Top Ten TechOrchard iPad & iPhone Apps
Instapaper
As an IT professional, you need to stay on top of trends, new technologies, and new products and services. Yet, you probably don’t have time to read every interesting article you find online.
Instapaper allows you to save web pages for reading offline later. However, it doesn’t just save them. It optimizes them for readability on the iPhone and iPad touch screen. It also allows you to browse and save posts on Facebook, Twitter or Tumblr. Additionally, it is supported by and can be used with more than 150 other iPhone and iPad apps — and it even supports email, which can also be sent to it for later viewing.
Instapaper retails for $3.99.
Quickoffice Pro HD
Quickoffice Pro HD is a standalone app that lets you create, edit and track all Microsoft Office documents, spreadsheets, and presentations whether they are locally stored or stored on the cloud via services such as Google Drive or Box.
Quickoffice supports Microsoft Word 1997-2010, Microsoft Excel 1997-2010 and Microsoft PowerPoint 1997-2010, providing the capability to track changes, add comments and perform spellcheck within those documents. It also holds true to the feel of mobility through the use of the tablet while maintaining the productivity of a desktop.
Quickoffice HD can be downloaded for free or the full version Quickoffice Pro HD can be purchased for $19.99 via an in-app purchase.
Microsoft OneNote
Microsoft OneNote, part of the Office Suite, is Microsoft’s alternative to Evernote, the popular digital notebook that we covered in our Android Productivity Apps slideshow last month. Like EverNote, OneNote enables you to gather and save all of your notes, URLs, ideas, pictures, products, news and more in one location, so you can find them more easily in the future.
OneNote lets you create searchable notes that can include text, bullets and pictures. You can keep the notes in sync using Microsoft’s SkyDrive storage service, which then lets you access, edit and manage them from virtually any online device.
The free version of OneNote is limited to 500 notes, with unlimited use available for $4.99 via an in-app purchase.
SmartTime
Your day consists of many tasks and routine appointments. To help you manage them, SmartTime lets you integrate your daily schedule with your iPhone. When a new task or appointment is created, a person’s name is selected from your contacts, which then integrates the individual’s phone number and address directly into the app. In a similar fashion, SmartTime lets you use email to share Smart tasks with other SmartTime users.
There are three ways to view data and tasks and events are combined in each of those views. The first view is Smart View, and it displays your agenda. Calendar View shows the same data in a standard day calendar. Focus View provides a list of “need to do” and “already done.”
This retails for $4.99.
Microsoft CloudOn
CloudOn is Microsoft’s mobile Office integration service that works in conjunction with cloud storage services, enabling you to work with Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents while on the go. Other types of files, such as PDF, JPG, PNG and GIF, can be opened using the built-in Adobe Reader and File Viewer.
Most of the standard features of Microsoft Office are available using CloudOn, including sharing files as links or attachments via email from within the workspace, tracking changes within Word documents, using PivotTables and inserting formulas in Excel workbooks, and the useful automatic document saving.
Box
Box is similar to Dropbox in that it provides you with what it calls 5GB+Sync. It allows you to sync up to 5GB of data, making it easier to access and edit files, share content with coworkers, and stay connected while on the go. Updates to documents and spreadsheets are visible immediately through secure content sharing.
There are several iOS cloud storage apps available that help bridge the gap between your mobile devices and your data, among them Dropbox, Google Drive and MediaFire, which were discussed in our Android Productivity Apps slideshow last month. These are all cross-platform cloud storage apps that will work with multiple devices.
SpringPad
Similar to Evernote in its goal, SpringPad is a free app that aims to help iPhone users become better organized and more productive. Users of the app are able to save ideas, notes, project tasks, photos, products, checklists and movies. Then SpringPad provides suggestions relevant to the items being organized.
The latest version, Springpad 4.0, features a streamlined design, performance improvements and easier access to all the data you are working with.
Wunderlist 2
Like Evernote and SpringPad, Wunderlist 2 lets you manage and share your daily to-do lists. From vacations to grocery shopping lists to daily tasks, Wunderlist was designed to make it easier to define, share and accomplish. New features include reminders, recurring tasks and subtasks, improved notes, sharing and notifications. Details of your list are automatically synced across all of your devices.
