My iPad makes the daily trip to and from the office and so a case is mandatory. For screen protection and business-like appearance, I prefer folio-style leather cases. Sena's Florence (Magnetic Closure) folio case 
$80 is my current iPad 2/3/4 case. It's pictured at left with my Griffin Stylus $10 securely clipped to the folio spine, & my matching Sena Sarach Leatherskin iPhone case $40.
Apple's Smart Cover for the iPad 2 leaves the back and sides of the iPad unprotected. Marware's MicroShell $20 ($35 MSRP) is one of a number of backcovers specifically designed to be used with the Smart Cover.
I'm a fan of Note Taker HD, but not of the new icon introduced in v6—whenever I see it, I can't help but think of a severed hand. IOS doesn't yet allow endusers to change app icons and I'm not interested in the stability problems that can come with jailbreaking. However it is possible to change an app's icon without jailbreaking…
The proliferation of smart phones is helping promote the use of QR codes aka Quick Response aka Quick Read codes. Just launch an app like AT&T's free Code Scanner on your iPhone, Android or BlackBerry, point your smartphone's camera at a QR code, and the