I finally upgraded to the new iPhone 4 and am in love with it! I’ve always had an iPhone, I was one of the sad people queuing up the day they launched with 02. 
An iPhone without apps is like a book without words!
In the digital age, having a mobile device is essential for any business owner. Consequentially, apps are growing in importance. With an ever-growing number of apps (and apps themselves becoming ever more useful and functional) you would be crazy to miss out. Whilst many apps duplicate the functionality of traditional desktop applications, others refactor them in a new way.
Some apps sync contacts, calendars, and documents; others provide direct access to your computer; and a few deal with notes and memos. In fact, there are now apps available to meet just about every business need. You can keep up with all your business demands whilst on the move through your phone/iPad. Anywhere and anytime you can keep connected and manage those important tasks.
But which iPhone apps are the best? Which are unmissable?
My favourite apps
- Google Apps: View and respond to your e-mails, update your calendar, and edit your documents, use Google search and maps, etc.
- WiFi Finder: Great if you’re a frequent business traveller. If you are on your travels and don’t know where to find available WiFi connections, WiFi finder ensures you can find any connection anywhere in the world regardless if you’re online or not.
- LinkedIn: Most business owners are on LinkedIn so it makes sense to have it on your phone/tablet too. If you’re not on LinkedIn yet then I strongly suggest you do, LinkedIn is great for business opportunities, asking for advice, inform people in your network about your projects, source new talent, and much more.
- Hootsuite: A Twitter dashboard that does so much more. My number one favourite Twitter tool that is essential to me on a daily basis.
- BBC News: Keep up to date with latest business news and industry trends when on the go. BBC News provides quality coverage of the worldwide news, including updates, in-depth analysis, and video coverage.
- Dropbox: Good if you have important files and documents that you need to be readily accessible.
- Evernote: Enables you to take notes in various ways including voice memos.
- Contractor, Freelancer, Small Business Tax Calculator: Great for keeping up with your contracts, taxes, etc.
- Skype: I love Skype and am always on it! If you need to talk to your clients, colleagues, prospects and they’re in another country then this video-calling app is invaluable. I use it in the UK too, it saves my mobile bill:).
- XE Currency: Convert any world currency, live currency rates, charts, and more.
- Easy Task Manager: Enables you to organise and manage your tasks more effectively.
- Sure Pay role: Calculate wages, benefits, deductions, etc.
- Campfire: Offers a range of tools for collaboration and productivity. Useful app for group chat calls.
- Meebo: Valuable for companies that conduct a lot of business over IM.
- Remember the milk: Useful for helping you remember all important details of the day. Set and receive reminders via email, SMS and IM. One of my personal favourites for task management.
- Ning: Lets you build your own networking and social space.
- Zoho: offers you a complete customer relationship life-cycle management software for managing Sales, Marketing, Customer Support, and Inventory activities.
- Facebook app: Access all your favourite facebook features on the go. The first app I installed!
- Foursquare: A brilliant location based app. Demand for these types of apps are growing rapidly.
- Insight (formerly Encamp): Insight is an app for managing Basecamps project management tool on the go. It’s not a free app but if you’re using Basecamp it will be well worth the fee.
What apps are you using on your smart phone? Which are your favourites? Please do leave a comment and share your favourites too.
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About Lilach
I love Instagram, and find it very useful. and although not business the most used app on my phone is the IMDB app.
Twitter: saraharrow
Thanks Sarah, I’ve just installed Instagram and IMDB and look forward to having a play with them:)
Thanks, Lilach!
I just got my first iPhone and am excited at the possibilities – so many apps out there to utilise, it’s all a little overwhelming – useful to see your list of the best for business! Just need to get used to using all these on the move now
Claire recently posted..Making the Most of Facebook Custom Tabs (Part 2)
Thanks Claire:) You’re love your iPhone and will be spoilt for choice with all the apps out there!
Enjoy:)
Definitely spoilt for choice! Needing to be structured about only allowing a certain amount of time for exploring apps, or can imagine I could ‘lose’ hours that way LOL!:)
Claire recently posted..How Social Media can Help Manage your Finances
Absolutely:) I had a lot of fun writing this post that’s for sure:)
Lilach,
Awesome list! I also am an iPhone girl and have yet to upgrade to the new 4. Saving up! The apps. that are invaluable to me are Hootsuite, Instagram, Serve, Evernote, Dropbox, Firefox Home.
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Thanks Christina:) The iPhone 4 is so lovely, I’m in love with my new phone!
Thanks for the tip about Serve, will check that out:)
No Instapaper! Wow!
Or feeddler, or flipboard, or Google+, or Tweetbot, or iThoughtsHD, or Dragon Dictation, or Audioboo, or PomodoroLE, or Casts… I will shut up now. 
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Thanks Graham:) Yes you’re quite right, they should be on there too… but then if I listed every fabulous app you guys wouldn’t need to comment:)
Will check out Flipboard and Casts as haven’t tried them yet.
Flipboard is the Apple app of the year.
Graham recently posted..If You Could Achieve Only One Thing This Year…
I’ve just installed it @Graham – it looks fab:)
My most used free apps are:
Zoho Invoice – it’s great on the iphone for tracking expenses on the go
Zoho CRM – good for keeping up with sales leads and the associated tasks
Foo Call – make international calls (landlines and mobile numbers) for the cost of a local call. Unlike Skype it uses the phone network so you can use it everywhere.
Nav Free – free sat nav app, the only downside is that you have to install each country as separate apps
Gist – a social media aggregator based on your contacts
Thanks David:) I’ve just installed Foo Call, the app looks great:) I thought I had included Gist but must have forgotten to add it to my list so thanks for the reminder.
I also use 0800 wizard which is useful.
Great post Lilach – thank you.
I WISH I had an iPhone! I hate my current phone, it’s so clunky. Will have to get on the case and get it sorted I think
Keep up the great work,
Rob
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Thanks Rob, my pleasure:)
Yes I highly recommend the iPhone, there are some good deals at the moment too:)
Great list! For me the pick are the Google apps apps and Remember the Milk – especially when you go pro for $25. Add the RTM widget in Gmail and it’s almost impossible to forget a task
Will be trying out a few of the others – thanks
Thanks Steve, I too like Remember the Milk. Will try out the RTM widget so thanks for that one:)
Thanks Lilach. What about QR HD for all those QR codes we are now seeing! Concise Oxford Dictionary and Thesaurus for all our writing needs. Train times for, well train times. There lots of great business apps for different purposes. I also agree about the 4S, I upgraded from an old 3GS – well worth it.
Chris
Thanks Chris, yep loving those ones too, thanks for sharing:)
Yes the 4s is hands down so much better than the 3GS, so pleased I upgraded:)
I love Docs-To-Go; it syncs with free desktop software so you can carry, edit and share your docs, including Excel, Word, and lots of other file types.
Thanks Beryn that sounds very useful and will check that one out too:)
I love the iPHONE it makes my job soooooo much easier, and my life! Great recommendation for apps Lilach!
John Moussan recently posted..Being Featured In Mike Dillard’s “What’s Working Now” Publication…
Twitter: johnmoussan
Thanks John:) Pleased to see another iPhone fan:)
Hey Lilach, another great post. I have just upgraded from my 3GS to an iPhone 4, not the 4S yet! I think it is a great business tool, but the battery could definitely be improved.
Anyway I digress, another great app which I discovered the other day is the “Time and Date International Meeting Planner App”. I have not used it much yet, but on the outside it looks really great and works across time zones so really good for scheduling meetings with your prospects and leads! http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/intl-meeting-planner/id400899317?mt=8
Alan
Twitter: Alan_Turner
Thanks Alan:) Not sure what the difference is with 4 and 4s…
Love the look of your app you’ve recommended, thanks for the share, will install this…. now need to find the time to have a play with all my new apps:)
Great list, but for business apps, CardMunch should definitely be in the top 10. Since LinkedIn acquired them and relaunched the app, it makes scanning biz cards and adding contacts to your device (and on LI) a breeze. It is a lifesaver after conferences and events (using it today actually). Best of all, it’s free. And no, I’m not getting a dime for raving about it!
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Thanks so much Hunter. I was actually looking for an app like CardMunch but couldn’t find one that was free so this is a real gem – thanks so much for sharing:)
As a currency trader , XE Currency really rocks and shine !!very amazing collection of business apps for iPhone !! Thanks LILACH !! love you bro !!!!
Thanks Henry, really appreciate your comment:)
I love Evernote – I’ve found it invaluable to record all my ideas and make sure I don’t forget any of them. Am looking forward to trying out Zoho CRM and a couple of others mentioned here!
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Thanks Sal:) Yes Evernote is a really useful tool. I’m also looking forward to trying out some of the others that people have recommended:)
Agree !! Evernote is just superawesome , webclipper sync PDF , and most importantly it’s free !! oh yea ..evernote truly rocks !!
Thanks Henry:) Will check out webclipper too and yes I agree Evernote is fabulous:)
Looks like you hit another home run Lilach! There sure is a buzz going on! I do not have an iPhone. I’m a little archaic I guess. Just a Verizon-Samsung flip phone – no frills.
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Thanks Val:) I must admit I love my gadgets and technology and always want the latest thing! A little sad I admit but at least I figure I put it to good use by writing about it in my blog:)
Once again I am amazed at the number of apps available for iPhone, I don’t have one yet but it is definitely on the list. Great post Lilach, thanks.
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Twitter: davidgsharp
Thanks David:) When you do get one you will love it:)
This is a great list!
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Thanks Monyelle:)
Great post Lilach, I have the iphone and have several of these apps on my phone.
Skype has proved to be a favorite of mine, particularly because it allows me to talk to clients, prospects and business partners by phone for FREE! Does it get any better than that?
I’ve known about Dropbox for the computer but had no idea they had an app as well. I’ll definately put that on my list. Also the Easy Task Manager sounds like something every serious entrepreneur should have.
Thanks for the informative post Lilach!
All the best!
-Chante
Chante Epps recently posted..How To Use Internet Marketing To Build Your Home Business
Thanks Chante, I too am a huge fan of Skype, it’s saved me a fortune and I spend so much time on there every day:)
Hi Lilach,
Thanks very much for sharing this post and Wi Fi Finder is a really handy one when one is out and about, There are so many good apps but one I would include in this list is Pure Audio App . I will be back to your blog and your tips. Take care Rosemary
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Thanks Rosemary:) Wi Fi Finder is a great app too. I’ll check out Pure Audio App – haven’t heard of that one so thanks for the share:)
Great list! I use a lot of these but there are a few I’ll check out. My additions would be:
i-nigma – really easy and quick QR code scanner
CamCard – excellent biz card scanning app
i Spy – Google Analytics on the go
NoteMaster – good note taking app that also syncs with Google Docs
and just for fun, Spotify (premium account needed) and the fabulous SpotOn radio app!
Thanks Alison:) I’m liking your recommendations – thanks so much. I haven’t heard of i Spy so am looking forward to downloading that one too:)
One day when I have an iPhone, I will surely be considering these apps, I wont an app recently but it was never used. Tsk.
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Thanks Herbert, I really recommend you get an iPhone they’re fabulous:)
That is a whole lot of apps! I must say that I haven’t got the hang of a lot of them yet! I have to get with the times but not overwhelm myself!! Great list!
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Thanks Holly:) Yes there are literally 1000′s of apps, some are free and others aren’t. And like anything some are really great and useful and others aren’t…
Well, you are completely right about comparing iPhone without applications with a book without words! That’s definitely true! And special thanks for mentioning all these applications, it can be like a good tutorial for all its users
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Thanks, absolutely:) Pleased you found them useful:)
Oh, your list is missing without my personal favorite iSeeker – An amazing utility to locate your missing iPhone. You got to try this
http://bit.ly/p2AAXy
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Thanks Sid, I love the sound of iSeeker… I’m afraid I often “misplace” my phone!!
Thanks for the share, great tip:)
Hey Lilach, that’s definitely a great list. You missed out on Zukmo (one of the favorites) which offers bundle of features. I am in love with it, sure you too will.
Thanks Tom – will check out Zukmo sounds great:)
There is no app called Zukmo
I think Tom may be referring to https://www.zukmo.com/index.html https://market.android.com/details?id=com.vembu.zukmo.ui&hl=en
Oh, silly me.
I thought this was a post about iPhone apps
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Yeah that’s the one Lilach.
Thanks Tom:)
Great list! My ‘must have’ app’s include MyLibrary – scan the barcodes and it reads, sorts and stores all my books, DVDs, CDs. Amazing. I used to buy something, thinking I hadn’t got it, only to find I had! My Library is fantastic.
Also loving mobile versions of Dropbox, Skype, Hootsuite, Docs To Go, Flipboard as previously mentioned.
Plus, Buffer for ‘banking’ posts to social media; Pano for combining several photos to create a panoramic shot; Shazam to find out what that song is; Vision Board (lovely to add photos and quotes that motivate me); Xero for accounts and financials on the move.
Ebay mobile is great (even better on the iPad); AA Route Planner.
And just discovered Genius Scan . . . loving it!
Great thread – thanks to everyone for sharing. Now off to check out some of those . . .
Twitter: marycollin
Thanks Mary. Haven’t heard of MyLibrary so will be checking that out and also Genius Scan – liking the sound of that:)
I think I’m going to have to write an update with all these other great suggestions everyone has shared:)
Many of these are kinda general essentials not necessarily super business-y no?
Still, really appreciate the list. Especially things like the Contractor & tax calculator. THAT is
biz specific.
You should definitely add CompanySpy ( goo.gl/ojqFF ) to your list. It basically runs a credit report on companies, so anytime you’re about to go into business w/someone, you can easily first check their company
out.
Twitter: blogspotting
That sounds pretty good, but could totally be a “general essential” too. After all I know plenty of people who have hired a roofing company, or something like that only to have them go bust mid job. If you were to do one of these credit thingies on them, I guess you’d be able to see if they are reliable or not. hmmmmm
Who are YOU doing business with ;P
Many of these are kinda general essentials not necessarily super business-y no?
Sorry re-posted cuz page froze and comment hasn’t appeared.
Still, really appreciate the list. Especially things like the Contractor & tax calculator. THAT is
biz specific.
You should definitely add CompanySpy ( goo.gl/ojqFF ) to your list. It basically runs a credit report on companies, so anytime you’re about to go into business w/someone, you can easily first check their company
out.
Twitter: blogspotting
Hi Lilach, I’ve just followed the tweet of your blog post on my iPhone 4S and have to say that your blog is not mobile friendly at all which is quite incongruous with your post. We can certainly help you out if you want to properly connect with half your audience when they’re on the move. Thought you’d want to know
Twitter: gandfscott
Hi Fiona, I have tested the site on the iPhone 4s and it works perfectly we have a mobile responsive slider as well which shows the images perfectly.
I have taken screen shots which I am happy to send to you as it seems you have a problem with your phone. Good luck in sorting it out
Hello Lilach, I like your blog, it’s very easy to overlook your top 20!
Personally i prefer gTasks, it isn’t free but it’s defenetely worth it. I also start building a blog of this kind, but especially game apps. Could you please take a look and give me some advice? http://ratediphoneapps.blogspot.com/
Thanks anyway!
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