In late 2012, official industry
figures confirmed that smart phone shipments in 2012 had surpassed PC sales
worldwide by a significant margin. The reason for this change of the devices
market is evident from increased implementation of BYOD (bring your own device)
program in multiple industry segments including software development. This
increase of devices had led to the availability of a wide range of apps, whose
introduction was driven by the user’s desire for improved functionality. Thousands
of new mobile apps are available for the wide range of Android tablets and
phones that have flooded the market in recent years. Though a majority of the apps
are targeted at users pursuing leisure-related activities through the devices,
some are ideal for enhancing employee productivity while on the road. Here are
top five Android apps for the mobile worker apart from EverNote, which has already
been discussed by many others:
Scatterslides
Though there are various options
which allow you to make presentations through smart phones, Scatterslides is
specially designed to operate seamlessly with Android systems. Using this app,
you can connect your Android tablet or smart phone to large projectors using
Wi-Fi, providing you with greater mobility. Moreover, you can just swipe your
mobile screen to move from slide to slide, while making the presentation to a
large audience. Support previewing of slides on your phone and is compatible
with OpenOffice Impress and Microsoft PowerPoint files. This app is available
on payment of a nominal monthly/weekly subscription charge.
Bump
If you have been working in the Sales
and Marketing division of a company, you might be tired to swapping business
cards with prospects and unable to keep track of all those cards that you have
received in the last month. In this situation, give Bump a try. You can
literally bump two phones together to swap contact information or photos
between the phones. However be careful and don’t get overzealous while bumping
expensive pieces of equipment, as that can have undesirable consequences. The
app is compatible with iPhones and available for free.
GDocs and Google Voice
The old saying goes that when
elephants fight, the grass suffers - thankfully we are just users. As a result
of the Google vs. Apple fight, Android users have received Google Voice. The
app allows you to use proprietary Google chat and international calling
services at minimum expenses, which has left many iPhone users red-faced. If
you often access documents stored on the cloud, GDocs is the way to go. This
Android app allows you to access your documents from the cloud using your
mobile internet connection. Currently in its beta stage of development, GDocs
allows you to view and edit text files, spreadsheets and PDF files as well as
syncing any changes made to the original file. Though at present it lacks any
advanced formatting options, the possibilities for this app are excellent. Both
these apps are available for free.
Documents to Go
This application allows you to
view as well as MS-Office documents including files created using the 2007
version files using an intuitive interface. Additional functionality of the app
includes support for viewing PDF files. Users have a choice between the paid or
the free version of the application. The free version of Documents to Go offers
limited functionality, as it only allows viewing of email attachments received
on the Android device.
Locale
Locale is definitely not your
typically business app, but it can definitely help out office workers in
numerous ways. Locale is available for free and uses the GPS locator in your
Android tab or phone to track your movements and automatically take appropriate
actions such as activating the vibrate mode, while in office or switching the
ringer on, when you are back home. The app is proactive in another respect –
battery power conservation. When power conservation mode is activated, the app
automatically switches on/off functions such as Bluetooth and Wi-Fi to help
conserve battery power. These are just some among the thousands of Android apps
that are suitable for business users of Android devices.
This was a guest post by Abhishek. Abhishek is
currently working with eXtendCode, an Software
Company India, which provides software solutions such as Java Application
Development, Open Source Application Development, Data Base Solutions, Mobile
Application Development and Quality Assurance Services etc. For More Information visit: http://www.extendcode.com/
