Photos: Ten iPad 2 apps for business users

I spy with my little camera eye...

The iPad 2 arrived in UK shops late last month, generating the usual early morning queues of Apple fanboys all too eager to get their hands on a fresh slice of Cupertino hardware.

The second generation of Apple's iPad tablet is thinner and lighter than its predecessor, with a more powerful dual-core processor boosting graphics and processing power. It also adds front- and rear-facing cameras - extending Apple's FaceTime videoconferencing feature to the iPad, as shown above. Don't expect to be snapping high-quality images of documents with your iPad 2, though. The onboard cameras offer under one megapixel apiece.

FaceTime aside, what other apps make the most of the iPad's hardware? Click through the following pages to see our round-up of 10 business-friendly apps for the iPad 2.

FaceTime might be the app to reach for to video-chat with other Apple users but what if you want some face time with a PC user? The Skype iPhone app may not yet be optimised for iPad 2 but it will let you video-chat with other Skype users straight from the iPad.

The WebEx for iPad app enables iPad users to conduct WebEx meetings on their slate. But with the iPad 2's cameras on board, WebEx users can also tap into two-way videoconferencing.

Another business collaboration aid with a videoconferencing facility tailored to the iPad 2 is the Fuze Meeting HD app - which supports multiparty HD videoconferencing for subscribers.

Tired of paper-filled meetings? The Boardbooks app - another subscription service - offers iPad users offline access to board materials directly on Apple's slate. While this app works fine on the first-generation iPad, lots of companies desperately seeking paperless board meetings would apparently prefer to have them on the slicker iPad 2, according to the FT.

Want an app that will show off the iPad 2's new dual-core A5 chip? What better place to start than the Google Earth iPad app - take a virtual turn around your ski resort and get to know the key locations of your next business trip.

The creators of the iPhone Word Lens on-the-fly translation app, which converts Spanish to English dynamically as you look via the camera view, have added support for iPad 2. So when you land in Madrid on that business trip you can use your Apple tablet to translate the hotel menu.

Stay on top of your tweeting with the Hootsuite for Twitter app, which can also act as a client for Facebook and Foursquare. The iPad 2's onboard cameras mean photos can be both snapped and shared via Hootsuite - so that's just the one rectangle of touchscreen glass needed then.

Apple's iMovie app makes the most of the iPad 2's larger screen and onboard cameras to enable tablet users to record and edit video all from the same device.

Mind-mapping tool Popplet is another iPhone app that benefits from the iPad 2's larger screen. And having twin cameras to hand also means users of the app can take photos to add to their Popplet without having to transfer them from another device.

A hard day's work deserves to end with a bit of jamming on Apple's GarageBand app - which puts a range of touch instruments at your fingertips, along with eight-track audio recording. Owners of the original iPad can also play with GarageBand but will have to work harder to hold up their heavier slate.