My Top Six iPad Apps

A friend in our Houston office has just bought an iPad, and asked for some app recommendations. I said I'd email her, but then thought it might be as easy to write a blog entry about it instead, and maybe get some recommendations from the network. So here goes.

1. Notability

The best app I have for taking notes, and what I use for doing my favourite engineering task, checking reports.  The screenshot above is from Ailsa Munro's first draft of her M.Eng thesis.  You can type, highlight, and write onto an imported pdf, and email the result back.  Linked in with Dropbox, I've saved a few saplings so far with this one.

2. Dropbox

This app is simplicity itself, and allows seamless picking up and saving of data between my desktops and the iPad.

3. Paper by 53

A simple but incredibly well executed drawing program.  When you see this one on the App Store a lot of people are asking for more control, more choices. But they're missing the point, and the designers are resisting well.  It turns a simple sketch into something that looks professional. I've used it for all my illustrations for talks this year, and the feedback has been very flattering.  It's not that my drawing is superb, but this makes it as good as it can be.

4. Myscript Calculator

This turns your finger writing into a full scientific calculator.  Great fun, and handles long sums really well.  And this one is free.

5. Meteogram

This uses the Norwegian weather service forecast to fit an entire week's weather info into two charts. And so much information too, from cloud depth, weather icons for each period, temperature, wind and direction, and rainfall, for the next seven days.  Infographics at it's best.

6. Mindjet Mindmanager

This is a great free application on its own.  But add in the fact that the PC version is superb and compatible, and that you can use Dropbox to keep the files synchronised on the desktop and iPad, it's a great tool.

And honourable mention to....

Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.  The apps are now as good as the websites.

And a recommendation for any fan of the Irish Times, a subscription to this.  Great newspaper anywhere.