If you’ve got a smart phone there are countless applications available to you regardless of which operating system or device you happen to be using. However, it can be almost impossible to find the right app to suit you, one that has a simple interface, is of a high quality and really delivers on its promises.
So, here’s our selection of some of the top applications that could be useful to you and your small business:
Apps for calls and conferencing
The Skype application is available for iPhone and iPad users and works in the same way as it does on your computer. The app allows you to call clients for free and see them face-to-face as well as send instant messages for free as well.
Skype
Webex is made by Cisco and allows users to have online meetings using their iPad devices. The app has a number of great features, including multiple participant conferencing, full screen view and voice activated view switching, which moves to whoever is talking at any one time.
Fuze Meeting gives users a similar video conferencing experience to the apps above and it’s compatible with a range of devices, including Android, Blackberry, iPhone and iPad. It’s not free, but claims to be one of the best apps for high quality imaging and video, so might be worth it if you spend a lot of your time having conferences with clients and service providers at the moment.
Apps for work on-the-go
Documents to Go is an application for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch as well as your desktop and it allows you to sync your mobile up to all kinds of documents supported in Microsoft Office and Apple iWork. This is great for if you need to make amends to a document on-the-go and then sync it back up to your computer in order to amend and send on to a client later.
Documents to go
The Search Your Desktop app allows you to access all kinds of information and content from your desktop even when you’re away from your computer. It’s a brilliant idea and I’m sure would solve a multitude of problems for if you’re travelling or away at meetings and forget and important presentation. Unfortunately it does come at a price after a free trail period, but for many people it will be an invaluable addition!
Apps for managing finances
The Expense Magic app for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad devices takes all the worry out of managing and tracking your business expenses. Simple take a picture of expenses and receipts and the app will track them for you, so when it comes to adding everything up, it’s a simple and hassle-free process.
Expense Magic
If you’re a fan of online invoicing and tracking system FreshBooks then we’d highly recommend you try MiniBooks for Apple devices. It’s quite pricey but enables you to keep track of all of your important financial information in the pam of your hand and syncs seamlessly with your online FreshBooks account.
Apps for note taking and lists
The popular Evernote application is available to download for most handset devices and syncs with your online and desktop Evernote accounts. It’s a simple way of storing photos, notes and clippings with a simple user interface and effective ways to organise all of your content in one central place.
The 2Do app is one of the most popular to-do list applications on the market and allows you to keep track of simple jobs and larger projects which can be grouped and categorised to suit your needs. The great thing about 2Do is it can be synced with all other kinds of services, such as iCal and MobileMe so whichever you prefer to use everything can be streamlined.
2 Do
There are many ways that you can find apps in the future, we’d highly recommend reading online reviews, or going to the app store and having a browse through the categories that interest you.
Interestingly, Microsoft search engine Bing has recently introduced a new feature called “auto app discovery”. Basically the tool means that when you search for something from within Bing, it will deliver a list of recommended iPhone applications even if you don’t specify that you’re looking for an app. Of course you have to be using your iPhone as well as the Bing search app, or m.bing.com in your web browser, but it’s a great way of uncovering apps that you didn’t know existed – and another way of Bing setting itself apart as being a very innovative search engine.
All images via the Apple Store.
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