This morning I enjoyed a business meeting at the Sheraton Grand in Downtown Sacramento that was largely focused on technology. This was a California Association of Realtors YPN meeting . It was nice to see a few Realtor friends, connect with some new faces, and be resourced with new Android phone apps I was not previously aware of. Check these out and let me know what you think.
Evernote: This app allows you to “create text notes, snap photos, and record audio.” It might be useful for snapping a quick photo of a business card and keeping it stored on file, a reminder to call someone, or maybe an audio note to not forget to pick up the pasta from the store on the way home.
Calendar Pad: I should have had this app already, but I never came across it. Calendar Pad is great because it syncs with my Google calendar, so I can very easily run my schedule no matter if I’m on my PC or Droid. Very nice.
COL Reminder: This app is great for remembering certain important details, whether a parking time, telephone call to make, appointment, etc… While the speaker at C.A.R. YPN was talking early this morning, I downloaded this app from the Android market and then put it into use to help me remember that my two-hour parking was going to expire at 9am. I like that I can make this app work for me by sending me a reminder anytime I want – a few minutes, an hour, or a few days from now.
Gist: I’m interested to test drive this app to see if it’ll work out for me. As explained on the app website, “You can now see complete business profiles for your contacts including updates from social networks like Facebook and Twitter, mentions in the news, and email correspondence across inboxes.” I’m not sold that this app will really fit my style, but what I do like is that if I want to keep up with what just a few friends or clients are doing on social media, I can make that happen with Gist. When you first join a social network, it’s easy to keep up, but then when you get a few hundred friends on Facebook and Twitter, it’s not too hard to lose track of certain people because they get lost in the haystack so speak. You can see a video for details.
What phone apps do you use for business and life? Have you come across any new really useful (or fun) apps lately?
Dropbox is one of my favorite apps that connects my phone, desktop computers, laptop, and now iPad. One folder is installed on each of these devices and it acts as virtual storage or a shared folder, so you never need to transfer files from a thumb drive and it’s quite handy if you ever forget to bring a file once out on the road. It’s free up to 2GB but that is more than enough for my business needs. It’s available for the iPhone and I’m sure other phones as well. Where would we be without our smart phones??
https://www.dropbox.com/
That’s a great app. I downloaded it recently and need to start using it a bit more I think. Speaking of the iPad, you might be interested in a site I heard about today. It sounds like these guys are going to review apps that will be useful for real estate. I’d have to think that would include more everyday apps too rather than just ones like Zillow or Redfin too. http://www.ipadinrealestate.com
Great List Ryan. I love Evernote. Dropbox and ZumoDrive are both great cloud storage apps. I have been using the MapQuest iPhone almost everyday and really like the Boxcar that sends me twitter notifications.
Thanks Bryan. I’ll have to take some tips from you on how to maximize Evernote. I recently downloaded Dropbox too. You are a great resource for apps, Bryan.
Ryan,
Thanks for making me aware of all that is available for smart phones. As I have said in the past, I don’t have one right now, however I am looking strongly at the android models as well as the iPhone. I also checked outhe iPad the other night. They are very nice and it’s good to know these “tech toys” can make us more productive.
It’ll be hard to turn back once you do get a smart phone. It’s wonderful for business too because there is so much you can handle by email while on the road. To each his own though.
Thank you for sharing this list, Ryan! It seems like I have about 10 different apps that do the same thing as Evernote and COL Reminder. Gist is one I’m downloading now and will definetely use. Thank you for the tip!! I hope your upcoming trip is fun and fulfilling! Bill
No problem, Bill. There are so many apps out there. It’s amazing to see what we have at our disposal. Keep me posted with what you think about Gist. I feel confident about the others apps I mention, because though the idea seems good, so far the Droid version is not very user-friendly.
And thanks for your well wishes for the trip to Kansas City!!! I appreciate that.