iPhone and iPad apps for Virtual Assistants
As technology is ever evolving you will find most Virtual Assistants now embracing the iPhone and iPad as business tools. Below are some of our favourite iPhone and iPad apps. There are over 65,000 apps available just for the iPad so we had best get on and test some more! If you have an app for iPhone or iPad that you would like us to review then do get in touch with our contact page. An app will only appear on this page if we have used it and liked it. Reviews of individual apps will appear within our blog posts, warts and all.
To access an app just click on it’s name and you will be taken to the relevant section of the iTunes store.
The intelligentVA app is a great way of having support at your fingertips, never miss another blog post as our RSS feed keeps you constantly updated, and ask a question and have the support and answers of the rest of the intelligentVA app users and our Facebook group. You can even post your question on your own Facebook page, comments are delivered back to the app. Using the search function you can search through previous questions and answers as well as the intelligentVA website. There will be special offers on there for our app users as well as regular tips. We’ve even added a QR scanner to our latest release. (Please note signing up via the app is not the same as signing up to be a member on thewebsite. Please let us know what other features you would like to see added to the app)
This isn’t something I would recommend for your business accounting but it’s a great way of keeping track of your personal spending! They say it replaces your paper checkbook. I find it handy for keeping track of spending whilst out and about, and have various bank accounts and credit cards on there. I’m not sure I want to use the built in reporting as I am sure it will tell me I am spending too much but I do love the reconciliation feature (gives me a current balance and what outstanding transactions there are due to come out of the account) and also allows repeating transactions so on the 1st of the month all my bills automatically update, giving me an up to date picture of what money I have left and where. No more nasty surprises when a card statement arrives and you forgot just how much you spent. It’s also pretty good at stopping you spending as you don’t want to see that balance go down!
If you’ve ever got used to an adding machine then working with a calculator just isn’t the same. This free app gives you an adding machine on your iPhone. You can easily go back and edit the individual transaction if there is an error without having to go start from scratch.
Bamboo Paper – Wacom notes for stylus
This is a handwriting app which I found really comfortable to use and at the time of my download was a free app. You have three different pen widths, six different pen colours and a choice of graph, plain or lined paper. You can email the page as an image, save the page to photos or print the page. It has the usual eraser options or clear whole page and you can even email the whole note book as a pdf or print the whole notebook. I used a stylus and it felt very smooth and easy to write with and seemed to pick up the pen strokes well. Its a simple application but excellent for jotting quick handwritten notes or sketches. It’s only available as an iPad application.
Buffer for iPhone lets you easily add tweets to your Buffer on the move. You can also log in and reorder any pending tweets you have already buffered.
Not technically an iPhone app but you can install the mobile version straight to your phone desktop. The link takes you to the Capsule blog where you can find simple instructions on how to install it on your phone.
The app is integrated so if you click on a contacts phone number it initiates a call, an email opens up your email client. You can edit or add contacts, view history, add tasks and even snooze tasks.
Meet your new MailChimp sign up form! Chimpadeedoo makes it easy to collect email addresses from your iPad and import them into your MailChimp account. Collect addresses when you are offline, it will remember them for when you get back online. Perfect for that networking event or conference. You can create your own sign up form, write your own copy, and connect the form to any MailChimp list (you do need an account at MailChimp for this to work). The settings are password protected so the data you collect stays secure.
This inexpensive app is a great way of viewing live traffic analytics from your website, including the number of current visitors online. It’s simple to read, very informative and works alongside your Get Clicky web based account. There’s even a WordPress plug in to make it simple to add to your site. From sign up to installing on the website and downloading the app only took about 10 minutes in total, and it’s a real buzz seeing the live traffic on your website via your iPhone or iPad.
Always wanted Microsoft Office on your iPad? Working in conjunction with Dropbox you can now open, edit or create Microsoft Word, Excel or PowerPoint documents on your iPad. Having tested this it’s very close to working within Word itself. I opened a document from my Dropbox folder and updated it.
And the best part – at the time of writing it is free!
Docs to Go Premium Office Suite
This clever little app allows you to edit, create and view Word, Excel and PowerPoint files (Office 2007/2008/2010), view PDF, iWork and other files and on the iPad/iPhone4 OS 4 you can also send and receive attachments using the built in mail app.
This nifty little app allows you to tap and dictate and even send the dication straight to facebook or twitter for hands free social media. You can manually correct the transcribed text using the pop up keyboad and then can select sms, email, copy, facebook or twitter from the menu.
This app requires pretty little explanation! It’s part of or should be part of every Virtual Assistants tool kit. Ensure you have access to all your files and folders on the move and allows you to view your files, email them, copy to the clipboard, or save as a photo.
Having been a fan of the web based Feedly for some time I was delighted to see this app hit the app store. It works with your Google Reader account to bring your favourite blogs and latest news direct to you. It’s a great way of following the blogs whos RSS feeds you have subscribed to.
Find my iPhone is now free for anyone with an iPhone 4, iPad or 4th generation iPod Touch (using operating system 4.2 or above), you need to set it up with your Apple ID. You will be able to locate your phone from another compatible device, see its location on a map, play a sound, lock the device or even wipe it and permanently delete all your data. An essential app for anyone who is concerned with securing client information.
Okay technically not a business app but if you support your clients with retail premises then its a good app to have, besides, it’s good to stay connected!
Gee Tasks Lite – The Google Tasks App
I have played around with several task based apps but this one seems to have kept my attention, partly because it integrates with my Google Apps account. The free version is limited to how many lists you can have but there is a paid version and an in app upgrade that allow you to have more lists and also to have an all list view which is very useful to me, it means I can group tasks by client on their own list, and then have a date all lists view to see what I have set for that day.
I’ve only had this app for a few days but do like it. It’s a bit of a mish mash of things but it works with your Gmail or Google Apps account, you can see your inbox (it doesn’t allow you to scroll down though), your tasks, check your calendar and add in a whole host of other options such as Twitter, Facebook (I prefer the facebook on here to the standalone app), browse You Tube, post to instapaper, access Google Docs, translate text instantly, and so much more. You choose the elements you want in your menu, making it very user friendly. The only difference between the free and paid version I understand is no ads and better support. It’s definitely worth a look.
Hootsuite for Twitter – iPad version
For the iPad it has to be Hootsuite for Twitter, you can manage multiple accounts and its quick and easy to switch between them. You can have a clear three column display in landscape mode and just scroll through your other columns. It allows a choice of traditional or new style retweet, still allows you to search, follow, unfollow, block etc and is a simple to use and fairly stable twitter client.
If you have your business bank account with HSBC then you’ll love this app. You will still need your security code generator and passwords but using this app you can view the balances on your accounts, see all transactions since your last statement, carry outtransfers between your accounts and even make bill payments. There’s no need to register, simply download and use.
iMailG – Gmail and Google Apps on the Go
This is now my main email client on both the iPhone and iPad, as a Google Apps user I want my email to look and work the same whatever device I am on and this does it for me. Logging in gives me exactly the same labels. email accounts etc as my gmail account. There is a free version which is supported by ads but there are also paid versions for the iPhone and iPad (note the iPad app is iMailG HD). This is definitely my favourite email client for the iPhone and iPad.
This is a great little instant message app that supports Skype, Facebook chat, Google Talk, MSN, ICQ/AIM, Yahoo, Jabber, Hyves, VKontake and Myspace. I normally only access Skype whilst on the laptop as I find the Skype standalone app quite slow to update and considering how many groups and chats I am a member of on Skype it really slows me down. However, I found this app very quick to load and if you have your laptop screen open at the same time it is pretty much real time, it has push notifications should you want them. I have only used it for Skype as I don’t currently subscribe to the other channels. The only thing I have noticed is that it cannot handle the group chats and posts each message in the users box independent of the conversation so it can be tricky to keep up sometimes, but if you’re looking for a one to one then this is an excellent app.
i-nigma QR Code, Data Matrix and 1D barcode reader
i-nigma turns your camera into a sophisticated barcode reader. It’s a really fast application to use and also supports the .vcf file card format for saving business cards created using QR codes.
This is a clever and free professional teleprompter app for your iPad. If you record your own videos or present webinars then this is a great tool. It allows you to copy and paste the content into the app, and to select the speed at which the screen scrolls. You can touch the screen to pause and then touch to play again. One word of warning, make sure your iPad is plugged in as if it crashes you can’t fast forward back to where you were! However, it’s only done that to me once, but it was in the middle of a webinar.
It’s so much easier to read the teleprompt than try and juggle pieces of paper and it’s also a lot quieter for your audience!
There is a separate remote control option available which is rather expensive, but if you can manage without remote control it’s excellent value.
This app is a presentation app and is the app version of the popular Mac product. Think PowerPoint on steroids. You can make stunning presentations on your iPad and share them via iWork, email or view it on your iPad or via a projector. It also allows you to open PowerPoint presenations on the iPad.
This is a great app for managing your LinkedIn inbox and connections when out and about. It has shortcuts updates, news, buzz, connections, reconnect, invitations, inbox, in person (allows you to connect instantly with nearby LinkedIn iPhone users) and even allows a choice of theme.
This clever little app was a low cost app but shows you the current status/platform of your train. It shows you the estimated arrival time at any of the given stations on the route and its approximate current location. Perfect if you’re running late or have had to make a detour. The information in the app is directly sourced from National Rail enquiries. You can even bookmark the train that you are on and send text/messages/email to your friends with your arrival time from within the app.
This app allows you to add a member to your list, view reports, view your lists (including some interesting stats), keep up with Chimp Chatter – the comments you normally see when you log in to the website and view your rewards. It’s a basic app compared to some but its nice to see the stats when you are out and about and want to monitor your latest campaign results.
Osfoora for Twitter – iPhone version
Whilst I use Hootsuite on the laptop and the iPad I prefer to use Osfoora on the iPhone. It allows multiple accounts as you would expect and the main control panel has icons for timeline, profile, compose, trends, search, nearby, favourites, drafts, links, settings, public and contacts. When composing a tweet you have icons at the bottom of the tweet box for photo, tweet playing song, contact search, location, #tags and shorten url. Its a really stable twitter client, having tried many of the iPhone options I keep coming back to this one. From within the timeline you can easily move between home tweets, mentions, messages, search and more. Messages are stored in a conversation style making it easier to keep track.
One of the most frustrating things with an iPhone is the lack of being able to bluetooth your images to other phones or even your laptop. It means photos often stay on my phone when I don’t need them to, or I have saved a presentation screen as a photo on the iPad. I’ve looked at several options, many of which want to charge you a fortune and came across this little app. At the time of writing there is a small fee for the app on the app store and the software for your PC or Mac is a free download. The reviews for the app were very positive compared to others in this sector and it works simply and effectively. Sometimes it takes a couple of attempts to get the connection with the laptop but both the iPad and iPhone find the laptop well and the transfers take seconds. You can either select the whole photo album, just the new ones since your last import or select specific images. It also has the ability to sync to Dropbox, Flickr, FTP or another iPhone or iPad. The link above is to the official website, do check out the support page as there are some routers which are known to have issues, best to check before you buy. I’m using the Sky router and it seems to be working fine.
This clever little app comes from the team over at NCH software, you dictate directly into your iPhone using the controls. When you’ve done you tap send and the dictation is sent to your VA by email automatially. You should definitely introduce your clients to this clever little app if you offer transcription services!
This useful little app helps you find your nearest branch, acts as a currency converter, but most importantly for me is a postcode/address finder and much simpler to use than the Royal Mail website.
PrinterShare Premium – Phone Print
This clever little app allows me to print to the wireless HP printer in the office, it’s not an air print printer so this was good news, it saved a new printer purchase. Quite often using the iPad you need to print a photo or web page.
Sendible is a great app for updating your content on Social Media sites and blogs on the go. You can add multiple accounts so can also help your clients manage their social media, and it also comes as a website option for when you are back in the office. It allows scheduling and repeat posts, and there’s a discount on the web based version in our members area.
There is a free version of this mind mapping app but we upgraded for the extra functionality, colour selection, icons in topics, cross linking topics, hyperlink mind maps, send via email, share via web, save to photos, layout branches and search titles and topics. Have a play with the free version to see if you like it then upgrade for the extras.
Call, video call or message anyone else on Skype with this free app. You can even keep up to date on the VASG group chats so now there’s no excuse not to be involved.
Just forward your travel email confirmations to the Tripit email address and it will build your travel itinerary for you. It shows each days activities with timings and even includes map links so you can find your destination. It made short work of a trainline ticket confirmation and hotel booking confirmation. It even added in the full postal address and contact phone numbers for the hotel.
This is another Twitter client but I have to say has really clicked with me. It’s a cost option and unfortunately you have to pay separately for the iPad and the iPhone version but I do like this tool which a client introduced me to.
It handles multiple accounts, you can specify a couple of the buttons from a selection of options available. It starts to populate user names for you as you type (really useful for me), and by swiping to the right on a tweet you can view a conversation, by swiping to the left on a tweet you can see all replies to that tweet.
This clever little app helps you work out the postage costs, essential now there are so many different options to consider. Simply select the destination area – UK, EU or World, enter a weight and check whether you require signed for or compensation and it will calculate the various options that are available to you and display them on the next screen.
If you are ever involved in entering invoices or calculating invoices this low cost app is a life saver. It’s very simple but very effective, and has kept up to date with the last few VAT changes in plenty of time. You can enter values before VAT, including VAT at 17.5% or including VAT at 20% – enter one figure and it will calculate the rest for you. It will also allow you to back VAT (work out the VAT element of an amount). This has to be one of the most used apps on my iPhone.
What can we say, one of the best apps for iPad and iPhone. You can access multiple wordpress sites using this clever little app. You can blog on the go (I’ve sat and written and posted a blog from an A&E waiting room), you can approve comments from your phone without having to log into the back end of your WordPress installation, and you can add and edit pages. You won’t be able to add images using this app but it allows you to select categories and keywords. – Since writing this review it looks like the image functionality has been incorporated to the app, although I haven’t had chance to test it yet and will let you know how it goes.
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