Must-Have iPad Apps for Productivity

With AppsGoneFree sharing how many great apps are free and available, I've found that even my iPad has limits, especially when you're focused on creating content. So, after a similar conversation with a colleague, I decided to go through my budding app collection and get rid of the stuff taking up space...I'm still cutting.

In the meantime, here are my picks, all subject to change and unless otherwise noted, free. Note that I've decided to organize my apps into various categories, so that's what you'll see below:

Books

1. Readdle Docs ($4.99) - A multi-purpose viewer app that works with just about every file format out there. Very nice, easy to use.
2. Stanza - A wonderful ePub reader that just works. There's tons of free ePubs available online (if you aren't picky). I'm hoping ReaddleDocs, which I just invested in, will help me manage this area and read books better.
3. Nook - Since I'm a Barnes and Noble eBook buyer, I access my collection of DRM books here. 
4. Amazon Kindle - For those rare free Kindle books.
5. Cloud Readers - Free book and comic book (handles large-image CBR/CBZ) reader. I often wish it handled ePub, but c'est la vie.
6. Book Creator for iPad ($4.99) - Allows you to create ePub books on your iPad.

Browsers

1. Apollo + Add-Ons - One of my free favorite browsers and the one I use on a daily basis. I have to use Safari, but I want to use Apollo.
2. Puffin ($1.99) - Allows you to view Flash Content.
3. Chrome (free) - I hardly use this browser, but...it occasionally comes in handy when I need to edit Google Sites pages.

Cloud Storage

1. Interact with Cloud Storage
1. Drive - Allows for easy access to GoogleDocs/Drive documents.
2. iFiles ($3.99) - This is an awesome app.
2. Cloud Storage Locations
1. Box.net
2. Dropbox
3. SugarSync

Photography

While there are a million photo editing/effects apps, here are a few of the ones I actually use.

1. Pic Stitch - Combine pictures in your Library quickly and easily.
2. Pic Collage - Make collages easily with this app.
3. Genius Scan - Turns your device into a scanner.
4. WebAlbums HD ($3.99) - Quickly pull images from Picasa and Google+. This app works very well and I use it whenever I need to pull pictures I've taken with my phone, which auto-uploads to Google +.

Pod/vid-casting and Video Stuff

1. Pinnacle Studio ($9.99) - The absolute best iPad video editing tool that allows for multi-track audio, recording, etc. If you had this, you really wouldn't need the others on this list but....
2. Sonic Pics ($2.99) - Great enhanced podcasting tool that allows you to narrate audio as you swipe through the slides. Once you've used this simple tool, you'll wonder how you lived without it. You can take the product you create in this and drop it into Pinnacle Studio for more work.
3. Hokusai - Free to start out with, but you might as well as buy the $10 ProPack.
4. MultiTrack DAW ($9.99) - Audio editing a la Audacity with multiple audio tracks, fade in/out, etc..
5. Explain Everything ($2.99) - Annotate photos/slides, whatever then push it out as a movie. Great stuff. If you can't afford Explain Everything, then EduCreations (free), ShowMe (free), or ScreenChomp (free) may be workable alternatives. At this point, only Explain Everything remains on my iPad.
6. SlideShow+HD ($3.99) - I wrote a blog entry about this app and I have to admit I haven't used it in awhile. I probably could have done the job with Pinnacle Studio but...it's still a nice app and easy to use for a newb, which is what I was when I used it.
7. iMovie ($4.99) - Barely makes the list, but I have to admit the trailer feature is pretty nice.
8. Video 2 Photo ($1.99) - Converts video to photos or still images. A must-have when you end up in a situation where you need a picture from a video or a series of pictures. I was fortunate to get it for free.
9. Videolicious - I don't use this much and I'm considering dropping it. But for now, it's pretty easy to use.

Productivity

1. Evernote and Skitch - Two great apps worth having on your iPad for note-taking and image-editing.
2. Keynote ($6.99) - Absolutely the best presentation tool for the iPad and it was worth every penny and then some. 
3. Pages ($9.99) - Nice word processing/"desktop publishing" and layout tool. Consider also getting Templates for Pages Pro ($4.99), although I was fortunate to get it for free.
4. Readdle Docs ($4.99) - A multi-purpose viewer app that works with just about every file format out there.
5. AudioNote ($4.99) - A nice audio recorder and more note-taking tool. If you're interested in handwriting apps, then you'll want to read this blog entry. Consider Penultimate ($.99) as an alternative tool with Evernote integration.
6. Office2HD ($7.99) - An inexpensive word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation tool that also interacts with GoogleDocs/Drive content. Here's a comparison chart. It's experienced a few problems lately, but I've noticed them fixing it.

Social Media/Networking

1. Facebook - This one is obvious, huh?
2. Hootsuite - Manage multiple twitter accounts via HootSuite. Officially supported by Twitter. Twitterrific is also nice but I've come to prefer HootSuite.
3. Google+ - Access and post to Google+.
4. Zite - Read lots of great content available via Google Reader RSS feeds and organized into categories.
5. Flipboard - Read lots of great content available via Google Reader RSS feeds
6. Adobe Connect - If you use Adobe Connect, this app does a very nice job.

Utilities

1. AppsGoneFree - Find out when apps are available for free.
2. Calculator for iPad Free
3. Docusign Ink - Sign documents via your iPad. I haven't used it yet but await the opportunity.
4. Flixster - Keep up with goings-on at the movie theatre.
5. iKeePass - Allows for accessing KeepassX encrypted database files where you might store your password. Supports dropbox.
6. i-nigma - QR Code reader
7. My FitnessPal - Helps you track calories, exercise, etc.
8. Printer Pro ($6.99) - Lets you print to any printer on your network via IP address.

Video Players

1. Players
1. FlexPlayer - A great video player...you can sideload videos and play them here. No ads.
2. OPlayerHD Lite - Another video player similar to FlexPlayer but has ads. One neat point is that it can handle OGG/OGV file format.
2. Video Content apps:
1. Crackle - Watch free full-length movies, no account needed.
2. Netflix (I use this app on a daily basis and it works great!)
3. TED - Access a 1000+ TED talks with this app.
4. Showyou -  a video browser for YouTube, TED, etc. 
5. YouTube for iPad
6. HBO GO - I'd probably use this more if I had HBO or could pay for a subscription but...HBO folks aren't too swift in this department and haven't made that possible.

VOIP

1. Facetime
2. Skype

EDUCATIONAL APPS

Many of the best apps in life are free...check out this list from TCEA/McAllen ISD. And, 40 best iPad apps for Young Learners.

List of iPad Apps for Board Members

Some resources worth spending a few hours on:

• Preparing Your School for an ipad Implementation - This is the best I've seen on the subject. - http://goo.gl/skCAU
• iPad Dos and Don'ts - http://goo.gl/slTMN

• Kathy Schrock's Bloomin' Apps
• iPads in Schools
• iPad Apps for Information Technology Administrators
• Learning Together: The Evolution of a 1 to 1 iPad Program
• Teaching Kids with iPads
• An iPad Idea per Day

Here's a list of resources from school districts:

• Abilene ISD, Abilene, Texas
• East Central ISD, San Antonio, Tx