Wikihood, Osmos and other great iPad Apps of the Week

Plenty of great apps for the iPad were released this past week, including a couple iPhone favorites reworked for the iPad. Here are five of our favorite new releases for the iPad.

1. Wikihood Plus for iPad

If you have ever used Wikihood in the past, you’ll be delighted with the iPad version. The $7 price tag might feel high for a bunch of stuff you can find yourself on the Internet, but what you’re paying for is the organization of that information.

Somewhat useful on your home turf (David Hasselhoff went to the high school in my town—if I knew that, I’d forgotten), Wikihood Plus for iPad ($6.99) is an invaluable tool when traveling, and especially when traveling for research purposes. The app lists information by distance for your location and surrounding area.

2. Deer Hunter 3D for iPad

Although I’m not much of a hunter, several people in my family spend inordinate amounts of time sitting very still in cramped deer blinds waiting for that perfect shot. Deer Hunter 3D for iPad ($9.99) lets me do my hunting from the comfort of my living room. The graphics are beautiful on the big iPad screen, though in real life animals aren’t going to stand around for a few seconds wondering what happened to their friend you just shot. They’re going to run away immediately.

This app lets you go after more than just deer, and include inside information on moose, squirrels, turkeys and more.

3. Pet Hub HD

I can never have too many pets, and currently welcome my home to two dogs and a brand-new kitten. Keeping track of their health information has always been a pain, but Pet Hub HD ($2.99) makes it easier. Though navigation at first was a little wonky, once I got my pets entered, it was a cinch. Add photos, track pets’ weight, enter microchip numbers, vaccination dates, and medication information. A location-based tool, in-app search allows for easy discovery of area vets, pet stores and dog parks.

4. iNotes for iPad

Not a week goes by that I don’t search around for the newest note-taking app. I may have found exactly what I’ve been looking for in iNotes for iPad ($3.99). Create multi-page notebooks (that are all searchable from within the app), type text (that actually lands right on the lines of the notepaper—most note-taking apps use the lines as decoration. And yeah, I’m persnickety about that), draw or write freehand. Add photos from your library or a web snapshot, or a map snapshot. Email an entire notebook (as a .pdf) or export as a .pdf (will show up in iTunes file-sharing when you sync), and print your whole notebook if you need to.

5. Osmos for iPad

My favorite app of this week is Osmos for iPad ($4.99). Visually stunning and combined with relaxing, melodic music, this game challenges you to guide your mote towards smaller motes and absorb them, becoming bigger in the process.

Every guiding tap, however, causes your mote to lose mass and become smaller, and you must avoid any larger motes lest you be absorbed yourself. A lesson in patience, Osmos for iPad is rather soothing, for a game, and is just gorgeous on the iPad screen.

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