Every few days I get asked what are the best iPad apps and what are my favorite iPad apps. In fact, last May, I wrote about My 12 Favorite iPad Apps, where I mentioned 12 of the best iPad apps, so I thought I’d check out the list to see if my favorites have changed. Unsurprisingly, my top iPad apps have evolved over time. For example, only three of the twelve iPad apps have remained on my list of the best iPad apps, including Kindle, Zinio, and Mail.
#12 Starting at #12, iBooks is on the list of best iPad apps. The only reason iBooks is on my list of favorite iPad apps is because iBooks offers a great interface for storing and reading PDF files.
Having used several PDF readers, including the popular GoodReader for iPad, I prefer the way iBooks stores PDFs by showing the PDF cover in Library view and the ability to sync via iTunes or attached to an email than open and send to the iBooks app. and these features make iBooks one of the best apps for iPad.
There are some features in iBooks that I don’t use, including the fact that iBooks provides access to Apple’s iBookstore, which allows you to download and read the latest books and classics. Plus, you can annotate and highlight passages in your eBook and use AirPrint to print the PDF with your notes included.
#11 My next best iPad app and latest obsession/time sink is Words for Friends HD. If you haven’t heard of Word for Friends, you must be the only one! Words with Friends HD is a crossword game (think Scrabble) played socially against friends with a NewToy Inc. account. While there is an iPhone app for Words with Friends, the iPad’s larger screen allows for better viewing on the entire board, allowing me to drive away my enemies!
#10 iPad app on my list of favorite iPad apps is one of the best iPad apps for kids available and my four year old daughter’s favorite iPad app. DressUpBaby provides an intuitive and simple interface for my four year old using cute characters and fun clothes and accessories. I randomly receive emailed outfits from my daughter using the camera feature in one of her best apps for her iPad.
#9 Next on my list of best iPad apps is also one of my favorite iPad productivity apps. Remoter is a VNC (Virtual Network Computing) client for iPad that provides the ability to virtually control your desktop over the network from your iPad. I’ve used the client to control Windows and Mac machines, but VNC will also work with various types of UNIX. This app has saved me too many times while I’m away, but I needed some work, so this is one of my best iPad apps.
#8 Whistle turns my iPad into a network conference phone, which makes this app one of my best iPad apps. I use Whistle as a client for an Asterix PBX, a third party SIP service) which allows me to make a call from the “office” anywhere I have an internet connection. Whistle provides integration with my Contacts (which syncs with the Google cloud), and with the latest iOS loaded, I can continue Whistle calls in the background while still using the iPad. The speakerphone works amazingly, but Whistle is also compatible with Apple headphones, allowing you to answer calls with the center button. This app enables business and is one of my top productivity apps for iPad as it provides a business tool for working virtually.
#7 Kindle consistently appears on everyone’s list of the best iPad apps and it’s no exception among Geeks’ Favorite iPad Apps. The Kindle app provides an easy-to-use interface and provides access to Amazon’s Whispersync service to automatically sync your last page read, bookmarks, notes, and highlights across all your Kindle devices. The Amazon Kindle Store offers over 800,000 e-books at the same price or better than other e-book retailers.
#6 Next on my list of best iPad apps, Toodledo provides access to my cloud-based task manager service and provides easy access to my to-do list. Apple ranked Toodledo in the top 30 paid iPad apps of all time and in the top 200 for iPhone in January 2011, and it’s one of my favorite iPad apps and one of my best iPad productivity apps.
#5 Evernote is another cloud-based note service that is one of my best iPad productivity apps and one of the best iPad apps. The Evernote app for iPad provides my main interface for taking and viewing notes, including voice memos, while I’m away from my home office. Evernote then automatically syncs with the cloud-based service so you can view your notes on iPad, one of the Evernote desktop apps, or on the web. The Evernote app was inducted into Apple’s “App Hall of Fame,” the NY Times “Top 10 Must-Have Apps” list, and has been a winner of TechCrunch, Mashable, and Webbys Best Mobile App Awards. and, in my opinion, one of the best apps for iPad.
#4 One of the included apps, the Calendar app, is one of the most used and therefore one of my favorite iPad apps. The iPad Calendar app is well designed and keeps my schedule organized by syncing with Google’s cloud-based calendar service.
#3 If you subscribe to Netflix, you must have one of the best iPad apps available to access the service with the Netflix app. The app provides access to your Netflix account to instantly watch TV shows and movies streaming from Netflix as part of your Netflix unlimited membership. I use this app almost every night to watch TV shows and it is one of the best apps for iPad.
#2 Zinio is one of my favorite iPad apps and by using Zinio I get my entire magazine digitally instead of by mail as the Zinio iPad app offers thousands of magazine titles with special interactive and graphical features synced directly to your iPad . I started using Zinio over 5 years ago and those archived magazines are available through the Zinio app!
#1 Since getting the iPad, I’ve used the device as my primary means of getting most of my work and all of my personal email using the included Mail app, and therefore Mail is my best iPad app. The interface is excellent for a tablet, and thanks to the portable nature of the device, the Mail app helps me keep up with my quest to maintain a zero inbox.
