Top 10 iPhone Apps to Put on the iPad
One of the biggest draws of the iPad is the support for all existing iPhone apps. There are a few of those, after all, and having support for them guarantees the iPad will have a healthy app base from day one. Many developers have indicated they will be producing “big screen” versions of their iPhone apps when it makes sense to do so. I have given some thought to which ones would make the biggest difference for me personally, so here is my list of the top 10 iPhone apps I hope to see ported to the iPad. I admit it is a selfish list, as it is focused on the way I work and my own needs. What apps are on your own list?
LogMeIn Ignition. This tops my list easily, as I can see a lot of benefit obtained by remotely controlling any computer from the iPad. The iPhone edition is already a great utility, but add the extra screen real estate and this quickly becomes the killer app for the iPad. This opens up the iPad to the full capability of any computer. You can even run Flash based on a “real” computer right from the iPad. The LogMeIn interface is built from the ground up to be operated by multitouch, which will be awesome on the iPad.
Evernote. The iPhone version of Evernote is already one of the best apps in the App Store. The ability to take notes and capture information from just about any source is outstanding. An iPad version of Evernote, optimized to take advantage of the larger screen would be phenomenal. It could provide a solid method for interacting with the hundreds of notes in the cloud by fingertip. If Evernote saw fit to enable ink notes (subscription required) with a stylus, that would be incredible.
Barnes & Noble eReader. Sure the iPad is going to have the iBookstore, but many of us already have extensive e-book libraries with other retailers. I have 500+ books at the Barnes & Noble store, and I have enjoyed the ability to read them on the iPhone. Having an iPad version would further extend the usefulness of the slate, and provide alternatives to the Apple ecosystem.
Kindle. The Kindle for iPhone app is a great reader app, and like the B&N reader above it extends the usefulness of the phone. It only makes sense to have an iPad version to use all of that big screen. Let’s hope Apple allows both readers mentioned onto the iPad, or they may face a revolt.
WordPress. This app is a purely selfish one, as I work with WordPress all day. The iPhone WordPress app is pretty good, but it is not a great solution for the work I do due to the small phone screen. That limitation goes away on the iPad, and I’d love to see a WordPress app for the slate. This could provide a good stop-gap method for working with this blog on the run.
Tweetdeck. There are lots of good Twitter apps for the iPhone but I admit I don’t currently use Tweetdeck. I love it on my bigger computers, but it needs that big screen to handle the multiple columns. That’s the reason I’ve never gotten into Tweetdeck on the iPhone. If is was optimized for the iPad, though, I’d be all over it in a heartbeat.
Remember the Milk. I would be lost without Remember The Milk, the multi-platform task manager. I use it constantly every day, and the iPhone version is quite nice. I can only imagine how good RTM would be on a larger screen.
XpenseTracker. I don’t travel that much, but when I do it is almost always on business. That brings the joy of keeping track of travel expenses for the reimbursement process. XpenseTracker is a great tool for doing that, and the iPhone version is a joy to use. Pushing it out to a big screen would be awesome.
Trackthepack. I get a lot of packages in Mobile Tech Manor. It seems like almost every day something arrives for me to have a look at. I spend an inordinate amount of time tracking these packages on their way to my door. Far too much time. Trackthepack is the best way to track this many packages, all on the little iPhone screen. It tracks all of the major shipping companies. Thinking about a large screen version of this app makes my eyes tear up.
Pocket Informant. Long the premier PIM app for PDAs and smartphones, the iPhone version of Pocket Informant is fabulous. It provides an integrated app to handle calendar and task functions. While extremely useful on the iPhone, I still have a problem with handling all of the information presented on such a small screen. Having a version optimized for the larger iPad would be incredible.
That’s my list of must-have apps for the iPad. I know that we all have different needs, and your list is likely different. Share it in the comments along with why you think the apps would be great on the iPad.
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Slingplayer
Second that.
Only if they bump max mobile resolution beyond 320×240. Also, I’d like something like iTV and (or combined with) Mobile Air Mouse Pro.
You forgot Air Video.
While reading your list James, I kept thinking of how HP’s slate would do all those things. Everything you have there is doable with Windows 7, except with much more flexibility and options.
That’s the great thing when it comes to using a device with a full OS. I still prefer the performance of running full-desktop software, as it means I have to make no compromises in features, usability or functionality. Everything is there, where I expect it, no cutting corners, and can use it the same way as I would on a laptop.
My situation requires me to use specialist software that runs only on Windows, so the HP slate would be my “slate” of choice (and another reason why I like the Fujitsu UH900 – full OS). But if rumors are true and the HP derivative DOES include that Broadcom crystal HD hardware, it will run laps around the iPad in both performance and applications-of-use.
I would first take the HP version for a test drive before committing to an iPad purchase. Spend your money wisely! ;)
can use it the same way as I would on a laptop
…except that the laptop/desktop versions of that software expect you to have a keyboard and mouse available, and are most likely not configured for multitouch, thereby defeating the primary interface advantages of this generation of slate devices. I understand and respect that your needs require Windows software, but I think that for the vast majority of consumers Windows will not have an obvious usability advantage on a slate.
That is true, but the need for having a keyboard/mouse depends heavily on the software in question. Moving the cursor around or making a left/right click shouldn’t be a big deal. As for using the keyboard, most of what I use doesn’t require it – entering a URL should be simple enough, and I’m not about to tap out a 40-page FCC filing with the on-screen keyboard.
The big advantage is that I still have a device that can run content creation software. That matters more to me than bringing a keyboard or trackball along for the ride. And if I do need heavy keyboard use, I just pick up my netbook instead.
Hi James, At the top of the list with LogMeIn, consider NTRconnect Free and NTRconnect Free for iPhone, avail at the iTunes App Store and at http://www.ntrconnect.
My ten are:
These are important to me.
Seven dictionaries? Would you mind listing them? I’m also a dictionary fan, but seven?
How about a Virtual Machine that can host Windows 7 Series and Android mobile applications. I am sure with Apple’s engineering expertise that their VM would be able to run Win7 Series apps even better than Microsoft can natively, that’s how good they are. They are bees knees. Moo.
You forgot iRefund.
This thing stinks. I can’t find the flash plugin and no websites load right. Apple is so yesterday.
My top applications to be rewritten for the iPad
I’m at a bit of a disadvantage in thinking about this, because I’ve never owned an iPhone or iPod Touch, so this is really the list of wow-I-want-that iPhone apps that I hope will get iPad versions:
Most of the stuff I need to do with an iPad is covered by a combination of the native apps, browser, and iWork. Everything else is gravy.
What HP and MS have shown running on the Slate wasn’t actually real. There is no price or battery life ratings for the Slate. Ballmer didn’t seem to know how to use the Slate in his keynote presentation. MS Office won’t work any better on the Slate than on a Tablet PC. Eventually I’ll pick up an iPad, but not when it first ships. The iPad will suit many people, but not everyone. No single device will meet everyone’s needs.