I’m normally right on the edge of anything to do with technology.  If it is cool, electronic, and I can somehow justify the purchase, I will own it. When it came to the iPad, I was slow to jump on the train.  Sure it was cool, and definitely had its uses, but I just couldn’t justify the purchase price.  I bought other tablets on release, like the Kindle Fire with its 200 dollar price point, but just recently acquired an iPad.  I found that there are several apps that are essential in the workplace, and without them you may find yourself without the necessary tools to do the job.

  • Evernote – This cloud based note taking app is essential.  I can’t imagine my life without it. I have it installed on my desktop, laptop, smartphone, and iPad.  Use it for notes, to-do lists, and keep track of them across all of your devices.  Evernote lets you take pictures to put in the notes, and you can even search for the text that is in the picture and it will show up in the results.
  • Documents to Go Premium – Being able to work with Office documents are a must in the workplace.  Not being able to work with documents (or create new ones) really limits your iPad, and forces you to go back to you laptop or desktop to do any “real work.”
  • Dropbox – Having Dropbox isn’t absolutely necessary, but having a cloud storage application on your device is.  Dropbox is my preferred choice; however Google Drive, Microsoft Skydrive, and Apple’s iCloud are other alternatives you can choose from.  We all know that emailing files back and forth to yourself can be annoying, and certainly isn’t efficient.  Having apps like Dropbox allows you to not only access your files, but keep them organized in folders.
  • Skype – If you use Skype often for business communications, then Skype for iPad is an essential tool to keep you communicating.  Successful business is all about communication, so don’t fall short just because you are on your iPad.
  • Qwiki – To be honest, I’m not sure if this came with my iPad or if I downloaded it, but I’ll be damned if it isn’t useful.  Qwiki takes any subject you give it and creates a short, spoken multimedia presentation on it.  Whether you want to know the history of your favorite baseball team, or want to know how they make paper plates, it will tell you with visuals and audio.
  • Slideshark – I view a lot of PowerPoints, and the iPad is terrible at showing them to you.  Slideshark shows you PowerPoints the way they were meant to be seen, and it makes a huge difference.
  • Chrome – So let’s get real.  Safari isn’t the best browser on the planet. It isn’t terrible, but I prefer Chrome, so I installed the app and replaced Safari on the main toolbar down below. My browsing experience has significantly improved.

 

What apps help you get through the day? Let us know in the comments!