There are a handful of freebies which top the iPad app offerings this week, plus a new version of a long-time favorite and a couple of new ways to keep track of your thoughts and tasks.
LIFE FOR iPAD (FREE)
When you think of iconic photography, one of the first names that immediately springs to mind is LIFE, which has released LIFE for iPad (free) this week. Chock full of some amazing photographs, the app presents a pinch-zoomable map stuck with pins; you choose a pin and enter a gallery full of beautiful photographs. At the end of each gallery, the app offers up a “You might also like…” selection, which led me to browse among photos of a family with a buffalo for a pet, to one with celebrities and their dogs, to Marilyn Monroe in swimsuits.
NOTE HUB PROFESSIONAL ($2.99)
Note Hub Professional ($2.99) is a totally different way of keeping track of projects. Really useful for research purposes, the app allows you to create a project, then choose from “Tasks,” “Canvas,” “Note,” “Browser,” “Calculator” or “Map,” and keeps everything related to that project on one simple page. You can email all of the pages, or just select certain ones, in a project right from the app. Also, you can publish to Posterous or Dropbox.
SLIPBOX ($4.99 — half-off the app’s regular price)
Slipbox ($4.99—this is 50% off) uses “associated searches.” It’s essentially the ability to search through your notes via keywords that you add (though it appears there’s a little more to it than that). Create a slip box, and add notes. Once your slip box has a healthy amount of content, tap the tree icon at the top to view all “slips” associated with the one you’re currently viewing. You can sync your slips to Dropbox, and there’s an OS X version available for free to use on your Mac.
WINDOWSHOP (FREE)
Amazon’s Windowshop (free) is a totally new way to browse for the stuff you want or need to buy. The home page presents items by department (including a “Recommended for You” section if you sign in to your Amazon.com account). Tap an item and a box pops up to let you add it to your wishlist, share via email, Facebook or Twitter, order the item, or view more details and reviews. Essentially, I’m going to be doing all of my holiday shopping from bed.
PBS FOR iPAD (FREE)
If you’re a PBS fan, you’re going to love PBS for iPad (free). Like the ABC Player, PBS for iPad allows you to watch episodes of all your favorite PBS programming (except kid’s – that’s a separate app). Get it all here: Antiques Roadshow, Masterpiece, NOVA and more. Set your location and provider to view schedules. I’m currently catching up on We Shall Remain: Trail of Tears.
RAGDOLL BLASTER 2 HD ($4.99)
I remain a huge fan of the original Ragdoll Blaster on my iPhone, and I’m thrilled with Ragdoll Blaster 2 HD ($4.99). Shoot floppy ragdolls at the target in ever-increasingly difficult feats of physics to advance in the game. The game also features nice HD graphics, though they are simple. It’s a well done game, and challenging for players of all ages.
