Gray Agenda

The iPad has just been released, and a lot of people are buying it. The 3G model only just came out, yet Apple already sold millions of Wi-fi only units, which is pretty impressive for any new device.

The iPad can really revolutionize the way people use computers, and it can make the learning barrier much lower for grandparents and children who have yet to learn how to use a computer. The interface is very intuitive and easy to use and the operating system is practically unbreakable thanks to all the locks Apple put on it.

While the number of apps written specifically for the iPad is rising, there are still a lot of people who have a great iPhone app and want to install it on the iPad. As you may know, the iPad runs anything the iPhone does, so technically the apps should work. But due to design flaws, not a lot of apps have been designed to work with the iPad’s bigger screen and resolution, and so many of those iPhone apps are displayed pretty badly or are unusable on the iPad.

Below is a list of some of the best iPhone apps that work on the iPad, either because they were written well from the start or because they were ported later.

Evernote. Evernote is one of the best note taking apps for the iPhone, Mac, Windows and now the iPad. It allows you to take written notes, video and audio recordings, screen shots and bookmarks of pages you liked, files you need, etc. And all of these files and information can be synced between all devices that have Evernote installed using an online account, which also stores your data for backup and for it to be accessible anywhere, anytime.

Things. This application is one of the best in the task and project management category, and the iPhone version received a lot of positive reviews from blogs and online magazines. The iPad version is even better, but it also costs a lot (compared to something like Taska, which has almost the same features, yet is 4 times cheaper). Things looks and works great, but the price might not be worth it to some people.

Real Racing HD. Real Racing was one of the best racing games for the iPhone, and now, with the HD version, it’s back in full force for the new iPad. The graphics are simply amazing (easily the best 3D graphics on the iPad compared to any game) and the controls are great. The game sure is taking full advantage of the bigger 9.7 inch screen, and you almost feel like you’re in the driver’s seat.

Tweetdeck. This is one of the best Twitter clients for Adobe AIR and iPhone, and of course it’s been ported for the iPad. This version lets you use the full real estate of the screen and makes using Twitter a very pleasant experience. You can easily view the latest tweets, searches and post your own messages, all from the same screen.

SoundHound. This is a very cool application that helps you identify any music that is playing on the radio, TV or that you sing to it as best as you can. The recognition speed and accuracy are much better on the iPad because of the faster processor and more memory, and the error rate is very low. It’s a great utility to have if you’re really into music and just can’t remember the name if that song that goes like “Dun-Dun-Duuuun-Ta-Da-Da-Daaa…” .

Marvel Comics. Marvel’s official comics reading application is pretty good on the iPhone, but it’s severely limited by the small screen and resolution. The iPad lifts those limitations and you can truly see it soar. Reading comics on the iPad’s screen using this application is a pleasure. It’s almost like reading the real paper magazine.

Instapaper Pro. Instapaper Pro is a great utility for the iPhone and now the iPad that lets you save any web pages for later viewing offline, i.e. it saves them in your device’s memory. It’s perfect for when you’ve got 30 articles to read, yet you don’t have the time. You can easily save those pages and read them whenever you can, without even having internet access (in a store, for example).

There are other great iPhone apps that work seamlessly on the iPad, and the above are just the tip of the iceberg. Most of those apps that don’t yet work well with the iPad will soon be ported to it, because it’s an easy thing to do – the developers just have to redesign it to fit the bigger screen, in most cases anyway.

Sony’s Play Station Portable is one of the best gaming consoles available on the market, and for good reasons: it has a great display, built in Wi-fi, music and video players, and more importantly, a great selection of games.

When it was launched, the PSP wasn’t that popular due to the lack of good games for it, but the last 3 years changed that, with a lot of good titles coming out, often right after their release on the PS3 and Xbox 360. The PSP-3000, which also features better hardware and software, is the best choice to play these games, and it will fare well above the first PSP (the “fatty”), the PSP-2000 (the slim one) and PSP Go (the smallest and slimmest of them).

Let’s see some of the best games available for Sony’s PSP portable gaming consoles.

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories. Being one of the best games on PC and PS2, it was only a matter of time before it was ported to the PSP. And it’s still a great game, even on this relatively limited hardware! You can move around the city, steal cars, kill hookers , shoot and do anything else you can do on the PC. There’s also a nice plotline, but seriously, is anyone ever following those in a GTA game?

Dante’s Inferno. Being just released for the Xbox and PS3, Dante’s Inferno is also available for the PSP. It has the same story, plot, cinematic cuts and great quality as the desktop version, except you can carry it with you and play it anywhere. The game is great, judging by the reviews, and the beautiful graphics make is even better.

God of War: Chains of Olympus. This is an excellent game for the PSP, and is also available for PS2 and PS3 (God of War 3). It delivers a great adventure with lots of nice combat, and is generally a very well made game. The story is a bit similar to Dante’s Inferno (or vice versa) and other RPG’s, but still different enough to be unique.

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII. The Final Fantasy franchise is one of the most popular ones in the gaming industry, especially on Sony’s Play Stations. Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII is a PSP game that is set a few years before the events in the Final Fantasy VII itself, and is a great journey with lots of action, RPG fun and plot twists. It’s practically a must check out for any Final Fantasy fan.

Monster Hunter Freedom Unite. The first Monster Hunter Freedom was a great game for the desktop Playstation consoles, and the sequels are getting better. This game, made for the PSP also has great, improved graphics and audio and a lot more content, which will keep you entertained for days. The only bad thing is the camera view, which is very annoying, especially when fighting.

There are a lot of other titles to choose from, and you should definitely check them all out. The above games have been voted best by a lot of people on a lot of websites and offline publications, so, by definition, they must be some of the best.