May 2010 was a great month for iPad-specific apps. Here’s some of the best.
I’ve been using MailWrangler for iPad (99 cents) several times a day since it was released on May 24. Very simply, it allows you to access multiple Gmail accounts, remembering your password and signing you in automatically; perfect for those times when you need the Gmail interface to easier sort and label your mail. Ever since I got my iPhone over a year ago and started using Mail, my meticulously organized and sorted Gmail Inbox has gone to seed. Not anymore! You can also access all Google apps (docs, talk, buzz, etc.), and promised is the ability to open links from emails in the in-app browser.
Writer’s Studio (99 cents) lets you create and “publish” your own book. Draw the pictures, and add the text of the story. You can record audio as well (a great way to create a book for a child with narration or add a soundtrack to a slideshow). Can be used for presentations, storybooks, or very cool slideshows for showing or to commemorate special events --use your imagination! “Books” can be uploaded to YouTube or sent as a .pdf via email.
JustPDF (was $1.99, now on sale for 99 cents) is a very simple, straightforward .pdf reader that includes VGA support so you can display documents with a projector or on a larger screen. Add files via file sharing in iTunes, open directly from Mail by tapping “Open in Just PDF” or read from the Web. PDFs can be emailed directly from the app as well.
I didn’t know I needed Tabulous ($1.99) until I got it. Create named groups of websites and they’ll all open at once in separate tabs with one tap. I’ve created one group for all my guilty-pleasure gossip sites and another for my favorite shopping sites.
Manipulate a field of stars with your fingers on Gravilux ($1.99), an interactive art piece originally conceived by artist Scott Snibbe. Absolutely mesmerizing. Also, chheck out Erik Fikkert's video review for more analysis:
It took me a little while to figure out IdeaWallets ($5.99), and in fact, I’m still playing with it, but it’s sent me on a brainstorming adventure. Various “thinking tools” push you to come up with ideas for a particular project, and then let you play with those ideas and expand them, order and reorder them, and store them in a "Project Cabinet" or a "Card Drawer."
Finally, PrintBureau ($12.99) has vastly improved the usability of my iPad. Not only can I print emails, photos, web pages and documents directly from my iPad to a wireless or networked printer, but I can access documents from my Dropbox or iDisk (also has Box.net support), store documents on the iPad itself and keep them organized via Print Bureau, send and receive emails directly within the app’s integrated mail client, and much, much more. Definitely worth the price.
A late entry onto this Best-of-May list is Air Display ($9.99), which lets you use your iPad as an extra display for your computer. I’ve got it working with my 27” iMac, though it’s truly not necessary. Where I need it is with my 13” MacBook, but the app requires Mac OS 10.6 (my MacBook is currently at 10.5.8). An update is promised, and I can hardly wait. Air Display works beautifully. Simply drag whatever you’d like to appear on the iPad screen over that way. It works exactly like an additional display.
