Like most people I enjoy games and fun apps on the iPad. But to me the iPad is more than just a toy or entertainment console. I seek out business apps that help me be more efficient and stay connected. These are the iPad apps that I use almost daily to run my business and my daily life. I have not included the “base” apps like Email, Calendar, Safari and Contacts. Those are the staples. (Note: Some are fun apps. All work and no play makes Cam a dull boy).
NoteTaker HD – I credit this app with moving the needle for me on the iPad from “toy” to “essential”. I have since discovered many more great apps, but this app replaced all of my random notes, notebooks and scraps of paper I used to keep track of my life.
Pages – This is the iPad version of Apple’s desktop Pages document processor. Elegant and easy to use. Had some trouble at first making the transition from being an MS-Word user to Pages, but Mac users will have no problem.
Evernote – I use Evernote on my PC constantly, so having it now on my iPad made me that much more efficient. Some limitations compared to the PC version, like being able to “Evernote” a page directly from Safari.
Dropbox – This tool also has become my family’s defacto insurance policy. We use Dropbox on both our Windows and Ubuntu laptops, as well as our iPhones and my iPad. Its just works!
GoodReader – A great general purpose file reader that can be launched from many applications. I use it a lot on conjunction with Dropbox when I want to read and or email a document.
GoToMeeting – We use GoToMeeting in my company all the time for sales presentations, conference call with partners and for basic training. Their iPad app is a great extension of a valuable service.
Yelp – I am new to Yelp but I have found it extremely useful while on the road.
Realizer – Just started using Realizer to take schematics that I create in NoteTaker HD and make them come alive. It’s a great prototyping tool to help me conceptulize an app prior to writing the first line of HTML or CSS.
Textastic Code Editor – Kind of a geek tool, but it allows me to edit any text file while on the road. If I have to make a hot fix to a website or even write some code (in a limited fashion) I could. Still haven’t found an FTP product I really like though. Will Eclipse ever be avail for the iPad?
Steinway Etude – An iPad app from a 150-year old company? You bet! This app allows people to learn piano pieces that they download from their libary of “sheet music”. It’s a good user interface and an ingenious idea based off of the Kindle model.