The Past and the Future of Mobile Apps for Business

           The question that we face now is: What is the future of these apps? There are many factors that will affect the app market. The factors to consider are the products which are in the market now. Since the release of the iPhone there have been several competitors competing for their share of the profits.

           Mobile apps have played a key part in business over the course of the past several years and will continue to do so in the future. We began this blog by defining apps as “a term used to describe software that runs on smart phones and mobile phones… designed to educate, entertain, or assist consumers in their daily lives” Hudson Horizons

We continued on this quest by discussing business productivity apps, citing several apps used throughout the country. Two specific apps that we had mentioned were Pages and Keynote. The first app named Pages is a useful tool used to create banners, resumes, and reports. The second app mentioned was Keynote, which is used to create immaculate presentations for any audience.

After this the group delved into credit card apps. These apps allow the small business owner to conveniently accept credit card payments via a Smartphone, iPhone, or tablet. Most of these free apps come with a free credit card reader that is plugged into the 3.5mm audio jack on the device.

Another interesting blog post was on Travel Apps. These allow consumers to move quickly through airports, book hotels, or plot routs for their next hiking trip. These apps can either be directly profitable by selling the product, cutting expenses in airports, or simply encourage the constant use of the product it advertises.

Finally, we came across Task Management apps. These apps assist people who constantly have an appointment to manage their lives by simply telling their Smartphone the event, the date, and the time frame. They also allow users to synchronize data with each other allowing employees to work in unison.

The iPad introduced a new idea to the world: a small tablet that virtually replaced the need for laptops. The iPad uses apps to achieve its purpose. Now, Microsoft has introduced Windows 8 to the market. This has now poses a struggle between apps and software.

Another factor that must be considered when it comes to the future of these apps is the speed of the mobile web. According to an article by CNN “ABI Research recently predicted that in coming years, Smartphone users around the world will be downloading and using fewer and fewer apps.” The reason this was predicted was because the mobile web has evolved, becoming faster and less clunky. Websites now have “mobile sights” that are designed for Smartphone use.

Although it has been predicted that the quantity of apps will fall, it does not appear that they will disappear entirely in the near future. Time will tell the future of these apps. For now, all we can do is watch these innovators craft new technologies as we progress forward.

           We would love your opinion on the subject. Will apps be like records and cassette tapes in the near future? Or will they stand the test of time in this ever-changing market?  

Tasks Management Apps

            After an interesting post about travels, let’s get back to our day to day life. In today’s chaotic business world, trying to stay on top of everything that needs to be done can be close to impossible.  Whether you work alone, or as a member of a team, having access to your or your teams task list is a must.  With task management apps, you have everything you need to know, and be aware of for the day, week, or month, right in your hands.  Task management apps offer the convenience of a personal secretary, with the ease of use and portability of a smart phone.

            Starting out with the most basic, but most trusted and oldest, of the task management apps is Remember the Milk (RTM).  RTM offers an easy to use, checklist style system with a user-friendly design.  Key features include the ability to sync RTM with Google Calendar, and for users with I-phones, Siri can be used to remember tasks, and set those tasks to completed once they are finished.  Another great feature is the share feature, which involves creating and sending or receiving task lists from other RTM users, which is perfect for groups or teams you may be working with.  Remember the Milk’s basic version is free, but for the upgraded Pro account, the price is $25 dollars.

            As with Remember the Milk’s ability to share task lists, Asana’s task management app is perfectly suited for groups and teams needing to share information and tasks.  Asana allows you and your co-workers to collaborate in “workspaces” via smart phones.  All the information typed into the workspace is updated in real time onto your co-workers devices.  Say for example, you need a certain team-member to send an email to an important client.  All you have to do is set a task in the workspace addressed to your team-member and they will receive it on their smartphone in real time.  Asana makes it easy to search the workspace, by including searches by project, person, or even the tags used to describe the task being worked on.  For up to ten people, Asana is free to use, but after the first ten, a fee is charged.

            The last task management app to be discussed is, in my opinion, the best of the three.  Whereas Remember the Milk was great for individuals, as Asana was for teams, Wunderlist is the best of both worlds.  Wunderlist is by far the easiest to use, and the easiest on the eyes.  It is accessible not only on mobile phones, but also on Mac and Windows computers, and even in web-browsers, which is incredibly convenient.  You can create, save, and share your tasks with co-workers, though they can not change or edit the tasks in real-time like Asana.  Wunderlist does a fantastic job of making all of your tasks, lists, and events accessible from the main screen.  The fluidity of the menus makes working with Wunderlist painless and easy.  Best of all, Wunderlist is 100% free.

            As you can see, task management apps are very prevalent in today’s business world.  The convenience of having an app to manage all of your lists, tasks, and events is extremely helpful and beneficial.  These three apps are just a sample of the kinds and styles of task management apps available.  We suggest looking into these doing some exploring on your own to find the app that’s right for you and your lifestyle by visiting: http://asana.com/ , http://www.rememberthemilk.com/ , or http://www.6wunderkinder.com/wunderlist . We will be discussing recognition apps in our next and last blog entry.