Six Hot Business Apps For iPhone And iPad

MacWorld/iWorld Mobile Apps Showcase

The Mobile Apps Showcase returned to MacWorld/iWorld for the third consecutive year. Exhibitors demonstrating business apps or services for the iPad included Digital Right Brain, Kashoo and Brainshark. Since introducing the iPad in April 2010, Apple has reported steady adoption of the tablet computer by businesses. To drive the iPad into more companies, Apple last year launched a certification program for resellers involved with iPhones and iPads at enterprise networks. The following are some of the iPad and iPhone apps at MacWorld/iWorld that businesses could find helpful.

Kash Is King

That's the catchphrase for Vancouver, Canada-based Kashoo, which sells online accounting software for the iPad. Kashoo CEO Jim Secord demonstrates the Web service's ability to track expenses, send invoices and create reports. There's no limit on users and there is no charge for the first month. After that, customers pay $10 a month.

iPad As Cash Register

Brentwood, N.Y.-based Digital Right Brain turns the iPad into a point-of-sale device for a select segment of companies. John H. Lee, marketing manager for the company, says the SalonPOS software is designed for spas, tattoo parlors and businesses specializing in hair, nail or skin care. Features include touch-based sales recording, customer and employee management and reports on sales and promotions.

Video Presentations For Business

Gerry Praysman shows an attendee how Brainshark's online service can help businesspeople take their video presentations with them on the road. Once the PowerPoints, documents, photos and video clips have been created, users upload the content to Brainshark, which provides an option for adding audio via phone, microphone or MP3 upload. Presentations can be shared as links in an e-mail, posted to social media sites or embedded in blogs or Web sites. Salespeople in the field can access video presentations on an iPad or iPhone for training, product information or an executive update. Presentations also can be played for potential customers.

Publishing For The iPad

New York-based Aquafadas sells a digital publishing system for smartphones and tablets. At MacWorld/iWorld, John Marshall (left), account manager for Aquafadas, demonstrates the software's features for the iPad and iPhone. The product supports Adobe InDesign and QuarkXPress for designing a publication, which can be tested, published and managed through the system.

Customer Contacts On The Go

Shirley Zhang, sales executive for Fremont, Calif.-based Penpower, demonstrates the company's software for scanning and organizing business cards. The WorldCard HD for the iPad includes a search tool for finding contact information while organizing each card as a record in special tables with standard attributes, such as name, address and company name. WorldCard Mobile for the iPhone scans business cards using the smartphone's camera and sorts the information by name, company, position, address, phone number and e-mail address. The information can then be exported to the address book on an iPhone.

Beat The Traffic

Santa Clara, Calif.-based Triangle Software helps businesspeople and consumers track traffic jams through the iPad and iPhone version of its Beat The Traffic system, says Yann Lhomme, marketing manager for the company. Beat The Traffic delivers traffic reports, maps and alerts for 122 major cities in the U.S. Triangle also sells its service to radio and TV stations.