50
2011 BUYERS’ GUIDE
100 esseNTiAL APPs
Books + Education
iBooks (Universal iPad/iPhone)
Originally content to be just a nicer-looking iPad
eBook reader and buying experience than Amazon’s
Kindle, Apple’s iBooks has become even better over
time, adding iPhone and iPod touch support, the
ability to read PDFs - including
our Books and Buyers’ Guides -
and of course, much more
content in its built-in iBookstore.
With an integrated brightness
control for reading in dierent
lighting conditions, and faster
page-turning than before, this is
now a must-grab. FREE
Distant Suns 3
Learn about planets
and stars using any iOS
device, with compass
support to align the star
chart with the night sky.
Hands-on and cool.
$10
Flipboard
Customize this magazine-
like app with content
you want from major
web sites, Facebook, and
Twitter; makes text feeds
visually interesting.
FREE
Marvel Comics
Dig into Marvel’s amazing
collection of superhero
comics, some free, most
sold for $2-$4 each. Zoom
in on anything, swipe to
change pages.
FREE
Inkling
A next-generation
textbook replacement
with a bookstore that
sells by the chapter. Every
publisher and school
should use this.
FREE
Papers
Academic research
literature is at your
ngertips with this now
universal app, critical for
science students and
some professionals.
$15
Reeder
A deliberately spartan
but highly ecient UI
makes RSS reading via
Google Reader a joy.
Separate iPad and iPhone
apps, sadly.
$3/$5
The Elements
Incredible next-gen iPad
book renders the periodic
table with spinning 3-D
objects; you’ll learn while
feeling like you’re living in
the future.
$14
Solar Walk
Beautiful time-coded 3-D
renditions of planets in
our solar system come
to life on the large iPad
screen, though iPhone is
also supported.
$35
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