Best Business Applications for the iPhone

Google
Numerous iPhone aficionados have gotten addicted to Google, much as they have when surfing from their desktops and laptops. The mobile search app works well on the iPhone thanks to its spare interface, and users can toggle through features like maps and image searches.

In January, the Google mobile team did a nice revamp of some features, as well, putting in customization of tabs, improved Gmail functionality, and a better calendar.

Oracle Business Indicators
The first of what’s promised to be a number of Oracle apps for the iPhone, Business Indicators lets users access a range of business reports such as customer satisfaction surveys or financial trends.

Oracle plans to follow this initial release with support for ERP business approval processes with rich analytical context, according to the company. For example, when traveling to a meeting, an executive can get out the iPhone (not while driving, please) and review pending approvals for expense reports, with supporting analytics.

The app is a free download from Apple’s App Store, but users must have a license for Oracle’s BI software.

ReaddleDocs
A simple application, ReaddleDocs allows a user to email online text to the phone, so it can be read later, which is particularly useful in locations where service might be spotty, such as during a train commute.

The app can be purchased directly from iTunes, and has a built-in viewer that supports multiple document formats, and for those it doesn’t include — such as OmniGraffle or MS Visio — a user can convert them into PDF. Email attachments can also be stored, by forwarding the message to ReaddleDocs.

“Instead of having to sit at my desk and read docs for work, I can forward them to Readdle and open them on my iPhone, to read them on my commute home or at Starbucks,” says Robb Hecht, Digital Managing Director at Universal McCann in New York. “From PDFs to Powerpoint to Word, ReaddleDocs is awesome.”