As smartphones become smarter, they’re rapidly becoming like a mobile virtual office. Michela Ledwidge comes to grips with 18 productivity-boosting mobile apps for business.
In a short space of time, the market for mobile applications has exploded to the point where it is nearly impossible to keep track. With so much choice, which apps will actually be useful for your business? Here are some tips for the major mobile operating systems – iPhone, BlackBerry, Symbian, and Windows Mobile, as well as for other devices supporting Java.
Email
For the immediate future, email remains the most likely business tool for your mobile device. For BlackBerry and iPhone users, the pre-installed email applications provide more than adequate features. If you’re running a Microsoft Exchange server, you can synchronise your Nokia phone using the free Mail for Exchange app. For older devices, free web services like mail2web can be worth bookmarking in your browser.
Voice calls
Skype offers a range of free apps (iPhone, Windows Mobile) to connect to its voice over internet protocol (VoIP) and text chat service. However, Skype only allows you to make voice calls while on a Wi-Fi wireless network such as at your home or office. This is because mobile operators want you to pay their long-distance call rates, which are usually more expensive than the cost of data in a VoIP call. Skype can pay off with international conference calls, especially when combined with the SkypeIn service, allowing you to purchase local numbers in other countries.
In a short space of time, the market for mobile applications has exploded to the point where it is nearly impossible to keep track. With so much choice, which apps will actually be useful for your business? Here are some tips for the major mobile operating systems – iPhone, BlackBerry, Symbian, and Windows Mobile, as well as for other devices supporting Java.
For the immediate future, email remains the most likely business tool for your mobile device. For BlackBerry and iPhone users, the pre-installed email applications provide more than adequate features. If you’re running a Microsoft Exchange server, you can synchronise your Nokia phone using the free Mail for Exchange app. For older devices, free web services like mail2web can be worth bookmarking in your browser.
Voice calls
Skype offers a range of free apps (iPhone, Windows Mobile) to connect to its voice over internet protocol (VoIP) and text chat service. However, Skype only allows you to make voice calls while on a Wi-Fi wireless network such as at your home or office. This is because mobile operators want you to pay their long-distance call rates, which are usually more expensive than the cost of data in a VoIP call. Skype can pay off with international conference calls, especially when combined with the SkypeIn service, allowing you to purchase local numbers in other countries.
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