5 beautiful 3D games for the iPad 2

The iPad 2 is finally out and it’s selling even better than its predecessor – in its debut weekend, over 1 million units were sold, with a pretty amazing total of 2.5 million units in March – if that’s not impressive, I don’t know what is.
But the owners of the new iPad quickly realized that despite it looking great with the slim design and having a ton of processing power, there wasn’t much they could do to actually use its full potential. Thankfully, most developers reacted quickly and have already updated their apps to take advantage of the new hardware. And what better way to test a computer (be it a laptop or tablet) than a few 3D games that will fully load the processor and graphics adapter?
With that in mind, here are some of the best 3D games for the iPad 2 with beautiful graphics that rival those of dedicated console games:
Prince of Persia:

Warrior Within HD. The Prince of Persia series is one of the most popular for gaming consoles and PCs, and now you can also have the full experience on the move, right on your iPad, as well! The game is great – gameplay, story, in-game physics, sound and video quality are all excellent, and you can play the 12 chapters for hours at end – it just immerses you into the ancient world of Persia, its warriors and environments.
Need for Speed Shift:

Need for Speed Shift is one of the best looking games for the iPad. It also has pretty good in-game physics for a race simulator, and the number of cars and tracks makes it very enjoyable to play. If you’re a racing games fan or have been playing the Need for Speed series for PC and consoles, this is simply a must have both on your iPad 2 and iPhone 4!
Near Orbit Vanguard Alliance (NOVA):

NOVA is an amazing game, especially when you take into consideration that First Person Shooters were not available at all on touch screen devices just a year ago. The graphics quality, story, gameplay and sound are all at a very high level – this game can easily be used as a model for any other FPS that come out, it’s just that good!
Tom Clancy’s HAWX:

If you like planes more than cars and always wanted to have a decent flight simulator on your iPad, this is the game for you! HAWX is excellent in every important area: it has great graphics, excellent simulation physics, superb controls using the accelerometer and on screen buttons to control the plane and most importantly, it features realistic 3D models of the most popular planes and gives you a wide number of missions to accomplish.
FIFA 11:

Just like Madden NFL is the best game out there for American football fans, so is FIFA (made by the same company, EA) the best soccer game for PCs, dedicated consoles and of course, the iPhone and iPad devices. The latest version has been optimized to take full advantage of the dual core power in the iPad 2, so now you have better graphics, sound and physics than before. Run simulations and see how soccer matches could’ve gone differently if players made different decisions – anywhere, anytime on your iPad 2. Obviously, all these capabilities come at a cost: FIFA 11 uses a whopping 1.24 GB on your iPad, but you should still be able to install it without problems even on the cheapest version.
There are a lot of other great games for the new iPad 2 on the marketplace, and if you’re the lucky owner of one of these devices, you should definitely head over to the iTunes store and take a look at the offers – of course, you should try the above games, as well!

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5 useful productivity and task management apps for the iPad and iPhone

The iPad and iPhone 4 are the most popular mobile devices on the market – there’s no doubt about it, and it’s actually impressive how they still hold their own against the hordes of new Android devices that outdo them in the specs department.
But the secret is simple, really: iOS 4, the operating system powering them, is very effective at using resources, and not only is it very flexible and functional, but also extremely easy to use – if you’ve tried to use an iPhone 4 and an Android or even Windows Phone 7 smartphone the first time, you’ll know what I’m talking about – iOS is so intuitive that you can start working the exact moment you get it in your hands.
While at first, the first iPhone and iPad was meant more for the consumer market, the apps revolution has made it possible to use it for business tasks as well, without any issues or problems. Business users, professionals and productive individuals alike can easily use it to manage their work, time and life, replacing the usual bunch of notebooks and computer software meant for the purpose.
So, here are just a few of the best productivity and task management apps for the iPhone and iPad devices:
Documents to Go:

If you need to view and/or edit documents on the go, you should know that it’s very easy to do it on the iPad or iPhone – all you need is the right app! Documents to Go is one of the best office apps for iOS, and you can use it to view PDF, DOC, XLS, TXT, PPT and many other file formats that are usually used everywhere. You can even open unrecognized files, if they contain text or images!
Skype:

Skype has had their application approved on the iTunes market after a pretty long waiting period, during which Apple declined it for various reasons, that’s why iPhone and iPad users started to enjoy it only recently. Of course, you must be familiar with it – it’s the best app for VoIP calls and messages – all securely encrypted and cheaper than any other landline or cellphone company offer around. I hope that Microsoft acquiring Skype will not stop them from updating and improving the iOS (and Android) versions and Apple will not remove it from the market.
Evernote:

Taking notes is one of the best ways to save ideas and thoughts when you have them for later review. Evernote is the best app for this purpose: it allows you to save text, images, photos, site bookmarks, video and audio recordings as notes and view or edit them later (with reminders and all). The best thing about it is that you get an online account that stores a copy of everything, so you never lose your information even if you lose your phone, and can easily access it from your Mac, PC or Android phone.
ReQall

ReQall is a great To Do list and task manager, which allows you to manage your daily/weekly/monthly schedule with ease and never lose a meeting or important task, thanks to the extensive reminders system. Just enter the task and description, attach any important files or bookmarks, and let ReQall take care of reminding you when things need to get done.

The iWork Suite
Although it’s only for the iPad, the iWork suite from Apple is totally worth the asking price. It is Apple’s own collection of apps for document editing, and contains Pages, Numbers and Keynote, all of which are simply amazing – you can see from the start that these apps were made by professionals. You can create documents, spreadsheets and presentations quickly and easily with these apps, and then output them to a printer, projector or simply save them wherever you want. The suite is a must have if you can afford it!
Sure enough, the iTunes market has a lot of other great apps, but if you’re new to Apple products, I recommend starting with the above apps, and then browsing the market for others if they don’t fit your needs.

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