Industry News

Mobile Apps for Business: 20 Apps You Need to Download Today

Posted on March 22, 2011

There is no end to the need for useful mobile apps for business and that is now being answered with a wealth of programs that allow consumers to move beyond playing games and social networking. 2011 is panning out to be an exciting year for the development of business apps, with companies racing to tap the business market ahead of their competitors. Here are a few of our favorite applications, designed to increase your business's productivity, connectivity, and overall efficiency:

Wireless from your smartphone.

  • Joikuspot and WMWiFirouter are programs that allow you to turn your wi-fi enabled phone into a wireless hotspot using its 3G connection.

Remote control of your office.

  • Alarm.com allows you to monitor your business's security alarm.
  • LogMeInIgnition and VNC allow you access your computer wirelessly.
  • With Citrix Receiver, use corporate applications directly from your cell phone without risking compromised confidential data -- the applications and data run in your corporate data center.

Amped up note taking.

  • Evernote allows you to snap a photo, take a screenshot, type in text, or speak your note to capture information on the go, and makes your stored data searchable.

Travel made easier.

  • TripIt's mobile app gives you the ability to retrieve flight times or hotel reservations without having to sift through your email for confirmations you've received from the airline or hotel.
  • FlightTrack allows you to find flight schedules, track flights worldwide, and get flight status alerts from your Smartphone.

Projects on the go.

  • Drop Box allows you to save large files to the web and access them from your device.
  • With Mighty Meeting, you can use your device as a Microsoft Power Point pointer.
  • Documents to Go lets you view and edit Microsoft Word, Excel, Power Point, and PDF files.
  • iTeleport can read, copy, paste, and edit files on your home computer from your phone.
  • GoodReader allows the viewing, editing, and creation of PDFs from your mobile device.
  • Sugarsync Mobile can access project documents created by anyone in your team from your phone – even if their computers are switched off.

Networking, simplified.

  • Tungle.me syncs your existing calendar with a public version where you can propose meetings to partners or clients and allow them to book the appointments at pre-approved times.
  • Hold online meetings from your phone with FuzeMeeting or WebEx, with which you can host audio conferences, see files and presentations, chat via IM, with your smartphone.
  • Linked In has a mobile app that allows you to quickly share contact information with another smartphone user, as well as utilizing many of the web features, like connections and status updates.

Technology is advancing at such a rapid pace that the way we do business is constantly changing. It's encouraging to see smartphone developers beginning to catch up with the needs of business consumers. With such a wealth of new developments taking place, it's clear that the future of smartphone devices holds amazing promise for companies committed to keeping up.