subject: Just Got An Ipad? The Best Apps, Accessories And Tips , The Ipad Can Be A Wonderful [print this page] So, Santa stuffed an ipad into your stocking on Christmas (insert mythical figure / appropriate receptacle / holiday of choice), and youre wondering what to do with the thing? First of all, congratulations! The iPad can be a wonderful, loyal companion and friend, but it can also take a while to warm up to. As we always say, a device is only as good as its apps, both literally and figuratively: itll take some time to figure out what you want to get from the iTunes Store that will flesh out your experience, but it will also take some time to see which nooks and crannies of your life the iPad can fill, and what roles youll want it to take over from your laptop and phone. Follow along after the break as we show you how to wring the most out of your shiny new tablet.
iPad apps
Netflix (free). Weve probably spent more time watching Netflix than doing anything else on the iPad. The app is free, the service is cheap, and the content is plentiful. The UI isnt as elegant as some of the other apps Acer as09b35 battery , but its whats on the queue that counts.
Hulu+ (free). Another free app, another paid service. Unlike Netflix, Hulu+ has some ads, and its tough to swallow paying for stuff you might get for free in your web browser, but that doesnt seem to be stopping anybody video and the iPad were just meant to be.Kindle (free). There are plenty of e-book services, all of them with competent iPad apps, but Kindle is our favorite. It syncs beautifully between iPhone, Kindle, iPad, and any other device you might think of, and has a very simple, fast UI.
Zinio (free). Zinio is to magazines what Kindle is to books. Instead of trying something ultra fancy and magazine 2.0-ey, Zinio just takes the original magazine layouts and presents them in a simple iPad view. There are free preview articles to get your feet wet, and the magazines themselves cost about the same as print subscriptions and off-the-rack copies will cost you.
Engadget (free). Its free, and its Engadget. What more do you need to know?
Getting files on and off: Sadly, one of the hardest things to do with the iPad is to put files on it. Then, once theyre on, its just as difficult to get them off. Theres no file browser, like on a regular computer, and if you plug the iPad into your computer it doesnt show up as a hard drive, it just shows up in iTunes. No solution is one-size-fits-all, but here are a few of the ways we deal with this major shortcoming.
GoodReader: There are other applications that sync files to the cloud, but GoodReader is our favorite. You simply set it up with your Google Docs, Dropbox, MobileMe or even email account, and you can download files straight to your device and view them from within GoodReader. GoodReader also has an Open in functionality for viewing and editing your files in other applications. You can sort your files into folders, download files off of websites, and connect to local servers over WiFi if youre really desperate for the digital good stuff.
Dropbox: If youre a Dropbox user, this is by far the simplest solution , providing a simple view of your online files, a lightweight viewer, and an quick shortcut to opening files in other applications.If youre not a Dropbox user, this wont do you much good.
