A few months ago a friend of mine picked up a new iPad. He then tweeted me for my top iPad apps for both professional and personal use. I was swamped with a number of work projects when my friend asked that question so I did not get back to him at the time. (Yes, I know … bad form on Twitter and what kind of friend am I?) Then recently, another friend picked up an iPad and asked me the same question. Feeling the pressure to respond, I have finally produced my recommendations below.
1. Evernote
There are countless ways to use Evernote, and a quick search will certainly bring up some clever and useful ways. For me, Evernote is where I store personal and business information that I need now and again, but that I don’t really know where else to store. Professionally, I use Evernote to store a record of the static IP of my London office, the Pantone colors for lbdesign and the paper stock that we use for our business cards, among other data. Personally, I use it to store a few of my favorite recipes, keep a record of ideas for blog posts, my IT wish list and more. I always store my travel details on Evernote in case I lose the paper copies of tickets.
Evernote is online at evernote.com.
2. Zite
Zite is a great magazine app, and one that I use for reading both articles of both personal and professional interest. When I downloaded the app, Zite asked me what topics were of interest and subsequently serves up news and blog posts from around the internet about my selected interests. I can request more articles from a particular site or blogger; I can also drop a particular site. The user-interface is easy-to-use and I like to be able to share content via Twitter and email.
Zite is online at zite.com.
3. Flipboard
Like Zite, Flipboard is a magazine app. While different users will have their own approaches for using Flipboard, I use it to read through the RSS feeds from my Google Reader account. Flipboard’s smooth transitions and beautiful presentational style are a massive improvement on Google Reader’s basic user interface.
More information about Flipboard is at flipboard.com.
4. Twitter
Initially a die-hard fan of Tweetdeck, I find the new(ish) Twitter app to be a much better user experience. The fluidity of jumping from an individual tweet to a linked picture, post or video is much smoother in Twitter than it ever was in Tweetdeck.
Do we need a link to twitter.com?
5. AllRecipes
I discovered All Recipes through a friend who likes to cook more than I do. What I really like about the app is that it makes it easy to locate the ingredients. I use the iPad to find a recipe that sounds interesting, then take my iPhone to the store to buy the ingredients before returning home to use the iPad when I am cooking.
AllRecipes is also browser-based at allrecipes.com.
6. 1Password
As an online designer, I spend a good portion of my day logging into and out of online accounts. Using 1Password allows me to do so in a safe and convenient manner. It’s also great for securely storing personal information like bank account details, credit card numbers and the like.
Check out 1Password at agilebits.com/onepassword.
7. Pandora
Music, music, music. Does anything more need to be said? I have been impressed with the growing library available on Pandora. It was rather limited in the early days, but the vast breadth and variety of what’s now available for free streaming is wonderful.
Pandora is online at pandora.com.
8. Fox Soccer
Regardless of your politics, if you are a soccer fan, then the Fox Soccer app is a must. Great user interface, coverage of so many leagues in North America and Europe and plenty of videos. I’ve not yet subscribed to watch full matches on the iPad but that certainly is on my to do list.
9. NetFlix
Never having subscribed to its DVD-by-post service, I came by NetFlix after its pricing and Kwikster fiasco. Yet for less than $10.00 per month, I can stream unlimited movies, documentaries and TV shows. (Note: I may be wrong on the unlimited aspect; it’s certainly more than I can ever watch.) The selection of content is not the greatest, the categorization is suspect, and the user-interface limited, but the convenience is what makes this app worth having.
Need the link? Try netflix.com.
10. Penultimate
As a designer, I often find myself sketching an idea, web page or concept. With a new Jot Pro stylus, I can rough-out a home page design over a meeting at my favorite local café and can email it to either the client or my colleague in London. Another great feature is the ability to paste an image (either directly from the camera or via the saved photos) into a notebook and then draw over it.
More information about Penultimate is available at www.cocoabox.com.
There! I’ve done it. I’ve shared my list of some of my favorites iPad apps. Of course there are others that I use and like, but I wanted to keep this list to 10.
So, which of your favorite apps did I leave out?
My Twitter app of choice is Tweetbot. It’s the best thing going for both iPhone and iPad. The UI is like butter.
@ jamEs,
Thanks for the tip on Tweetbot. I’ll check it out.
As I previously wrote about it, I did not add SlideShark to my list above. I still use it a lot and I continue to find it a valuable app:
http://www.liamdempsey.com/powerpoint-presentations-on-ipad-a-review-of-slideshark/
Thanks, I’ll definitely try out Zite and AllRecipes. Quite like the look of that stylus too.
Hi Dave,
Still putting your new iPad 3 together then?
As for the stylus, I recommend that you go the extra step and get the pen/stylus. It’s the only one that comes with a clip. The pen is really nice too — much better than I expected.
No, it’s all set up – just happened to see this while catching up on RSS feeds.
I ordered a Jot Pro last night… Never mind, I guess I’ll live without the clip!