I started this Christmas list of applications on the iPad in 2010. It’s interesting to see what’s stayed and what’s gone. It’s shared here for those of you lucky enough to score an iPad for Christmas. I’ve had to do some weeding this year and you’ll see some titles with a strike through. They may be physically gone but I’m glad to have had them for a while and this post will remind me should I need an app for that purpose again.
2010
I thought that perhaps my blog reading friends might have unwrapped an iPad under the tree and were in search of some starter apps. The list from last Christmas looked like this.
- Twitter for iPad – stay connected, listen to the Twitter stream, learn, and get advice on future applications;
- Flipboard – bring all of your reading into one place – if you’re into news, don’t get individual news apps, bring them all into Flipboard;
- TaskPad HD – we all have to-do lists – you might as well keep track of them on your iPad;
- VLC Media Player – never be stumped by a file format again;
- Google Earth – all the functionality of the desktop version but really takes advantaging of the manipulating ability of the iPad;
- Aweditorium – a totally new way to explore musical artists;
- Note Hub – if you create projects with resources from all over the place, use this application to bring all of the research components together;
- Dropbox – this popular application for sharing with your devices and potentially others comes to this device;
- fotopedia Heritage – explore UNESCO world heritage sites and their beauty comes to life on your iPad;
- Documents Free – you will need to work on your documents and spreadsheets. This one is free.
It was a good list at the time and I still stand behind the recommendations. But, it is dated. The VLC Media Player, for example, is no longer available for download but if you do a search for VLC there are a number of related applications. GoodPlayer looks interesting. I’m glad that I got my copy of VLC while it was available though.
2011
I wrote this post last year. I’m thinking this Christmas might bring some more people with their new gifts looking for ideas. Or, this might be the year where you upgrade to an iPad 2 and hand the original iPad down. Or, maybe you’ll have duelling iPads. Or, something else.
Anyway, I’ll use the premise to give you 10 more iPad applications that I think are noteworthy and should be on anyone’s list of starter applications to grab.
- Zite – Create your own personalized news magazine and find all kinds of stories based upon your interests;
- Evernote – Absolutely the best way to take notes on your iPad and synchronize them to your computer(s) via the cloud;
- Skitch for iPad – If Evernote is the best way to take notes, then Skitch has to be the best way to capture images and annotate them – and then send them to Evernote!;
- Popplet Lite – Is it a brainstorming mindmapping tool? Is it a wall to stick notes? Is it a hybrid of the two that synchronizes with your desktop? Yes to all of the above. Once you use it, you’ll want the paid upgrade version;
- Splashtop Remote Desktop for iPad – You’ll never regret paying for this application. No matter how good your iPad is and becomes part of your life, the crucial file is on your desktop. Remotely access your computer with this and so much more;
- Garageband – Even I can make music with Garageband and now I can even do it on my iPad;
- Pearltrees – Pearltrees lets you find and graphically organize resources from the web. You can even add the Pearler to Safari to cultivate as you go;
- ScreenChomp – Create your own Screencasts and share them with others. Great for instructional content or to illustrate thinking visually;
- Dolphin HD – Safari is great if all you want is a browser. But, how about a webzine reader with Twitter and Facebook access or a Speed Dial launcher just like your desktop browser;
- The Guardian Eyewitness – Access to the spectacular photograhy in The Guardian but there’s more – professional photography tips about how to get the same results by yourself.
Last year, I suggested that a great game to latch onto was the Angry Birds Lite. You still can’t go wrong with that. I’m going to add a new one – this year I’ve played many Word with Friends game. There’s a new game in the Zynga fold called Hanging with Friends. It’s a simple concept – we’ve all played Hangman as kids – this takes it online and social.
2012
Let me add 10 more applications that caught my attention this year. The criteria is that they have to be regularly used applications by me. I look back at the 20 from the past couple of years and they are all still there. From my view, that’s the test of time.
- Google Stuff – four applications were released that have become mainstays for me.
- Google Chrome Browser – the great browser for Mac, Linux, and Windows is now available on the iPad and does all that I do on the desktop except for extensions;
- Google Gmail – Gmail is my connection to the world and the Gmail application is an awesome application;
- Google Drive – If you’re using Google Drive, and who isn’t, you’ll dive into this application;
- Google Maps – Apple Maps had some issues. OK, quite a few issues. When Apple replaced Google Maps on iOS, we all were interested to see what it would be like. That interest didn’t last long. Google Maps is back and it’s better than ever;
- OK, I’m a Google fan boy. I could include YouTube and the Google Plus app but will resist the urge. Must…keep…the…list…to…10;
- Matching with Friends – Zynga is a premiere developer for the iPad and the mathematical types will love the visualization required to get top scores;
- GEMS with Friends – OK, another addictive game from Zynga. My friend Tina clobbers me regularly but I’m hoping to up my game with practice;
- Learnist – If you’re reading this post, you know I like to read. Learnist is all about reading, creating boards, sharing, …;
- Rockmelt – This used to be my preferred browser under Windows and Macintosh. Reinvented for iOS, the developers claim that it will change the way that you think about browsing the web;
- War of 1812 – This was big this summer. We visited many historical sites including visiting those in our back yard. This was a great planner and helped me learn so much more than what I had learned in school;
- WordPress – If you’re blogging on WordPress, you’ll want to keep an eye on your blog, reply to comments on the fly, and even write new posts. Until this app came along, I would have to find a computer to do what I do. Now it’s a tap away.
2013
For 2013, it’s interesting to take a look at what’s new and what’s gone. Sadly, Rockmelt is gone. The product was purchased by Yahoo! and supposedly the product will have impact on their ongoing services. I hope that it comes out as Yahoo! Rockmelt or something. I even made reference to it during my presentation at #ECOO13 as a good luck omen. Still waiting. For 2013, here are 10 more apps that I’ve added and use regularly.
- Mailbox – I was inspired by the claim to get your Gmail box down to zero. It actually does help although it seems to quickly fill up again.
- HelloSign – I actually needed this application. I was asked to preview a app under development and needed to sign a non-disclosure form and was recommended this one.
- Bee-Bot – Ever wonder what a floor robot might look like on an iPad?
- Hopscotch – Ever wonder what a Scratch-like programming environment might look like on an iPad?
- Candy Crush Saga – I wondered what all the hubbub was about this application so I downloaded it to investigate. Now, I’m hooked and have been stuck at level 125 for a couple of weeks now.
- Cloudart – I wanted to have an application that would allow me to create word clouds on the iPad. This commercial application became free and I grabbed it and haven’t regretted it.
- Coast – From the folks at Opera, it’s best described as how a browser for a tablet should be. It’s quickly become my browser of choice.
- Quickoffice – For times when you’re not at the traditional keyboard, it’s nice to be able to edit documents. I like the integration with Google Drive.
- OfficeHD – Another office productivity suite – this one I paid for and just can’t bring myself to delete it! I waffle between it and Quickoffice.
- Twittelator – As I write this post, I can’t believe that I’ve never talked about Twittelator. It was one of the first Twitter browsers that I used on the iPad and I continue to use it daily as my first choice. For what I do, it’s perfect.
So now, there are 40 starter apps in this series. I hope that it helps and, please, if you have another idea about an application that should be installed, add it via reply. I’m sure that others will appreciate it and I’m always on the hunt for something new and inspiring.
Related articles
- Mobility on the iPad (shoretel.com)
- 10 Starter iPad Apps, 2012 Version (dougpete.wordpress.com)
- 10 Starter iPad Apps (dougpete.wordpress.com)
- 10 Starter iPad Applications (dougpete.wordpress.com)
doug --- off the record 