On the market for less than a year, the iPad has forever changed magazines with the biggest names in publishing diving in head first — People, Popular Science, Wired and more. However, just because a publication has gone digital doesn’t mean it’s good. Here’s a quick hot or not look at the magazines available on the Apple tablet.

• Project ($0.99) — When I reviewed Richard Branson’s svelt, über cool digital magazine, I said it was worth paying for at least once. Since then, they’ve improved the app and slashed the price from $2.99 to $0.99 per issue. That said, I just bought an issue and suggest you give Project a read.

• Nylon ($2.99) — This women’s fashion and living mag for the iPad is another that’s being remade and remaking the future, a work in progress that’s already pretty darned good.

• ESPN ($9.99) — This mag is innovative and packed with features, the little things — pop ups, videos, infographics, AirPlay compatibility — that make this new digital medium engaging. The per issue price, however, is enough keep some people away.

• People (free w/ paper sub, $3.99) — If you already subscribe to the print edition, the iPad version is free, which is a nice value add. From a technical perspective, this isn’t the most advanced or engaging digital magazine, though perhaps that isn’t the most important thing when you need to feed a nagging Bradgelina addiction.

• Economist ($5.99) — The international gold standard for in-depth reporting and analysis framed by a political outlook that’s pro-business yet hasn’t lost its humanity.

All of these apps are free and some come with a free issue as a tease. Further, with a full one-year subscription, you can get these pubs at a significant discount off the individual issue price.

• Wired ($3.99) — Not a little controversial, but one of the leading digital pubs available. It’s got stuff, more than the print version, and costs less, a theme repeated across this new medium.

• Popular Science+ ($2.99) — This pub launched with the iPad a year ago and is the grandaddy of the platform. They’ve kept up with the times and latest version of their app requires iOS 4.2, making it more than just a replica of the print issue while maintaining “the stuff” that’s great about about the meatspace version.

• PBS (free, review) — Not a magazine per se, but if you’re looking for the experience — intelligent radio while you read fresh up-to-date news, in-depth analysis and real culture stories NPR’s known for — you need this app.

• Flipboard (free) — Another not really a magazine, which pulls together favorite online sources, as well as your Facebook and Twitter feeds. It’s attractive, slickly designed and includes value added content from top-shelf pubs, like The Economist.

• Pulse (free, review)— Noticing a trend iPad magazine developers and publishers? Pulse ain’t your daddy’s RSS new feeder. Customizable, easy to navigate, covered with graphical goodness and, once again, absolutely free.

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