best business apps for the iPad

As you know from this post I recently got my grubby little hands on an iPad. I have been experimenting with a variety of free and paid iPad apps and have crafted this list:

Best business apps for the iPad

1. Dragon Dictation – Typing long notes of the iPad is a bit of a nightmare…so I bought the wireless keyboard. But let’s face it, I bought the iPad because it’s small and light to carry with me and it’s a pain to have to lug around a keyboard. Then I found Dragon Dictation. This FREE app is a godsend. I was very wary about it since I’ve had some pretty bad experiences with voice recognition software, but I’ve tested it out a number of times and it’s been incredibly accurate. All you do is record your voice and it will convert it to text.

2. ACTPrinter – This very handy $0.99 app lets you print any file from your computer to your iPad. So you can read documents from your iPad without having to be connected to the internet. I’ve printed event tickets and travel eTickets to my iPad that have barcodes and they scanned beautifully. But the possibilities are endless…

3. LogMeIn – At $29.99 this is by far the costliest app on my list, but well worth the price tag. After all, how much would you pay to be able to get access to the file you forgot on your home computer while traveling? LogMeIn lets you remotely connect to you computer(s) from your iPad…any time…anywhere.

4. Pages, Keynote & Numbers – Although these are 3 separate apps ($9.99 each), I’ve bundled them together since they fall under the iWork umbrella. The reason they’re on my list is pretty simple – fill the much needed  word processing, presentation and spreadsheet gaps on the iPad.

5. Clock Free – As the name so succinctly states, this is a free clock. I was actually really surprised to see that the iPad didn’t come with one but this is a great substitute to the app that comes on the iPhone. Ideal for the travelling event planner, it lets you set a buzzer or music alarm. If you’re interested in the latter, you have tons of choices from SHOUTcast.Radio. And heck, if you’re lonely, turn the music on and dance around your hotel room.

6. SmartNote – For those who like to sketch out your ideas instead of typing them, this app is for you. At $0.99 it’s a steal. You can also import PDFs and highlight text or draw over top of images. This could be great for making revisions to floor plans, signing contracts from your iPad or brainstorming on the spot.

7. Dropbox – I don’t remember what I used to do before dropbox. Simply put, Dropbox is the easiest way to share files across computers and with your iPad or iPhone. You need to have a dropbox account, which you can set up for free. Paid accounts are also available for higher storage space.

I’d love to hear what your favorites are…