My iPad App Recommendations

Several family members and friends recently bought iPads and have asked me for app suggestions. While I’d love to do proper reviews, I haven’t had the time, so you’ll have to settle for this hastily cobbled together list of 50ish essential iPad apps. After trying out more then 600 apps at this point, they’re some of the few I regularly use, so I can recommend them with confidence. That said, the iPad platform is still young. Best practices are still evolving and new competitors are constantly entering the marketplace. I’m certain my own list of favorites will change going forward, but this should give you a solid place to start.

Free Apps

Just go ahead and start installing these gems:

• Skype still iPhone version, but will be updated.
• iBooks I use this for non-DRM’d ePub books.
• Kindle My preferred ebook reader and store.
• Flipboard It’s almost an excuse for an iPad all by itself.
• Zite An alternative or complement to Flipboard, check it out!
• Twitter If you tweet, you’ll want the Twitter app.
• Dropbox Best file sync/transfer service around.
• Evernote Great all purpose, cross-platform note app.
• NPR News
• PBS for iPad
• BBC News
• CNN for iPad
• Qwiki It’s new and may not stay in my list for good, but check it out.
• Pandora Radio If you use Pandora, don’t forget this app. (I’m an rdio fan myself.)

Subscription Required Apps

The app is free, but the service requires a subscription. For some, the subscription is available in the app. For others, you have to sign up separately at the service’s website.

• Netflix
• Hulu Plus
• Rdio This is an iPhone app, but still an excellent service.
• New York Times
• Financial Times
• The Economist
• The Daily I’m still on the fence, but take advantage of the free trial at least.
• Bloomberg Businessweek+ I just subscribed and I’m enjoying this one.

If you’re looking for other magazines for the iPad, I’d also suggest checking out Popular Science, Spin Magazine, and Vigin’s PROJECT. Of course, this all depends on your particular tastes. Popular Science is still running a sale on their annual subscriptions ($14) and is a good example of a Mag+ powered magazine. Personally, I think Spin has done an incredible job at translating a print publication to a digital tablet. I especially like the monthly music playlist. And finally, while PROJECT has had a bumpy start, for some reason I keep coming back to it. If they ever offer a monthly subscription, I’d likely sign up.

Essential Paid Apps

This is by no means a complete list and your particular “essentials” will vary based on how you use your iPad. Nevertheless, you should at least check out these apps:

• Pages (9.99)
• Reeder (4.99) Excellent RSS newsfeed reader that requires a Google Reader account.
• Good Reader for iPad (4.99) Best PDF and universal file viewer.
• iMovie (4.99)
• Garage Band (4.99)
• Photogene (4.99)
• IA Writer (0.99) Excellent text editor for the iPad. Highly recommended.
• Notes Plus (5.99) Advanced handwriting / scratchpad app. Preferred to Penultimate.
• Notebooks for iPad (8.99) Advanced notebook and task tracker.
• Drawing Pad (1.99) A must have for kids.
• Star Walk for iPad (4.99)

Essential Games

Again, that word “essential.” I’ve selected these games particularly due to their universal appeal. They’re not hard core, genre games, though I did include a few more advanced games at the end.

• Uzu (1.99) Not really a “game”, but entertaining and magical regardless. Should come pre-installed.
• Osmos (4.99)
• Scrabble (9.99)
• Carcassonne (9.99)
• Pinball HD (0.99) My favorite pinball app.
• Angry Birds HD (4.99)
• Angry Birds Seasons (1.99) Can’t get enough Angry Birds, can you?
• Flight Control HD (4.99)
• Tilt to Live HD (Free/4.99 IAP) I love this game.
• World of Goo (4.99) The definitive version of this fantastic game.
• Plants vs Zombies HD (6.99) Kept the family up late.
• Real Racing 2 HD (6.99) Optimized for the iPad 2.
• Civilization Revolution (12.99)
• Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP (4.99) Beautiful adventure game. Amazing soundtrack.
• MiniGore (2.99) The classic dual-stick shooter.
• Fieldrunners (7.99) The classic Tower Defense game.

I’ve intentionally not included educational apps and children’s games. There are lots of niche uses an iPad, so I’ve tried to tailor this list for the broadest, most general use cases. I’ll save specialized lists for future posts.

Keep in mind, the costs add up. The apps will run $57.89 and the games an additional $92.84 for a grand total of $150.73. Of course, you can save a lot if you buy the apps and games on sale. Yep, while not everyone realizes it, there are regular sales in the App Store, particularly around holidays. I suggest signing up for App Shopper and creating a wish list there. You can then get email updates when the price drops. With a bit of patience, you can save quite a bit.

For comparison, you may want to check out Gizmodo’s list of best iPad apps. PC Mag and Wired have their lists as well. Finally, if you just can’t get enough apps, or are searching for a truly comprehensive starter kit, check out AppAdvice’s AppStart app and their online guides.

Shameless Plug

If you don’t have an iPad yet, you can pick up a 16 GB WiFi iPad 1 for $350 from me. It’s a replacement unit provided by Apple when my original iPad’s screen was cracked by an excited 2 year old. The new iPad has never been used and is in mint condition. I’m throwing in my old case for good measure. Contact me if you’re interested.