The 20 coolest iPad apps foron-the-go

We’ve already brought you iPhone apps to get your teeth into – now’s the time to take it a little more high-tech. It’s the age of the iPad…

PaperDesk Lite… And we’re loving using it to micro-manage our lives. We’ve already banged on

about Evernote – PaperDesk is also useful for organising notes, but it’s all about a

sexy visual.Turn scribbles, audio clips

and images into notebooks and even email the result as

a PDF – the Lite version is free, or you can download

the full version from the app store for a couple of quid.

We already sang Flipboard’s praises in

our article on iPhone apps, but if anything this is

better for iPad.Turn your favourite

pages into a beautiful mini-mag and enjoy on-the-go – we even heard 30ish.me looks pretty

good…

Flipboard

If you own an iPad, you’ve probably already thought about turning it into a portable TV. Yes,

iPads do have video playback built in

already… but AVPlayerHD allows you to use pretty much any format for just £1.99.

Take away the restrictions and enjoy all

your favourites.

AVPlayerHD

We’re hoping you’re already on Twitter – if

not, you’re missing out on a world of stories in under 140 characters.

Twitterrific is hands down the best Twitter

iPad app out there. Simple and good looking – it’s even won awards.

Need we say more?

Twitterrific

Granimator is all about letting out your creative

side.Go crazy with its

random features, create wallpapers with sounds then share your wacky

creations.Make the most of the beautiful iPad display!

Granimator

Okay so if you have an iPad you might not

actually have a Kindle (or need one), but the Kindle app for iPad is

still one of the smoothest ways to read on-the-go. Easy to use

and with syncing to make sure you keep

your page, whether you pop back on your

laptop, phone or iPad.

Kindle

Making music has never been more intuitive.

With a range of different instruments, this is fun

for newbies and for those making some

more advanced tunes as well. Sample, pick BPM, even plug your guitar in and do it all on the go. Never too late to be a

rockstar…

GarageBand

Ever miss those days of handwritten notes, or

demonstrating your ideas in scribbled diagrams? We know that pen and

paper isn’t actually extinct yet, but with

Penultimate you can do all that – and share it –

using your iPad. They’ve even made an extra pretty version for the

new iPad retina screen.

Penultimate

You can make your own magazines with

Flipboard and get stuck into your book collection with the Kindle app, but Zinio has got to be the

best app for reading the latest Vogue – or your

magazine of choice. And it’s pretty…

Zinio

We’re pretty sure you’ve heard of Spotify, but we

can’t overstate the convenience of having access to all that music

on-the-go.You’ll have to pay for the privilege to have this app on your iPad (while the deskstop version is free), but trust us – you won’t

regret it.

Spotify

Don’t worry, this isn’t going to cost you as

much as actual Photoshop does.

Make your photos a bit snazzier, add some fun

filters and fix simple problems – this kind of stuff is what iPads are

made for. Extra beautiful on the retina

screen iPad.

Photoshop Express

There had to be a foodie one in here, right?

Epicurious is amazing – so many recipes and a

handy shopping list function. You even get a ‘featured’ section with

season goodies and some lovely images –

we’re not sure we could make anything like that, no matter how good the

app…

Epicurious

Okay, it might sound less fun… but Mint are making

finance more friendly.Sync your accounts and

keep up-to-date with what you’re spending – and on what – without obsessing about your

online banking details… And even see just how

much that credit card will rip you off per month.

Mint

We introduced you to PhotoShop Express, for

the aspiring photographers –

OmniSketch is for those of us stubbornly refusing

to grow up. The app pulls strange effects as you draw,

making the whole thing a bit psychadelic.

Hey, it’s all post-modern.

OmniSketch

Okay, so when we pick a category we have to

have our token choice which doesn’t quite fit the bill – and here it is. You’d find it difficult to use this one on-the-go,

but having an extra display for your Mac or

PC can be amazing useful – and it’s not just for the computer-savvy.

AirDisplay

Don’t worry, this isn’t just another app for reading. StumbleUpon is a whole lot more – just add the

categories you’re interested in, from food

to humour, and StumbleUpon will

introduce you to a whole new world of

procrastination.Got to love that Stumble

button…

StumbleUpon

So there’re apps for photographers, apps for musicians… now is the

time of the budding film-maker.

Avid Studio is fast, easy to get a handle on and fun to use – plus at a couple of quid, it’s a

bargain.Not exactly Final Cut Pro, but good for amateur

fun.

Avid Studio

We promise this isn’t just for those times

when you can’t remember the name of that actor and you want

to prove that you’re right (and your friend is wrong)… but it helps.

And it also gives you the latest theatrical releases and Hollywood news (as

an afterthought).

IMDB

C’mon, the Mars landing pictures are pretty cool. More of that and more

of everything else in the weird and wonderful depths of space, with

shuttle info, countdowns, photos and video. It’s not geeky to

get excited about space… right? Curiosity is cute, in a Wall-E kind

of way.

NASA

And if that was feeling a bit too out there, let’s

bring it right back down to earth. Thrillist is the

ultimate weekender’s app – with recommendations of places to eat, drink,

shop and pass the time, this is definitely the top of my download list. It even promises to “sift through the crap” of what’s on – their words, not mine.

Thrillist

Which apps can’t you live without? What did you think should make our list? Let us know how you’re turning your iPad into your very

own, personalised lifeline!