10 Essential Apple iPad Productivity Apps for IT Pros

By Nicholas Kolakowski on 2010-05-09 The Apple iPad has sold more than 1 million units since its April 3 release, and while many consumers are using the device for multimedia consumption, business users are starting to experiment with how the tablet PC can work for them. A scan of the most popular productivity apps for the iPad, in its first four weeks of release, shows that many of those work-oriented users are using their device for file sharing, note taking, word processing and number crunching, and access to the cloud. The iPad may not serve as a desktop or laptop replacement quite yet, but the following 10 apps show the tablet has more use than simply being able to play "Iron Man."

Name: Dropbox
Price: Free
This app allows users to share files via e-mail, text message, or by copy and pasting links; files can also be exported to other iPad apps, or downloaded for offline viewing. It does require a Dropbox account

Name: Simplenote
Price: Free
This app allows you to create and edit text notes, as well as add links and build extras via a developer API. Users can also categorize and search through their notes.

Name: PaperDesk Lite for iPad
Price: Free

A "notebook replacement" app for iPad that lets users write on virtual paper (in multiple colors), e-mail a page in .PDF format, record audio while taking notes, bookmark pages to navigate, and draw. It also features spell-check.

Name: SkyGrid
Price: Free
SkyGrid uses a proprietary algorithm to determine the fastest-spreading topics and trends on the Internet, subdivided by category (Sci & Tech, etc.). Other features include the ability to create custom streams, receive live streaming updates and alert notifications

Name: Evernote
Price: Free
Evernote facilitates the creation of text, photo and audio notes, and the auto-syncing of those notes with a Mac or PC. All notes include geo-location information for mapping and search.

Name: SugarSync
Price: Free
Access to cloud-based files, photos and music from a device, paired with the ability to share those files with other users. For music-philes, a key feature is the ability to stream a music library from any computer.

Name: LogMeIn Ignition
Price: $29.99
The iPad version of this app boasts one-click remote access to your other computers. This app requires a LogMeIn account.

Name: Digits Calculator for iPad
Price: $0.99
This app aims to be a calculator on steroids: Features include the ability to hold calculations in place after you leave the app, scroll back through mistakes, keep running totals, flag important digits, and personalize background colors.

Name: GoodReader for iPad
Price: $0.99
An e-document reader, this app supports .doc, .txt, .ppt, .xls and PDF formats, with the ability to display iWork '08/'09, HTML and Safari Webarchives, and high-resolution images. The app fits the text for full-screen reading, with navigational controls for quick browsing.

Name: Pages
Price: $9.99
Still the most popular paid-productivity app for iPad, this modified word processor gives the user 16 predesigned templates for cards, fliers, etc. Documents can be imported from Pages '09 or Microsoft Word, and then exported to either of those two programs or PDF.

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