Apple iPad 2 - 20 essential apps

Apple says there are more than 65,000 iPad apps in the iTunes App Store. With   that kind of choice, finding the best can be difficult.

GaragebandApple,   £2.99Apple’s music creation app has long been popular on the Mac but its iPad   makeover takes it beyond what was possible on a desktop. The touchscreen   allows the iPad to become a whole range of musical instruments, some of   which can do things that a physical instrument can’t. For those who aren’t   musical, smart instruments make it possible to put tracks together without   creating musical horrors.

iMovieApple, £2.99Whether the iPad 2 will see much use as a video camera is debatable given its   size but it can certainly be used to do some complex video editing using   iMovie, the second app that Apple has produced for the launch of the iPad 2.   With a little bit of practice the touchscreen can be used to make   sophisticated clips that can be uploaded to the web from the device.

Real Racing 2 HDFiremint,   £5.99The iPad 2’s A5 processor delivers up to nine-times the graphics performance   of the first generation iPad’s A4. Real Racing 2 HD has been updated to take   advantage of the graphics upgrade and looks very impressive as a result.

Infinity BladeChair,   £3.49One of the most impressive games for the iPad and iPhone 4, Infinity Blade has   received an upgrade for the iPad 2 that makes it look even better. The   graphics alone are worth the price but Infinity Blade is also a very clever   game with a well-designed touch control system.

Jenga HDNatural   Motion, 59pIn addition to improved performance the iPad 2 contains a gyroscope. Jenga HD,   the iPad version of the popular blocks game, shows that off. It requires a   steady hand but it’s addictive once you get the hang of it.EvernoteEvernote,   FreeThis is an essential note-taking app, not just for your iPad but for your   smartphone and computer too. You can save documents, web clippings, audio   files, pictures and of course text notes and then access them from Evernote   on any device. The iPad 2 update allows you to take picture notes with the   iPad.Word LensQuest   Visual, Free (Language pack: £5.99)This is one of those apps that you just have to show off to your friends.   Point your camera at some text and Word Lens will translate it instantly, on   your screen. The free app erases words and reverses them and for £5.99 you   can get English-Spanish or Spanish-English translation.TwitterTwitter, FreeAnother app that has been updated to take advantage of the iPad 2’s cameras.   Twitter’s official app is not to everyone’s taste but I think it’s well   designed and easy to use. The ability to take a snapshot from within the app   is a handy tweak.There will be more apps updating to take advantage of the iPad 2's   capabilities but in the meantime here are some old favourites that no iPad   should be without.InstapaperMarco   Ament, £2.99You simply have to have this on your iPad. Save articles from your browser and   read them later in Instapaper’s uncluttered app. You can save articles from   your computer, your phone or your iPad and a recent update means there are   now more social options for sharing and finding articles, too.FlipboardFlipboard,   FreeAnother work of genius, Flipboard takes the activity from your social networks   - Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and plenty of others are supported - and   presents it in an attractive magazine-style layout. They say they’re   reinventing the browser for the tablet computer. They could be right.DropboxDropbox, FreeBeing able to move files between your various devices is essential and Dropbox   meets that need perfectly. Upload your files to Dropbox from any device and   you’ll be able to get them on your iPad thanks to this app. It’s free and so   is the basic Dropbox service so it should be impossible to resist.KindleAmazon, FreeNot everything Apple does is better than the competition. Amazon’s Kindle app   gives you access to more titles than Apple’s iBookstore and at better prices   too. The reading experience is a matter of taste but I prefer the Kindle   app’s simplicity to the rather fussy, fake book stylings of Apple’s own   iBooks app.Reeder for iPadSilvio   Rizzi, £2.99There are several RSS readers to choose from on the iPad but Reeder gets my   vote. Is very well designed, simple to use and, as with many of the apps on   this list, has smartphone and desktop versions as well so that everything   stays in sync.Ladybird Baby Touch: PeekabooPenguin   Books, £1.79Small children love iPads. They pick up the touch controls very quickly and   love playing games and watching videos. This app, from Penguin, has proved a   massive hit with my toddler, despite the slightly bored-sounding narrator.iA WriterInformation   Architects, 59pApple made Pages, its word processor, available for the iPad at launch last   year. However, for simplicity alone, iA Writer is a better choice for   writing. It essentially turns your iPad into a typewriter and lets you save   your work to Dropbox (see above).1Password for iPadAgile   Web Soluitions, £5.99When you move between computers a lot it can be difficult to remember the   logins for all the websites you use. 1Password keeps them all in one place -   and syncs with your other devices - and that in turn means that you can use   more complicated passwords for added security. All you need to remember is,   as the name implies, one password - the one that lets you in to 1Password.IMDbIMDb,   FreeIf you often find yourself watching a TV programme or a film and obsessing   over a familiar-looking actor, the IMDb app is essential. It optimises the   enormous online movie database for your iPad screen and makes it very easy   to look up a person and find out just where you’ve seen them before.SpotifySpotify,   Free app but requires subscriptionThis isn’t actually an iPad app but the iPhone version works just fine and   lets you browse Spotify’s vast catalogue, access your playlists and store   music to your device. Very handy for loading up on music before a long   journey.Articles for iPadSophiestication   Software, £2.99Wikipedia is available on the web, obviously, but there are lots of apps that   style the online encyclopedia so that it works better on the iPad.BBC iPlayerBBC, FreeFinally, if you want to catch up on some television while using your iPad, the   well-designed BBC iPlayer app is ideal. The playback quality is excellent   and though it’s a shame that you can’t save programmes to watch offline, you   can at least mark favourite shows so that you don’t miss new episodes.