So you’ve just got a brand new iPad, you’ve already bought a casing for it and have already downloaded the usual apps like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, what’s next? Download more apps of course, one of the best thing about the iOS ecosystem would definitely have to be the apps it offers, so what better to make use of your brand new gadget than downloading all the worthy apps? We’ve gathered several essential apps for your new iPad so read on and find out how to make the most out of your brand new gadget.
Instant Messenger
Tired of messaging on a tiny 4” display with a tiny keyboard on the iPhone? Make use of the big keyboard on your new iPad Air or even iPad mini with Retina Display to chat with your friends. Download Google Hangouts on your iPad and start sending and receiving messages, photos, videos, animated stickers or even make free calls. A great alternative to that would be Skype for iPad that makes use of the big display on your tablet for all your messaging and video conference needs.
Cloud Storage
The iPad is without a doubt a great platform to read on with its big screen, but unfortunately, big screen means apps made for the iPad are bigger in size, all your books and magazines would take up a lot of space as well, so a cloud storage service is a thing you must have on your iPad. Sure, iCloud works perfectly well and provides a great synchronization between all your iOS devices, but it is one of the most expensive cloud storage service around, so Dropbox would be your next best bet. With Carousel on board, Dropbox would be the perfect app to use to store your documents, pictures and videos; it has auto upload too. Check out our cloud storage service price comparison post to find out more about other cloud storage service.
To Read
As mentioned before, the iPad is a great platform to read on, but before doing so, get yourself a good e-book app. I pick Google Play Books because it synchronizes all the books you’ve bought on the Google Play Store, and lets you read them across different platforms, a perfect option for those of you who have multiple devices.
And when you are bored of all those books, a manga and comic app would definitely come in handy. Download Manga Rock and Comic Zeal and enjoy their great library of manga and comics.
Games
Get all your favorite games on a much bigger display, our favorite games would definitely have to be Monument Valley (USD$3.99) and Threes (USD$1.99) that we’ve reviewed before. Sure, you can play these games on an iPhone, but imagine a bigger screen and being able to enjoy the amazing graphics on Monument Valley and never make a move again on Threes. These are paid apps, but they’re definitely worth the money.
Music
Let’s not forget about entertainment when you’re on your iPad, plug in your headphones and enjoy some music on Spotify while you’re working on your iPad. Spotify is available for free with ads but if you hate being interrupted, a monthly subscription here in Malaysia costs only RM15 or if you are a Maxis subscriber, you can get it at only RM10.
Alternatively, if you are a DiGi postpaid subscriber, you might be able to get Deezer Premium for free. DiGi offers free Deezer Premium for its SmartPlan 78/108/148 subscribers, free for as long as you are subscribed to the telco so listen away.
Productivity
Now that the entertainment parts have been covered, if you use your iPad for work-related tasks, Evernote is a must have app. Saved to the cloud, you can edit your notes on one device, and have it reflected on other devices and then edit them on your computer.
SwiftKey Note is also a great note taking app for your iPad and what makes it even better than the rest? It uses SwiftKey’s very own keyboard with an intelligent autocorrect on board, as well as the ability to predict your next word. What’s best, you can even connect to Evernote to teach SwiftKey how you type, as well as to backup all your notes onto the Evernote platform.
Navigating
Google Maps (Free)
If your iPad comes with cellular connectivity, a mapping app would you’re your iPad the perfect navigating system with its big screen. I suggest Google Maps because the built-in Apple Maps is just not up to par yet, not in Malaysia at least. It lacks in many ways and does not have one of the key features the other two has – live traffic and incident report. Moreover, Google Maps now has Waze integration for incident and traffic report, making it even more useful than before. Another great alternative would definitely have to be Waze.
So there you have it, download all these apps (or their alternatives), and put your brand new iPad to good use.
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