∞ iPad apps: The good, the bad, the ugly, and where the hell are they

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Instead of just posting my top ten favorite apps, or only a list of apps that I like, I decided to break down the apps that I’ve tried into ones I liked, didn’t like, hated, and wondered where they were.

I’m sure there are apps in each of these categories that you’ve tried that I didn’t make it to yet, but this is a good place to start for me.

Good

WSJ: The Wall Street Journal’s iPad app has caused some controversy since it’s release, mostly for its pricing model. Subscriptions to the iPad version cost more than for the online version, but still it’s the best news app I’ve used so far. Navigation of the newspaper is very intuitive — swipe up and down for the sections, and side to side for the stories.

Real Racing HD: I’m not much of a gamer, but I absolutely love racing games. This one is incredible. It has a lot of features, like automatic breaking and acceleration that gives a chance to get used to the game before taking on all of the controls yourself.

iWork: These were the first three apps I bought for my iPad (Pages, Keynote and Numbers). For me, the ability to get things done on the iPad is what makes it an invaluable tool and not just a plaything. I can write stories and do real work on the iPad, thanks to iWork.

Scrabble: My family is addicted to Scrabble on the iPad. Nine times out of 10, when I can’t find my iPad it’s because someone in my family is playing scrabble (or they are playing together).

NewsRack: No big surprise that I’m a news hound. NewsRack has a great interface and it syncs with Google Reader, giving it all the features I need to keep up-to-date with my favorite sites while using the iPad.

TabToolkit: This is a must-have app for guitarist. You can go to any site and download Guitar Pro, Power Tab, PDF and text guitar tabs from within the app. You can then play the tab and watch the notes or tab being played. It even has a fretboard on the bottom of the screen showing you which notes are being played.

VNC Lite: I have a number of computers in my house, so being able to connect to them on the iPad, like I do on my computer is important for me. This does everything I need, quickly and easily.

Twitterrific: I use Twitterrific on my iPhone, so I was glad to see the familiar interface on the iPad too. I do wish I could do things like Reply All, but I’m satisfied with the app so far. It’s one of the first ones I looked for when I got my iPad.

GoodReader: One of the things I wanted to do with my iPad is connect to sites like MobileMe and Google Docs, so I had access to my files. GoodReader gives me access to those and many other services, so I’m never without access. I can also open my docs in Pages, Numbers and Keynote on the iPad, which is one of the best features.

Memeo Connect: I had a chance to see this before it was released and loved it. The interface is great to use and very simple. With an update this week, you can use iWork on the iPad to open files on your iPad directly from Google Docs. This is a must-have app.

Bad

USA Today: I was looking forward to using the USA Today apps, but it just doesn’t cut it. It’s basically a one-page app that doesn’t allow you to change sections to see technology news or another section that you might be interested in.

AP News: The AP app is beautiful, but it seems like they spent more time making it look good and not enough time making it work good. I get a great sense of space and design, but not a great sense of news.

WordPress: I love WordPress. This site is run on WordPress, but I was so disappointed when I downloaded this app. WordPress for iPad doesn’t support copy and paste, so I can’t write a story in Pages and then bring it to the app to post. That’s just silly. There are also other basic features missing that would make the app useable.

Ugly

Facebook Ultimate [I'd link to the app, but it's gone]: Wow, this is the worst app I have ever seen. I installed it, tried to use it and got so frustrated, I deleted it. There is absolutely nothing about this app that makes sense, nothing! It should never have been made.

Where the hell are they?

Facebook: It’s not like the iPad launch date was a big surprise, so where is the Facebook app for the iPad? I love Facebook and never even considered that there wouldn’t be an app on day-one.

Tweetie: I know that Twitter just bought Tweetie and negotiations were ongoing during the iPad launch, but still, there should have been a Tweetie app for iPad on day one.


  • http://twitter.com/chartier @chartier

    For what it's worth, Facebook Ultimate wasn't made by Facebook. It was some third-party dev who was probably a significant catalyst for Facebook's recent crackdown on developers using "Facebook" in their iPhone and other mobile app names.

    Facebook's iPhone app has slowed down ever since its last developer went on that rampage about Apple's approval process. Irony, thy name is a Facebook employee—of all people—complaining about walled gardens.

    • http://intensedebate.com/people/jdalrymple Jim Dalrymple

      Yeah, that's why I included Facebook in the last category.

  • http://twitter.com/kdarty @kdarty

    You need to try the USA Today App again. At first I thought it just had a hand-full of articles and wasn't going to let me look at other sections of the paper and then I found the secret. Click on the little square at the top left that has the USA Today Logo in it. You can use that to switch between sections or once you have swiped through all the articles in one section it will automatically switch to the next section.

    As for Facebook, the web site works pretty well on the iPad but the reason why you haven't seen an official App for iPad yet is because the Developer that created the iPhone version and was supposed to do the iPad version quit (or at least moved to a different project). He did this in protest to the new Developer Agreement Apple is making all developers sign stating that they will only use Objective-C or C++ to build iPhone OS Applications.

    This new rule has caused a major uproar amongst developers and while it is obvious that people using third party development tools to build iPhone OS Applications would be upset, people that are actually designing in Objective-C (such as Facebook) are fuming mad as well.

    The Facebook App is supposedly in Development with another programmer and should come to the iPad eventually.

    • http://intensedebate.com/people/jdalrymple Jim Dalrymple

      I tapped the logo, but not all of the categories are there. Seems odd that a tech app doesn't give you a tech section.

      You are right, Facebook looks pretty good in Safari, but you can't send email messages to your Facebook contacts using Safari. I really like what Facebook did with the iPhone app and look forward to see the iPad app.

    • Grover

      Joe Hewitt didn't just quit and it wasn't over Section 3.3.1. His protest of Apple policies started back in November, long before this most recent round of controversial developer policy changes. They've had plenty of time to get someone else in on the project, so that excuse isn't going to cut it anymore.

      Sure wish I had a job where I could tell my boss "Nope, not working this project anymore." for ideological reasons.

  • http://intensedebate.com/people/zwei zwei

    Few of the apps I really like.

    1. NetNewsWire (RSS reader) – bit pricey for the current feature set, but the core is solid and I expect more features to be rolled in shortly.
    2. Instapaper – Outstanding! Can't wait to see the next update.
    3. Strategery – I've played this game more than any other on my iPad. The graphics are clean and the game itself is a blast. (lots of ways to tweak the gameplay) …look me up if you have the game and want to play online (zweiosx)
    4. 1Password
    5. Netflix!

  • Lucien W. Dupont

    It’s not particularly obvious in the USA Today app, but if you tap on the USA Today logo, you can switch sections.

  • ruff

    why do you need a facebook app when you have Safari? I deleted the old facebook app and do not need a new one since the web is better.

    • http://intensedebate.com/people/jdalrymple Jim Dalrymple

      Things like I mentioned above. Sending inbox messages and the fact, I just like the Facebook app.

  • http://www.facebook.com/pwalessi Patrick Alessi

    With regard to where the apps are, I can give a little insight. My iPad App "Motivational Quotes HD" was approved and set to Ready For Sale on 4/13, however, it still does not appear in the App store on the iPad as of last night. In fact, if you sort the business category by date, the most recent app realease date is April 6th. I have submitted a trouble ticket to Apple with no response.

    Perhaps Apple is having issues with the store, or problems in the approval process pipeline.

    • http://intensedebate.com/people/jdalrymple Jim Dalrymple

      Good to know Patrick, thanks.

  • http://joostschuur.com Joost Schuur

    @kdarty: Joe Hewitt had already stopped working on the iPhone app months earlier, long before the new SDK EULA regarding acceptable development tools was released. If I recall correctly, his issue was the general Apple stance surrounding the exclusive App Store model and not allowing unapproved apps.

    I could have sworn I read something specific about this by him, but I can’t find it on his blog now.

    • http://joostschuur.com Joost Schuur

      I found the post I was thinking off in my earlier reply below. It was a communication with TechCrunch and not a post on his blog, and the decision dates back to as early as November last year:
      http://techcrunch.com/2009/11/11/joe-hewitt-devel…