I have no idea how the predecessors in my business worked efficiently 10 let alone 20 years ago! I have vague images of paper maps, and stacks of directories strewn in their cars directing them to new destinations. Now, I couldn't imagine travel without my iphone and all its applications.
Here are my favorite 10 that I use on a regular basis:
This voice to text transcription program has been used for years for medical transcriptions, but now it can be used on the iphone to draft emails and text messages. Although it doesn't transcribe perfectly, I can still create quick email drafts during down time or when I'm driving that can be quickly cleaned up and sent later in the day.
Yelp will use your current location to find local food spots, retail locations, stores, etc. I love narrowing down restaurants with Vegan and Vegetarian options. Although, it can be pretty obvious when reviews are written by the owners or friends of the owners of each establishment, I've found it to be pretty accurate in it's ratings thus far.
I love Franklin Covey programs. It helps me organize, categorize, and prioritize my daily tasks. It also has a handy voice recording feature, so I can quickly speak into my phone, save the task, and transcribe it later.
The voice activation Google search is quite impressive. When the phone is plugged into the car auxilary outlet, I can quickly do web searches by vocalizing my request. It gives me quicker results than yahoo or bing.
I get several business cards daily from potential clients. Scan Biz Cards takes a photograph of the card, scans it, reads it, and enters it into the address book. There are a few transcription errors, but it still saves a considerable amount of time when compared to hand entering the data. The program can also be used to create follow up reminders although I rarely use this function.
Although I haven't gone to any meetup events that I've actually joined, the app is a useful tool to learn what's happening in the community I'm visiting. I recently attended a Pecha Kucha event (don't ask me how to pronounce it) after getting a meetup invite. You can find anything from adventure groups, hiking groups, book clubs, singles events, etc. On a restless evening in a new town, this app can offer an endless amount of possible activities.
Foursquare is a Social geo-tagging tool to let your friends know where you've been and why you like it, but I don't really use it in that way. For me, it's a great way to keep track of the places I've been to that I would want to go back to again. When I'm at a restaurant that I like, I find it on foursquare, disable the option to let my friends know where I am, and check in. I'll write a little note about the place and may even take a picture. It's a great way to no longer have to say, "Remember that place in Philly that we loved...what was it called again?"
This app finds the closest gas stations to you and breaks them down by price. During a time when gas prices are skyrocketing, this is a priceless app. I fill my tank at least twice a week. Even if I save $4/week, it adds up to a pair of Stella McCartney shoes (well...on sale) by the end of the year.
I know, I know...that makes two apps. They still follow the same function...it's easy to find a hotel quickly wherever you are. It's a great way to multi-task and get things done...especially when you're sitting in a doc office waiting for your meeting to start
My favorite app by far. Google voice offers free phone numbers (the last four digits of mine spells my name) which can be connected to all of your existing phones. You can then categorize your address book into work, friends, family, etc, and create different greetings from them, or program them to call specific phones at specific times. For example, if your spouse calls, you may want your personal, work, and home phones to all ring. However, if it's past 6pm, you may want all your work calls to go straight to voice mail.
Each of your calls will then be transcribed and sent to your email, text message, or both. That way even if you are on vacation or in a meeting, you won't miss the important calls, and can screen them easily.
Also, if your work holds on to the phone number of your work phone, you can give your google voice number to your customers. Their calls will automatically go to your assigned work phone, ensuring that your customers will be able to get a hold of you even after you've left the company.
