A handful of Globe staffers rushed out in April to buy an iPad in the United States. So for the past month a few of us have had a chance to get to know the device and determine which apps are worth downloading. Here's a look at three apps that Kenny Yum, Editor of Globandmail.com, really likes. We'll have more recommended apps over the next few days:
- Here are mobile editor Matt Frehner's picks:
- Here are Technology Reporter Omar El Akkad's picks:
- Here are Telecom Reporter Iain Marlow's picks:
The first eight hours I owned an iPad, I downloaded more than 40 applications in the frenzy that all early adopters must encounter. I'm sure many a new Canadian iPad owner will be doing just the same. In the past few months since that first downloading binge, I have found the iPad a more than worthy substitute for tasks. In terms of apps, about a dozen are now being used consistently.
Click here to access a direct link to the app
I check AccuWeather a lot. As a runner, I watch the forecast hour by hour and depending on the cities I visit, I have a lot on my watch list. Accuweather was one of four weather apps I downloaded and while others like WeatherBug are fun to play with, I just love the interface and ease of use built into Accuweather. The five-day forecast and hourly views are intuitive and beats loading up my standby Weather Network website links. Multimedia is built in. Simple and quick loading (which you will find is a major factor in whether you like an app or not), it had become a daily must-use application.
Click here to access a direct link to the app
I have used the iPhone version of Urbanspoon but it is the mapping capabilities of this app that make it fun to use. Simply said, mapping on the iPad is a beautiful and natural act from the first moment you launch it. Having an app that smartly uses the iPad's mapping functions is something to behold. Using the map screen, I now see how I can use it when I decided to go to "Little Italy" for dinner. You find the neighbourhood on the map, and all of a sudden all the restaurants pop up. This makes for great potential for you to discover new places. The gimmicky slot-machine interface is odd but by locking down neighbourhoods and cuisine type you can quickly figure out where to dine out. As well, each point of the map allows you to click on and find user reviews and ways to sort restaurant by popularity. In some ways, I feel that the Urbanspoon idea was waiting for the iPad. It seemed made for it.
Click here to access a direct link to the app
In this day and age, there are plenty of ways of following the news sources, blogs and other sites you visit daily. Many of us use Twitter, Facebook and RSS readers as alternatives to bookmarking and visiting individually every site. The Early Edition looked interesting from the start: Not only would it allow me to keep track of top headlines from news sources and blogs, but it lays it out to look like a newspaper. While that seems a bit contrived, I do appreciate the fact that I was able to add RSS feeds from sites I read (which number more than 40) to have it go grab those headlines.
The next version of the app is supposed to supports Google Reader but in the absence of that, I hooked up 35 blogs I follow into a Yahoo Pipe. If you wait a bit, you'll find it easier to import. For $5, the interface allows me to quickly scan and read headlines. Not a bad investment.
Mobile Editor Matt Frehner wrote about his three favourite apps on Ftiday and we'll have more recommended apps on Monday. Also, don't miss Globetechnology's regular Monday Hot Apps feature.