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I’ve got a 20-inch iMac and wi-fi iPad, and I like to watch Leo, Tom, Sarah, Becky and the whole TWiT network crew. Thereupon, floating a browser window on the Mac takes up too much space and the iPad just couldn’t, app or browser, consistently hold a connection. The new release addresses most of the quality of service issues and opens up the archive, too.

TWiTpad 1.1 (iTunes, $0.99) from ShiftKeySoftware is the official TWiT Network iPad app and the new version is really much, much better than previous releases. From access to archived shows to more robust live streaming, this app has come a long way, though there are still issues to address.

What’s new in TWiTpad 1.1:

• Widescreen mode
— Pop over chat for widescreen mode
— Themes for non-widescreen mode

• Archived shows — Audio podcasts
 — Video podcasts

• Auto and manual refresh on stream drop

• Background audio for all devices (via Safari)

• Audio only option

• Help screen

Yes, TWiTpad has all of these great features — goodbye iTunes podcast subscriptions — but the downside is that the app itself can very slow to respond at times — the interface stops to gather its wits from time to time. However, I haven’t experienced a crash yet, which is a problem that badly afflicted the previous version.

So, if you’re a fan and have an iPad, TWiTpad is a good investment and ShiftKeySoftware has shown they’re willing to re-invest. Good job, guys…

What’s your take?