Top Ten killer iphone business collaboration apps

Guide: American It website Computerworld today, the top ten killer iphone business collaboration applications. The following is the full text of the article.

The iphone has become a powerful collaboration platform in today's ubiquitous internet age. Just download several apps from the Apple App Store to achieve project management, team updates, process tracking, and document sharing.

The following 10 applications are compatible with iOS 3.0 or later and can help users collaborate better with others. Best of all, most of these apps can take advantage of cloud computing technology to make seamless transitions between mobile phones and desktop terminals.

　　Document storage and sharing

A major constraint to doing a lot of work on the iphone is that many Third-party applications cannot share data with other applications. This is why you can only use the built-in viewer of mail application to open e-mail attachments.

Luckily, there are a lot of smart developers who design applications that are compatible with networked storage and sharing services box.net as well as Dropbox. As long as you have an account of these services, you can access and store documents there. These two storage services are also available for iphone applications, helping users store, organize, and share documents.

　　1, Box.net

Box.net has already become a popular network file storage service, each upgrade has a good improvement. When you use a computer to access the site, you can edit the document using tools such as Zoho's Web 2.0 Office suite and Third-party Plug-ins.

Box.net's iphone app allows users to share a single document or the entire folder stored on Box.net and use the iphone's built-in file viewer to open the file or comment on the file. Users can also upload images via the iphone's camera roll. Of course, users can also directly log on to Box.net's website for related operations.

Box.net applications are provided free of charge to users, the service's free account provides 1GB of storage space, 10GB storage space starting at 9.99 dollars per month.

　　2, Dropbox

Dropbox provides a different way to share files, allowing users to sync files between Windows, Macs, and/or Linux computers and the web, and to share files with others and monitor changes in files. Dropbox created a folder that automatically synchronizes files with your computer. If a user changes any file in the folder, or adds any files to it, the changes are automatically synchronized to the other specified dropbox.

Users can also create a private subfolder for synchronizing files between their computers, and you can create a subfolder for sharing files among customers, partners, team members, or other designated people.

Similar to Box.net applications, Dropbox's iphone app also allows users to manage their shared Dropbox files via mobile phones. Users can assign files to team members or other collaborators, and understand when files are viewed or updated to track the progress of team members.

Users can also use the application to view files shared by others, but they cannot directly edit or upload files except pictures and videos from camera roll. Once the file has been altered, a message appears in the application.

Dropbox application is free for users, free account to provide 2GB storage space, the highest number of paid account can get 50GB space, the price is 9.99 U.S. dollars per month or 99 dollars a year.

　　Creating and editing files

Of course, most users do not want to passively view documents created and modified by others, but want to participate personally. The following applications can help users implement these features.

　　3, Itoughts

The mind Map (mind-mapping) is a powerful brainstorming tool that allows users to expand unstructured free associations, integrate concepts together, and mark their relationships when ideas emerge from each other. Itouhgts ($ 7.99) is a "mind map" application developed by CMS that leverages the functions of Box.net and Dropbox, allowing users and their team members to share ideas and complement others ' ideas.

Users can import or export mind maps in ithoughts formats, and other formats to share with users who do not use the iphone, compatible applications including Freemind, Novamind, MindManager, Xmind, iMindMap and MindView. In addition, users can share the final thought map in the form of PDFs, pictures, or OPML files for other applications to import.

The most interesting feature of Itoughts is the built-in file server, which allows users to upload or download files directly from the iphone via a computer browser and Wi-Fi. This approach is quicker than using box.net or Dropbox directly. The mind map can also be mailed to others as an email attachment.

　　4. Quickoffice Connect Mobile Kit

To really work, you need to use a real office suite. The Quickoffice Connect Mobile suite provides users with the ability to view, edit, etc., allowing users to modify documents, spreadsheets, and electronic notes. Users can implement almost all the editing functions on the iphone.

With the integration of Dropbox, Box.net, MobileMe and Google Docs Online Office suite, the product has also become an excellent collaboration tool. Users can open and save files from any one of these services, and they can share documents selectively with other users. With this tool, users can easily access the work of others and modify and supplement them.

Quickoffice also provides a new way to help users open e-mail attachments. In the iphone's mail application, you can only open e-mail attachments through the default file viewer. However, if you forward the e-mail to Files@quickofficeconnect.com,quickoffice, add the attachments to the e-mail attachments directory. The user can then open and edit the attachments in Quickoffice. As with Ithoughts, users can also use the built-in server to access the QUICKOFFICE,IP address via Wi-Fi to appear below the application home page.

The Quickoffice Connect Mobile Suite is priced at $9.99. There is also a free version of the corresponding, but can not save the file.

　　5, Soonr

Soonr is a slightly different way of collaborating. This service integrates document sharing, viewing, and publishing into a backup application. To use SOONR, you need to install a Mac or Windows desktop client and automatically back up the specified folder when any changes occur to the file.

Once the files are stored in a SOONR cloud server, you can view, mail, fax, comment, or recover files from any Web browser. Users can create projects and add files to them so that they can be shared with other project members. Other project members can also upload files after they have been edited.

With this iphone app, Soonr users have access to almost everything except document editing, including viewing, commenting, mailing, and even printing with computers running SOONR applications. The SOONR application is available to one user for free and storage space is only 2GB. If you want to support 3 users and get 10GB of storage space, starting at 7.95 dollars per month.

　　Project Management

Concentrating all team members on one page will be messy, and the project management system can assign tasks, automate the process and divide the project into different phases to ensure a smooth deployment of the project. With these applications, even if there is no computer, it will not be unprepared.

　　6, Outpost 2

Enormo's Outpost 2 app brings hot Basecamp project management services to the iphone, making it easy for users to manage their projects on a small screen with a good interface. With the ability to fully support many of Basecamp's features, Outpost 2 is a rare, full-featured Project management tool on mobile devices.

Users can add new items and view current projects, add and view important milestones, create and reconcile tasks, and track the time spent on any project. Tasks and projects can be assigned to team members and comments are made during the project's progress.

Outpost 2 also allows users to access the Basecamp Address Book and integrate it into the iphone's contact list. Users can use Basecamp's internal communications system to communicate project information to team members, or to send e-mail to any contact person. In particular, the product can also manage multiple basecamp accounts at the same time, can be very convenient to partner or customer's project contribution content, while also manage their own account.

Outpost 2 is priced at $19.99. Basecamp offers a free package: Only one project can be used by countless users, but it does not support file sharing. If you want to support multiple projects and file sharing, the starting price is $24 per month.

　　7, Huddle

Huddle provides a more complete set of features than Basecamp, such as meeting scheduling, network conferencing, and document editing in the Web Edition. The application can consolidate projects into workgroups, and more value workflows than task assignments, although task management is still a major feature of huddle.

Huddle's iphone app allows users to access workgroups, review tasks, view and approve files, and get in touch with contacts. Huddle application is free, huddle service starts at $8 per month, but only one workgroup is supported and 1GB storage space is available, and 40 dollars a month supports 5 workgroup and 250GB storage space. For organizations with 500 or more users, each person spends 8 dollars a month to enjoy unlimited workgroup and storage space.

　　Communicate with team members

Effective communication is the key to collaboration, but when you are outside the office, you encounter communication barriers. The following applications can help users organize and organize communications in a more efficient manner, and integrate them more efficiently with the team.

　　8. Cisco WebEx Conference Center

Cisco WebEx is the most popular conferencing service in the business world, providing real-time video sharing in the process of teleconferencing and video conferencing. WebEx's iphone app offers a full range of teleconferencing experiences, including screen sharing, conference instant messaging, and more. If you have a WebEx account, you can launch a meeting via the iphone.

Better yet, the iphone app does not require a single caller to make a meeting – once you've joined the WebEx meeting, you'll be able to connect directly to VoIP (Internet telephony). And with the iphone 4 new front-facing camera, you can also send images to each other.

WebEx's iphone app is free. A WebEx account of 49 dollars a month, but to join the WebEx meeting via the iphone, no need to use WebEx account.

　　9, Yammer

Enterprise microblogging platform Yammer allows corporate users to create private services similar to Twitter, allowing team members to openly exchange ideas, links, and documents. Like Twitter, Yammer also allows users to post status updates and collect information on the stream, but Yammer does not limit it to 140 characters, as Twitter does. In addition, all kinds of files can be directly attached to the status update, making the document sharing and collaboration more convenient.

Unlike Twitter users, Yammer users do not broadcast information to everyone, but they can set up their own people to receive information. For the project team, you can quickly share status updates, documents, and other information.

The Yammer application can show all the sources of information that a user subscribes to and the information that a user responds to by using the @ tag. Yammer application is free, the basic version of the Yammer service is also free. But most companies choose a pay package that starts at $3 a month per person, offering better management, security, and support tools. Large users can also enjoy discounts.

　　10, Smart Recorder

The smart recorder developed by Roe Mobile Development is a high-end version of the iphone Voice notes recording application. The product allows users to mark recordings and bundle them with notes and pictures, and then share them through a box.net or smart Recorder built-in server. Users can use this app to record and share voice memos, lectures, conversations, and meetings.

In the process of recording or playback, users can also add labels and pictures to mark a specific point in time, after the completion of the audio will return to the corresponding points. Recordings are saved in the. caf format. Any computer can play the file with the help of QuickTime.

Smart Recorder price 2.99 dollars. The free version can be recorded, but only less than 3 minutes of audio file can be exported.