The iPad is one hell of a universal computer. It can do almost anything a desktop can, while being much smaller than a netbook, easier to handle and use and much more portable, thanks to the slim design, 9.7 inch screen with a great resolution, and a battery (or more precisely, 2 batteries!) that keeps it going for more than 7 hours of continuous use.
The iPad is definitely suitable for business and day to day use, and the iOS has been improved a lot to facilitate that (the latest addition of multitasking and support for new enterprise technologies shows that Apple actually does care), but when you first take an iPad into your hands, one of the first thoughts is undoubtedly, “This should be great for entertainment!”. Indeed, watching movies on your bed, listening to music and surfing the Web – everything can easily be done with this device. You just need to have the right apps!
With that in mind, here are some of the best iPad apps for entertainment, to get you started:
Yahoo Entertainment. This is a free app from Yahoo!, which helps you get a lot of information about various TV shows, movies and series that are currently airing on the TV. You can use their interactive Program Guide to play whatever show you want, watch videos and movies for free courtesy of Yahoo! And read the latest news in all categories.
Netflix. Netflix has released their app for the iPad and iPhone, and it’s a great way to find the latest and upcoming movies, theater show times, buy tickets, and best of all, stream movies and TV shows directly onto your iPad using a Wifi or even 3G connection. You’ll need to have an account, but it’s so cheap these days it won’t really be a problem.
ABC Player. ABC, one of the largest cable and TV companies in the US has also seen the light and released their own mobile apps, along with a streaming service specifically for them. Thanks to that, you can now stream their channel directly to your iPad through their app, which is great news if you love their shows and movies. Sadly, commercials are also present, but you can always switch to the Web browser when they show up, courtesy of the multitasking feature on the latest version of iOS (to which you should really upgrade).
Marvel Comics. Marvel makes some of the best comics in the world, and their official app for the iPad is amazing. The iPad was practically made for it! The high resolution screen can display full pages, the colors are great and you can finally forget about getting paper editions of the comics you like – you can stream them all directly to your iPad.
Ocean Blue. Ocean Blue is a very interesting and relaxing app. It is basically an ocean exploration app that puts your swimming together with the fish (not literally, though). The graphics and animations are so good, you’ll forget about anything else and enjoy the experience. You’ll also learn a lot of new things about sea life along the way :-).
The iPad was practically made for mobile entertainment, and you should definitely take advantage of all the features it gives you. If you want to relax once in a while with some great videos or comics, the iPad can be the perfect device to choose for that. Download the above apps and check them out when you get the time!
