There’s An App For That!
 By Lee S. Shaffer

Developers are having a heyday creating applications for the Apple iPhone. And small-business owners are reaping the rewards.

If you’ve got a business to run, chances are there’s an iPhone app that can help you do it while you’re on the move.

Here are just a handful of cool, business savvy apps. Check Apple’s App Store for up-to-the-minute price information.

TeuxDeux
$2.99
Love to-do lists? Then this app is for you. It’s practical and simple to use. You get a calendar view that features tasks at a glance Monday through Sunday. TeuxDeux even gives you a “someday bucket” for those business chores you want to get around to eventually, but you don’t want them jamming up your get-it-done list.

Dropbox
Free
Sync and share files and photos online and across your iPhone, laptop, desktop, even another person’s computer. Dropbox acts as a Web-based repository for uploading and sharing the files you want. The app supports a whole host of file types, including images, Adobe PDF files, Microsoft documents and more.

iTimeSheet
$5.99
Consultants, freelancers and other business owners who need to track the time they spend on projects should take a look at iTimeSheet. The app lets you record your activities, track your time by client, create invoices for customers and export the data in Microsoft Excel. It’s smart, fully customizable and easy to navigate. Just the way a time tracker should be.

Delivery Status Touch
$4.99
This app monitors tracking info for more than 40 shipping services, including the U.S. Postal Service, FedEx and UPS. It’s an effective app, whether you need to track dozens of deliveries or just keep an eye on a single shipment. Simply type in a tracking number to start counting down the days until delivery.

Trip Cubby
$4.99
Need to track vehicle mileage for your business tax deduction? Ditch those paper logs and track your miles with Trip Cubby. It’s fast, easy and designed with IRS compliance in mind. Quick access to frequent trips, auto-entry and other features make this a fully functional app that you’ll use every day.

FlightTrack Pro
$9.99
If you fly, take this app on your next business trip. It imports flight data automatically from any airline confirmation e-mail. And it provides alerts for real-time changes to your flight. Get updates regarding gates, cancellations and delays. You can even find alternative flights with a simple tap. The app covers more than 4,000 airports worldwide.

WhitePages Mobile
FREE
Let your fingers do the walking, as the old tagline goes. This app puts more than 200 million U.S. adults and businesses at your fingertips. Use Yellow Pages business search to find local companies. Plus, you get maps, driving directions, reverse phone number search and the ability to save listings to your contacts.

Account Tracker
$2.99
Watch your small-business cash flow with this app. It gives you budgeting, expense management and financial tracking across multiple accounts (credit cards, checking, savings and more). You can set up recurring transactions and quickly search existing transactions to automatically complete category fields. The app will even display an alert if one of your accounts is likely to hit its limit.

More Apps For More Phones
Got a BlackBerry instead of an iPhone. Download the apps you need at BlackBerry App World. Use an Android? Check available apps at the Android Market.



(Posted January 2011)

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