Who else wants iPad productivity apps?

Tablets are really starting to come into their own. This is true even for business users, as tablets are great for those who need to take their business on the road but don’t want to be tied down to bulky laptops. The one tablet that’s proved to be the catalyst for this movement is the iPad. One of the main reasons for this is the sheer number of apps, especially productivity related apps, that help users do their job.

Here are some useful apps for the iPad that can help boost your productivity.

Document compatibility
It’s highly likely that your office uses a document production program that isn’t native to Apple products – i.e., Microsoft Office. Using another program to create documents on your iPad and then spending time formatting the documents on your work computer isn’t a great productivity booster, but there are options.

If you do use Microsoft Office, the iPad kind of supports Office documents through Apple’s iWork. iWork does support Office files, but formatting and things like fonts normally won’t transfer over. This can be counter-productive.

While there will be a version of Microsoft Office heading to the iPad sometime in early 2013 (no set date yet), you’re likely better off purchasing an app like Documents to Go which allows users to open, edit and create Office documents.

If you aren’t doing heavy work on the iPad and just need it for mobile document production, you can skip paying for an app and instead sign up for an outlook.com or Office 365 account. Doing so will give you access to cloud based versions of Word, PowerPoint, OneNote and Excel.

Not a Microsoft fan? There’s also Google Drive. It’s not 100% compatible with Microsoft Office, and some functions and formatting won’t transfer over properly. However, with solid word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation programs, it’s a great option for Google users.

Notes
Because of the iPad’s size, it’s a perfect note-taking tool. There are literally hundreds of different note apps available for the iPad. Some are great, but others lack functionality. One of the most consistent is Evernote. Evernote is available for and syncs to nearly every system and device, so a note made on your iPad can be accessed on your computer, iPhone, Android Device or even BlackBerry.

Evernote really excels when you need to take simple notes. There are also a number of excellent add-on apps like Penultimate – which allows you to take handwritten notes – that make Evernote a nearly all-in-one solution. The best part is, the basic app is free.

Sharing files
When you are mobile with an iPad, you will no doubt need to share files with others users, and there is no shortage of ways to do this. The easiest method is to use an app like Dropbox or SugarSync, which allow you to upload files and share them with others. These programs work by placing a special folder on your hard drive. When you drop files or folders into this special folder, they will be uploaded to the cloud. You, or your coworkers, can then access the uploaded content from any device on which you have installed the app.

There are many other apps available that can help boost your productivity. Have you found some that you can’t live without? Please share.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

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