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Sid Meier’s classic Civilization strategy series got a facelift a few years ago when it moved over to consoles and handheld game systems as Civilization Revolution. CivRev played well on the Nintendo DS and iPhone, but its screen got too small for comfort. The iPad’s expansive room for larger maps is a good fit for this turn-based, complex experience, and it makes CivRev feel a little more like a computer game again.
Fieldrunners is the Big Daddy of tower defense games and it looks and plays just as well as it did on the iPhone–only bigger and better. Alas, it currently costs $7.99, which is a few bucks too much in our opinion, especially if you already own it on the iPhone. But it’s just too good not to have on the list.
Flight Control was another one of those titles we were tempted to leave off the list because it’s basically the same as the 99-cent iPhone version only blown up (however, it does play better on the larger screen). That caveat aside, it really defined the line-drawing game genre (you must guide planes to runaways by drawing lines on the screen) and remains incredibly addicting. If you don’t want to spend any money, you can opt for Harbor Master, but fans of Flight Control on the iPhone and iPod Touch will probably end up spending the $4.99 to see and play the game in its full glory.
If you use your iPad for work, there’s a good chance you’re interested in using Keynote, Pages or Numbers, too. The Mac Observer took the time to check out all three so you’ll know what to expect before spending your hard earned cash.
Keynote The Keynote app for the iPad is a necessary addition to the suite of apps for most users. Even if one is not often preparing formal presentations, it’s a great way to collect and manage information from the photo library — or view already created content in, say, PowerPoint (.PPT, .PPTX, .PPS, .PPSX) It doesn’t have the power of its big brother on the Mac, but it doesn’t need to. It is supremely sufficient. Full review.
Pages Apple’s iPad is a great device for watching movies and TV shows, listening to music and playing games; and thanks to apps like Pages, it works great as a content creation device, too. Pages for the iPad is a slimmed down version of Apple’s word processor and page layout application, and it works surprisingly well for on-the-go document creation and editing. Full review.
If you ask me, the iPad‘s prowess as an e-book reader lies not in pulp fiction, but in kids’ books. Think about it: the latest Grisham novel is just raw text, which any old Kindle can deliver. But children’s books are all about big, splashy pictures and wild colors–elements perfectly suited to iPad screens.
And needless to say, the iPad can do a lot more than just display static pages. It can read stories aloud; it can enrich a classic tale with touch-powered extras; and it can even render pages in 3D. Let’s take a look at five dazzling e-books for kids, starting with an eye-popping rendition of "Alice in Wonderland."
1. "Alice for the iPad" This lavishly illustrated 52-page abridgment of the classic tale incorporates animation like no other e-book to date. Readers can tilt the iPad to make Alice grow and shrink; shake it to watch the Mad Hatter’s bobblehead bobble; and so on. The frantically paced demo video (above) is a little over-the-top, but there’s no question this is a showpiece iPad app. Thankfully, there’s a free Lite version you can try before splurging on the $8.99 full version.
ABC is the only television network so far to offer an application for watching its shows free—with ads—on Apple Inc.’s new iPad tablet computer, and it says its business model is proving fruitful.
The network said that in the 10 days since the iPad’s debut, its TV-show watching app has been downloaded 205,000 times, giving the Walt Disney Co. unit a presence on nearly half the 450,000 devices that Apple says it has sold. Moreover, users have watched at least part of 650,000 television episodes using the app, generating “several million” ad impressions, according to an ABC spokesman, although the precise number is still being calculated.
Disney-ABC television President Anne Sweeney says the network is pleased with the initial results.
Advertisers on the iPad so far include Clorox, Lexus, AT&T, Heineken, Sears and Target. For now, Disney is delivering the same kind of 30-second spots seen on television. Starting in the fall, it expects to sell the kind of interactive ads featured on its Web player. Also, ABC eventually expects to give local affiliates the ability to sell ads that would be seen only by iPad users in their markets, a capability that already exists on its Web-based player.
On the heels of the popular GrooveMaker app for the iPhone / iPod touch, IK Multimedia (musicians first) has released GrooveMaker for the iPad. Perfect for that upcoming house party (DJ set) you’ve been planning. If you’re into house, hip-hop and drum ‘n bass style music (mixing loops and samples into endless differing arrangements and combinations) then GrooveMaker is definitely worth having a look at. IK Multimedia’s press release says:
GrooveMaker for the iPad offers the same smart features and streamlined workflow as the iPhone version, but also takes advantage of the new larger multi-touch surface to provide enhanced operation with an integrated, advanced controller.
Users will find a convenient mixer-like environment with large slider controls for volume, pan and master volume of the 8 controllable loop tracks, plus instant access to tempo, solo and mute functions all on the same screen.
Also, GrooveMaker for iPad adds even more control when working with loops, providing a new level of creative flexibility. Users can now switch "snapped" grooves with a single touch, plus control the number of loops that are automatically combined during a random mix. GrooveMaker iPad is the perfect addition to a DJ set, providing unlimited creative flexibility in live remixing and DJ applications.
Sid Meier’s classic Civilization strategy series got a facelift a few years ago when it moved over to consoles and handheld game systems as Civilization Revolution. CivRev played well on the Nintendo DS and iPhone, but its screen got too small for comfort. The iPad’s expansive room for larger maps is a good fit for this turn-based, complex experience, and it makes CivRev feel a little more like a computer game again.
If you use your iPad for work, there’s a good chance you’re interested in using Keynote, Pages or Numbers, too. The Mac Observer took the time to check out all three so you’ll know what to expect before spending your hard earned cash.
ABC is the only television network so far to offer an application for watching its shows free—with ads—on Apple Inc.’s new iPad tablet computer, and it says its business model is proving fruitful.
On the heels of the popular GrooveMaker app for the iPhone / iPod touch, 
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