Keep Track of Your Billable Hours and Other Useful Business Apps

Last month, I introduced you to a suite of apps to get you started using an iPad for your business. It doesn’t end there!

Although these apps are beneficial for many businesses, they are relevant for personal use too.  

•  See previous column: Helpful business apps

Are you working on a project and have photos, notes and bookmarks of web sites? Evernote is an app that allows you to organize information and is ideal for remodeling or redecorating projects, real estate listings, event planning and even vacations. There are desktop versions for Mac and Windows which sync to your iPad or iPhone (Androids and Blackberrys too). And, they’re all free.

And while you’re updating your project information in Evernote, are you billing for your time? If you need to track time and expenses, OfficeTime can be utilized for tracking and reporting. The free version limits you to 2 projects and 3 expense categories but you can upgrade to unlimited for $7.99. The paid version also allows you to export to an Excel spreadsheet and sync with a desktop version. (Note: The desktop version for Mac or PC is $47). This app was voted one of the best apps for 2012 by PC Magazine.  

Maybe you don’t need project organization and management apps like Evernote and OfficeTime but just want to have a list of action items and reminders. Wunderlist (free) could be the app for you. It’s a highly rated task manager that can sync with your computer (Mac or Windows). The lists are shareable and you can set it up to email you reminders. The app is also available for Android devices.

Have you heard of Pinterest? It’s a visual bulletin board for the web with accompanying iPad/iPhone apps and is quickly becoming one of the most popular social networks. (Sorry, no Android app yet.) You create ‘boards’ (think of bulletin boards) and ‘pin’ images or videos and add your own captions. Invite friends and clients to join and establish a following. This is a terrific way for designers and architects to show off their projects, professional organizers to offer visual tips, event planners to identify decor ideas and retailers to highlight their newest products. Pin images from your own web site and, if it catches someone’s interest, it can be repinned by hundreds of users. Clicking on each pin will take readers to your web site, driving additional traffic there. You can also allow others to contribute to your boards which supports collaboration and sharing.

And if you need to print from your iPad, there’s an app for that too. Apple supports a few dozen wireless printers with the embedded AirPrint feature (click here for the list) but if you happen to have an older printer that isn’t WiFi-enabled, you can purchase PrintCentral Pro ($9.99). Although it’s not as user-friendly as it could be and some setup is required, you can print most document types to nearly every model of printer.