Tablet apps of the Week: Square alternative, free educational vids, and the app that cost Zynga $200 million

Presto!

Cash-only small and independent restaurants, cafes, and pubs looking for an alternative to Square's credit-oriented approach now have a simple, low-cost option for keeping track of receipts, checks, and table orders.  

Presto! ($9.99, iTunes [1] ) is a down-and-dirty app for iPad and iPhone that allows establishments to take orders, and even track regular customers. Waiters can rapidly enter orders via pre-defined entries, and can even combine (or split) bills. 

The app also features some rudimentary business intelligence and reporting; you can monitor table status as well as an up-to-date archive of each table's orders and receipts. The app uses iCloud to sync and maintain data across multiple devices. 

The only thing Presto! can't do is sync directly with a cash register, but the developer says this functionality is coming soon. This is a new app, but merits further examination by small business using iOS devices.  

SugarSync 3.0

This new update to SugarSync's iOS front end for its cloud storage service has been optimized specifically for the iPad. The new improved version (iTunes [2] , Free) features gesture support and a new UI that allows for users to simultaneously browse a much broader set of folders and files. 

A DropBox competitor, SugarSync offers free basic accounts with 5GB of online storage. 

Khan Academy

This is essentially a video repository for the over 2,500 videos the educational non-profit organization Khan Academy has produced for students of all ages.

Topics in this new, iPad-optimized version of the app (iTunes [3] , free) range from biology and physics to history, finance, the humanities, and even statistics. The lessons are surprisingly extensive, and can be downloaded for offline viewing. Users with Khan Academy user accounts can get cred for the coursework. 

The app also includes tests, exercises, and activities. 

Draw Something

The best way to describe this game by OMGPOP is that it's like an online, social version of the game Pictionary for your iPad or iPhone. The app itself (iTunes [4] , $0.99) has only been available for 6 weeks, but in that time, it has generated an astonishing 35 million downloads. 

The game has been so successful that San Francisco social games maker Zynga quickly gobbled up OMGPOP to the tune of $200 million. 

Links

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source: tabtimes.com