography, and an interactive, cookbook-style layout that has us convinced we’re going to end up with olive oil and tomato sauce all over our brand-new iPad. Read the full review...
Accordéon ($2.99) is a charming, fun-to-play virtual accordion. Its bellows don’t move--you just whale away, picking out melodies with the piano keys while holding down one or more chord buttons. A little switch changes the buttons from major chords to minor. Real accordions have hand straps, so don’t drop your iPad, you wannabe Yankovics!
EAt Bat 2010 for iPad ($14.99) leads the league with live game simulations, home and away audio you can pause, stats, standings, box scores, highlights, and more. MLB.tv subscribers ($99.95/season) can even watch the whole game. The iPad’s real estate and touchability adds a new level of immersiveness we never got at MLB.com. Home run!
OmniGraffle ($49.99) is a must-buy for anyone who does a lot of diagramming. Whether it’s org charts or page layouts, this sophisticated, easy-to-use app helps you quickly sketch out ideas, and then send them as PDFs, PNGs, or .graffle docs for use with the Mac version of OmniGraffle. Read the full review...
1Password for iPad ($6.99) is the first app we installed on our new iPads--boom, done. This gem makes it a cinch to keep unique, complex passwords, logins, and other information secure, and it works in tandem with desktop and iPhone versions to keep everything in sync. Read the full review...
Truphone for iPad (free) turns your iPad into a (really) big iPhone. The VoIP app offers free Wi-Fi calls to other Truphone and Google Talk users, and cheap calls (2 to 5 cents a minute) to telephones. It works great with the iPad’s built-in speakers and mic. Read the full review...
ABC Player (free) streams full episodes of ABC shows over Wi-Fi, including Lost, Modern Family, FlashForward, and more. Loading times are short, and you’ll see fewer commercials than on the TV, but you can’t fast-forward. The app also doesn’t remember where you left off between viewing sessions. Read the full review...
The Elements: A Visual Exploration ($13.99) is what we imagine Harry Potter’s chemistry book looks like. It’s a stunning--but somewhat confusing to use--iPad adaptation of Theodore Gray’s dead-tree book of the same name. The Elements presents you with a periodic table, and tapping an element brings up 360-degree animations, as well as all the scientific details of the element in question. Read the full review...
NPR for iPad (free) is perfect for NPR addicts and casual listeners both. It keeps your favorite NPR shows and the latest news in a clean layout, and you can even stream your favorite NPR station. The smooth navigation is only hampered by the lack of topic search.
Bento for iPad ($4.99) isn’t the direct translation of the great Mac database, omitting a few features and limiting layout variety. But Bento’s productivity-driving attitude remains, especially with (optional) syncing to Mac Bento databases. You’ll get a new perspective on projects, contacts, and collections as Bento organizes your world. Read the full review...
The Early Edition ($4.99) has huge potential--it’s a gorgeous RSS reader that converts your feed into one seriously pretty newspaper. But…it’s early software; version 1.0.1 lacks Google Reader or Instapaper integration, though the dev plans to add them. If you prefer function over form, the email-like NewsRack ($4.99) is the way to go for now. Read the full review...
Marvel Comics (free) makes a splash, delivering iconic heroes like Spider-Man, the X-Men, and the Hulk for $1.99 per issue. High-resolution images pop off the screen, and the option to snap between single, zoomed-in panels makes it easier to take in the detail and nuance of each sequence. Read the full review...
Dora the Explorer Coloring Adventures ($4.99) is indispensable for parents needing to keep their little ones entertained in planes, trains, and automobiles. It essentially turns your iPad into a coloring and sticker book with the beloved cast of Dora characters, leave you free to sit back and enjoy some peace. For now. Read the full review...
WritePad for iPad ($9.99) is almost a dream application for the iPad--write on that lovely display with your finger or a capacitive-touch stylus, and have your handwritten scribbles turned into type. It isn’t perfect, but it does the conversion so well and has enough useful options that it quickly earned a place on our Dock. Read the full review...
Flight Control HD ($4.99), an addictive air-traffic-control game with split-screen multiplayer.
Geometry Wars: Touch ($9.99), an intense, arcade-style shooter with flashy visuals and decent controls. Read the full review...
Real Racing HD ($9.99), a technical showcase for the iPad with fluid 3D visuals and great controls. Read the full review...
Mirror’s Edge for iPad ($12.99), a thrilling adventure with great tension and physicality. Read the full review...
Sam & Max Episode 1: The Penal Zone ($6.99), a sometimes-glitchy but excellently written romp. Read the full review...
