Cool iPad Apps

In alphabetical order within each category, and linked to the iTunes App Store:

games Games

Racing

  • app Cro-Mag Rally for iPad: fun 3-D gameplay with good accelerometer usage, feeling a bit broader in scope with its iPad version (although the graphics could have been enhanced further) while feeling more manageable with its iPhone version
  • app Need for Speed Shift for iPad: cool visuals with fun general racing feel (more for the general public as opposed to the more serious gamer)
  • app Real Racing HD: very nice visuals designed for the more serious gamer who is into the customization/options (as opposed to a more simple fun general racing feel)
  • app Shrek Kart HD: fun character kart racing with some unique character features

Action

  • app Bruce Lee Dragon Warrior HD: pretty good fighting game (especially as one of the only initial iPad offerings) that has some cool Bruce Lee moves, but also some quirky animation transitions
  • app Glyder 2 for iPad: fun 3-D flying game with grand visual scope and decent graphics/animation
  • app Minigore HD: beautifully rendered 3D game which is a little tricky to maneuver, but pretty fun nevertheless
  • app Nanosaur 2: fun 3-D flying/shooting universal app with good accelerometer usage, enhanced over its iPhone version with more detailed graphics and more manageable flying control
  • app New York 3D Rollercoaster Rush HD: fun game with grand visual scope, simple gameplay, and basic graphics/animation
  • app Predators: awesome hard-core action for adults!

Arcade

  • app 10 Pin Shuffle: cool universal app with realistic, fun, touch-screen gameplay
  • app Billy Frontier: fun universal app with arcade-style 3-D shooting and running, enhanced over its iPhone version with higher def graphics/animation
  • app Pinball HD: awesome realistic graphics/animation with 3 different 3D tables and cool camera angles
  • app Touch Hockey Extreme: FS5: the best of all the iPad offerings feels so real
  • app Warheads: fun universal app with nice visuals for modern take on "Missile Command" arcade classic

Other

  • app Ace Tennis 2010 HD Online: nice graphics/animation and great gameplay controls
  • app Labyrinth 2 HD: nice graphics/animation that feels pretty real (except for exaggeration of 3D wall effect)
  • app Solitaire City (Deluxe): universal app with very nice user interface and lots of variations
  • app Super Puzzle: the best iPad jigsaw puzzle game due to its impressive features to better emulate the real world experience
  • app Uni Sudoku: the best iPad Sudoku game due to its impressive user interface
  • app Zen Bound 2: strangely addictive game unique to the iPad

visual Visual

  • app Koi Pond HD: cool pond simulation with great user interaction and powerful pond editor

creative Creative

  • app Face Melter XXL: cool photo warping effects with awesome localized undo feature, enhanced over its iPhone version with more detail and animation features
  • app OutColor for iPad: extremely impressive and amazingly easy 3D photo effects

music Music

  • app Pandora Radio: universal app that accesses its amazing online custom internet radio service, enhanced over its iPhone version with multiple panels (including more artist info)
  • app Shazam for iPad: amazing audio song identifier allowing direct purchase from iTunes, enhanced over its iPhone version with multiple panels
  • app SoundHound (Infinity): pretty good audio song identifier (especially for humming or singing), enhanced over its iPhone version (this is a universal app) with multiple panels (including lyrics)

productivity Productivity

  • app 1Password Pro: universal app with the best secure account and notes functionality (including Mac sync), enhanced over its iPhone version with multiple panels (although would be better if more like Mac version)
  • app Documents To Go Premium - Office Suite: This suite is best-of-breed (compared to Pages/Numbers/Keynote with their interesting touchscreen features, Office2's limited feature set, etc.) when it comes to real Office-type functionality on the iPad: support for editing/creating all the Microsoft Office formats (including the most recent ones), clean support for online storage (Dropbox, etc.), and true retention of the original document formatting
  • app Dragon Dictation: universal app with very powerful speech-to-text conversion
  • app Dropbox: universal app with seamless online backup and file access, allowing easy sharing between Mac, PC, and iPhone. Performance and Favorites feature put this way above SugarSync. This iPad version takes advantage of the screen real estate.
  • app Things for iPad: innovative task management app with Mac sync, enhanced over its iPhone version with multiple panels (although would be better if more like Mac version)

contacts Contacts

  • none

search Search

  • app Amazon Mobile: universal app with great iPhone/iPad interface to Amazon.com
  • app Dictionary.com for iPad: great fast dictionary with as-you-type suggestions and cached definitions
  • app Google Earth: universal app with great touch screen implementation of desktop version
  • app Google Mobile App: univeral app with excellent integrated search functionality (including amazingly accurate speech recognition), including support for contacts
  • app IMDb Movies & TV: universal app with very nice interface to the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)
  • app Search Rocket: univeral app with centralized search functionality for any site you search
  • app Urbanspoon for iPad: excellent location-based restaurant recommender with directions and contact info, enhanced over its iPhone version with multiple panels
  • app What's On TV? HD: universal app with full access to cable TV listings; better than Yahoo! Entertainment: you can move favorite channels to the top of the list, does not waste screen space with promos, identifies episodes that are NEW
  • app Wikipanion for iPad: better interface to the all-knowing Wikipedia than Wikipedia's own website

news News

  • app AP News: one of the most objective news sources with innovative iPad formatting, off-line caching when internet is not available (e.g., on the plane), and push notifications
  • app Bloomberg for iPad: comprehensive financial information, enhanced over its iPhone version with a powerful multi-panel dashboard
  • app The Weather Channel Max for iPad: the best iPad weather app (compared to Weatherbug Elite for iPad, Weather HD, etc.) for the typical user due to its clean interface focused on large key metrics. It also allows you to deep-dive into any the details desired

other Other

  • app AllIn1Clock for iPad: a nice implementation of the iPhone Clock app for the iPad
  • app Converter: the best iPad units converter app due to its clean intuitive interface with nice landscape and currency support
  • app iCalculator HD: the best iPad calculator app due to its nice keys, cool history/memory design, and clean user interface (including landscape support)

Before You Buy

In general, if you are curious about “test driving” an iPhone/iPad app, check out YouTube for video demos that give a good appreciation of the most popular apps in the App Store. In addition, check out App Advice and iLounge sites for great guidance on the best apps.