5 Awesome iPad Apps You Did Not Know about
By: Hillel Fuld
I know the iPhone 4 is out and all, and talking about the iPad is so May 2010, but I am having the best time with my iPad, I just had to share some of the apps I have recently found. I already wrote about my top 8 apps here, but those are all pretty well known apps, and after two weeks with the iPad, I have found some true gems that most people have never heard of, so here goes. The following are some of the best apps I have downloaded for the iPad that I had not heard of two weeks ago:
- Quick Voice (Free): OK, while this is not a game in which you fling birds at pigs or drive exotic cars in a real life environment, this app is very handy. It is nothing more than a very nicely designed and easy to use voice recorder. This is another one of those apps that prove that sometimes less is more. Quick Voice has tons of features packed into what seems like a non existent interface. The app has one touch recording that can record up to hours of audio. You can then stop and save the file in one touch as well. Emailing is supported for files up to 5MB. You can use recordings as ringtones and the app supports full landscape and portrait modes. Bottom line is, this is not a flashy app full of bells and whistles, but it did warrant a very valuable spot on the first home page of my iPad.
- Pulse News ($3.99): This is one of those apps that is going to change the way I use my iPad. On my BlackBerry, I use Snaptu to read all my RSS feeds and easily share the interesting articles on the various social platforms. With Pulse News, I can do that on my iPad. OK, I know what you are saying to yourself “Big deal, an RSS reader?” Yes, ok, relax there… There is one main difference here… Pulse News has hands down the nicest UI on any iPad app I have tried to date. The RSS feeds are set up beautifully and you can scroll between feeds or between articles on one site completely seamlessly. The addition of new feeds could not be easier, but there was a small bug with Google Reader that the developers told me they are currently working to resolve. If Quick Voice got a spot on my main home screen, Pulse News got an even more valuable spot on my static navigation bar (is that what it’s called?).
- iCab Mobile ($1.99): So one of the most common questions I get when people see my iPad is “What do you use it for? It does not fit in your pocket and it is not a full fledged computer.” When I tell them I can do 90% of what I would do on a laptop with the iPad, the first thing they want to see is the Web browser. Now, don’t get me wrong, Apple did a phenomenal job with Safari, but the one thing that drives me nuts and prevents Safari from replacing a real laptop browser is the lack of true tabbed browsing. Yes, I know you can open multiple pages, but it is just not the same as easily switching between Chrome tabs. iCab fixes that. It brings true tabs to the iPad along with a whole bunch of other awesome features, such as full screen browsing, flexible search engine integration, Web forms saving, built in filters, offline bookmarks, and a whole lot more. This app replaced Safari as the default browser on my iPad.
- Doodle Buddy (Free): This app might not appeal to the same audience as the ones mentioned above, but it is a pretty amazing app for kids. Basically, it is a doodling app, but it has so may great features that it was worth a mention. With DoodleJump, you can choose your color of course, the thickness of your brush, which can also be customized from a paint brush to chalk, glitter, smudge, or an eraser. In addition, you can add cute little pictures into your drawing and each picture can be inserted in its full size or smaller size. Then you can also choose a background for your picture from one of many available options, or choose to add a photo from your personal library. You can then save the drawing you have created or email it in one simple step. There is also an Undo button to go back one or more steps. Like I said, a great drawing app for kids.
- iDisplay ($3.99): Another great app by the masters themselves, Shape Services. The concept could not be simpler. iDisplay turns your iPad into a second display for your Mac or PC. The setup took me less than a minute once the software was installed on the computer. All you need is Wifi and you are set. In my tests, it worked perfectly, and I definitely see myself using this app on a regular basis.
As I continue to discover more new and exciting iPad apps using Twitter (follow me here) and Appboy, I am coming to the realization that the iPad really does cover most of my computing needs. If you ask me, all it is really missing is iOS 4 and a camera or two.
