30 Must-Have iPad Apps for New Owners

So, you’ve received an iPad for the holidays, or are planning to get one or buy one. Now that you have the device, the next big decision you need to make is, “What do I put on this thing?” With thousands of apps to choose from, figuring out which ones will truly make the device as magical as Steve Jobs says it is could become a daunting task.

Luckily, the editors here at IDG Enterprise are willing to help. We’ve compiled a list of 30 Must-Have iPad Apps for New Owners. Having tried and sampled many iPad apps in the past seven months, we are sure that these 30 apps will get you well on your way to enjoying your new iPad. Note: Prices were as of Nov. 4, 2010. Apps can change their prices on a moment’s notice.

(Free): The must-have audio streaming service for the iPad – the app lets you access your Pandora account and stream all of your stations, or you can choose from Pandora’s pre-selected station depending on your mood.

1. Pandora Radio

2. Amazon Kindle (Free): Sure, the iBooks app from Apple that you can download for free is good, but the Kindle app from Amazon has a greater selection of books available for download.

3. Netflix (Free): We’re assuming that you have a Netflix account – if you don’t, run out and get one, and then access your Instant Queue via the iPad. Easy to use and access thousands of TV and movie choices from Netflix.

4. Remote (Free): This app is a must-have if you also get an AppleTV. This app turns your iPad into a remote control that can operate the AppleTV. Also works with iTunes on your computer.

5. AOL AIM (Free): If you’re used to using AOL instant messenger on your computer, then you’ll want this app for doing the same thing on the go. It offers buddy lists, status updates and it offers integration with Facebook friends.

6. Weather Channel (Free): This beats looking outside the window. The app takes your GPS position from the iPad, or you can type in your location yourself, and gives you a weather forecast, local radar, storm alerts, and more.

7. RadarScope ($9.99): For the weather junkie, this offers much more weather information, letting you view NEXRAD Level 3 radar data rendered in its original radial format. The app also includes severe weather warnings (Tornado, Thunderstorm, Flash Floods) from the National Weather Service.

8. FlipBoard (Free): This could be the future of the newspaper. FlipBoard allows you to access your social media accounts and news feeds into a format that’s more traditional – articles are laid out newspaper style, and you flip the pages as if you were reading a newspaper or magazine.

9. Meteor Blitz ($2.99): This little space shooter game is like a 21st century update the popular Asteroids arcade game from the early ’80s. High-quality graphics, sound effects and a range of weapons to defend your ship with make it a must have for gamers.

10. Star Walk for iPad ($4.99): This app turns your iPad into a planetarium in your hands. Not only is it perfect for anyone interested in astronomy, but it takes advantage of the iPad’s internal digital compass to show you what’s in the sky above you in real-time. Impressive graphics and a night vision mode showcase some 9,000 objects – everything from stars and planets to messier objects and constellations.

11. USA Today (Free): Another innovative approach to presenting newspapers in electronic form. The USA Today presentation offers all of its sections in an easy to read format. The application also includes a daily interactive crossword puzzle.

12. Financial Times iPad Edition (Free): If the USA Today app is too colorful or light-hearted for your tastes, check out the more serious Financial Times iPad app, which offers an array of stories from around the world on business, news, lifestyle, and more. Includes a video section as well.

13. BBC NEWS (Free): Continuing on the global trend, the BBC News iPad app offers the latest breaking news from BBC and its global network of journalists. Includes articles and videos from BBC correspondents.

14. ABC Player (Free): One of the earliest video players for the iPad and still one of the best. This app lets you watch full-length episodes of ABC shows on the iPad. The app includes a schedule of when shows are on, and a viewing history feature pauses the episode and picks it up in the same spot when you get back.

15. Pianist Pro ($9.99): One of the best uses of the iPad, showing how an app really adapts to the form factor of the device. Pianist Pro contains a full 88-key piano, showing 11 keys at a time, and offers users the chance to play a piano and other instruments (like a synthesizer), as well as record. For users learning how to play the piano, this can be a great way to practice without bothering others (as long as they’re wearing headphones).

16. EW MustList (Free): Another great adaptation of a magazine feature, the EW MustList app highlights 10 must-see or do things every week in the world of entertainment, courtesy of Entertainment Weekly (EW). The app expands on this by offering readers more information (other articles, videos, etc.), or a way to purchase the item that EW editors are discussing. A great way to catch up on what’s hot in the world of entertainment each week.

17. TweetDeck (Free): If you’re addicted to Twitter, then TweetDeck for the iPad feeds that addiction. You can view multiple Twitter feeds and compose your latest thoughts via this easy to use application. If you already use TweetDeck on a computer, then the look and feel will be very familiar to you.

18. Tesla Toy (Free): This app is a great time-killer (or waster), utilizing the touch screen feature of the iPad to create beautiful-looking graphics. When your fingers touch the screen, it “generates an electrical field”, much like those electrical glass toys that use actual electricity. Very cool, and the kids love it!

19. Super Why! For iPad ($2.99): This app lets you play four interactive games based on the Super Why! TV show on PBS. The games include the four characters from the show, and all assist with reading, rhyming, the alphabet and spelling. At the end of each game, players are awarded with special stickers, which they can then place on a scene to create colorforms-like artwork.

20. iBrite ($1.99): One of the best reproductions of the old Lite Brite toys from the ‘70s and ‘80s, iBrite lets you choose different peg colors, and create pictures by placing your finger on different holes on the screen. You can then save your drawings and share them. Best part? No pegs that you have to clean up later.

21. Marvel Comics and DC Comics (free): If you love comic books, pick up these apps from the two major comics publishers. The apps allow you to buy older issues of comics, and view them on the colorful iPad display. You can zoom in to read the pages, and there’s lots of free versions available as well. Most of the comics are older issues, so you still have to go to the comic book store to find new comics, but if you want to catch up on some issues you’ve missed, this is a great way to do it.

22. Pinball HD ($1.99): This game is another great representation of utilizing the iPad’s size and graphics to present an awesome experience. This game lets you play three different pinball machines, with great physics and 3D-like graphics and realism. Tapping on the flipper areas help launch balls onto the table, and it includes a shake/bump feature, which will tilt if you do it too hard.

23. Toy Story Read-Along books (1, 2 and 3) (Free, $3.99 and $8.99): These interactive books present each of the Toy Story movies in a book-like form, with voices from the original movies as well. You can have the app read the book along, or you can turn it off and have your child read the words. Throughout the story, other interactive games are presented, including coloring book pages and fun games and music videos.

24. The Cat in the Hat ($3.99): The classic Dr. Seuss tale done in an interactive book format – the app includes narration, background audio and enlarged artwork. Individual words are highlighted as the story is read, and kids can touch on words to see how they sound.

25. Adobe Photoshop Express (Free): If you put a lot of photos on your iPad, you can quickly and easily do some basic editing through this app. The program lets you crop, straighten, rotate and flip, as well as change color exposure, contrast and saturation to the photos. You can add fun effects and borders to them as well. Easy to operate, and a must-have for any photo enthusiast.

26. PoolPro Online 3 ($2.99): If you enjoy playing billiards/pool in real life, get ready for a fun experience on the iPad. The app offers 8 Ball, 9 Ball and Snooker, and varying levels of difficulty for the computer opponent. Controls of the cue stick is easy to learn, and you can adjust power and even add English to your shots. Multiplayer options lets you play against other players from around the world.

27. 123 Color HD Talking Coloring Book ($1.99): Simply the best coloring book application for kids. This offers kids a chance to color in different pages, by choosing their own colors, or following a paint-by-numbers (or letters) guide. Tapping a color and an area completes the area, so if you want the kids to color outside the lines, there are other coloring apps out there. When the page is complete, a song plays indicating that the picture is done.

28. Sam and Max Episode 1: The Penal Zone for iPad ($4.99): If you ever played Telltale Games’ Sam & Max adventure games for the PC, or if you remember the classic Lucasarts games from the ‘80s and ‘90s, you’re in for a treat. Sam & Max are back, with their warped sense of humor and variety of adventure puzzles. A great game, and it works well on the iPad.

29. SpeedtestX HD (Free): If you’re a network speeds and feeds junkie, this app can tell you how fast your bandwidth is on your Wi-Fi connection (and 3G if you have an iPad with 3G on it). You can perform a test whenever you want, and it records your stats to see if your Internet access is getting better or worse.

30. Epicurious (Free): If you’re sick of making another batch of Macaroni & Cheese, you might want to branch out and check more than 28,000 recipes from the folks at Epicurious.com. You can browse recipes based on type of entrée, or search recipes based on ingredients. You can read reviews, and e-mail any recipe to friends and family members. Recipes offer step-by-step directions to creating a gourmet masterpiece.