Computers What is the 'killer app' for an iPad?

Kevin

Code Monkey
Staff member
I've been an ardent Android fan for a few years now but have recently been given an iPad 2 (1st gen) after a family member upgraded to one of the new iPad Air models (thanks, Brian! :D).

So far my reaction is a bit mixed. I can see it being a real nice unit for reading ebooks, especially since I can load up both Amazon Kindle and Google Books on it. And there is stock support for adding a Google account on it so I can directly use my Google Contacts and GMail without having to install Gmail or having to use a 3rd party app to sync' contacts. The general UI is a bit odd to me; for example, there is no universal 'back' button! Instead of being a back button available it is up to each individual app to decide how to get the user back one screen. Some apps use a "<" type symbol like you'd see in a browser, others force you to go through menu selections. The other peculiar thing is that I thought the iPad had a better resolution & DPI than my Nexus 7 Android tablet but when browsing Facebook and the web, pictures seem to be a pretty low DPI and some text is hard to read.

So my question is... what do you consider to be the "killer app" for an iPad that is a must have? What is out there for it that I absolutely couldn't do on my Windows laptop or Android phone? I am not a gamer so games don't interest me. What do you recommend I play with? Free is preferred. :D
 
I have a pad but all it is for is email, bank and searches while travelling - Still cant figure out my phone -

Gizmo has a list of free android apps on his site
http://www.techsupportalert.com/best-free-android-apps.htm

Let me know if ya see something worthy?
PS:
Quick look reveals...

A Comic Viewer (673 KB), a lightweight comic book reader opens various file formats including cbz/zip, acv, cbr/rar, jpeg, png and bmp. Some useful features include scale images to suit your screen height or width, adjust screen brightness, and set left-to-right or right-to-left reading to your liking.

Ancestry (2.8 MB), an easy-to-use app to build and update a family tree of yours, or scour the research library by name to trace historical records with individual info, family, photos and evidence.

Google Translate (4.9 MB), instantly translate words and phrases between more than 60 languages with voice input and text-to-speech supports. Other features include offline access to history and favorite items, display translations in full screen mode, handwriting and more.

QR Droid (6.8 MB), more than a scanner, it's also a reader and generator—scan QR codes from camera, decode them from saved images or from URLs of images, create QR codes from your contacts, installed applications, bookmarks, SMS and more.

Maps (6.9 MB), an excellent mobile mapping app by Google to get directions to go from one place to another, search for any business or place to find more info, or see where your friends are right now on the map and so on.

Wifi Analyzer (452 KB), find a more stable and stronger Wi-Fi channel around you by using this app that turns your device into a Wi-Fi analyzer, equipped with various views: a signal meter, channel graph, time graph and others. It's also quick and easy to change a view by swiping left or right.

Google Sky Map (2.2 MB), point your device at the night sky or browse the skies in manual mode from anywhere at anytime and it helps you identify the stars, planets, constellations and other celestial objects with labels. You can also zoom and search the objects with this absolutely fun and good educational app.

Wheres My Droid (651 KB), finding your misplaced phone is made easy—use another phone to text "Where's my droid" to make your lost phone ring even if it's on silent mode, or text "GPS my droid" to know its whereabouts. Simple as that.

Thats a few that I might be interested in...
 
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Tom, thanks for the list, but those are for Android, not iOS. ;)

I've actually been an Android user for a few years now and is my preferred phone OS. I couldn't resist a free iPad 2 though. With it being a 64gb model it has a ton of space on it but I'm not crazy about the graphics resolution of it compared to, for example, my Android Nexus 7 tablets or even our Android phones. The newer iPads have better resolution of course so I can't really complain about that part but it does distract me sometimes when using it.
 
Sorry, You are the Tech Guy - I am just a lowly Truck Mechanic.
LOL
http://www.techsupportalert.com/ios
There are a few things there but I have no idea what iOS or android actually means and not sure I need to.
I'm not crazy about the graphics resolution
If I am right, That is a hardware thing, not a software thing. As long as the drivers are up-to-date?

A quick look in their software lists finds:

Comics (15.0 MB), a comic book reader allows you to zoom in on any panel with Guided View Technology for your reading pleasure. In a large library of comics available from the in-app store, you can download more than 500 comics for free.

ComicFlow (35.9 MB), read comic files in CBR, CBZ or PDF formats in a polished interface, with support for marking a file as read or new by touching and holding a thumbnail. You can import a large collection of comic files easily from your PC using iTunes or a WebDAV client such as BitKinex or Cyberduck.

It might help other members that are "in The Know" if you were to reaveal what you want to use it for?
I can see it being a real nice unit for reading ebooks, especially since I can load up both Amazon Kindle and Google Books on it. And there is stock support for adding a Google account on it so I can directly use my Google Contacts and GMail without having to install Gmail or having to use a 3rd party app to sync' contacts.

Do you plan to use it for any creative process or simply an alternate feel of the same ole same ole?
Will it become a handy device you keep with you or something you will take out purposely for specific reasons?
OR... are you just testing it to see if it is better?
 
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