Chewy Apps

Many platforms only start to become really popular and gain traction when it gets a killer app. An app that is so compelling, it is worth investing in the platform just in order to be able to use that app. A killer app can also be an app that takes an existing platform to a whole new level, like what Grand Theft Auto did for the PlayStation 2. A boatload of PS2′s were sold just to play GTA.

I’ve been playing around with the iPad for a couple days now, and I really miss my apps. There is no Read It Later, no Reeder, and no Tweetie. So I still found myself pulling out my iPhone for many things, while the iPad was more of a novelty to play with every once in a while.

Not anymore! I think I found my iPad killer app. YouTube! Disappointed, aren’t you? You thought I was going to reveal some hidden gem that nobody knew about, right? Well, just hear me out.

Watching YouTube on my iPhone is alright, but everything is SO SMALL. Watching YouTube on my computer is great, but then I had to lug out my computer just to watch a small little video. Using a laptop to watch a video is alright, but you can’t curl up with a laptop.

The iPad, on the other hand, lets me curl up in a stuffy chair or lounge on my leather couch. I call up my subscriptions and check out any new videos that come up, and the videos look big because I’m holding the screen right there in my hands. Plenty big! It’s just a pleasant experience, and I’ve found my new YouTube watching methodology.

If you have an iPad, and haven’t used YouTube much, check it out. If you don’t have an iPad, well that’s too bad.

Killer App Two?

The iPad is also becoming my blogging tool of choice. It’s just handy for that. I started typing this article on the virtual keyboard, but partway through I grabbed the physical keyboard and sat down at the kitchen table with it. Now I’m typing happily away. Too bad there’s no lap solution for typing on a physical keyboard. I tried it with this dock thing, but the iPad kept losing the connection with the dock because of my shifting around.

The WordPress iPad app is decent, though not the most intuitive thing I’ve used. (Figuring out how to publish a post you’ve written is not an easy task.) I’ll continue to use it to post articles. Good stuff.