Top Productivity Apps for the iPad 3
The new iPad with the Retina Display is a good tool for getting things done. These apps are great for that purpose.
Whether you use Google Docs by choice or get forced by your work to embrace it, this app makes working with them a delight. The interface is top-notch and the editor is great for getting busy.
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Whether you are a professional writer or simply a wannabe novelist, Storyist is a great way to handle writing projects from start to finish. With complete tools to handle any size project, this app can do it all. It integrates with Storyist on the Mac, too.
Sometimes a simple editor is the best tool for the job, and this one is superb. iA Writer works with several cloud storage services for safekeeping of work, and presents a simple editor to help get writing done without distractions.
Bloggers will appreciate Blogsy and its ability to work offline with just about every blog platform out there. The WYSIWYG editor is outstanding, and it has every tool for making polished blog entries.
Writers often need to check on things while working, and Writing Kit has an integrated web search that works without leaving the editor. You can check on that important fact right in the document you are editing, and incorporate whatever you need. The app also exports work in a variety of formats, including HTML for online publishing.
A toolkit of productivity apps wouldn't be complete without Keynote, a great presentation tool from Apple. Keynote looks amazing on the Retina Display of the iPad, and can handle many Microsoft Office Powerpoint presentations for those work projects that require it.
Crunching numbers in a spreadsheet may not be a favorite pastime, but sometimes you can't avoid it. Numbers by Apple is a Retina Display optimized app that makes spreadsheet work as easy as it can on the iPad. The app can handle many Microsoft Excel spreadsheets for those needing to work with those files.
When a full word processing app is the call of the day, Pages by Apple is as good as any. The app is optimized beautifully for the Retina Display of the new iPad, and is full-featured while being easy to use. It can handle most Microsoft Word documents for those needing that ability.
Frequent travelers will find a valuable personal assistant in TripIt Pro. The iPad app and online service work together to present good itineraries for trips with all the important information in one place. The integrated maps are a great touch, making it possible to find your way around your scheduled events in unfamiliar territory.
$3,99 in the App Store (ad free)
Pro service from TripIt adds push notifications for flight cancellations, etc. $49/year
If you like mind mapping or visual planning, this app is a good fit with the iPad. The interface is as good as it gets on touch devices, and the visuals are very well done. It is easy to see lots of information at one time to make planning of any type a breeze.
This app provides remote access to a Windows desktop, including full access to Microsoft Word, Excel, and Powerpoint. It provides the ability to work with native documents for those apps without compromise, as they are the real deal. This may not be available for long, as Microsoft has challenged the right to provide this access by Onlive.
Free, with limited storage and non-priority access to the remote service
$4.99/ month for Plus service with increased cloud storage and priority access to the service
This app brings a full desktop organizer to the iPad for handling tasks, calendars, and contacts. The fully customizable views makes it easy to look at information in the way that best suits the user. It syncs with Google and other online services to keep the information up-to-date everywhere.
The Instapaper online service is outstanding at saving online articles for reading later when time is available. The iPad app interfaces fully with the Instapaper service, and is a great reader app for keeping up with interesting topics.
Zite is an app that lets the user build a news magazine from a customized list of topics that makes it very personal. The presentation on the iPad is outstanding, and it gets better over time as favorite articles can be tagged to make sure you get similar items in the future. There isn't an app as good on any platform, Zite is unique.
It may seem odd to have a Twitter app in a list of productivity apps for the iPad, but some of us are Twitter junkies who use it in our work. Tweetbot is a stellar Twitter app that combines a great interface with touch-optimized features that make working with Twitter as good as it gets.
This one isn't a productivity app by any stretch of the imagination, but for those March Madness fans it should be on every iPad. The ability to watch any live game during the tournament, coupled with a fantastic interface for tracking the brackets, make this one of the best apps on the iPad.
Free, with a one-time charge of $3.99 to watch every live game of the tournament.
Don't miss the full mobile tech coverage by James Kendrick of ZDNet Mobile News