With technology changing and evolving so rapidly these days, as real estate professionals we’re hard-pressed to keep up to speed and to know what technology tools are worth our time and investment.

Clearly, one of the most obvious tech “toys” that offers tremendous practical value and benefit is the Apple iPad.

With so much of our core business becoming increasingly “mobile,” the iPad empowers you to effectively/efficiently embrace and utilize the growing use of mobile apps and technology. It allows you to quickly connect, communicate, and conduct business tasks with ease.

Shoot and edit HD video for that new high-end waterfront listing. Answer your Buyers questions immediately on-the-fly (What will my payment be? Where are the schools located? What services are nearby? What have other homes in the area recently sold for?)

And forget about lugging around that bulky dinosaur laptop anymore. The new iPad 2 is 1.33 pounds of glorious time-saving, task-hungry heaven.

There are over 65,000 apps (and growing) for the iPad. Here’s just a few of the more popular ones. These are geared toward real estate but could be useful in many other business situations and some could come in handy for home buyers too.

Keynote — This is Apple’s version of PowerPoint. I love Keynote and this is the perfect app to “wow” your clients with a slick buyer consultation or presentation.

Open Home Pro — a great application for use during Open Houses that provides a Virtual Guest Book Sign-In Tool.

DropBox — a free Web-based file hosting service that uses cloud computing to enable users to store and share files and folders with others across the Internet using file synchronization. It lets you bring all your photos, docs and videos anywhere. After you install Dropbox on your computer, any file you save to your Dropbox will automatically save to all your computers, your iPad and even the Dropbox website!

PDF Expert for iPad — the ultimate solution for all your PDF needs. It lets you read and annotate PDF documents, highlight text, make notes, draw with your finger and save these changes being compatible with Preview and Adobe Acrobat. PDF Expert is the only iPad application that can fill PDF forms!

DocuSign — Now, you have the power to send, track and sign documents while on the go! Add documents from Google docs, Box.net or use a preconfigured DocuSign template. Instantly add iPhone photos of receipts to expense reports. Take a snapshot of a document, then drag and drop familiar “Sign Here” tabs on it for electronic signature.

Evernote — Ever have those ideas while you are out and about and before you can get a chance to write it down, you have forgotten it? In comes Evernote! This app will allow you to type or record a voice note. If you use a smartphone with a camera, you can also create notes from photos. Again, this app syncs your notes online so they are accessible everywhere (phone, computer, iPad).

Realtor.com — Find more homes for sale on your iPad with REALTOR.com, the No. 1 real estate site. REALTOR.com has more listings and updates them more often (every 15 minutes) than any other site. Features include: map search, saved searches and listings synchronized with the website, private ratings and notes and the ability to share listings with your friends, agent and social network.

Zillow — The Zillow on iPad Real Estate App delivers a bold real estate browsing experience built specifically for the iPad’s interactive multi-touch device. View photo galleries of homes on iPad’s large, eye-popping touch screen where your fingertips tap, swipe, pinch, and drag to see Zestimate home values, rent Zestimates, homes for sale, homes for rent, and much more.

Trulia — Designed specifically for the iPad, Trulia HD is the helpful house hunting app that makes finding your next home easy and fun. Search homes for sale and for rent with full-screen interactive maps, neighborhood-specific details, high-resolution photos and more.

LoopNet — Looking for an investment property, or lease space? Search the nation’s No. 1 marketplace with LoopNet’s Commercial Real Estate Search App — the first commercial real estate search application for your iPhone or iPad. Research millions of properties for owner, tenant, historical listings, mortgage info, etc.