5 Must-Have Cheap (or Free) iPhone Business Apps

Long-gone is the era when business owners spent an entire day in the office. The constant need to build in-person connections with clients leaves most business owners and professionals hopping from one lunch meeting to the next. Here are a few mobile iPhone apps to keep yourself organized and stay connected while you’re out and about:
 
1. Quickoffice Connect Mobile Suite—$9.99

This app is a Microsoft Office suite for the iPhone. Users can edit, create, and view Microsoft, Excel, PowerPoint, and PDF files; receive and send attachments through email or cloud servers; and access files through cloud storage services (Google Docs, Dropbox, Mobile Me, and Box.net). Developed by Plano, TX–based Quickoffice Inc., the Mobile Suite is available in French, German, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, and traditional Chinese, and the app won Best Business Application from CTIA Wireless in 2009 and was one of Apple’s best-selling apps in 2009.

2. Evernote—Free
Evernote aims to keep ideas organized by gathering your notes, text, data, voice memos, pictures, and videos, and allows for web and desktop (Mac or PC) syncing. iPhone landscape mode (side-scrolling) is enabled with this app, allowing for an easier way to browse through saved notes. The app provides information on available upload limits, and Twitter tweets can be sent straight to Evernote, as well (blog.evernote.com/2009/04/14/evernote_twitter/).

3. Timewerks: Mobile Billing—$9.99
This app was voted an Apple iTunes Staff Favorite and is designed for professionals who want to handle invoicing, billing, and client management on-the-go. Users can create client accounts through a new or existing address book, track completed or ongoing projects, create and email bills and HTML-formatted invoices, track billed materials and expenses, and add timesheet hours. Data can be exported to a desktop or laptop, as well. The app comes in English, German, Spanish, and French. A recent update also tracks the time and date of an invoice. A free Lite version is also available.

4. LinkedIn—Free
This on-the-go social media app puts access to your professional network at your fingertips. Users receive messages and updates from their LinkedIn network, can get real-time status and profile updates, request recommendations, search companies or individuals, and sync their address books. The user interface of the app was recently revamped for easier use. Also, a new “In Person” feature is now available, which enables iPhone LinkedIn users to bump their phones together and swap contact information via Bluetooth.    

5. HootSuite—$1.99
HootSuite’s mobile app allows users to manage social networking by scheduling and sending Twitter updates, tracking click-through statistics, sharing pictures, shortening URLs, managing multiple Twitter accounts, and syncing from desktop computers to iPhones. There is a Lite version available for this app, which limits users to three Twitter accounts. HootSuite is currently working on expanding to Facebook, as well.