It's easy to pass by all of the myriad links that pop up on Twitter, Facebook, and elsewhere each day, but Flipboard (Free) turns those articles, blog posts, and photos into a beautiful magazine for you to read on the iPad. Simply input your social media accounts and Flipboard does the work, turning those usually-ignored posts into essential reading.

As on most other devices, Netflix (Free) offers access to a mass of films and television episodes at a moment's notice with a paid subscription, and both look expectedly excellent on the iPad's large, crisp display. And the universal app allows for video-out playback on iPad, letting you hook it up to a TV for an even larger (but still impressively clear) image.

Amazon's Kindle app deserves props for overall selection, but Apple's iBooks (Free) gets a strong nod for its recent introduction of textbooks, which really pop on the iPad screen and let students learn without lugging around huge, expensive tomes. But even regular books and novels look great on the new iPad screen with seriously crisp text.

GarageBand ($4.99) for iPad is one of those amazingly polished and robust apps that only Apple could spawn at such a meager price point, letting you play and record digital instruments, jam with pals over Bluetooth, and merge and share tracks effortlessly. Even if you're not a trained musician, it's a great app to fool around with -- or potentially learn from!

Recently launched in anticipation of the new iPad, Apple's iPhoto ($4.99) brings a powerful image-editing experience to the iPad and iPhone -- one that feels like it was designed for touch-based devices, rather than tweaked and ported from another platform. It's elegant and attractive in its initial incarnation, and sure to notably improve over time.

If you're seeking a game that looks amazing, plays well, and lasts for hours and hours, Infinity Blade II ($6.99) is up for all three tasks. It was already the most attractive game on past models, but it's since been optimized for the new iPad, plus the hack-and-slash duels unfold across a lengthy campaign in which you customize your powerful warrior.

The official Twitter app is a capable bit of software, but we've recently taken a shine to Tweetbot ($2.99), which adds a few stellar features of its own. In addition to the typical Twitter functions, the app allows for multiple timelines based on your lists, smart gestures to help you navigate the app, customizable navigation, and images featured in the timeline.

It's hard to carve out time in a busy work day to read lengthy feature articles or blog posts, but Instapaper ($4.99) offers an elegant solution: simply save such links for later and have them accessible from a central source, where you can read them without obstructions. The app delivers your intended reads in a crisp, clean atmosphere, and even suggests other articles.

Star Walk ($4.99) is one of those apps that's just an absolutely perfect fit for a tablet, and it's been expanded out considerably since its impressive debut. The app lets you view and discover more about the stars and constellations in the sky, as well as use an augmented reality stargazing mode and even track satellites floating above your head.

Following dozens of blogs and news sites is simple with Reeder ($4.99), which effortlessly syncs with your Google Reeder account to present an attractive mass of articles to read on your iPad. While it doesn't work as a standalone RSS service, it does includes the unique core features of Google Reader and presents the best such experience we've seen on iPad.

Casual film editing is a breeze with iMovie ($4.99), the iOS version of Apple's celebrated Mac suite. Designed for a multi-touch display, iMovie lets you trim and cut together trailers and films, as well as record and edit your soundtrack, utilize pre-made themes, and add photos and sound effects to the mix. Shoot, edit, and publish -- all from your iPad.

Need a showcase game for any iPad model? Don't miss Real Racing 2 HD ($6.99), a startlingly polished simulation-style racer that includes numerous tracks and vehicles, plus the ability to play solo or split-screen matches on a TV via AirPlay. It's one of the most impressive-looking games on any iPad, though the visuals are even sharper on the newest model.

Like the idea of Netflix, but want more recent (and past) TV shows to watch? The Hulu Plus (Free) app offers iPad access to the $7.99/month service, which offers up thousands of episodes of both current and past television series -- plus a small selection of films -- letting you catch up on missed episodes from last night, month, year, or decade.

If you plan on using your iPad for not only consuming words, but also writing them, Pages ($9.99) is perhaps the most robust word processing option on the iPad. It allows for the use of templates and placement of images, plus you can use iCloud to work on documents between iOS devices. Companion apps Numbers and Keynote complete the iWork suite, as well.

The New York Times (Free) app has undergone numerous revisions, but even though you'll need a subscription to view all of the articles from the paper edition, the free content alone warrants its inclusion in your Newsstand folder. Excellent reporting and slick presentation (even on the new iPad) make this one of the top news apps around.

It took a long time to get to iPad, but Skype (Free) is finally here and a pretty essential tool for long-distance communication. Video chat is a key feature, but you can also place VOIP calls to pals around the world or exchange messages, even while video chatting. Like on other platforms, Skype is an amazing all-in-one resource for keeping in touch.

One of the iPad's most interesting recent releases is OnLive Desktop (Free), which surprisingly lets you tap into a free Windows 7 install in the cloud, letting you use Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. An optional Plus service adds Flash support and taps into speedier connections, and an eventual Pro service will deliver even more features in the near future.

The built-in Safari browser is pretty capable, but if you have an itch for an alternative, the Dolphin Browser for iPad (Free) is perhaps the best around. It offers unique features like the Webzine for tracking favorite sites, customizable gestures, and a full-screen mode for uncluttered browsing. And bless the app for a single bar for URLs and search.

The Facebook (Free) app for iPad is still very much a work in progress, arriving well after a slew of third-party options tried to fill the gap, but it's a solidly effective tool for browsing the world's largest social networking website. The app lets you post updates, view photos, check in, and even play games -- essentially, most of the core features of the site itself.

Pages is a capable iOS word processor, no doubt, but for serious writers, iA Writer ($1.99) adds a lot of helpful features -- and takes some away to try and help you stay on-task. The extended keyboard brings a few useful keys to the forefront, while FocusMode eliminates clutter from the screen, spotlighting only your last couple lines. Later, procrastination!