15 iPhone, Android and Ovi Mobile Apps for Business

Smartphones are really starting to come into their own as business tools, especially if you are working remotely or on the move. Here are a selection of five business apps for three of the most popular mobile phone software platforms available - iPhone, Android and Ovi. Thanks goes to Apple, Google and Nokia for their help in getting this list together.

These apps have been chosen because the represent a cross-section of the sort of tools available to business users. There are many variants of some of these apps, with a sliding scale of cost, and ever more becoming available every day, so it's worth looking around for new releases.

5 Business Apps for the iPhone
1 Inertrak ($4.99)

A time-tracking tool for designers, contract workers, lawyers, or anyone who works on multiple projects on an hourly basis. It automatically keeps track of the time you spend on different projects throughout the day. Click to start and stop the timer. This is one of the more popular business app types. If you charge for your time, it's often difficult to accurately track the work you've done for a particular customer.
2 iShare (Free)

iShare connects to Microsoft's SharePoint Server 2007, giving secure access to company & team collaboration information including documents, lists, announcements, tasks & meetings. Remote connectivity is a boon for any remote or mobile worker. Getting access to company-held information or keeping your team informed of your progress wherever you are is a must for many business users.

3 Tipulator (£1.99)

Tipulator lets you easily calculate restaurant tips on your iPhone and iPod touch. There are a large number of apps designed to make travel more easy. This one is going to be indespensible for anyone who struggles with mental arithmetic. The last thing you want is a dirty look from serving staff at the end of a business lunch, because you mistakenly gave them a miserly tip.

4 Stress Test (Free)
Stress Check combines our research-based stress test with powerful stress management tools to help you manage your stress more effectively. However busy you get, you can't afford to ignore your health and wellbeing. This app allows you to assess your own stress levels and gives some advice on how to bring them down.

5 VehiCal (Free)
VehiCal makes it easy to record and manage vehicle mileage and expenses for personal and business use. Another calculator. For those lucky enough to still qualify for a company car and have to file a claim for petrol and maintenance, this app makes sure they get back every penny. Or, if you're a sole trader and need to claim back VAT (Soon to go up, don't forget) this app will help you claw back some of that overhead.

5 Business Apps for Android

1 Locale ($9.99)

This app makes sure your mobile doesn't go off when you're in that important, career-make-or-break meeting. We all know your novelty ringtone going off, just when you're about to seal that deal can break the mood. Programme in the GPS settings of a client or customers' office and set your mobile to be silent whenever you visit that location. This is an exellent example of a location-based application that solves a simple problem.

2 Cab4Me (free)

Whether you're meeting clients, customers, prospects or partners, arriving on time is a must, but sometimes difficult, especially if you are in an unfamiliar town. This app utilises the Android's built-in GPS to find local cab companies near your location. It is available in any big town or city in the world. Another good use of location-based computing that reassures you when you are out of your comfort zone.

3 ShareAnywhere (free)

This app, developed by T-Mobile, allows you to load up a company brochure. Use it to automatically compress image files into a high-quality brochure-like slideshow, complete with your company branding. The brochure can updated by anyone in the office, so the most up-to-date images and files can be accessed by those working on the move.

4 Scan2PDF Mobile (£3.99)

With PDFs forming the backbone of many document exchanges, you can now capture and exchange crucial materials immediately with this app that takes photos of documents and turns them into PDF files with multiple pages. The documents can then be emailed straight from your phone.

5 UK Traffic (free)

Keep up to date with the latest traffic news and reports, as published by the Highways Agency, Traffic Scotland and Traffic Wales, in your region and throughout the UK. There are other ways of getting this information. Some GPS devices do this, and there's always tuning into the radio, but no other device is with you every waking hour.

5 Business Apps for Ovi

1 Quickoffice 6 Mobile Suite (£6)

This application basically brings familiar desktop applications to your mobile. It supports Microsoft Office 2007 Word Documents, Excel Spreadsheets and PowerPoint Presentations allowing you to create, edit & view native files and attachments. Mobile phones are increasingly becoming de facto computing devices that are designed for heavyweight use.

2 Adobe Reader (£12.99)

Adobe Reader LE 2.5 is a PDF viewer designed for mobile devices such as Nokia 5800 XpressMusic, Nokia 97 and others. The file format is widely used for a variety of documents, from brochures to reports. This app supports English, French, Italian, German, and Spanish.

3 3001 Wisdom Quotes (free)
This application offers a collection of 3001 insightful and inspiring quotes by the world's greatest leaders and thinkers, such as Aristotle, Nietzsche, Einstein, Gandhi, Lincoln. You never know when you might need to draw on the wisdom of the great and the good to drive your sales pitch or motivational email home.

4 Best Safe Lite (free)
Encrypt and store your sensitive data in one place and keep it to hand. Create cards and quick notes, arrange them into folders, organize and find them easily at any time. It can't be overstressed how much more vulnerable your business information will be, now that you are using a powerful handheld device to review and process it out of the office. Phones often get lost -- make sure your core IP doesn't go with it.

5 Ovi Maps FREE
Need to find your way to a meeting or find the perfect spot for a business lunch? This app allows you to get to your destination with voice guidance. It also includes free local weather, events nearby and travel guides from Lonely Planet and Michelin. This is a classic mobile app that will never stop being useful.

(Pic: gailjadehamilton cc2.0)