let you play music , movies , and games , the iPhone and the iPod contact could be two of the honest time - wasters ever built . But with the right third - party program installed , they can also give you a whole young mobile workspace . No , they ca n’t replace a laptop computer when it total to real productiveness . But you could utilize them to remain in touch with your Mac back at the billet , revise your to - do list when you ’re away from iCal , and more . Here are nine applications that can serve your iPhone and ( in some vitrine ) iPod touch make you more productive , not less .
Air Sharing
computer software vendor Avatron claims that 10 percent of all iPhone users have download its $ 7 Air Sharing . If you are n’t one of them , you should be : Air Sharing permit you put on your iPhone or iPod touch as if it were a wireless thumb driveway , accessible from any Mac , Windows , or Linux computer . allow ’s say you ’re headed to a get together . Before you go , you drag and flatten Indian file onto your iPhone . At the meeting , to deal one of your files , you activate Air Sharing ’s built - in file server ( which works over a local wireless meshing ) ; your iPhone can then be hop on like any other meshing volume . Air Sharing deal scads of document eccentric ( include Microsoft Office , iWork , and PDF ) and offers extensive build - in help .
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Dial Zero
If you need to quickly rule a client serving number for your ( fill in whatever mission - decisive piece of business equipment is on the fritz ) , the free Dial Zero will do it for you . This simple database from Next Mobile Web contains client Robert William Service numbers for more than 600 companies ( even Apple ) . undecomposed of all , these are n’t numbers that ’ll deck you into some interminable vocalization - mail hellhole ; they take you at once to a bouncy person . Dial Zero
Jott for iPhone
Jott is a Robert William Service that lets you dial a toll - liberal issue and leave yourself a voice memo ; the military service then transcribes that memo into text and sends it to you via e - ring armour . The detached Jott for iPhone app ( ) extends that armed service to the iPhone . After you dictate whatever you want into your iPhone ( 15 seconds max ) , your voice note is sent to Jott ’s server , where it ’s converted to textual matter ; that schoolbook is then synced back to your iPhone . ( If you need to receive the school text on your Mac , this is n’t the solvent for you ; if you want to get your note via Es - mail and do n’t need it transcribe first , see Note2Self below . ) The canonical Jott divine service is costless , with two upgrade plans : $ 4 per month lets you station Es - chain mail and school text messages from any phone ; the $ 13 - per - calendar month Pro plan lets you record 30 seconds at a sentence .
Mobile News Network
If your job requires that you know what ’s going on in the domain , you need the free iPhone version of the Associated Press ’s capital Web app ( ) . It give you well-fixed - to - read screens of news in all sort of categories — including finance , politics , and sports . And it ’s not like browsing a tidings site with the iPhone ’s version of Safari : the screenland are specifically optimized for viewing on the iPhone and are easy to read even if you ’re in a hurry . It ’s a great way to stick informed when you ’re on the move .
Note2Self
Note2SelfWhile the free Jott for iPhone ( below ) transcribes your vox memoranda , World Wide Web Information Solutions ’ $ 3 Note2Self does not . So why would you require pay $ 3 for it ? Because once you ’ve read your voice memo , Note2Self will mechanically broadcast it to any e - mail address you specify ; the free Jott does n’t offer the e - mail part . Also , you’re able to immortalize without pressing any button ; the software uses the iPhone ’s accelerometer and law of proximity sensor to start recording when you arise the iPhone to your auricle ( or simply stimulate it ) . It also automatically tags messages by emplacement .
SpeechCloud Voice Dialer
Voice - activated dialing usually requires that you train the earphone to respond to certain name calling before you could dial them hands - gratuitous . Adela Group ’s $ 5 SpeechCloud Voice Dialer does voice dial one well : if a name is in your speech Christian Bible , you could dial it by just speaking the name after touching the app ’s ikon . This is expectant not only if you ’re too busy to dial , but also if you want to keep your hands devoid — for , say , typing on your laptop computer .
SugarSync
SugarSyncApple ’s MobileMe is theorize to keep current copy of your files , calendars , and contacts in a “ cloud , ” accessible from any of your Macs or iPhones . But in practice , it does n’t always operate so well . That ’s why we still need an app like Sharpcast ’s free SugarSync and the service that go with it . SugarSync has both Mac and iPhone components : drop a file on the Mac app to upload it to Sharpcast ’s servers , and a arrow to it will then show up on your phone . you’re able to see the data file or ( without waiting for it to download to your phone ) e - mail it to others . SugarSync works with Word , Excel , PowerPoint , and PDF files as well as photos , and it ’s a majuscule way to share documents with others when you ’re on the route .
WhitePages Mobile
You ’re on the road and you need to find a telephone number . Dialing directory assist seems so 20th one C ( not to cite uneconomical ) . or else , you may look up any of 180 million U.S. sound numbers using WhitePages.com ’s free WhitePages Mobile app . It also rent you populate your call lumber with real public figure .
Bill Wiecking on a regular basis speak on mobility and wireless issue ; he will be appearing at Macworld Expo in January 2009 . He last in Hawaii .
Dial Zero
Note2Self
SugarSync
