With only two weeks left until the end of vacation season, it’s a good idea to use some of our leisure to find iPad apps that can make us more productive when life invariably gets busier. This week’s best iPad apps include a new document management tool from Dropbox, mom’s new best friend, and of course a bit of fun and games to take you through August.
Elements-Dropbox Powered Text Editor ($4.99)
Elements-Dropbox Powered Text Editor ($4.99), which is out this week, is a nifty, simple text editor that syncs with Dropbox. In Elements, you can create and work on a text document, and when you get back in front of your computer, open your Dropbox, open the Elements folder, and then find the document. Continue working on it, save it, and it will be available on your iPad, iPhone or any computer, either via your Dropbox app or via the web by logging into your Dropbox account. It’s definitely very simple, but it does the trick without unnecessary bells and whistles.
momAgenda ($4.99)
I know it’s never going to work, but I seem to believe that buying every single organizational app in the iTunes App Store will somehow automatically get my daily tasks in order. The new momAgenda ($4.99) iPad, created by a mother, is really useful for those who keep the family’s calendar. The app creates a calendar from a mom’s point of view, allowing mothers everywhere to keep track of the activities of up to four children or family members, plus yourself, and view all of them either together or separately. View your calendar by month, week or day, or view each family member separately. My own calendar is crowded with events, to-do items, and all manner of tasks and duties; just looking at it makes me want to throw up. With momAgenda, I pulled out all of the events relating to my kids and family, and now everything seems manageable. The momAgenda app, in addition to being functional, is also really pretty to look at. When viewing by week, there’s a spot at the bottom to note what you’re planning to make for dinner.
Inkling (free)
Though there’s not yet a ton of content, Inkling (free) just might be the wave of the future for students everywhere, as this app allows students to create a profile and choose their own school. Among the free content included is Strunk & White’s Elements of Style, helpful for any student who has to write a paper. You can also tap “Inkling Store” and search for your textbook. For example, a psychology textbook I tapped costs $69.99, or you can purchase individual chapters for $7.99 each (one chapter is free). Bookmark pages of your textbooks, or hold your finger on the screen in an important spot and choose “highlight” or “Add Note.” Notes can be shared with others easily. I am seriously impressed with Inkling, and I hope that publishers realize that adding their textbooks to this app will be the next big thing.
Wonderfall (99 cents)
Wonderfall (99 cents) is pretty cool. Letters drop from the sky, and you can tap letters to make words up to 11 letters long. Bombs occasionally fall that will detonate, clearing space on the screen for more letters; multiplier blocks can increase your score. The app allows you to tilt the iPad to jiggle the letter blocks to create more space for falling letters. I found this app to be completely addictive. The app uses OpenFeint to let you post your scores and compare them to other users, and word game-lovers would be wise to snap up the app at the 99-cent introductory price before it goes up!
Twit Knoll ($2.99)
Most apps for Twitter are pretty much the same—you view your timeline as a list, you can access your direct messages, re-tweet, manage multiple accounts, and so forth. Twit Knoll ($2.99) is a really cute and unique interpretation of the Twitter app. View your tweets attached to little blue birds sitting on an electrical wire. Tap the bird to see options for re-tweeting, sending direct messages and more. Swipe left or right to move the birds up and down the wire. Little birds sitting in the grass can be tapped to access your mentions, direct messages or profile. Tap the brightly-roofed town to see the public timeline. Twit Knoll only allows you to access one account at a time, but it is a really neat way of using Twitter.
