CEOs appear to be big fans of the iPad, even though it may not seem like a device optimized for business. As Robert McGarvey at CIOUpdate reports, traveling executives are discovering a growing supply of apps built for the mobile, keyboard-less computer. McGarvey reviews 10 apps that may come in handy for your company's workers on the road.

First there are the basics: Apple's (NASDAQ: AAPL) answer to word processing on the iPad is an app called Pages, which is easy to use and largely compatible with Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) Word. For presentations, Apple offers the Keynote app, which is good for looking at PowerPoint files. To read a .pdf or deal with MS Office files, download GoodReader, which McGarvey calls "kind of a Swiss Amy knife for the iPad." For meetings, there is the free WebEx from Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO), which allows you to log into meetings remotely and view presentations.

There are a host of free apps to make the iPad more user friendly as well. DragonDictation lets you dictate emails or other documents rather than typing on the on-screen keyboard. Dropbox makes files available on several different devices, including smartphones, laptops and the iPad. Since the iPad doesn't come with a USB port, it makes it easier to do mass file transfers. Evernote, "a 21st Century note pad," lets you write something using any device and access it on any other device.

For more:
- see Robert McGarvey's article at CIOUpdate

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