5 iPad Apps To Add To Your Know-it-All Toolkit2

By Lindsay O'Neal

In the world of Bedazzled and AngryBirds, it’s easy to forget the amazing educational implications of mobile technology, but Marc and Josh reminded me of just that when they introduced me to the How Stuff Works iPad app in newest episode of App Attacks.

If you’re not familiar with the online publication, HowStuffWorks publishes unique explanatory content so simply brilliant it can help a 6th grader understand quantum physics. Living up to its domain, HowStuffWorks offers an NPR-style of commentary with About.com’s content.

HowStuffWorks has turned into the Internet into a holy ground for wannabe know-it-alls. Whether discussing Cold War, ponzi schemes, banking fees, or daylight savings times, HowStuffworks has all of the answers. Plus, thanks to their new iPad app, HowStuffWorks is now a know-it-all-on-the-go’s best friend.

Thirsty for more mobile tools that will make you obnoxiously smart? You’re in luck. Here’s 5 iPad apps to add to your know-it-all toolkit today.

App Attacks – How Stuff Works

Wikipanion for iPad

Wikipedia is the swiss army knife of a know-it-all’s toolkit – useful in almost every situation and intuitively simple to use. From obscure phobias to pop icons’ biographies, nothing on the Internet surpasses its breadth of coverage or its ability to settle the always heated debate: the chicken or the egg? And now with Wikipedia’s iPad app, we can all tap into its infinite crowd-sourced wisdom faster and easier. The Wikiapp is just as addictively useful as its web version but offers a much more appealing interface, better navigation options, and the ability to save your browsing history.

The Weather Channel® for iPad

There’s nothing quite like answering, “Do you know if it’s supposed to rain?” with an interactive in-motion radar map and an explanation of precipitation shafts and occluded fronts. With its HD photos, customizable weather maps, and in-depth explanations, The Weather Channel app will have know-it-alls pushing their way on to green screens across the country. You can also be the first to tweet impending meteorlogical doom with its customizable severe weather push alerts.

NPR for iPad

Know-it-alls have a bad rap for being miserable party guests. It seems that some people’s idea of a good time doesn’t include being corrected on the prounciation of ‘Élevage.’ Luckily, there’s a way to move past your impulse to correct wine terminology and focus on providing perpective to an engaging conversation: NPR. Some interesting features include the ability to grab stories for offline reading and organized personal playlists. Of course, the real prize of NPR has always been the ability to solidify intellectual prowess with a well-placed “All Things Considered” reference.

Financial Solutions: 101 MBA Educational Pocket Toolbox

Swiping through the Pocket MBA’s courses, I can’t help but re-imagine the Good Will Hunting Harvard Bar scene, “You dropped a hundred and fifty grand on a f*** education you coulda’ got for $29.99 in iTunes!”

Ok, so an app probably won’t turn you into a prodigy. However, with extensive course material and several integrated self-tests, Pocket MBA can help know-it-alls fake it like a pro. Despite that you-can’t-put-a-price-on-a-good-education notion, the reasonable priced PocketMBA stands out among its iTunes classmates whose apps cost over $300. In addition to price, PocketMBA’s complete offline capability brings it to the top of the class.

Shazam for iPad

If you’ve ever rolled your eyes when a friend said, “Oh, you probably haven’t heard of them,” Shazam is your new best friend. Shazam frees you from sifting through crappy indie music blogs or stalking obsure Spotify playlists in order to keep up with the music elite. With the touch of a discreet button, Shazam can tell you who’s playing, what SteroGum thought of their new single, and the name of the highschool sweetheart that inspired the heart-wrenching ballad. But Know-it-alls don’t aim to just keep up, they play to win. That’s why Shazam offers recommendations to similar tracks allowing you to throw out a strategic: “Yeah, but I’m more into insert MORE obscure band here. Wait, you haven’t heard of them?”

App Attacks – Line 2

App Attacks – Angry Birds, Stupid Zombies

Watch more episodes of app review show APP ATTACKS!

Lindsay O’Neal community manager, writer, producer, workaholic, and entrepreneur (in stealth mode). You can find her writing about tech and startups at tech.li and Tweeking (Twitter geeking) at @LindsayONeal.