5 Apps for Business Owners on the Go

If you're a business owner, chances are you have a smartphone. Whether it is a Droid, iPhone, or BlackBerry, these high-tech handheld gadgets are essentially on-the-go computers, able to perform numerous advanced automated tasks. There are hundreds and hundreds of apps out there, many of which help businesses move more efficiently. Here's a list of five great smartphone apps for business owners on the go.

WorldCard Mobile

Business cards almost seem obsolete in today's expansive online environment, despite the fact that they are still a staple for most working professionals. But where does one store all those business cards? When you're not near your desktop drawer, but you need to find a business contact, this app allows you to conveniently store your contacts on your phone — where most of your business takes place, anyway. By snapping a photo of a business card on your iPhone, WorldCard's scanning technology reads the text and inputs the information to the proper fields on your phone. You can edit the information if need be and even add a photo of the person, which is then automatically stored in your phone's address book. WorldCard is available for $5.99.

ProOnGo Expense with Receipt Reader

Tracking business expenses can be a tiresome chore. Filing away receipts and invoices can be time consuming and amounts to unnecessary clutter. But with the ProOnGo app, it no longer needs to be. Customizable charts and graphs nicely organize your different expenses all from your phone. You can simply snap a photo of your receipt from your iPhone camera and the information is automatically imported into your expense sheet. From here, you can also easily export your expense chart as an Excel spreadsheet or upload it to Quickbooks. ProOnGo is available for free.

Evernote

The versatility and simplicity of Evernote means you can easily store and retrieve important bits of personal data. Any entrepreneur knows good business ideas can come at any time, and having a place to write these down is important when you're busy multitasking on the go. Write a quick note, snap a photo and write a caption, or leave a voice note to be retrieved for later. Whether text, audio, image, or any other file type, Evernote gives you the possibility of making your smartphone wholly unique to you. Evernote easily synchs back to your laptop and other web devices for access and convenient compatibility. Evernote is available for free and also with paid options.

XE Currency

It truly is a global economy today. With the speed and reach of the Internet, the pace of business continues to accelerate. As more business deals and partnerships are established across borders, the need for international business travel is high. If you happen to be a frequent international business traveler, this app's for you. Most countries use their own form of currency, and with this app, you get real-time updates and conversions with international markets. You can easily switch your base currency and monitor up to 10 currencies at any one time. This app will also appeal to anyone working in international trade, finance, and futures. XE Currency is available for free.

Battery Go!

Battery life, or lack thereof, is a regular complaint with many smartphone users. As a business owner, it's crucial that your phone doesn't die while you're on an important call or project. Battery life depends largely on what phone capabilities are being utilized. For instance, watching video and Wi-Fi web surfing are going to eat up more battery life in shorter time spans than listening to music and talking to business associates. This app breaks down your iPhone's specific energy usage lifespan so that you'll have a much better idea of what activities you can actually do on your remaining charge. While the app suggests, "the times should be used only as rough estimates and not as exact fact," it's clear that it's much more useful than the standard default battery meter. Battery Go! is available for $0.99.

What smartphone apps do you use for your business on the go?

This is a guest post by Michael Dykstra. Michael is an expert writer on phone systems based in San Diego, California. He writes extensively for an online resource that provides expert advice on purchasing and outsourcing decisions for small business owners and entrepreneurs such as VoIP service at Resource Nation.

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