Get Productive: Best iPad Apps for Productivity

April 19, 2012

Did you just get yourself a shiny new iPad last month? If so, you may be wondering what apps are the best in helping you be productive. On my own iPad, I do a lot with photography. And of course there are the games and social media. But the iPad is not all fun and games. It is a valuable business tool. I use my iPad for keeping up with email, composing documents, signing contracts, and much, much, more. Here are my favorite apps for keeping up with business while on the go.

Evernote: I am always boasting the praises of Evernote. It is hands down the best app for note taking and organization. And it syncs to all of your devices. Interested? Click here to learn all of the ways that I use Evernote.
DocuSign Ink: In my line of work, I have to sign a lot of contracts and agreements. It is a real pain to have to print them, sign them, and then scan them to email them back, or find a fax machine. With DocuSign Ink, all you do is open the document via your email. It opens in the app, you add your signature, save it, and email it back. No unnecessary printing and faxing.
Dropbox: Dropbox is cloud based storage that gives you access to important documents from multiple computers and mobile devices. A free account starts you with 2GB of storage. This is good enough for storing important contracts, proposal templates, and more that you use often. The same files are made available on your PC, Mac, and Mobile Devices.
SugarSync: SugarSync is like Dropbox on steroids. Not only is the ability to access your files remotely a major function, but so is keeping your data backed up. With SugarSync, the free account gets you 5GB of cloud based storage that you can use to store commonly used files, or backup your other machines.
Quickoffice HD Pro: Need to create and edit documents while on the go? Quickoffice HD Pro is a full featured suite that offers a word processor, spreadsheet program, and even a presentation program.
iWork (Pages, Keynote, and Numbers): If you use a Mac at home or the office, you may prefer to stick with Apple’s iWork suite for your document processing needs. You can then keep everything synced with your iCloud account to flawlessly access it and continue working when you return to your desk.
Hootsuite: Yes, Hootsuite is known mostly as a Twitter app, but you can do so much more. If you are responsible for handling your company’s social media, you will appreciate the ease with which Hootsuite lets you simultaneously post updates to Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, Foursquare, Myspace, and more. You can also share duties with other team members, or schedule updates.
Invoice2go Lite: Need to send an invoice to clients while away from the office? Invoice2go Lite makes is easy to send out simple invoices, quotes, and proposals, so you can do it on the go.
Square: If you have a need to accept credit cards, or report cash transactions, the Square app (when used in conjunction with the free Square reader) can help. You just plug the unit into your headphone jack, swipe cards, and use the app to process. There is no monthly fee. You pay as little as 2.75% on a transaction.