Since the Apple iPad allows you to access to the Internet through either the WiFi Router or else through the 3G connection, it is important to check out the speed which you are getting on your device so that based on this you can calculate the total time for downloading certain application from the App Store.
Now here are two different options we are going to give you for finding the total Internet Broadband Speed you are getting.
Online Speed Test Tool : We have a very very light online tool using which you can find out both the download speed on not only your device but also your PC or mobile phone. Just access the link through your Safari browser and click on the Initialize test option to get started. The tool will try to download a temp file and give you exact details on the speed received. This option is useful if you want to get instant access to the stats, with no need to download a app from the store.
Speed Test HD : This is actually a free application available on the apps store. The application once download and installed on your iPad would offer you different servers options under the settings which allows you to configure the nearest server available to you to the server location you want to select. If you select the CDN option you will find that the app will search for the nearest server and download a file from there. The applications job is simple, it downloads a 10mb file from the selected server and gives you live stats on the download progress giving you a quick idea on speed. At the end of this you will get a report with the average download speed along with few past reports as shown.
The stats option gives you detailed insights along with comparison of your speed check compared with Global stats of other ipad users who have implemented the same test. The only issue which is pretty serious is the size of the testing file which by default is and it would have been better if the developer would have offered a option for selecting a file size to download then it would have been great because smaller size like 1mb would benefit the 3G users since they have to regularly test the speed. Overall a useful application with around a Million tests run till date and recommended to all.