Touch Sensitive

Evernote (free), which creates text, audio, and photo notes, is my backup brain. I use it to keep track of everything -- website passwords, movies I want to see, serial numbers -- and it syncs with my iPhone and computer so I can access it anywhere. FastEver XL ($3.99) is a separate app made to enhance Evernote; it lets me get a note into Evernote as quick as you can possibly imagine.

Instapaper ($4.99) is like a personal newspaper on demand. I can dump anything into it, from my mother's long e-mails to URLs for Web stories I don't have time to read immediately, and I can view those documents in the nice newspaper-like interface when I have the time--no Internet or Wi-Fi needed.

Plants vs. Zombies ($2.99) has been around for a couple years but I still find myself coming back to the game all the time. It has tons of levels, and you need to use your brain to choose the right plants to defeat the zombies.

The Elements ($13.99) is the most expensive app you'll ever see, but it's the best way to view the elements of the periodic table (and in 3D!) and the coolest way to show off your iPad.

The Advocate's iPad editions are available for purchase through the Zinio (free) app and offer enriched video and slide show features for $14.95 for an annual subscription ($27 for two years) or $5.99 per issue (99 cents for issues older than one year).

Cold Hands, Hot Idea
When CoolHunting.com founder Josh Rubin found himself spending the winter of 2007 struggling to answer his new iPhone with his nose so he wouldn't have to remove his gloves, inspiration struck: Gloves with removable fingertips. In 2008, Rubin and his glove manufacturer father launched Freehands (FreeHands.com), a collection of gloves with flaps that peel back for the thumb and index fingers. "The screen of the iPhone relies on the static electricity on the surface of the skin, so if you have a glove on, it just doesn't work," Rubin says; and it's true of the iPad too. Starting at $16, the line now includes knits, ski-friendly styles, and two tight-fit liner gloves that work without having to remove the fingertips.