Now that smartphones are being used more than computers, there are millions of apps to choose from. It can be daunting to decide which ones you really need to help you run your small business or get your job done better. The apps below will help you find some food, get fit, shop, and play, but they can also help you get work smarter.
We reviewed the “best of 2015 apps” lists put out by Apple and Google to come up with this list of apps for work, plus we added some of our own recommendations.
1Password will generate and store your passwords
We all know how difficult it is to get with all the passwords we have to remember. And to make things worse, now they are asking us to use “at least one capital letter” and “do not use any previous passwords” and “must use !#$2”. Then they tell you what you have chosen isn’t difficult enough… Ugh!
With 1Password you just remember one password and the app will do the rest. No more worries with what is your password for each app you use. 1Password will generate secure passwords for you so you don’t have to and it’s free with the Safari and Google Chrome extensions. Here is a review of 1Password.
Dropbox is an easy way to store files in the cloud
If you want a great way to manage your files, pictures, or any digital document, Dropbox has the easiest app out there. Anything you add to Dropbox will automatically show up on all your computers, phones, and even the Dropbox website — so you can access your stuff from anywhere. And they show up in Windows as a separate drive so you can drag and drop them anywhere you would a normal file. Plus you can set privileges for other uses and send links to people to view or open a file you have stored without giving them permission to edit the file itself.
Slack helps you communicate with your coworkers
Slack calls itself “a messaging app for teams”. With Slack, there is no need for those crazy long emails between co-workers. We like to think of Slack as a big chat room for coworkers to collaborate without having to use email. You can log in to channels that are public or private and you can even share files.
Lots of companies big and small are using Slack. It is very popular. It even integrates with other apps so you can get more work done without having to search through all your emails.
Todoist is an app that allows you to collaborate on your to-do list
There are lots of to-do apps out there but Todoist is the easiest and more importantly, allows you to collaborate with others.
You can assign tasks to others and see all complete tasks. It also works on most PCs and tablets.
Scanner Pro is the app for the paperless office
Scanner Pro is the best app for quickly scanning and saving a digital version of a paper document. Scan any papers, ranging from a receipt to multi-page documents. Scanner Pro will automatically detect borders, correcting distortion and geometry. Share, email, and upload your perfect scans. Use OCR to convert any scan into text.
Scanned documents can be emailed, exported to Photos, uploaded to online services (supports Dropbox, Evernote, Google Drive, iCloud Drive, Box, OneDrive, and OneNote), and simply saved on your iPhone or iPad, printed, or even faxed. Use Text Recognition (OCR) to сopy and share text from searchable PDF documents.
It’s fast and easy to use and with OCR, you can even pull the text from the document. It’s a great way to sign a document, then scan it and email it back. Or use it to keep track of your travel expenses by scanning your receipts.
Over is a creative photo editor
Over is a great app for editing photos. But it’s not just for editing photos, it’s for adding captions and creating designs. You can create a greeting card, a graphic, and more. The app has a built-in store with all kinds of add-ons and font packs for even more customization. Get creative! It’s got a lot of uses for your business.
Lyft will hail a car
We all know how hard it can be to hail a taxi in New York City. But what about waiting 30-45 minutes for a taxi in other smaller cities/towns? Well, that paradigm has shifted. Now with Lyft and Uber, just pull out your cell phone and get a driver within minutes even seconds! Lyft drivers use their own cars and the app tells them when someone near them is looking for a ride and where they want to go. The Lyft driver grabs the order and picks you up! You can even pay using the app so no need to worry about carrying around cash for the driver! Welcome to the new world of shared rides!
Airbnb lets you stay like a local
With Airbnb, you aren’t just renting a couch or a room, a host is opening their home to you. You get a chance to experience the whole enchilada! So while in Rome, you learn what it is like to live in Rome from a real Italian family. Or while in Portugal, you live among the locals and drink Sangria.
Airbnb is an app that makes it easy to search for a room or an apartment in whatever city you want to go to anywhere in the world.
Turo (previously Relay Rides) will find a rental car for you
Not only can you borrow part of someone’s house using Airbnb, but now you can borrow someone’s car! With Turo (previously Relay Rides) owners of cars list their car and will either meet you where you are, or you can come to them. The insurance is taken care of by Turo. It’s a great fun way to get a nice rental car for a nice price! And, potentially, make a new friend!
Doodle will help your group schedule a meeting
You can sign up for Doodle on your computer for free and the app enables you to use Doodle on the go. By using your mobile device, you can respond to a meeting poll, initiate a poll, and see all of your polls at a glance. In addition to the mobile Web app, Doodle also offers a native app for iPads and iPhones.
Use the main contact center to coordinate your meetings. When people want to meet with you, just show them when you are available and how you want to be contacted.
It connects with your current calendar and you can start and answer meeting requests directly in the calendar interface.
There is an ad-free professional version of Doodle for individuals (Premium Doodle Private) or companies and organizations (Premium Doodle Business or Enterprise). A premium subscription offers premium functionality and theming possibilities.
If you want to use the best VoIP phone system from Press8 Telecom, Bria has an excellent app that allows you to literally replace your desk phone. Just download the Bria app and sign up with Press8 Telecom and you will never miss another call. You can even transfer your calls, record your calls, have your voicemails transcribed and emailed to you and save your contacts.
