1. Snapseed
When you think about editing photos, you probably think Photoshop, and Adobe does offer a great version of Photoshop for the iPad. But I think you will get more value—and more fun—from Snapseed for the iPad. The app offers slick integration with Facebook, Flickr, and Twitter, and it also makes post photos online easy. And Snapseed’s filters and effects put Instagram’s to shame. $4.99
source: http://www.pcmag.com/slideshow_viewer/0,3253,l=256558&a=256556&po=1,00.asp
2.
Pocket used to be called ReadItLater and it makes it easy to capture and store articles for later reading. Pocket is the latest incarnation and it is easily one of the most important apps on my iPad. There is way too much out there to read, and with Pocket I know I will always be able to, well, read it later. Deleting stories is a tad onerous, but it has plug-ins for all major browsers and works with both iOS and Android. And best of all, it’s absolutely free!
source: http://www.pcmag.com/slideshow_viewer/0,3253,l=256558&a=256556&po=2,00.asp
3. Zite
Kind of like a Pandora for news reading, Zite is one of Apple’s top-selling free news apps. You begin by inputting your Google Reader, Twitter, Delicious or Read It Later profiles and then Zite creates your magazine for you in a simple and elegant single screen. You can give a thumbs up or thumbs down to any article you read, and Zite’s article recommendations for you grow smarter and more personalized over time.
4. Nightstand Central
For those of you with older version of the iPad, you know that it doesn’t come with a clock function. And since we know many of you use alarms to wake up on a daily basis, this app can do the trick. Clean, easy to use UI with an excellent alarm for all your “Why the f*** is it Monday already” needs. Absolutely free!
5. Kindle
Amazon’s Kindle free app is a favorite of readers, beating out Apple’s iBooks and Barnes and Noble’s Nook app. It’s especially useful if you already own a Kindle and you’ve just upgraded to an iPad, as the books you’ve already bought on the Kindle can be redownloaded to your iPad free of charge. Note that you can only actually download books on Amazon.com or on your Kindle, not directly on the Kindle iPad app; you can only do that on iBooks.
source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/25/best-ipad-apps-10-essential-apps_n_1163263.html#s561859&title=Kindle_FREE
6. Showyou
Your iPad comes pre-loaded with YouTube, yes, but for a more visually-pleasing way to view and find new web videos, check out the excellent free Showyou app. It aggregates all the videos in your social media streams (Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, etc.) into one swipe-able screen. A great user experience made just for the iPad.
7. Find My iPad
If you were to lose your iPad or have it stolen, you’re going to want to have FindmyiPad running. It’s a free app from Apple that runs through its iCloud service and can pinpoint your device’s location on a map, which you can see any time at iCloud.com. This is an app that takes a couple minutes to install and it could save you several hundred dollars.
source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/25/best-ipad-apps-10-essential-apps_n_1163263.html#s564966&title=Find_My_iPhone
8. The Weather Channel
The iPad does not come with a native weather app; The Weather Channel’s iPad app looks great, loads fast and gives you the weather. Excellent, handy, quick, and, of course, free!
source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/25/best-ipad-apps-10-essential-apps_n_1163263.html#s561897&title=The_Weather_Channel
9. Instapaper
You’re going to want to do a lot of reading on your iPad — and not just book-reading, either! Instapaper is a handy utility for saving articles from webpages for clean, ad-free viewing on your iPad later. You can save an article from anywhere — your laptop, your iPhone, or your iPad itself — and it saves the text of that article to your Instapaper account for you to access later from your iPad. A great way to collect and read interesting writing from the web on your new tablet. $4.99
source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/25/best-ipad-apps-10-essential-apps_n_1163263.html#s561818&title=Instapaper_499
10. Skype
Your favorite VOIP application is now available for your iPad! Talk and video chat with friends, family, colleagues, etc. all at the touch of a button. Easy to use, efficient, and, of course, free!
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