Cecilie Nag
Features Editor
Fall means back to school, and for many LIU Post students it also means new technology – as the university offers the Apple iPad to all new undergraduate and graduate students enrolled at least a half time basis.
The iPad tablet is lightweight, and easy to use. By downloading a variety of applications you can make it almost whatever you want; it could be a game, a social media tool, a music player, and a school notebook – all in one.
“I use it for everything,” said junior Public Relations major, Helene Bettina Pedersen. “I use it as a notebook in class, I listen to music on it when I’m at home, I read newspapers on it, and use social media. I even read books on it.” Pedersen uses different applications for different purposes, and finds the music search engine Spotify to be her favorite. She also enjoys using iBooks, which is a service where you can download and read all kinds of books whenever you want.
Sophomore Nutrition major, Aurora Kronberg, uses her iPad to keep in touch with friends and family through Facebook, play games, and stay updated with the news through online papers. “I like my iPad because I always have entertainment that is easily accessible,” she said.
With the jungle of applications it can be hard to navigate. Here are some applications that can be useful to college students:
Dictionary.com – Usable in every Writing Across the Curriculum course, as word definitions can be easily looked up, and synonyms are provided to create a colorful language. The application is free.
Things – With busy schedules, this application makes it easier to keep track of all important tasks in an organized way. Whether it’s a gym appointment, an internship, or a paper due, you can find it on your iPad checklist. It has been featured as an Editor’s Choice in over 25 countries and has received good reviews. The price is a around 12 dollars.
Dragon Dictation – For the lazy ones tired of writing on the iPad with no keyboard – this is an easy-to-use voice recognition application allowing you to dictate messages showing up on your ipad. That’s an easy way to send e-mails. The application is free.
Kindle – If you are interested in getting your textbooks online, this free application will turn your ipad into the perfect reading device. More than 1,000,000 books are available in the Kindle Store, along with hundreds of newspapers and magazines.
iSource MLA/APA – Bibliography writing can be hard, but this application helps you keep track of sources and quotes, and will for¬mat your bibliography and in-text citations easily. The application is less than five dollars.
Viber – Keep in touch with friends and family with this free application that can be used for both text messages and calls. The over 90 million Viber users communicate for free worldwide, as long as they have internet connection.
Download these helpful applications and suddenly you find your iPad to be a little bit smarter. For more application ideas, visit www.appadvice.com where you’ll find reviews, application lists, and application guides.
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