The iPad has finally made its international debut, meaning that thousands and thousands of new users will be enjoying Apple’s latest device over the coming weeks.
With the launch of the iPad comes the international launch of the iPad App StoreApp Store
, making it possible for us to play Words With Friends with our friends in AustraliaAustralia
. There are already thousands of apps available in the App Store, and with the exception of apps focused on media services like Netflix, ABC or PandoraPandora, most are also available internationally.
We’ve been fortunate enough to have the iPad in our screen-smudging paws for the past two months and in that time we’ve surveyed well over 100 apps and games for the new platform. While this list could easily be four or five times as long as it is, we wracked our brains and decided to pick ten of our favorite iPad apps for the new iPad owner.
1. Air Video
The iPad is a great media player. The size of the screen coupled with the quality of the display really makes it a great way to catch up on lots of content. Although you can use iTunes to transfer movie and music files to your iPad, converting and transferring can be a complicated and tedious process. This is why Air Video is so great — it makes it extremely simple to stream video from your Mac or PC to your iPad.
Just install the free Air Video server client on your PC, tell it what folders to watch or include and then fire up the app. Now select your computer and feel free to go through your lists of available content and watch it in great quality on the iPad! Air Video does a really terrific job of “live conversion,” meaning your video is converted as it plays, which saves time and makes it really easy to enjoy your video collection on the couch.
2. Real Racing HD
Real Racing for the iPhone was a great racing game. Real Racing HD is even better. The use of the accelerometer for turning and maneuvering might make you look a little weird to your friends, but the graphics, sound, controls and gameplay are all top-notch.
Seriously, this is a great racing game and its a great game to really show off the power of the iPad!
3. GoodReader for iPad
We’ve written about our affinity for GoodReader both on the iPhone and the iPad in the past, but it bears a repeated mention. Simply put, GoodReader is one of the best document readers/file managers out there. Period. You can connect to DropboxDropbox
, Box.net, Google DocsGoogle Docs, FTP servers, and local computers, and download files directly off the web.
More than just a PDF viewer (though it is a great PDF viewer), the app can read a variety of different file types and can even let you open documents inside other apps to make editing a breeze.
4. Mondo Solitaire
Mondo Solitaire was one of the apps we highlighted in our early roundup of iPad video previews. In practice, the app is extremely addictive and extremely entertaining.
Mondo Solitaire comes in two varieties, a pack of the most popular games or the whole shebang. If you like card games, we recommend getting the full package and then having a blast playing through tons of variations of Solitaire and Freecell.
I have personally spent many hours playing Mondo Solitaire that otherwise could have been spent sleeping or being productive.
5. Wired Magazine
Released earlier this week, Wired for the iPad has already sold over 24,000 copies. For good reason too: Wired for the iPad is a great example of what publishers and content creators can do when they really fire on all cylinders.
While we aren’t sure if we would buy Wired every month without some sort of better subscription plan, the first issue, which includes a look at the making of Toy Story 3, is really worth checking out.
6. Kindle for iPad
Apple’s iBooks application is fantastic, but when it comes to content selection, Amazon still has the lead. Kindle for the iPad is a really good e-reader app, and makes it easy to browse through books. It seamlessly launches the web-based book store to make purchasing a snap.
We think Apple has the edge in overall presentation, but you can’t beat Kindle in price or selection. Also, while not as utterly beautiful as iBooks, Kindle for the iPad is still great to look at.
7. Epicurious
Even if you’re like me and cooking consists of re-heating take-out and making reservations, there is something to love about the Epicurious app. There are so many recipes and ideas, not to mention gorgeous pictures, that this is a great app to have on hand before hitting the market or just to gaze at while waiting for the pizza delivery guy.
8. Dropbox
If you are a Dropbox user, you owe it to yourself to get the Drobox app for the iPad. It brings all of what makes the iPhone app great and makes it even better. You can save content directly to your device, you can upload content off your device and you can view and playback media content all in the app.
Dropbox is a great way to stay connected to the documents on your computer no matter where you are.
9. The Guardian Eyewitness
UK publication The Guardian released a really terrific iPad app that features its stunning photography. Visually, this app is one of our favorites. The form factor of the iPad makes it perfect for really enjoying and studying the art that accompanies news stories.
10. NewsRack
NewsRack is our current pick as the best newsreader available for the iPad. It syncs with Google ReaderGoogle Reader seamlessly, so if you add a feed, it is added to Google Reader — if you remove it, it’s removed there too. However, you can selectively sync only certain feeds or categories, which can make news reading on the iPad more manageable.
The iPad is a terrific way to browse the web, and that includes RSS feeds. NewsRack is a top-notch app that also works on the iPhone, if you want to keep everything in sync across devices.
Your Picks
You’ve seen our list of ten must-have apps, now tell us your picks! What apps do you love the most on your iPad, let us know!
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More iPad resources from Mashable:
- 10 Awesome Apple iPad Cases
- 10 Great Sites for Watching Video on Your iPad
- iPad Accessories: A Quick Guide to Apple’s Official Add-Ons
- 10 Insanely Great iPad Apps We Can’t Wait to Use
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