iPad Apps for the Older Generation

Mobile technology had always been thought of as something that young people use, but in recent times, it’s not uncommon for a grandparent to be able to send a 100 word text message, or find their favourite documentary on the internet. Recently, my mother had decided that, as an extensive traveller, she needed an iPad. So, of course, began the extensive tutorials on what finger movement does what, and why you need to occasionally double-tap the home button. She’s practically a natural now
But, of course, there needs to be things for her to actually do on it. Besides standard apps such as Facebook and Skype, I browsed the app store for whatever I could use to pimp her iPad. Here’s what I came up with:

Google Earth
Yeah, we all know this one. We’ve all spent countless hours spinning the globe, zooming in on random countries and streets, and even stalking down those random friend-requests on Facebook. As I said earlier, mum travels a lot, so this is pretty useful for her.

Epicurious
Such an amazing app, that even I decided to get it for myself. Essentially, this is a giant cookbook. You can search for whatever recipe you want, along with browsing categories by ingredient, time of day (breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert), and even the style of cuisine. Not only that, but it includes a shopping list, to help ensure that you don’t miss out on that key ingredient. Even though I still always manage to forget something.

iBooks
Just the standard eBooks app, compatible with the books from the App Store. She doesn’t use this too much, as she already has an eBook Reader, but it’s still handy for anyone else with an iPad. And, of course, there’s the Kindle App, that allows access to an even wider range of books.

The Weather Channel
I prefer this to the native weather app, as, I feel, it looks a lot nicer, and is plenty more easy to navigate. You can add locations by zip code, or just let it discover your location. It displays the weather for a consecutive 10 days, and can break the weather down into hours when you tap on a day’s forecast.

Silver Surf
Last but not least, we have a web-browser that has been specifically designed for the oldies. The interface is VERY basic, and I know that I can’t bare to look at it for more than ten minutes at a time, but it’s perfect for someone who has limited experience with modern technology. This browser features larger buttons, and the ability to enhance the text size on the screen without having to teach them how to pinch their fingers.

If anyone else knows of any applications that can help new-users, please let me know. These are five applications that I’ve given my mother to help her with her iPad experience. Maybe one day I’ll be able to remove her training wheels, and let her embark on a journey by herself. But for now, I think that I’m going to be the one doing the mothering for a change.