Best for On-the-Go Designers

Adobe Illustrator on the iPad

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Adobe Photoshop Mix (for iPad)

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Apple iMovie (for iPad)

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Apple iWork for iPad

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Crackle (for iPad)

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Best for All the Anime You Could Want

Crunchyroll

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Dropbox for iPad

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Flipboard

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Google Earth (for iPad)

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Google Translate (for iPad)

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Best for On-Demand and Live TV Streaming

Hulu

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Instapaper (for iPad)

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Microsoft PowerPoint (for iPad)

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Microsoft Word (for iPad)

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Best for Budgeting and Alerts

Mint.com

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NASA App (for iPad)

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Best for Original Programming

Netflix

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Note Taker HD (for iPad)

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Best for Subscription-free Painting, Sketching, and Drawing

Procreate (for iPad)

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Reuters News (for iPad)

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Save2PDF

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Spotify

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Best for Audio Quality

Tidal

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TuneIn Radio Pro (for iPad)

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WWE (for iPad)

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YouTube (for iPad)

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Best for On-the-Go Designers

Adobe Illustrator on the iPad

4.0 Excellent

Pros & Cons

- Full-featured, intuitive, powerful, and fun
- Included with Creative Cloud subscription
- Integrates with other Adobe apps and CC Libraries
- Does not support plug-ins
- Some features still on the roadmap

Bottom Line:

Illustrator on the iPad is another star in Adobe’s growing constellation of tablet-only and reimagined desktop-to-iPad apps.

Specs & Configurations

Edits Vector Graphics
Pricing Model	Subscription
Pro-Level Typography
Touch Interface Support

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Adobe Photoshop Mix (for iPad)

4.0 Excellent

Pros & Cons

- Includes content-aware fill, camera-shake reduction, and perspective correction
- Can apply filters to selected areas of a photo
- Clear, simple interface
- Nondestructive edits
- Requires a Creative Cloud subscription for integration with desktop Photoshop
- No undo for some procedures
- Can't reorder layers

Bottom Line:

Some very powerful Photoshop effects come to the iPad, with Adobe's free, easy-to-use Mix app.

Specs & Configurations

Product Category	iPad Apps
Product Category	Photo Editing
Product Price Type	Direct

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Apple iMovie (for iPad)

3.5 Good

Pros & Cons
- - Cool trailer creation.
  - Sharing to popular Web video sites.
  - Good use of multitouch.
  - Responsive performance.
  - 1,080p output.
- - Some operations not so intuitive.
  - Can't share to desktop iMovie through iCloud.
  - Limited text formatting.
  - No picture-in-picture capability.
Bottom Line:
Bottom Line:
As video editing apps for the iPad go, Apple's own iMovie is hard to beat, but it’s wanting in some advanced features and usability.

Specs & Configurations

Tech Support: Online community and FAQ.

Type: Personal

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Apple iWork for iPad

4.5 Outstanding

Pros & Cons

- Almost full-scale application suite.
- Ideal for building presentations.
- More than enough power and ease for working with basic documents and worksheets.
- AirPlay Mirroring.
- Now counts pages, characters, and paragraphs.
- iCloud compatibility.
- Some advanced features missing in word processor and spreadsheet.
- Relatively expensive compared to other iPad office suites.
- AirPlay Mirroring is only compatible with the iPad 2 and iPhone 4S.

Bottom Line:

iWork for iPad is a must-have app for getting work done on Apple's slate.

Specs & Configurations

Type:	Business
Type:	Personal
Type:	Professional

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Crackle (for iPad)

3.5 Good

Pros & Cons
- - Plenty of recognizable movies.
  - Smooth playback.
- - Very few currently running TV shows.
  - Lacks full seasons.
  - Only a single sponsor, which resulted in the same ad being repeatedly played.
Bottom Line:
Bottom Line:
Crackle for iPad brings a wide variety of movies and TV shows to Apple's tablet, but the television programming is a bit lacking.

Specs & Configurations

Type: Personal

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Best for All the Anime You Could Want

Crunchyroll

4.0 Excellent

Pros & Cons

- Expansive anime library
- All tiers support 1080p streaming
- Many simulcast shows
- Some original series
- Manga and apparel store
- Offline downloads
- Some interface clutter
- No free tier
- Few subtitle options

Bottom Line:

Featuring a huge library with simulcast support, a manga reader, and an online store, Crunchyroll is the one-stop shop for casual and hard-core anime fans.

Specs & Configurations

Ads
Anime
Concurrent Streams	6
Offline Downloads on Mobile
On-Demand Movies and TV Shows
Original Programming
Starting Price	$9.99 per month
Web Store

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Dropbox for iPad

4.0 Excellent

Pros & Cons

- No-brainer file synchronization.
- Offline mode.
- Free.
- Improvements let you save to sub-folders and upload multiple files at once.
- Can't move files between folders.
- Lacks new file notifications.

Bottom Line:

Simple to use and extremely useful, this file synchronization app will keep all of your files in step. You can't move files between folders, but it's still a very capable app.

Specs & Configurations

Product Category	iPad Apps
Product Category	Software
Product Price Type	Direct

Learn More Dropbox for iPad Review

Flipboard

4.5 Outstanding

Pros & Cons

- Aggregates news, images, video, social networking updates, and shared links.
- Attractive, print-like page layouts.
- Content partnerships with major publishers.
- Strong social networking features.
- Fast page-swiping.
- Still lacks the ability to save articles for offline reading.

Bottom Line:

The latest Flipboard update makes an already excellent iPad news-reading app even better.

Specs & Configurations

Product Category	iPad Apps
Product Category	Software
Product Price Type	Direct

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Google Earth (for iPad)

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Google Translate (for iPad)

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Best for On-Demand and Live TV Streaming

Hulu

4.0 Excellent

Pros & Cons

- Excellent TV series selection
- Extensive live TV channel lineup
- Robust unlimited cloud DVR option
- Available on nearly every media streaming device
- Appealing bundle deals
- Base plan includes ads
- Offline downloads require a premium account
- Missing all Bally Sports and most SportsNet RSNs

Bottom Line:

Hulu is an excellent video streaming service that combines live TV, on-demand content, and plenty of entertaining originals for a true all-in-one entertainment platform.

Specs & Configurations

Ads
Anime
Concurrent Streams	2 or Unlimited (at home) and 3 (mobile devices)
DVR Storage & Retention	Unlimited; 9 Months
Live TV
MLB Playoffs Coverage	FOX, FS1, and TBS
Monday Night Football	ESPN
NBA Finals	ABC
Offline Downloads on Mobile
On-Demand Movies and TV Shows
Original Programming
Regular Season National NBA Coverage	ABC, ESPN, and TNT
Regular Season National NHL Coverage	ABC, ESPN, TBS, and TNT
RSN Coverage	NBC Sports
Sports Coverage	International*, National, & Regional
Starting Price	$11.99 per month; $88.99 per month
Sunday Football	CBS and FOX; NFL RedZone (via Add-On)
Sunday Night Football	NBC
Thursday Night Football	FOX and NFL Network
World Series Coverage	FOX

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Instapaper (for iPad)

Bottom Line:
Bottom Line:

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Microsoft PowerPoint (for iPad)

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Bottom Line:

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Microsoft Word (for iPad)

4.5 Outstanding

Pros & Cons

- The most powerful word processor on the iOS platform.
- Makes good use of Apple's Smart Keyboard and large iPad Pro Screen.
- Even on an iPad Pro, you can't edit two documents at once.
- Keyboard shortcuts are inconsistent with those of OS X.
- No access to Apple's iCloud Drive.

Bottom Line:

Word for iPad is the best tablet-based word processor. On the iPad Pro, with Apple's Smart Keyboard, it's the next best thing to full-scale word processing on a laptop. Still, advanced users will chafe at its limitations.

Specs & Configurations

Product Category	iPad Apps
Product Category	Mobile Apps
Product Category	Office Suites
Product Category	Productivity
Product Category	Small Business (SMB)
Product Price Type	List

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Credit: Intuit

Best for Budgeting and Alerts

Mint.com

4.0 Excellent

Pros & Cons

- Generous free version
- Great blend of features
- Good transaction tracking, trend graphs, and budgeting tools
- Includes credit score
- Occasional bank connection problems
- App organization could be improved
- Some features behind paywall
- Very basic investment tracking

Bottom Line:

Mint helps you manage nearly every element of personal finance, from income and spending to your credit score, mostly for free. It excels at helping you budget but isn't as strong at tracking your investments or credit history.

Specs & Configurations

Android App
Free Credit Report/Score
Free Version
Income/Expense Tracking
iOS App
Web Interface

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NASA App (for iPad)

Bottom Line:
Bottom Line:

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Best for Original Programming

Netflix

4.5 Outstanding

Pros & Cons

- High-quality original programming
- A greater live sports push
- Excellent apps and features
- Offline downloads on mobile
- Cool mobile games
- The ad-based tier doesn't include the full library
- Growing increasingly expensive

Bottom Line:

While pricey, Netflix remains one of the best video streaming services, thanks to its huge catalog of TV shows, movies, and critically acclaimed originals.

Specs & Configurations

4K Streaming	Requires Premium Plan
Ads
Anime
Audio Descriptions
Concurrent Streams	2 or 4
Offline Downloads on Mobile
On-Demand Movies and TV Shows
Original Programming
Parental Control Tools	Profile-based or Kids Mode
Rentals and Purchases	DVD.com (Separate Plan)
Sports Coverage	None
Starting Price	$8.99 per month
Supported Platforms	Media Streaming Devices (Apple TV, Chromecast, Fire TV, and Roku), Microsoft Store, Mobile (Android and iOS), Game Consoles (PlayStation and Xbox), Smart TVs, and Web
Top Original Movies	Beasts of No Nation, El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie, Extraction, I Care A Lot, Roma, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, The Irishman, The Trial of the Chicago 7, and The Two Popes
Top Original Shows	Black Mirror, Bojack Horseman, Dead to Me, Locke and Key, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Never Have I Ever, Orange Is the New Black, Ozark, Russian Doll, Stranger Things, The Crown, The Queen's Gambit, The Stranger, The Umbrella Academy, and The Witcher

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Note Taker HD (for iPad)

Bottom Line:
Bottom Line:

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Credit: Savage Interactive

Best for Subscription-free Painting, Sketching, and Drawing

Procreate (for iPad)

4.5 Outstanding

Pros & Cons

- Affordable
- No subscription needed
- Bursting with features
- Minuscule learning curve to get started
- Adjustment FX and Finishing Filters
- Only works on iPads (and iPhones)
- No tear-off windows
- No cloud storage

Bottom Line:

Procreate is a premium quality, low-cost iPad app for artists of every kind. Anyone can use it to create 2D artwork, paint on 3D models, animate, and more.

Specs & Configurations

Edits Raster Graphics
Pricing Model	One-Time Purchase
Pro-Level Typography
Touch Interface Support

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Reuters News (for iPad)

Bottom Line:
Bottom Line:

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Save2PDF

4.0 Excellent

Pros & Cons

- Quick and easy mobile PDF creation.
- Compatible with many file types.
- Document editing.
- Wireless printing.
- Ability to zip files.
- Somewhat complicated wireless printing setup.
- Switches from full screen to normal view too easily.
- Can't click links when a Web page is saved as a PDF.

Bottom Line:

This feature-rich PDF creation app will appeal to mobile professionals who want to edit documents and create PDFs while on the go.

Specs & Configurations

Type:	Business
Type:	Enterprise
Type:	Personal
Type:	Professional

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Spotify

4.5 Outstanding

Pros & Cons

- Terrific audio quality
- Cool AI-powered DJ
- Collaborative playlists and Group Session options
- Optional desktop app lets you play locally stored audio files
- Premium accounts let you hear select albums before they're released
- Student plan includes ad-supported Hulu
- Free version
- Slightly pricier than many competing services
- Only a premium subscriber can start a Jam session

Bottom Line:

Spotify leads the streaming music pack with its vast music catalog, countless podcasts, early album access, collaborative playlists, and richer audio quality than ever.

Specs & Configurations

Free Version Available
Non-Music Content
Song Lyrics

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Credit: Tidal

Best for Audio Quality

Tidal

4.5 Outstanding

Pros & Cons
- - Excellent sound quality
  - Long-form editorial pieces
  - Music-focused podcasts
  - Exclusive backstage content, live streams, and concerts
  - Lyrics
- - Lacks a free listening tier
  - DJ Extension is pricey
Bottom Line:
Bottom Line:
Tidal stands out as one of the best and most unique streaming music services thanks to its large catalog, excellent curated content, and audiophile-friendly sound formats.

Specs & Configurations

Hi-Res Audio

Non-Music Content

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TuneIn Radio Pro (for iPad)

4.0 Excellent

Pros & Cons

- More than 100,000 broadcast radio stations, 4 million podcasts, and 40,000 audiobooks.
- Ability to rewind and record live radio.
- Displays recently started broadcasts.
- New design isn't quite as intuitive as the old design.
- Some blocked content.

Bottom Line:

TuneIn Radio Pro's latest update adds live Major League Baseball broadcasts and audiobooks via a new Premium service. The subscription plan is yet another service to sign up for, but some of its features are quite appealing.

Specs & Configurations

Product Category	iPad Apps
Product Category	Software
Product Price Type	Direct

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WWE (for iPad)

4.0 Excellent

Pros & Cons

- Huge catalog of videos spanning decades.
- Slick, responsive app.
- Pay-per-views included in monthly fee.
- Packed with fan-friendly features.
- Wrestling.

Bottom Line:

The WWE iPad app does right by fans of beefy human cartoon characters pretending to beat each other up.

Specs & Configurations

Product Category	iPad Apps
Product Category	Software
Product Price Type	Direct

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YouTube (for iPad)

4.0 Excellent

Pros & Cons
- - Easy navigation.
  - Smooth video streaming.
- - Some videos aren't accessible via the mobile app.
  - Can't select a video's resolution.
Bottom Line:
Bottom Line:
YouTube returns to the Apple iPad with an app that closely replicates the online YouTube experience.

Specs & Configurations

Free: Yes

Type: Personal

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