This week’s best iPad apps allow you to write the great American novel without word processing getting in the way, create the ultimate recipe database, and kill some time with a game that tests your matching skills.
PAPRIKA RECIPE MANAGER ($9.99)
I’ve been searching for an iPad solution to my mess of clipped recipes and clunky cookbooks that hold one recipe I might ever make, and I think I may have found it in Paprika Recipe Manager ($9.99). Paprika makes it very simple to add my own recipes, and includes an in-app browser to let you search for recipes on the Internet. Find a recipe you want, tap “Save Recipe,” and it’s added automatically to your Paprika library. Once it’s in the library, you’re able to easily edit the recipe to accommodate whatever changes you might make. The app also includes a shopping list — you can add items to it with a tap and email recipes from within the app; you can also easily add categories to better organize your recipes and create a favorites list. Paprika is exactly what I’ve been looking for without any extraneous, unnecessary features. The app also allows you to prevent the screen from turning off as you cook, so you can keep your messy hands off your iPad.
IA WRITER ($4.99)
While one of the biggest reasons for buying myself an iPad was to allow me to write anywhere, anytime, the fact is that I’ve yet to find the ideal solution — and no, Pages isn’t it. Lots of apps have beckoned to me, but they have so many features, I end up getting distracted by the pretty colors or funky text options. The iA Writer ($4.99) iPad app was designed specifically to reduce distractions that can be caused by the app itself. It has just enough of the features you need to write, while stripping away any unnecessary technological distractions. The app features a simple, clean font on a pale gray-ish background, a keyboard that includes the most oft-used punctuation symbols right above the letters (to remove the distraction of navigating to a different keyboard to find them), and buttons for navigating easily within the text (to beginning or end of the word you’re on, or with arrows). The app also features character count (word count is promised), and a timer that calculates how long it should take to read what you’ve written. You can also easily sync your documents with Dropbox right from the app, as well as email work as a text document. This is a well thought-out app, and the developers seem keen on continuing the app’s improvement.
NOTESHELF ($2.99)
I don’t know about you, but the concept of handwriting on the touch screen was really intriguing to me — until I tried a few apps that allowed for it. I’m not saying that Noteshelf ($2.99) is going to make you give up the keyboard for your finger or a stylus, but if it’s something you’ve been yearning for, this app might be your answer. By far, Noteshelf has the smoothest rendition of handwriting of any app I’ve tried. Choose your ink color and pen thickness. Even on the thinnest setting, though, the words are pretty big. It’s easier to write with a stylus (I have a Pogo), but your finger will do. Tap the hand, and you’ll turn on “wrist protection,” which means you can rest your wrist on the edge of the screen without messing anything up. Your notebooks will be placed on an iBook-like bookshelf, and you can choose from several different notebook templates and paper styles.
BAYO BONGO ($1.99)
The last thing I need is another game to suck up my available time (and possibly a few brain cells), but Bayo Bongo ($1.99) is now installed on my iPad. In the game, you have to tap bars of matching colors to make them disappear, as well as move coins down to the bottom for collection. You will also have to deal with frozen bars (which can’t be removed), as well as various other obstacles. You also use bombs to your advantage and grab coins in bonus rounds; levels increase in difficulty as you move through the game. Scores are maintained on an online leaderboard, and you can post your scores to Facebook. Bayo Bongo also features great HD graphics as well.
