10 Great, Free Apps for Your Tablet

TuneIn Radio

Music lovers can access more than 40,000 radio stations from around the world (and online stations) with the free TuneIn Radio app for iPad, Android and BlackBerry PlayBook. Whether you want to tune in to a jazz station from New Orleans or an Internet-based classical site, you can listen as much as you like. Search for music by country or genre, plus there are thousands of stations featuring news, talk, comedy, sports and old-time radio dramas. A $1 "Pro" version of TuneIn Radio lets you record audio to listen to at a later time and includes a timer you can set like a digital video recorder (DVR).

Flipboard

A must-have iPad app is the free Flipboard, dubbed your "personalized, social magazine." Flipboard fuses updates from your friend's Facebook and Twitter profiles, including text and photos, as well as folding in your favorite feeds from blogs and websites — then you can flip through it all as if it were a glossy, colorful magazine (with video, too). Like something you read or saw? Share it with your social network with a tap (or send it via email). With its slick user interface, image-heavy design and crisp text, Flipboard is indeed your own personalized digital magazine that's constantly refreshed with the latest content.

CNN

Other news networks could learn from CNN how to create a rich, informative and easy-to-use app for news junkies. iPad and Android users can swipe through all the top headlines, watch countless videos (including live streams of breaking news) and read in-depth interviews ripped from today's headlines. Save your favorite stories for offline viewing, comment on articles or video features, engage in conversations with other app readers, and share your favorite stories on Facebook, Twitter or via email. If you prefer other TV networks or national newspapers (such as USA Today), chances are they also have a free tablet app to download.

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