Chanatown

Article first published as The Best Free iPad Apps of 2011 on Blogcritics. With hundreds of thousands of apps available for Apple's iPad, there are sure to be plenty of quality ones to be had for free. Nevertheless, despite Apple's closed market and quality control, bad apps are commonplace and especially so among those that are free. Below, I present a list of some quality free apps. Those new to the iPad are encouraged to take a look at last year's lists as well ( Best Free Apps of 2010  and Best Paid Apps of 2010 ), and if you have a few bucks leftover or an iTunes gift card from the holiday season, be sure to pick up something from the Best Paid Apps of 2011 as well .

Article first published as Best Paid iPad Apps of 2011 on Blogcritics. As we usher in 2012, it's amazing to consider that it's only been two years since the original iPad was released (April 2010), and 2011 marked the introduction of the iPad 2, the lighter, more advanced version of Apple's "magical device". Two years' time has also brought hundreds of thousands of apps to the App Store and with such a large array of programs to choose from (both in terms of quality and price), it's nice to refer to end of the year lists to build one's collection of must-have and yet-to-discover apps. As I did to end 2010, I'm preparing two lists - the best paid apps and the best free apps of the year. Some may be updates while most will be new programs entirely. Hope you find something new and useful for your iPad from 2011.

The first half of the year has come and gone, so I'm pleased to announce that I've dispersed the first of hopefully several checks to various charities and organizations through my giving campaign ( more information here ). The first check went to Eden Place Nature Center, a 3.5-acre urban garden, nature preserve, and educational center on the South side of Chicago. Read more about the center here , or visit their website directly. As always, thank you for reading my posts and not complaining about the inclusion of ads, affiliated posts, and referral links. They are a small, but steady source of revenue that allows me to continue helping those that could use it. In addition to a donation to Eden Place, Chanatown has issued eight loans to Kiva , and after repayment, has now sponsored fifteen now in total. With all of that in mind, I'd like to announce the recipient for the remainder of 2011. July-December 2011 Beneficiary: Garfield Park Conservatory Photo Credit: M...

Article first published as Best New and Notable iPad Apps for April 2011 on Blogcritics. We're almost a week into May, but let us not forget the abundance of apps and app updates that showered us in April. The Best New and Notable feature gets you caught up with the what was most talked about last month in the iTunes App Store.

Article first published as Best New and Notable iPad Apps for February 2011 on Technorati. February brings us the shortest month of the year, but there were plenty of new titles flooding the App Store. Compared to last month's offering , these 28 days provided plenty to choose from. Continuing the monthly feature, I detail some of the best along with many of the rest as we head into March which should also bring us news of a new device on which to load these apps .

Article first published as Best New and Notable iPad Apps for January 2011 on Blogcritics. 2010 introduced the iPad into our lives, and early adopters were treated to a ton of great free and paid apps. Coming off the heels of my Top 10 lists of 2010 , here is the beginning of a monthly feature designed to keep you up to date with all that is new and improved in the App Store.

Today was the 17th annual mini-NICE ( Northern Illinois Computer Educators ) conference held at Stevenson High School. Always a great turnout and a bargain to boot ($5 registration), this year's conference marked  my first foray into presenting and following the session, I attended three sessions as discussed below.