10 Apps For Doing Business Smarter By Kim Artlip

I constantly get asked about some apps that I use to make doing business on the go easier and instead of talking about the normal Gmail, Evernote, GoodReader or Facebook apps; I thought I would share ten possible apps that make doing business and other stuff easier on the go that I use and why.

DocsToGo (currently $9.99)

What I like about this particular suite is that it is just that a suite. It has some great tools for opening office documents on the go and synchronizing it with your Dropbox or other cloud based platform. What this means is that I can be in the office and when I run out of time I just save a copy to my cloud and then can open it at Starbucks to edit or review with my favorite cup of coffee while meeting a client.

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Printer Pro (currently $6.99)

Ever get annoyed at trying to print from your iPad? Well this one solved it for me because you will install not just an app but a small program on your computer which will talk to your iPad overyour home network. This is great because other printer apps have a hard time trying to figure out how to connect to your printer or model and with this it is just not necessary. Now you can sit down stairs and finish watching CSI while you print your report to your printer up stairs.

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SoundCloud (currently $FREE)

What is this all about? Well it’s like Social Media for your audio files but you can use it in very creative ways. Let’s say you conducted a short 2 minute interview with some prominent figure in the industry and you want to post it to your website as an audio file…well this is your answer. Much in the same way as Youtube and other avenues you can share, comment, like and network based on audio files.

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PDF Printer (currently $5.99)

This is my go to printer to basically convert anything and everything over to a PDF. Why PDF? Because it is keeps the formatting like you want it to and it is very widely used. In my case, I will browse my site and generate a PDF contract through the app’s browser and then I can open it in a PDF editor like Notability; which will allow me to sign and email to my clients.

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Dragon Dictation (currently $FREE)

Ever just want to talk and talk and have someone do all the typing for you? Well this app is basically that. You got a lot to say in an email but just suck at typing on the iPad wi-fi keyboard much less the touch screen? Use this app to talk and then you can copy and paste your long opinion to your editor via email on what you think makes the world go around.

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Notability (currently $1.99)

There are many…many…many note taking apps out there like Penultimate and there are some that are very competitive to this one like NotesPlus that I have used extensively. What draws me to this one besides the low price is the sheer ease of use. It is so basic yet you can make complex sketches and fluid handwriting with this app.

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Adobe Ideas (currently $FREE add-ons cost extra)

A drawing app? What the heck does that have to do with anything and why this one? Well this one draws in vector which means it is very scalable and can be exported to a number of desktop programs.  I like that because I will sketch out some plans with my clients and can zoom in and out with loss of image resolution. Then I can email the client a PDF copy right from the program.

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Logmein Ignition (currently $129.99)

Yes the price is high and you may want to look at other programs that offer similar functionality; but for me this has been flawless and it works securely over any connection. The ability to access my computer away from home and grab a file off my desktop and send it to myself or client has helped me get out of many tight situations. You can even access your home computer and edit files on your home computer with this app… you do have to leave your computer on though; however you can lock your computer so others can’t access while you are away.

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CamScanner Pro (currently $4.99)

This little bugger is best for your phone but can be used on a tablet too. This app will let you take a photo of your document and it will resize from most angles and adjust resolution automatically for you. From there you can email or upload to your favorite cloud service. Imagine you need to make a photo copy of a contract and are no where near a copy machine …problem solved.

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Box / Dropbox / Skydrive (currently $FREE for basic)

I listed the three main players for cloud service and will touch on each briefly. I currently use all three and here is why. Box.net will sometimes offer free promos to sign up to get additional space for life and I happened to get luckily and scored with 50GB free. I use it to send folks various large files. Dropbox offers a much smaller free size but you can get your friends to sign up and they will add free space for you. Dropbox is by far the most integrated with a majority of apps out there. Skydrive offers about 25GB free which is quite more than Dropbox but it still isn’t integrated with all apps but it will make a comeback I’m sure with the intro of the MicrosoftSurface Pro/RT. If you are a Hotmail user you will likely already have this.

I didn’t mention Google Drive or other Google apps but feel free to explore those they offer some great tools also.

Again this is just my take so good luck on your app journey!