***OFFICIAL***: iPad/iPad2 Accessories, Cases, Apps and "Magic" Thread.

Because one was needed. So let's jump right in.


Good resources for Apps:

Gizmodo's Essential Apps

Gizmodo Review Marathon [ 1] [ 2] [ 3]

App Craver

99 iPad App Reviews - Business Insider

iPad Application Reviews.com


Good resources for Cases:

iLounge Gallery

iPad Case Finder.com

iPad Cases


Good resources for Accessories:

iPad Accessories.com

iLounge iPad Accessories Reviews/Previews

Review of Apple-branded Accessories

Eco-Friendly iPad Accessories

iPad Speakers

iPad Stands


Popular Skins:

Zagg.com - Invisible Shield | Leather Skins

Wrapsol - Invisible Skin


NBR Recommended Apps:

Video/Television

Air Video - Streams your videos to your ipad. A must-have if you have lots of videos on your computer.

Netflix - Killer app for those interested in Netflix video streaming or who already have it.

ABC Player - Must-have for video streaming and hopefully a sign of things to come from services like Hulu.


Books and Comics

Bible HD - Solid Bible program. Lots of versions and easy to navigate.

Kindle/iBooks - Obvious. Both are pretty good. iBooks is prettier.

Alice (In Wonderland) - the future of books. that simple.

Marvel - A solid comic reader with a smattering of free titles. obviously its all marvel content.

Comic Zeal - The most popular of the Comic Book apps



PDF/File Readers

Goodreader - fantastic app when it comes to viewing small or large PDF's quickly and smoothly. PDFs can be transferred to device OUTSIDE of iTunes, making it a real winner. Review


Music

iElectribe - a Digital Electribe. Comes recommended. Good videos out there of people using it twell.

Magic Piano - Explore the piano as a neophyte or a trained pianist on the iPad. You can freestyle, duet, listen to the world or my favorite play a song from the song book as lead by the app.


News/Journalism

NPR - If you enjoy NPR, this is a must-have. Well designed app.

Reuters - Lots of news, well designed.

BBC News - Great news app, and well-developed.

Eyewitness - Beautiful pictures.

CNN - Really an iPhone app, but scales well on the iPad.

USA Today - Still the best example of how news/newspapers should be laid out on a large touchscreen device like the iPad


Games

Geometry Wars - the XBox Live original makes its way to the iPad in an excellent iteration of the popular franchise.

Koi Pond - Very good. Check it out.

Aurora Feint 3 - Excellent puzzle game.

Labyrinth HD - Good puzzle game. Free version available.

Plants vs. Zombies - One of the very best.

Real Racing HD - Fantastic graphics. iPad showpiece.

Keep up with other new games here!


Productivity

Apple Pages - A must-have if you plan on doing writing. Not perfect. Review

Apple Keynote - Solid PowerPoint-like app for the iPad. Video-out is valuable. Review

Apple Numbers - Spreadsheet app compatible with Excel. Review

Taska/Things - Very similar to-do apps, though Things is way more polished but is also 4x the price. I've only used Taska, which is very accomplished.
Things Review

ToDo - Popular iPhone task manager makes the jump to iPad. It's good.

Filemaker Bento - organize all the parts of your life into one cohesive whole, in much the same way that a bento box can do for your lunch. Review


Art

Sketchbook Pro - Its no substitute for photoshop or painter, but Its a decent painting utility

Adobe Ideas - like sketchbook pro, but with less complexity/depth. free!

Brushes - Similar to sketchbook pro


Educational

Sky Walk - Maps, images and details of the stars. Hold it up to the night sky and the internal compass aligns itself to the sky above so that you can track stars, constellations, galaxies, etc. It's brilliant.

The Elements - Massive (file size) and rich application all about the periodic table of elements. Great to have as a show-piece, but pass if you don't really have a use for it in your life.

Solar Walk - Similar to Sky Walk, but more focused on our solar system. no compass-based overhead map of the stars.


Other

Perfect Browser - Simply put: a better browser for the iPad. Real tabs, easier to scroll long pages, solid features.

Photogene - Feature-rich photo editing software.

AOL instant messenger - Decent (free) instant messenger client

Wikipanion - Great iPad-styled interface for Wikipedia.

eBay for iPad - Fantastic interface for eBay. Very functional.

Instapaper - an iPhone/ iPad that allows you to use Safari on your iPad, iPhone, Mac or PC computer to save articles to their server...which, in turn, syncs with the Instapaper app on your iPad. this allows you to view all articles you selected to "Read Later" on your iDevice while offline! One of the most popular apps in the entire AppStore for a reason. a must-have. Review

iCab - another excellent alternate browser app.

Reeder - Simply the best RSS app in the App Store.



ajreynol's 5 (okay 8) most recommended apps (the App's I couldn't go without):

1.) Sky Walk (Astronomy) - It's just way too cool.

2.) Air Video (Video Streaming) - If your video library now features a lot of movies/videos on your computer, Air Video is beyond amazing. You MUST buy it. It alone is justification for an iPad

3.) ABC App - Unless ABC has no programming you're interested in, get it. It's free!

4.) iBooks - One of the selling points of the iPad, it's book usages are impressive.

5. & 6.) NPR & Reuters - sorry, I couldn't fit it into just 5. Both of these are my favorite news apps. Both rich, entertaining, and appreciable.

7.) Jump Desktop - Fantastic VNC app for logging into your Mac.

8.) Instapaper + Reeder - the killer-app combination for reading online articles and stories. Use Reader to organize and follow your favorite RSS feeds...then use Instapaper to save the articles you want to read later to your free Instapaper account for offline reading. Or just use Instapaper from your desktop/laptop to find articles you want to read from your iDevice later. all articles saved will be added to your online account which will sync to your iDevice. Brilliant.




NBR Member recommendations (accessories)

Piel Frama Cases

SGP Cases

Waterfield Designs - San Francisco

Apple Camera Kit

Apple Standard Case


So it begins. This OP will expand as NBR forumites recommend various apps. Hope you find this useful.

 

I'll start off the personal reviews with my new case. I just received it today. Quick notes and pics below.

SGP Vintage iPad Case ($73 USD)
SGP Leather Case Vintage Edition for Apple iPad










quick notes:

pros:

• feels great on the pad.
• very solid when closed.
• stand mode works just fine.
• flipped open, feels fine
• nice leather finish.
• looks fantastic.

con:

• very "chemical-y" smell. if you were expecting the smell of leather..you will be disappointed. lol. when you put your nose to it, all you smell are chemicals.
• might want to pick up some sort of leather protector to protect it from hand sweat/salt, but it may not be an issue. idk.

bottom line: keeper and winner.

 

random thoughts:

-if you have an iPad and have apps you really enjoy, please post here with a little (or a lot of) information about them so that I can put that info in the opening post.

-if you have any apps that you're interested in having reviewed, let me know and I'll check them out.

 

Okay, I have to add the review of this new app. I think anyone who enjoys RSS Readers will want to have on their iPad. Brand new app that just launched today:

Reeder for the iPad



This app uses Google Reader to syncronize your RSS feeds. Pics after the jump. Not only is its design elegant, and fluid, but it can also work just like the photos app (spreading fingers to see the contents of your RSS feeds). You can save the articles to your Instapaper or Read It Later accounts...Twitter or a number of other social networking sites. I think this is my new favorite app, because it makes it so easy to work with and follow your favorite feeds. The integration into Instapaper is also shown in the pictures. the combination of Reeder + Instapaper (reading articles you save offline) are musts, in my opinion. they're too good individually to pass up...and even moreso together.

killer-apps, even.

basic user interface. available in portrait or landscape.


view after you select a particular RSS feed:


RSS preview snippet opens after selecting the RSS story you want to read about


Utilizes the iPad's built-in Safari browser to open up the full page of the rss story.


social networking options:


...and how it works with Instapaper.


5/5. with ease. a must-have.

Supplemental articles about it:

Reeder for iPad: The Last RSS Reader You’ll Ever Need | iPhone.AppStorm

http://www.macstories.net/ipad/reeder-for-ipad-available-in-the-app-store/

Direct download link: http://ax.itunes.apple.com/us/app/reeder-for-ipad/id375661689?mt=8

 

a few new recommended cases added.

 

I prefer the Apple iPad case.



Pros:

Fits perfectly
Doubles as a stand

Cons:

Can't be used in conjunction with the dock
No storage compartments

 

Apple camera kit for the iPad.



The camera kit was one of the main reasons I bought an iPad and it does not disappoint. With two separate adapters (USB or SD) you have a great way to use the iPad as your on the go picture studio. Plug the adapter into the iPad connect your USB cable or SD card and the iPad automatically launches the photo program so you can import from the device at full resolution. You can choose to keep the pictures on the camera/SD card or clear them so you can take more photos. Once they are imported you can view your pictures on the iPad screen and delete any that you do not like or use an app (not included ) to edit them. When you get home simply sync to your computer and download the pictures. Its a great way to quickly view, edit and share your pictures on the go.

I tested out the kit on a recent day out tubing with friends. I had a blast taking pictures with my Nikon D40x while trying to balance myself as my friend tossed the kids around on the tube. I ended up taking about 100 pictures and deleted obviously bad shots as the kids were climbing back on the tube after being tossed. When we took a break so the kids could swim for a while I tested out the SD adapter. It took a few minutes to download the pictures (10MP in RAW format) and then I was able to pull them for viewing. While I thought I had all the bad shots deleted, once I had them on the larger screen I deleted another 10 pictures that were slightly out of focus. I was then able to call everyone into the boat and show off for a couple of minutes before jumping in the water myself.

My friend wanted some pictures of his boat so I carefully waded in the shallows and took a few shots before we headed out for another round of tubing. This time I took almost 100 additional pictures and when we stopped again I tried out the USB adapter. Maybe I wasn't paying attention this time but it seemed to me that the USB was faster as transferring the photos. This time I had a little more fun and opened a picture in the Photogene app. I used the pencil filter and my friend went nuts for it. I also used the SD adapter and a miniSD to SD kit to swipe photos from my friend's cameras. That took a little extra effort as I had not pushed the miniSD card in far enough. Once I fixed it the pictures transferred just fine.

I plan on taking the iPad and camera kit to Alaska soon and will fill the iPad up in no time as I use it to view photos and clear out the SD card so i can take more pictures. For me the camera kit is my favorite accessory.

 

sweet. added!

I'm definitely going to look into that camera kit. I picked up the VGA adapter, but haven't tired it out yet.

 

Weather HD ($0.99)



really pretty app. nice when your iPad is sitting next to your computer on your desk.

also,

WunderRadio ($6.99)



easily the best radio app out there. also the "standard" for the iPhone.

 

Tried it out yet? I was thinking about picking one up for presentations.

I recently took a trip to Alaska and the camera kit worked great in helping me whittle down the over 2000 RAW shots I took to about 1200. In this case the majority were on a moving bus or train so I took tons of pictures trying to avoid glare and motion blur. Its hard to tell how good a shot really is on the small screen of a camera but pretty easy on the iPad. I actually saw more iPads being used by people on the trip than notebooks. I also sold a few amateur photographers on the iPad once they saw what I was doing with it.

 

I did pick up the VGA adapter. it works well, provided the app you want to use works with it.

Air Video works marvelously with it, for example. But if your app isn't supported...you get absolutely nothing. very hit/miss.


gonna be writing a brief review of StreamToMe soon. It's basically Air Video, but it does music too.

 

App mini-review: StreamToMe



StreamToMe is one of a few apps that define the iPad's usability: it allows you to connect to your home PC via your local network or remotely (via remote wifi OR 3G) and access your home media.

In the case of StreamToMe, you can stream your music folders, iTunes Library, and or Movie folders. Pictures below. Setup is easy for home use, but requires rather technically advanced networking knowledge (specifically, how to set up a DNS or static IP address for your modem and how to set up port forwarding for your PC) in order to set it up for remote/3G usage. If you can handle that part, this app will very likely be worth the purchase.

StreamToMe works by installing a client app on your desktop/laptop computer (Windows or OSX) to which the StreamToMe iPad app connects and access the files in the folders which you specify on the desktop client. This allow you to control what gets shared, which is important for security.

During my 4 or 5 months of use with the app, I find that it works perfectly over your local network, but will occasionally pause or scale up/down quality based on the quality of your remote wifi/3G connection. It will play music even after being minimized. Navigating and sorting your music/movies in multiple ways is convenient and straight forward. Your ability to stream to multiple iPads is a function of the power of your CPU and the amount of bandwidth you have available. I personally have successfully streamed four different 720p movies to 4 different iDevices simultaneously on my internal network using my i7-920 desktop...but expect lower results if you have a less powerful CPU because the app transcodes the videos in real time. This app is well supported and is updated regularly, so I'm sure any additional quirks will be ironed out over time...but really, it's just about perfect as it is.

There are a few things that I would like to see this app do that others do better:

-Audio boosting. Some video files were recorded a little quieter than I'd like, so the ability to boost the audio beyond the standard volume controls would be very valuable.

-Manual quality settings. When streaming remotely, it's good to be able to specify some maximum or minimum bandwidth settings. StreamToMe does it automatically. Usually it makes the right decisions...but sometimes you'd just like to have that control yourself, you know?

This app, in my opinion, represents the best of the "multiple media" apps...the apps that allow streaming for more than just audio or just video. Because it can do audio AND video, it becomes a very effective one-stop-shop for your entertainment needs.

Pros:
+Extremely consistent performer for streaming video and music
+Easy to navigate your folders, even if you have a lot of files to scroll through
+Playback begins quickly
+Music and movies scale darn well over 3G or wifi outside of your network

Cons:
-No control over max/minimum bitrates.
-No audio boosting control
-Complicated to set up for remote access
-Video quality limited to 720p

9.5/10

Available for all iDevices.

Homepage: Projects With Love: StreamToMe

StreamToMe for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad on the iTunes App Store








note: this app does support VGA or video out.

note: this app does support horizontal and vertical viewing.

 

App Miini-Review: Air Video



In the same vein as StreamToMe, Air Video is a media streaming app that allows you to connect to your computer and stream video from anywhere.

Assuming you read the short critique of StreamToMe above, Air Video is different in that it ONLY does video. But...it does video better than any of the other applications that I've found so far. It has all the video customization options that StreamToMe and others DON'T have, including the ability to fine-tune the resolution, boosting the audio when needed and streaming quality over various types of connections manually.

It's also probably the most stable of all of them, rarely if ever having any issues when switching quickly from one video to another. It also has a wonderfully simple networking setup where your desktop client (yes, it connects to a desktop client just like StreamToMe) is given a PIN number (and you supply a password). All you have to do is punch that pin number into your iDevice and it...just works.

Air Video is my go-to video streaming application. Whether I'm at home or in an airport, its options for video playback are simply too good to ignore. If I couldn't afford multiple apps and I wanted to also stream music, I'd probably go with StreamToMe (you really can't go wrong with that app)...but Air Video contines to be the most consistent and enjoyable option for me thanks to its rock-solid stability, rare connection drops, manual steaming quality controls, and dead-simple networking setup. It only does video...but it does it perfectly. I can't think of anything it doesn't do that I'd like it to. Let us all hope that one day Air Video supports music too.

Pros:
+Everything it does, it does with excellence.
+Extremely stable over 3G, scaling well
+Easy to configure for usage outside of your network.
+Full control over bitrates based on your connection type
+Sound boosting options
+Subtitles and audio track options
+Video quality that can exceed 720p (up to 1280x800)

Cons:
-Does not do anything other than video. You'll need something else for your music/photos/files needs.

My score: 10/10

Homepage: About Air Video

iTunes: Air Video - Watch your videos anywhere! for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad on the iTunes App Store





(full screen mode not pictured, but it looks like any other video in full-screen)

note: this app does support VGA or video out.

 

App Mini-Review: ZumoCast



ZumoCast is the newest of the streaming apps that I've come across. It's different the the other 2 in some interesting ways which making it a compelling choice on its own. I'll just talk about what differentiates it from the others.

1.) It's Desktop client app actually syncronizes with a website (zumocast.com), giving you the ability to access music and movies via your web browser! It's pretty darn cool and depending on your utility for such a feature, it's a big deal.

2.) It can play back not just your movies and music, but it can also open your photos, word documents, PDFs, and text files! Maybe more, but that's what I've tried so far. This makes it much more of a complete package than the others and a rare breed amongst iDevice streaming applications. It's really amazing.

3.) You can download files from your desktop computer into ZumoCast. Music, Movies, files...anything can be downloaded in to the application's media folders.

So what don't I like? Well, a few things:

-I think the user interface is a bit clunky compared to the others on the iDevice. The images are nice and big, but they're so big, it forces you to do more scrolling than you would in StreamToMe or Air Video.

-Like StreamToMe, it doesn't provide any streaming quality options like Air Video does. This is fine when it picks the best bandwidth to stream at...but it can be annoying when it doesn't and you're subject to random pauses until it figures it out. With Air Video, you can decrease the maximum stream quality until you get a smooth picture all the time.

-The web interface doesn't work with all browsers.

None of those are big issues...just minor annoyances or inconveniences, really. But I do wish both Zumo and StreamToMe offered the ability to manually control the bandwidth because when you're on the road, the pausing and stuttering can be irritating.

My score: 9.9/10

It does everything the others do and more, but an interface with smaller graphics would go a long way for those of us with lots of music or videos to have to scroll through. And the app recieves regular updates, so it's gotten much better and stable since launch. You can't go wrong with this app.

Homepage: ZumoCast - Stream your media to iPhone, iPad, and any browser. It's your personal cloud.

iTunes: ZumoCast - Stream videos & music instantly for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad on the iTunes App Store










Web interface screenshots: (click the links)







Note: This app does offer vertical and horizontal viewing.

Note: This app does offer VGA / video out playback.

 

I'll be going over a few of the better RSS readers tomorrow.

 

just realized that I forgot to mention:

with Air Video, you can Convert a movie from whatever format it's in into an iDevice friendly format, which gets automatically added to your iTunes Movie menu.

you can even queue up movies if you know you want several to take with you at some point. then just sync your phone and you're in business. I love all of these apps...and it's hard for me to choose just 1 so I'd kinda recommend them all if you can spare the change. lol

 

App Mini-Review: Pulp



Pulp is an RSS reader that's formatted to look like a newspaper. You can add RSS feeds from your Google.com/reader account or go with the set the provide by default. It offers the ability to save articles for later, change the formatting of articles, and read full articles without switching to Safari (it opens a safari browser inside the app) to do so, maintaining style consistency. You can also add your own Section headers (like "News" or "Lifestyle" as you so desire, which I like.

I find that Pulp is good for when you want to see just a handful of RSS stories at any given time. It's clever in its design, but can be irritating if you're the kind of person that prefers speed and performance over style or likes to have quick-scrolling access to dozens (or hundreds) or articles.

Pros:

+Clever design, similar to the USA Today app
+Being able to read an entire article without having a mini-browser open up is great
+Quite stable and works as you expect an RSS reader to work
+Provides categories to put certain RSS feeds in, providing logical separation.
+Perfect for light-usage RSS reading, IMO.
+Works well in vertical or horizontal modes
+The various formatting options allow you to truly capture that newspaper feel while making each section different based on your specifications.
+Can publish to your Facebook/Twitter account or eMail any article directly from the article interface.


Cons:

-Some RSS feeds didn't load at all
-RSS feeds that don't include images wind up having empty image placeholders.
-Scales up poorly. if you like having more than 5 or 6 stories per RSS feed available, you have to do a lot of scrolling and button pressing. It can become very cumbersome.
-It reloads images every time you click on a tab instead of loading all of them into a storage cache like some other RSS apps do.
-No ability to publish to services like Delicious, ReadItLater, MobiReader, or others.

My score: 8/10

Homepage: Acrylic - Pulp for iPad

iTunes: Pulp for iPad for iPad on the iTunes App Store

 

We have this cover, and it is awesome! We have the iPad for our almost 2 yr old and she throws it on the tile floor and it is still going strong! I would absolutely recommend this. We have had our iPad since about 2 weeks after release date and no scratching! We also have a Zagg Invisi-Shield on it as well and those are awesome. Perfect for an almost 2 yr old.

 

hoping someone offers a review of the new Apple cover and the new Garage Band software...

 

Renamed thread to include iPad 2 since many of the apps and accessories are usable on the newest iteration of the iPad.

 

I do have both but I don't know how to write a review of something I can't benchmark...

 

Any recommendations here for a car mount (non-suction type) for the ipad 2?

 

Just (finally) got my Logitech Keyboard Case by ZAGG for iPad 2 (née Zaggmate 2). Typing on it for this review.

The Zaggmate 2 is comprised of an aluminum shell that covers the front of the iPad, protecting the screen. Attached to the inside of the case is a bluetooth keyboard. A hinged stand behind the keyboard allows you to prop up your ipad either vertically or horizontally.

A pic is worth a thousand words though, so if you really care about getting a case, you should head over to the Zagg site to look at it and do some independent research (i.e. I'm too lazy to link a pic).

Pros

1. Stylish--looks great and matches iPad design.
2. Sturdy keyboard with no flex.
3. Dedicated iPad keys.
4. Compact keyboard attached to case--always available when you need it.
5. Good screen protection (in theory--I haven't tried to grind down on it to check though) without adding much weight.
6. Can still plug into peripherals with the case on.
7. Can use iPad in both vertical and horizontal orientation.

Cons

1. Not a full-size keyboard. Takes some getting used to to type at maximum speed.
2. Limited battery indicator--only notifies you when there's 20% remaining.
3. No protection for the iPad's back.
4. Support that props the iPad up seems flimsy--slightly concerned that repeated use over time might break it.
5. While the case protects the iPad, you'll probably feel like you want to protect the case too, being aluminum and since the elegant look of the case comprises a large part of the appeal of this item.
6. Prop cannot be adjusted, so angle of iPad screen will always be locked.

 

Thanks for this thread. I am planning on being an ipad owner this year and this thread will be most valuable.

Koopa

 

nice thread.

thought i'd contribute with my experience of highly rugged ipad cases

ipad 1 : the otterbox defender series is the best. that thing just won't die.
my dad uses my good old ipad1 now and he's not careful.

ipad2 : the otterbox defender is utter crap. cheap plastic. dont buy.
get the griffin survivor instead. it has no hard cover for the screen but it's awesome. it matches military specs MIL-STD810 so you can't go wrong.
us navy F18 pilots use them

ipad3 ? to be continued. the latest otterbox defender seems decent. not sure yet.

 

NPR? Pfffftt only communists listen to that

 

update : the griffin defender is compatible with ipad3 (or waddeva you call it)

since the ipad3 is 0.8mm thicker than the ipad2, it was a little more difficult to snap the shell together but with some patience it fits snugly and the ports/buttons are on the right places, so it's all good.

 

Is there a way to clear out searches and cache on the iPad? I just got my iPad today from Apple. I'm so used to Android I feel lost lol.

 

How this will help.

 

I come across a genuine leather case for iPad 2 on the site, ultra thin with sleep/wake up,really like it and plan to order one.

 

I saw iPad 2 case for a car mount once on slickfans, just search with iPad 2 case for car mount on their site to get what you want

 

One of the most used features is of the iPad is the built in speech recognition but the onboard mic is not that good. Many of us already have great microphones but there is no way to pug them in because they have 1 or 2 3.5mm jacks that don't fit into the mic in port of the iPad. I found this adapter iPad external microphone adapter As you can see from the picture it has female connections for both mic and speakers and the proper male connection for the ipad. With this connector there's no need to buy a special microphone and most any you already have will do.

 

Is the iPad 2 still usable/relevant or should I just go with the air?

 

Hello, thought i'd contribute with my experience of highly rugged ipad cases

ipad 1 : the otterbox defender series is the best. that thing just won't die.
my dad uses my good old ipad1 now and he's not careful.

ipad2 : the otterbox defender is utter crap. cheap plastic. dont buy.
get the griffin survivor instead. it has no hard cover for the screen but it's awesome. it matches military specs MIL-STD810 so you can't go wrong.
us navy F18 pilots use them

 

What I recommend and using Accessories are Logitech Keyboard with Folio Case for iPad Air. According to me it converts iPad to MacBook. Its so user convenience, and portability also.