This week has seen the release of one of the best apps I've used on the iPad, if not THE best...Flipboard, a social magazine. Fellow GetConnected blogger, Janet Tieu, already wrote about this app earlier this week and I don't need to regurgitate the details. But, I've had a chance to play with the app all week and it is a real indicator of what is to come with tablet reading. The Flipboard makes the most mundane Twitter and Facebook news feeds come alive into a personalized magazine. 

Flipboard’s servers are crawling from popularity right now. In order to get access to your Facebook and Twitter feeds, you must enter an email address to secure a spot on the waiting list. Be patient, because you should get access very soon, as Flipboard is a pretty big project with some big investment money behind it.

An interesting thing about Flipboard is that they don't use RSS (as one would assume), it does some proprietary magic that only the Flipboard team knows. Basically, Flipboard provides feature articles from sites like Mashable, Gizmodo and others who make money from ad revenue and compile it into their own format, and it's ad-free.

Deidra Jones, President of Pocket Cocktails, has been busy creating and developing multi-purpose apps for the past two years. Her apps range from cocktail recipes to how-to-get six-pack abs to teaching your dog new tricks. For just $0.99 per app, you can learn how to make yummy Cosmos and balance it with 60 seconds of ab work. Not a bad combo for two bucks. 

What is your techie mission?

To create applications for mainstream users to enjoy. Most of the early adopters for new technology were hard-core tech geeks. But now that has changed with mothers, aunts, and even your grandfathers are adopting and embracing the latest in technology. We aim to create apps that everyday folks can use and enjoy with their friends and families.

Who’s your techie role model

Steve Jobs - CEO of Apple Inc. Certainly he will go down in history as the man who brought apps to mobile. He's been at the forefront of countless milestones of sea change, including the infamous "1984" commercial, the original Macintosh 128K, Pixar, iPod, iPhone and now iPad. Its true genius to give people what they want BEFORE they know what they want.

This app gives Blackberry users the ability to automatically sync their iTunes music to their smartphone making their playlists available anywhere, anytime.

Pros:

Sketch Nation Shooter is an app that allows you to create your own iPhone game by hand drawing players, enemies, levels etc. Take a picture of your drawings, and watch it come to life in an instant! The best part is, it only costs 99 cents.

Pros:

• Fantastic way to involve the end user in the creative process
• Limitless game customization "the power is in the hands of the user"
• Share your game online with others in the Sketch Nation community

Cons: