iWork... But I also play

My favourite iPad apps for productivity, and also for just plain having fun.

iWork Suite
When I bought my iPad, I knew that one of it's major uses was to be schoolwork, and I knew that I would have to purchase the iWork suite, comprising of Pages, Keynote, and Numbers. As I don't work with spreadsheets that much, I chose not to buy Numbers. Pages is the Apple version of Word, as Keynote is to PowerPoint. At $9.99 each, these apps can set you back, but I can certainly say that they are worth it. The only major competitor with the iWork suite is Quickoffice, which goes for $19.99. However, I would certainly recommend Apple's creation over this. My philosophy regarding this is that because Apple makes the iWork suite, it will just be that much better than anything else. The same applies to iOS. The creators of other tablets are not hand-crafting their own Operating Systems to work specifically on their own devices, with the exception of the HP Touchpad, which didn't last that long anyways.
Pages ($9.99)

An advanced document creator, this app comes with 16 different templates, ranging from a "Modern Photo Resume" to a "Project Proposal", all of which come in very handy.The User Interface in the app is very aesthetically pleasing, with panels that are able to disappear and create a spacious working interface.
You are able to organize your documents into separate folders, creating a very neat overview of your files. the only disadvantage of Pages is that starting up can take a few seconds, which I really wouldn't expect from such a high-powered device.


Keynote ($9.99)
I much prefer Keynote to working on PowerPoint on my laptop. Apple is known for their stunning visual programmes, and Keynote is no exception. The presentations that I have put together on my iPad have been quick, easy, and most importantly, visually exceptional. I would definitely recommend this app to any iPad user who would need to create or present any form of presentation.

Games
I would have to say that my favourite game on my iPad is Temple Run (Free). So simple, yet so addictive, I have (literally) played the game 250 times, a feat that no other games on my iPad can claim.
British Olympian Tom Daley has released an app, Tom Daley Dive (free and premium).The objective of the game is to master the dives that Tom Daley already has. A fun game to pass time.
Jaws Revenge (free) is one of the more gory games on my iPad, wherein you are a deadly man-eating shark, and your objective is to kill and eat as many innocent swimmers as possible. This is a great game, free for a limited time only, which if I were you, I would get, because I'm not sure I would be willing to actually pay for it.
The Simpson's Tapped Out (free) seems to be a great game. I, however, wouldn't know, because there seems to be some error that the game tries to update upon me opening it, and then fails miserably each time. I'm not sure whether to put this down to development errors or simply South African internet speed.

It's time to tab...

The first review on my brand spanking new blog has got to be my most-used gadget, and my favourite one. One that I acquired less than a month ago, the amazing Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1.

I spent about 4 months deliberating on what tablet to buy, and when I finally decided on the Samsung Galaxy Tab, I knew I had made the right choice. The bundle I bought came with the official Samsung Bluetooth Keyboard, which is the perfect accessory for taking notes during class. (It also makes it easier to play Angry Birds Space for those moments when you've finished your work).

Chances are, if you are reading this, then you probably know the basic specs of the Galaxy Tab 10.1. If you don't, an easy way to remember is the following: everything the iPad 2 has, just a little better. Whilst some prefer the Apple brand name, my free mind and spirit much prefers the ability to customize further, on Android Honeycomb 3.2.

The camera is of sufficient-to-good quality, and I find the processor and RAM to be perfectly adequate. However, some games, especially "SushiChop" sometimes freeze or take a while to open properly. And so, that brings me to my next point. The games. As a teenager, I love to do nonconstructive activities, and playing Temple Run for half an hour is not an abnormal thing for me. I was thrilled at the level of games available, such as DrawSomething, Fruit Ninja, all the Angry Birds, and of course, the game that I am currently addicted to, SushiChop.

Whilst games are really fun, sometimes you actually have to get down and do some... social networking! For this, I use TweetDeck. Being able to tweet from all my different Twitter accounts (Follow me @lukemeiklejohn or @LMWebDesign1), as well as from my Facebook page, is just a necessity for the socialite hidden deep inside of me. But seriously, made by Twitter, TweetDeck is my favourite Twitter client, but just in case, I have both Facebook for Android and Twitter for Android installed on my Tab, both of which I use regularly.

The Internet Browser that comes pre-installed on the Galaxy Tab is quite terrible actually. For someone browsing the internet, interface is everything, and this browser's interface is just ugly. To combat this problem, I downloaded Dolphin Browser HD, which is sufficiently better, as well as offering the option of saving web pages as PDF's. I also downloaded the official TEDtalks app, with which I have downloaded quite a few interesting talks. Note - the "low quality" option is just not worth it! Dropbox is a necessity, as it makes transferring files from your PC/laptop to the Tab a breeze. I was thrilled that Instagram was made for Android just a week before I purchased the tab, and although I don't use it everyday, Instagram is just a wonderful app that I enjoy.

For the classroom, I use the pre-installed Polaris Office, which has quite a nice interface, yet at times seems a little simplistic for my advanced computer needs. I also have the Merriam Webster dictionary installed, which gives me access to their database of words both offline and online. The eBook app that came pre-installed, I just didn't like, and so replaced it with Aldiko, which I find to be a much better option.

As a teenager, I don't have the biggest budget for these types of things, and so when I am out of wireless coverage, I sometimes just plainly refuse to use 3G, because of the price of it. I don't have a data bundle, so my data is very limited! I am pretty sure that with all my various apps installed, if I were to leave my 3G data turned on, I would run dry pretty soon, and I have to admit, the button to turn it off and on isn't exactly easy to reach. Easier than trying to upgrade it to the unreleased version of Ice Cream Sandwhich, I suppose, yet harder to reach than the Wi-Fi button, which is but two taps away.

Not a day goes by when I am not tapping away at it's beautiful 10.1" screen.

Samsung FTW.