Apple's new iPad ($499-829, 4.5 stars) has the highest-resolution screen we've ever seen on a tablet. And while all the existing iPad apps run just fine, apps with graphics designed for the new Retina display look especially spectacular.
Retina apps are currently flooding into the iTunes store as app developers redraw their graphics for the higher-resolution screen. Unfortunately, there's no central place to search for them; Apple highlights some Retina apps on the front page of the iTunes App Store, but doesn't give a comprehensive list. So we sorted through all the Retina-ready apps we could find to locate our favorites. The list is in alphabetical order. All of these apps also run just fine on the iPad 2 (we tested them).
Obviously, this list isn't comprehensive, and it will grow with time. If you have additional Retina-ready apps you like, add them to the comments below.
Asphalt Adrenaline 6 ($0.99)
Of the two Retina-ready driving apps—this and Real Racing 2 HD—I pick Asphalt Adrenaline 6 as my favorite.It's full of power-ups, great landscapes, illegal shortcuts, and rewards for hideously dangerous driving. That makes it less of a pure career driving game than a Burnout-style death-defier, but that's the kind of game I like to play. Real Racing 2 HD is much more realistic; it uses courses where you don't run into regular street traffic, and you're not supposed ot try ot crash your opponents' cars. But where's the fun in that?
Comics+ (free)
Comics really benefit from the Retina screen, provided they've been scanned at high enough quality. Comics+ is the first Retina-enabled comics app, and I give it extra points for a huge selection of independent publishers beyond the Big Two. Marvel (but not DC) is represented, but look further and you'll find great titles from third-party publishers like Mark Waid's dark superhero epic Irredeemable, the delightful kids' comic Johnny Boo, and IDW's often-entertaining expansions on TV series like Doctor Who. Most comics cost the same as their print editions.
Day One ($1.99)
If your iPad is your faithful companion, Day One helps you chronicle your life with it. Simple, clean, and classic, this journal app encourages you to write down your thoughts - not create a multimedia collage - file them by day and time, and sync them with other devices. Yes, you could do all this in the Calendar app, or Evernote, or Pages. But Day One's day-and-time filing system, plus other small features like timed reminders to write, make it a much more convenient and easily organized way to keep a journal.
Evernote (free)
The omnipresent note-taking app looks even sharper on a 2048-by-1536 screen. Evernote, along with its drawing-centered sibling Skitch, have both been updated for the new iPad's display. That means both your text and graphic notes appear super-sharp. As always, Evernote syncs with almost any device you can think of—there are versions for the PC, most mobile platforms and anything that connects to the Web.
Flight Control Rocket ($0.99)
Air-traffic control games are super-popular because of their simple yet intense gameplay: you draw trails to park planes on a runway without crashing them into each other. Flight Control Rocket gives you the same gameplay with a retro-60s space-age vibe, narrated by a blonde space stewardess and accompanied by surf music. And of course, the Retina-quality graphics are absolutely beautiful.
Flipboard (free)
The definitive Web-based, virtual-magazine app now has Retina-quality text and graphics, at least to some extent. Flipboard is still heavily dependent on pictures borrowed from Web sites, and if they aren't providing high-res images, you won't see high-res images. But text, which is entirely under Flipboard's control, is noticeably more readable than on the iPad 2. We rated Flipboard 4.5* and Editor's Choice; you can read our full review of Flipboard for iPad here.
Galaxy on Fire 2 HD ($9.99)
A bunch of in-depth, adventure-style games have already been updated for Retina, including Infinity Blade II and Modern Combat III. I'm picking GOF2 HD because of its deep world, available mission expansion pack, and complex gameplay. It's not just, or even mostly about shooting things. There are star systems to explore, various aliens to interact with, and plenty of side missions to occupy your time. Accelerometer controls are pretty easy to use, and the universe looks crystal clear in Retina.
GarageBand ($4.99)
Apple's music app uses the iPad's new resolution to show extremely realistic models of drums, keyboards, and other instruments. We rated the app four stars and Editors' Choice. As we say in our full review of GarageBand, "GarageBand is a stunner, with excellent sound quality, expressive new string instruments, and just enough note editing to be truly useful for composing and recording music." It's not a replacement for professional digital audio software, but like some of Apple's other creative apps, it's an easy to use and high-quality way to get people into creating digital music.
...To Be Continue......
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