Business is Pleasure: A look at Business-geared Android Apps

Choosing the right smartphone for both business and pleasure can be a daunting task. There are many choices these days that make the decision making process quite difficult when shopping for a new device.

Historically, BlackBerry has been the go-to device for business professionals. The iPhone has MS Exchange integration and loads of useful applications which makes it worthy of consideration as well. Finally, there is the most recent favorite, a group of smartphones running the Google Android operating system.

For the past three years, I have used a BlackBerry. My first Blackberry ever was the 8830 World Edition. I loved this phone and used it for a full year until the trackball stopped working properly. I immediately moved to the fresh new (at the time) “iPhone killer”, the Storm. With its sleek touch screen and BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) integration, this phone served me well. About 1 month ago, I was ready for a new phone. I have to admit, with the growing popularity of the Android OS and the huge selection of phones available, I knew I was it was only time before I switched over. I settled with the Motorola Droid X in August 2010.

My Droid X is the ultimate device. It serves my business needs (email, calendaring, organizing) and certainly serves the inner-geek in me with such apps as “Paper Toss”. It comes bundled with a 4.3-inch 854×480 screen, 1GHz processor, 512MB RAM, 24GB storage, 8-megapixel stills, 720p HD video, HDMI Micro out, three microphones for noise cancellation and wireless N with 3G hotspot powers. I have discovered a plethora of cool apps in the short time I have had the device.

If you are currently shopping for a replacement smartphone, here are a few worthwhile Android apps geared towards fulfilling your business needs.

Exchange By TouchDown

What good would a smartphone be without access to your email? This Android client for MS Exchange is an outstanding tool for staying in-sync with your mailbox (assuming you have an MS Exchange server). TouchDown supports syncing to MS Exchange 2003, 2007 and 2010 with ActiveSync. The interface is clean. The product works much better than the built-in corporate email sync. Cost: $20.00

Evernote

Evernote is quite simply the greatest note taking tool of all time. This is a very useful app for making notes during meetings including voice recording for voice memo reminders. Plus, this app allows users to take pictures with ease. I have used it on my Mac, PC, Blackberry and now Droid. The Android version is sleek and easy to use. It’s a must-have application for the business professional. Cost: FREE.

Seesmic

Face it. Twitter is a powerful business and marketing tool that many are afraid to admit they use. The micro-blogging platform has 75 million users. It’s addicting. There are hundreds of Twitter applications out there, but Seesmic seems to get it right. Seesmic supports multiple accounts, it remembers where you were in your tweet stream, and the scroll feature is very quick. I’ve tested numerous twitter apps and this is by far the best. Cost: FREE.

Wyse PocketCloud

Ever need to connect via Terminal Services or VNC to a computer when you are mobile? I can tell you there are many situations where I would need this, and finally an application that does it flawlessly. RDP, VNC, VMware View are supported. RDP7 support, pinch-to-zoom and machine sounds are included in this handy application. PocketCloud is FREE, however the version with VMware View support is $14.99. Cost: FREE.

Meebo

Life today is all about communication. Where would we be without it? Staying in touch with friends, colleagues, and family is invaluable. Meebo is a slick Instant Message application that allows multiple AIM, Yahoo, Facebook, Windows Live Messenger, MySpace, Google Talk, ICQ, and Jabber accounts. I highly recommending choosing this application over any other Android IM app. Cost: FREE.

LogMeIn Ignition

We’ve all been there. How many times have you needed to remote control a PC or server at home or work, and wasn’t around another computer with Internet access? Well, with LogMeIn Ignition, you can connect on the go. The response time is very quick, and the zoom feature is most impressive. While this program is a little pricey at $29.99, it is well worth it if you need access to these computers from anywhere with a WiFi or 3G connection. Cost: $29.99

Dropbox

Lastly, my favorite application to be released in the last 5 years has come to Android. The service allows you to store files in the cloud, pulling them down to any computer or your Android device. There is cross-platform online backup and restore, file-sync support, and file sharing all built in to Dropbox. The most impressive feature was the fact you can stream music to your device if you have MP3s in your Dropbox. Now that’s hot.

Android Apps are constantly evolving. There are new and exiting apps being released everyday. Who knows what awaits?

Do you have a favorite Android Apps that you would recommend to a business professional? Share them with me by leaving a comment below.

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