Recommended

Apple users always seem to focus on the best game apps for iPad, without realizing the scope of iPad apps for personal productivity. Whether you’re already an iPad user, or thinking about joining the party, you’ve probably at least considered some of the cool iPad apps and the many innovative ways these technological wonders can make your life and the tasks you perform a little easier and a lot more fun.

Most video game aficionados are aware that Apple is responsible for some of the best iPad game apps. Many Apple users have also heard of at least some amazing iPad apps and the cool features they provide. But many of us have yet to realize how some of the best productivity iPad apps can completely organize our lives.

So, where to begin? What are the best iPad apps currently out there? Here’s a recommended list of the five coolest iPad apps. Most of these awesome iPad apps are worth far more than what the companies charge to have them.

Noted Plus

If you’re wondering what apps come with the iPad that are convenient and practical, this is one to consider. One of the most useful iPad apps is Notes Plus, which doesn’t just take notes, but does so in whatever form or style that best suits your needs. Whether it’s typing, by hand or audio recording, this program even allows the user to switch from one style to another in the same note-taking session.

What makes this one of Apple’s favorite iPad apps is that it offers the option of using either the stylus or the keyboard, and the program will convert it into the font of their choice. Among the various features, it offers the ability to italicize certain words or sentences, erase text, rearrange text, structure as you need and then instantly email it to the world once you’re done.

Short Shots

Ever since the advent of mobile devices and smartphones, digital photography has never been easier and more utilized. But anyone who has dealt with digital image files knows that they can quickly accumulate into the hundreds, if not thousands. Sort Shots is one of those recommended iPad apps that provides a wide array of features and tools to help organize all those files. It offers the ability to tag or rate the selected photo files with keywords, individually or in groups all at once.

Sort Shots is one of those fun iPad apps that is compatible with most photo management software and can import back and fourth between programs. The app also allows the user to export their work to Facebook, Twitter, Flickr or Picasa using customized designs and features, such as creating it as a slideshow with music from your tablet’s library.

iXpenselt

There’s nothing more of a pain than managing a budget or organizing expenses. iXpenselt is one of those essential iPad apps for those who are tight budget keepers, which allows the user the ability to easily track their expenditures according to either type or by date. It provides the capability of recording mileage, compiles receipts via a photo-taking feature and generates business expense reports for easier tax keeping or reimbursement from you employer.

The dashboard is the feature that makes this one of the great iPad apps when it comes to organization, which allows the user an assortment of ways to manage different budgets, be it personal or work related. It organizes and manages your expenses by category, payment type or vendor. All data can be compared with the click of a button and then viewed either with the app itself or exported to PDF.

ShoppingList

Who hasn’t made a grocery list? And how many times have you made one and lost it or left it at home on the kitchen counter? ShoppingList is definitely on the must-have top 100 iPad apps list, which offers the ability to create a shopping list and then email it in order to either send it to someone else doing the shopping for you or to store it on the Internet for later use, or in case you have to access it using another mobile device.

What makes this one of the good iPad apps, is it can sort all the items according to category — dairy, fruits and veggies, frozen foods, etc. — which saves time and stress combing the aisles multiple times, searching for each item. It also adds and calculates prices, and products can be entered by either typing or scanning their barcodes.

SugarSync and Dropbox

Are your photo and music files accumulating at a such a pace that you’re running out of storage space? SugarSync and Dropbox are two of the hottest iPad apps out there. What makes these two hot iPad apps so popular is that they utilize cloud storage technology that allows the user to upload digital files from their iPad to the Internet for storage or later access using a different mobile device, smartphone or computer.

These two killer iPad apps offer slightly different features, depending on your preference. SugarSync offers better sharing capabilities, while Dropbox provides better and tighter security. Both offer the latest in cloud computing technology and the ability to access personal data from anywhere at anytime.