The most popular iPad office suite is Apple's own iWork, which consists of Pages, Numbers, and Keynote (shown in Figure 31-1). The three apps are sold individually, so you can pick the ones you need and skip the others.

If you use iWork on a Mac, you can transfer files between your Mac and iPad without converting file formats (see Chapter 16 for syncing advice). If you use Microsoft Office files, you can open and edit them in iWork on your iPad, then transfer them back to your computer again.

Figure 31-1. Keynote is just one app that's part of the iWork office suite.

If you don't use iWork and rely more on Microsoft Office files, you can use Documents To Go to create and edit Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files. For added convenience, Documents To Go can store and retrieve files from cloud services, such as iDisk, Dropbox, and Google Docs. This lets you access your files as long as you have an Internet connection.

Two other apps that provide near perfect compatability with Microsoft Office files are Office2 HD and QuickOffice. Both apps let you create and edit Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files that you can open on a regular computer later, as shown in Figure 31-2.

Figure 31-2. QuickOffice makes it easy to edit and create Word and Excel files.

The Contacts app that comes with the iPad is great for storing names, addresses, and phone numbers but not so flexible if you need to store other types of information. For those who need a more versatile database, grab a copy of Bento. If you have Bento on your Mac, you can share databases, but even if you just get Bento for the iPad, you can create custom databases for storing any type of information you might need.

For a more sophisticated database, get FileMaker Go. Not only can you develop databases directly on your iPad with FileMaker Go, but you can also use a Wi-Fi or Internet connection to remotely access FileMaker databases on your desktop computer. This gives you the ability to view and edit your database's data without storing it on your iPad.

The Notes app that comes with the iPad can be handy for typing notes, but to synchronize your notes with your computer or an online storage site, you might want to use Evernote or Simplenote instead to make sure you never lose an idea.

If you need to store notes and record audio at the same time, then consider PearNote. This feature can be especially useful when recording lectures so you can hear playback of exactly what was spoken while you review your typed notes.

PaperDesk lets you type notes, record audio, and draw and save pictures in your notes, as shown in Figure 31-3. One unique feature of PaperDesk is that if you tap a word that you've typed, PaperDesk will jump to the specific location in the audio recording when you typed that word so you can replay exactly what you heard when you jotted down a particular note.

Figure 31-3. PaperDesk lets you sketch and type notes as you record audio.

Many people create files on their iPads that they later transfer to their computer and vice versa. If you rely on Apple's iCloud services and use a Mac computer, transferring files can occur seamlessly in the background, so your files appear magically on your iPad and Mac. However, if you're using a Windows PC, then you may need to rely on Dropbox instead. With Dropbox, you can place a file in your dropbox that you can retrieve from your iPad or Windows PC.

If you're familiar with the iPhone, you know that it comes with a free calculator app. Oddly enough, the iPad lacks this simple calculator app, so grab a free copy of PCalc Lite, which gives you a full-blown scientific calculator, as shown in Figure 31-4. Plenty of free alternative calculators are available in the App Store as well—just search for them!

Figure 31-4. PCalc Lite gives your iPad a calculator app.

Need a little extra real estate while working on your desktop or laptop computer? The Air Display app lets you wirelessly turn your iPad into a second monitor for both Mac and Windows PCs. That way you can prop your iPad next to your computer and see more without the hassle of buying or connecting a second monitor, which can be especially useful if you take your iPad around with your laptop computer.

Many of the top news sites provide their own unique (and free) apps specially designed for retrieving and displaying news on an iPad. By using one of these free apps with an Internet connection through your iPad, you can read world, sports, and financial news, as shown in Figure 31-5.

If you invest in the stock market, you may be interested in tracking your stock portfolio and keeping up with the latest financial news. (Naturally, this requires an Internet connection.) Both the Bloomberg and NASDAQ QFolio apps provide a list of the latest financial news headlines along with a list of your stocks so you can see how they're doing throughout the day. Many brokerage firms, such as ScottTrade, E*Trade, and TD Ameritrade, even offer their own iPad apps so you can trade directly from your iPad.

Figure 31-5. News apps let you choose the type of information you want to read.

If you want to know the local forecast, tap into the Weather Channel app. Not only can you see the forecast, but you can also view maps, track storms heading through your area, and watch videos of weather occurring in your area and other parts of the world, as shown in Figure 31-6.

The Flipboard app takes your favorite news sites, blogs, or social networking sites and turns them into an attractive digital “newspaper,” as shown in Figure 31-7. For another alternative, look at the free Zite app, which lets you choose different topics, such as entertainment news or financial investing information, and then displays this information in a customized digital newspaper for you to read at your leisure.

For serious artists who need to manipulate pixels, grab a copy of Autodesk's SketchBook Pro or Adobe's Photoshop Touch. Now you can manipulate images using Layers and Brushes, as shown in Figure 31-8.

Figure 31-8. SketchBook Pro turns the iPad into an artistic canvas.

Rather than manipulate individual pixels, you might prefer creating drawings using vectors instead, which produce images that retain their resolution no matter how much you enlarge or shrink them on the screen. For vector illustration, grab a copy of AutoDesk's SketchBook Ink or Adobe Ideas.

While some people are capable of creating a picture from scratch, others prefer taking a real picture and modifying it. On a computer, you can use a program like Photoshop, but on an iPad, you can use a similar program from Adobe called Photoshop Express.

With Photoshop Express, you can modify digital images and turn them into art, or just draw mustaches on people you don't like or scribble funny pictures on images just to keep yourself amused while waiting in line at a bank or airport (see Figure 31-9).

Figure 31-9. Add artistic effects to your photos with Photoshop Express.

iBooks, Apple's free reading app, gives you access to the iBookstore and lets you organize and read your ebooks. Unfortunately, the iBookstore may not have the largest selection of ebooks available, so if you have a Kindle, download a free copy of the Kindle app so you can read all your Kindle ebooks on either your Kindle or your iPad.

For another alternative to Apple's iBookstore, download a free copy of the Barnes & Noble NOOK app. Just like the iBooks and Kindle apps, the NOOK app organizes your ebooks and lets you shop online for more books. With so many options for reading ebooks on your iPad, you can choose which you like best.

If you subscribe to Netflix, download this free app, and you can watch streaming video directly on your iPad. Rather than pay to watch movies, install the Crackle app and watch movies for free. Crackle provides an ever-changing library of older films and TV shows, so you have to check their offerings periodically to see what's new. You may not find the latest films and shows on Crackle, but what you do find will be completely free with minor commercial interruptions.

Watching movies through Netflix can be nice, but if you want to watch your favorite ABC TV shows, then get the ABC Player app for free. With this app you can see what's playing or stream episodes of your favorite shows and watch them on your iPad, as shown in Figure 31-10.

Figure 31-10. Watch your favorite ABC shows on your iPad with the ABC Player.

One way to keep yourself amused with your iPad is to sing along while listening to the songs you've stored on your iPad. Another way to amuse yourself with music is to create your own songs. Although it's not always practical to carry around an electronic keyboard, it is possible to turn your iPad into a musical instrument with JamPad or Virtuoso, as shown in Figure 31-11.

Virtuoso can help you learn the notes on a keyboard while JamPad lets you play keyboards, guitar, or drums to develop your music skills, or just play sounds to keep yourself or your kids amused on a long car ride or plane trip. If the racket gets too annoying for others to hear, bring headphones or ear buds to restrict the noise you make to your own eardrums.

Figure 31-11. Virtuoso can teach you the notes so you can practice your keyboard skills.

While you're at home, you may prefer to play your music collection from your PC or Mac computer. The free Remote app from Apple lets you use your iPad to control iTunes on your computer from any room in the house—your iPad and computer just need to be on the same Wi-Fi network.

No matter how large your music collection may get, chances are good you'll want to listen to something different. To help you find songs from different artists that you might enjoy, download the Pandora app.

Pandora lets you type in the name of your favorite recording artist or song, and then it plays only those songs that are similar to your chosen artist or song. By doing this, Pandora can help you discover new recording artists and songs that you might never have heard before.

For aspiring movie makers, photographers, and musicians, three of the best apps are iMovie, iPhoto, and GarageBand. With iMovie, you can edit any video footage you capture through the iPad's cameras. This lets you capture a video from your iPad's camera, and then edit it to create a more polished video clip that you can share with others or upload to a video sharing site like YouTube.

With iPhoto, you can organize your pictures and edit them right on your iPad. If you capture any pictures using your iPad's camera, you can edit them immediately and show everyone how funny they look.

GarageBand lets you turn your iPad into different musical instruments, such as drums or a keyboard, and then record your music, turning your iPad into a portable recording studio. Whether you're just learning to play an instrument or have years of experience, GarageBand can turn your iPad into an indispensable tool to further your musical aspirations.

The iPad has hundreds of small, cheap, and fun games perfectly suited for wasting your time. The App Store lists today's best sellers, and most games have free trials. If you're looking to try your very first iPad game, you should try Angry Birds, a simple and addictive physics game with more than 100 million total downloads.

Figure 31-12. The Game Center notification

You can compare high scores with your friends and family by creating an account in the iPad's Game Center app.

Annoyed by the Game Center notification (shown in Figure 31-12) while playing games? You can turn off Game Center notifications (and any other notifications that might bother you) in the Notifications pane of the Settings app.