With every generation comes innovation that changes how we work.
Sherry Vance, chief marketing officer at Butler Snow law firm in Ridgeland, can attest to this.
With a single swipe of her index finger, Vance unlocks her iPad and, in a sense, unlocks the world.
"I'm still a novice at this," Vance said of her new tablet. "You could spend your day every day investigating all these apps, but unfortunately we can't always do that."
Fortunately for Vance, her short list of go-to apps for tablets and smartphones prove to be effective at the office, just as the telegraph and typewriter were in their day.
Atlanta-based tech analyst Jeff Kagan said while some apps are tailored for professionals in real estate or sales, others appeal to the broad business sector.
"Apps empower the workforce to be more competitive and provide better service to the customer," Kagan said, adding some companies have launched their own private apps for employees.
Since their inception just four years ago, downloadable apps have grown from a handful of niche games to a $6.1 billion industry.
"This is just the beginning of this revolution," Kagan said. "It's going to get better and more interesting as the years go by."
Becky Bates, a women's health nurse practitioner in the University of Mississippi Medical Center's Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, said her iPhone comes in handy at all times of the workday.
Because UMC is a subscriber to DynaMed, a clinical reference tool for physicians and health care professionals, Bates can access articles on the latest medical research using her iPhone.
"Rather than having to grab a book, I reach in my pocket, type something in and pull it right up," she said. "It's definitely more efficient."
Bates also calculates baby due dates, makes physician referrals and tracks her continuing education units using her smartphone.
She even "prescribes" apps to smartphone-using patients who want to keep track of their diet and exercise regimen.
As Mississippians continue to ditch landline phones for cellphones at growing rates, according to a National Center for Health Statistics report released in April, users are downloading apps for both business and pleasure, said Dennis Graham, data sales engineer at Ridgeland-based Cellular South.
Last month, Graham led a Greater Jackson Chamber Partnership professional development workshop on "Mobile APPtitude," shedding light on apps rooted in everyday business happenings.
Among those apps is eTrace - a program that monitors mobile workforce productivity. Through eTrace, employers can track workers out in field and workers can stamp their time cards.
Here are several apps recommended by area business professionals.
•TripIt: This personal organizer allows users to sync all travel confirmations (airline, car rental, hotel) in one place. The app also alerts to changes in flight status and alternative flight options.
Cost: Free. Downloadable for Android, Blackberry, iPhone, iPad.
•Flight Tracker: Vance uses this travel app to view airline departure and arrival times worldwide as well as gate numbers, baggage claim information and weather delays. Flight Tracker accesses the same database used by major airlines, providing reliable updates.
Cost: 99 cents. Downloadable for iPhone and iPad.
•Splashtop: This remote desktop app streams high-resolution video and audio from a PC or Mac, allowing users to access PowerPoint, Word, Excel, Outlook, Quicken and other applications on their mobile device. Users can also access Internet browsers and bookmarks.
Cost: $1.99-4.99. Downloadable for iPhone, iPad, Android, Palm.
•Dragon Dictation: Users can speak and instantly send emails, text messages, Facebook statuses and Twitter updates with this multilingual voice recognition app. The app's developers claim dictation is five times faster than typing on a keyboard.
Cost: Free. Downloadable for iPhone, iPad, Android, Blackberry.
•PDF Expert: Users can highlight text, make notes, save changes and share files. The app supports documents created in Apple Preview or Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Cost: $9.99. Downloadable for iPhone, iPad.
•CamCard: Simply take a picture of a business card and this reader recognizes the contact information and saves it to the mobile device. A free trial titled CamCard Lite is available to test before buying the full version.
Cost: $6.99. Downloadable for iPhone, iPad, Android, Blackberry.
•eTrace: Available through Cellular South, this workforce productive app tracks field personnel, workflow, timecards and work orders.
Cost: Monthly rate. Downloadable for select phones.
•DailyFinance: Tailored for investors and market followers, this app provides real-time quotes from BATS Exchange and 15-minute delayed quotes from NYSE, NASDAQ and AMEX. DailyFinance also creates and tracks up to 25 portfolios and watchlists and customizes news from 3,000-plus sources.
Cost: Free. Downloadable for iPhone, iPad, Android, Blackberry.
•LinkedIn: The app version of this business networking website connects more than 100 million professionals worldwide. Users receive the latest updates and messages in real time.
Cost: Free. Downloadable for iPhone, iPad, Android, Blackberry, Palm.
•iProcrastinate: Users can color-code task lists and list steps. Task lists can also be shared with others to keep tabs on group projects.
Cost: 99 cents. Downloadable for iPhone, iPad.
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