Six iPhone productivity applications for busy people

The iPhone has taken the mobile world by storm, allowing users to browse the full web, send pictures, converse, instant message and much more! While there are over 100,000 apps available for Apple's flagship phone, I've focused in on the Top 6 iPhone Apps that can help increase productivity. This list includes both personal productivity applications and business productivity programs.

Best iPhone Note Taking Application

Awesome Note [iTunes Link] $3.99 - If you're constantly forgetting important tasks this is a must have program. The application allows users to setup various and unlimited folders and even color code those options for the users own personal preferences. I personally use a red folder for "Important Notes" a blue folder for "Personal Notes" and a Green folder for "Business reminders" which makes sorting out my personal and business life simple. The app also offers the ability to rename, delete and add new folders on the fly. Awesome Note also provides a "quick note" option that allows users to quickly start a note and then fill in the blank spaces at a later time. With full customizations, transfers to Evernote and an easy to use interface, it's a must have program for compulsive note takers and it's a huge step above the standard iPhone note program. Quick Tip: iPhone 3.0 OS Users and higher only! One drawback: it does not record audio notes.

Best iPhone "Sync" Application

Air Sharing [iTunes Link] $2.99 - Air Sharing is the best way to connect your iPhone or even your iPod Touch to your Mac. The program uses WiFi to connect both devices and then relies on drag and drop functionality to share files both to and from your Mac. I particularly like the ability to use pinch zooming for photos and documents along with the large number of file types supported by the program (any file type supported by Apple). The program also offers both landscape and portrait sharing for ease of use. Mac users will also love that the interface for Air Sharing is very similar to the Mac Finder Application, a fact that will make most Apple users feel very comfortable the moment they begin using the program. With no cables to carry around or to find a plugin for, this app will definitely help with your business productivity, while providing easy access to personal files of various types.

Best iPhone "Personal Information" Application

eWallet [iTunes Link] $9.99 - If you're a busy business person or an active stay at home parent, there's a good chance you carry around a lot of information that you need quick access to. At the same time you probably want that information (credit cards, drivers license number, important business notes) to be protected at all times. eWallet is the perfect solution for this requirement. The program provides 256-bit encryption with user created categories so any information can be entered. Users can also create their own data fields so their most important data can quickly be pulled up and used. I particularly found this application of great use for field technicians who need to access various passwords for different networks and for travelers who need access to various forms of personal information.

Best iPhone Scheduling And Calendar Applications

Built-In Calendar With MobileMe Access - This is actually two programs. The first option is the built-in Calendar found on all iPhones. I really like the ease of use found on the calendar, including the ability to quickly search for and add new important dates, meetings, etc. While MobileMe allows users to enter in appointments and dates on their iPhone or Mac computers and that information is then shared between all of their connected Apple products via the Apple "cloud" computing network. If you want a simple way to run your small business while tracking important appointments and dates this is a much cheaper option at $99/year than setting up an Exchange server. Users also receive An 20GB for email and file storage and 200MB of monthly data transfers. MobileMe also provides contacts and email pushing which adds to the MobileMe appeal.

Best iPhone "Billable Timer" Application

TimeLogger [iTunes Link] $3.99 - Why spend hours logging all of your billable time to clients when you can download the TimeLogger application and have your phone do most of the work for you. TimeLogger lets users setup various clients and then start a timer when they are completing work for those clients. Simply press "Start" to begin the timing process and then "Stop" to end your billable time. The program also lets users "alter" times in case they forget to start or stop a timer. I also really appreciated the "notes" function which made it simple to add important facts about what I was doing during each billable sequence. The program also offers an "export" feature which provides easy to read output for .CSV files. Exported files can even been focused in on for the category you're billing, a specific client you want to email and even for a certain job or date range.

Best iPhone "Travel" Application

FlightTrack [iTunes Link] $4.99 - This is a must-have program for frequent travelers. Simply enter in an airline and flight number and you'll receive information about arrival and departure times, you can even track flights from around the world. The information found on FlightTrack is offered in real time and can even provide information that includes the baggage claim areas for luggage and the gate number for any flight. My favorite part of this program however was the ability to create up to 11 different flight itineraries, allowing me to plan trips months in advance and then follow any changes that might occur with those flights. If you're traveling on a regular basis this is a much more productivity way to follow flights than pulling out your computer constantly.


Those are my Top 6 iPhone productivity applications. Whether you need to take notes, bill clients or sync files, there are literally thousands of applications that iPhone users can download and use. These are 6 applications I couldn't live without thanks to the time they shave off my day by offering quick to access and simple to use options for daily, monthly and even yearly tasks. Give them a try today, you won't be disappointed.