Echoes and Stars

Finally I get to blog about something I love dearly. My iPad 2. I’ve now had her…it since October 27th at approximately 6:45 AM. And I’ve no idea how I lived…breathed without her. I mean it.

Since we met…I mean since I got it, I’ve tried out a number of apps. The following are 10 that are nothing but awesome. I’m sure this list will change a little over time. But for now these are the favorites and how much they cost.

1. Pages. Easily my favorite, Pages is Apple’s answer to the train wreck that is Word. This is a gorgeous and easy to use app for word processing. Worth all $9.99 and then some.

2. Flipboard. I’ve no idea how to describe this one except it makes blog reading very enjoyable. The aesthetics are wonderful and again like all the best apps it is easy to use. I still can’t believe this one is free.

3. Angry Birds Seasons HD. So awesome, awesome, awesome. $1.99 for Seasons HD.

4. iBooks. I love reading on the iPad. I like real books as much as anyone but I also like reading on something as beautiful as her. It…the iPad. Free.

5. Kindle. This one just popped up into my favorites list. A couple nights ago I checked out an ebook through Amazon from my local library. Within minutes it was on my iPad and ready for me to devour. I cannot even get my head around how awesome this is. Free.

6. Lyrics Finder. Sometimes I cannot understand what Dylan, The Boss or Van the Man are singing. Pull this app up while listening and the lyrics are right there. Easy and seamless. $.99

7. Monet HD. Exactly what you would expect, Monet’s work in all their beauty. A breathtaking app full of masterpiece after masterpiece. It all comes with museum worthy music. And from the same folks there are apps for Van Gogh, Carvaggio, Rembrandt, Michaelangelo, Da Vinci and more. $.99.

8. Shakespeare. Seriously. Sometimes I just read parts of one of his plays at random. With many writers – even the best – you have to dig for the treasures. But with the Bard, they just sit there in the wide open ready to be scooped up. This app has some amazing features including a glossary and quotations. And it was free.

9. Freecell. I’m a gamer. I game. Especially with free games.

10. Life for iPad. Reminding us that not everyone who has a camera is a photographer. And also reminding us why so many want to be one. Free.