Top 5 Apps for Mobile IT Professionals

There’s never been a more exciting time for IT professionals as they have the means to work effectively wherever they are, thanks to their invaluable ally and constant companion: the smartphone.

Not only do the latest generation of smartphones offer an unparalleled suite of communication tools, the real innovation that has revolutionised working while on-the-go is the apps industry. For every conceivable business task there is a multitude of viable apps to help turn your smartphone or tablet device into a mobile office.

The problem isn’t finding a suitable app for your chosen task; it’s trying to narrow down your choices! With competition in the apps market at an all-time high, there’s usually a bewildering array of available options, whatever you’re looking for.

So check out our list of 5 must-have apps that no self-respecting mobile tech professional should be without:

1: Paper

As the saying goes, ‘a picture paints a thousand words’. In many dynamic, creative and rapidly evolving technology businesses, there are some concepts that don’t translate very easily into a concise email or text. Sometimes an image can explain an idea far more quickly and effectively than words can.

Paper is an impressive app which allows you to easily sketch out your ideas and add as much or little detail to them as you like with an extensive suite of accessible tools. Currently Paper is exclusively available for the iPad on the App Store but due to its rapidly growing popularity, it might not be too long before we see it on other leading tablet devices too.

2: Copy2Contact

If you dread the process of updating your contact book then Copy2Contact is an absolutely essential app to have on your smartphone. Copy2Contact eliminates the infinitely tedious task of having to manually key in your contacts by instantly and intelligently analysing text and email signatures to create the contacts for you.

This makes sure that your phone book is always up to date without any of the hassle, freeing you up to spend that time more fruitfully.

3: Evernote

As an all-round organisational tool, Evernote stands head-and-shoulders above the competition. Use it to maintain to-do lists, create and archive reminders, take notes and much more. You can then share all of your organisational notes with your team via Evernote, allowing for seamless collaboration through your smartphone.

Evernote also saves and synchronises your digital life across all of your devices, meaning you can access it from your laptop, desktop, tablet device or smartphone, whenever you want. On top of all that, it’s also completely free!

4: Flipboard

Since a number of prominent RSS feed services have recently died a death (Google announced last month that it would be killing off Google Reader), there has been a scramble among users to find a suitable alternative for finding and consuming news from their favourite sites and publications.

Flipboard has one of the most beautiful yet simple layouts that we have ever seen in a news app. Set it up in mere moments, pick your favourite sites to follow and simply enjoy your customised news digest. Flipboard is easy to navigate and allows you to set up specific news areas of interest (technology, jobs, business news, etc) so that you can stay on top of the news that matters to you.

5: Whatsapp

Not only has Whatsapp achieved a global user base that generates over 10 billion messages every single day, it’s also taken the business world by storm. Considered to be the best proprietary cross-platform instant messaging app available, Whatsapp allows you to send image, audio and video messages as well as text.

Of course, the major ace up Whatsapp’s sleeve is that these messages are free to send, regardless of their recipient’s location, allowing businesses to make significant savings on their communications costs.

Posted by: Matt