It's getting easier to hit the road without missing a beat thanks to cloud apps. These web-based applications store your data on a remote server—on the Internet, basically—so you can access it wherever you go, from almost any device. Sometimes cloud apps install a client on your computer, and that client calls up your data from a remote server; other cloud apps are entirely web-based and run in a browser. Use Gmail? Then you're already using a cloud app. In Gmail, your messages live on a Google server, so you can get to them from any computer, smart phone or mobile device.
That's exactly the value of the cloud: constant access to the data and files you need on the go without being tied to your laptop and without having to manually sync devices. Plus, you typically don't have to devote many IT resources to cloud apps because they're maintained on someone else's servers.
Cloud apps will see greater adoption in 2011. Already, you can find an app to do just about anything, whether that means replacing a desktop program or filling a need that you didn't even know you had.
Ready to jump into the cloud? Check out the following five apps and see how they can make you and your staff more productive while on the road or in the skies. And then get ready for the next big thing: cloud-based operating systems.
Productivity Tracking: Harvest
Works on: Mac OS X, Windows, iOS, Windows Mobile; many features work via any smart phone with a browser, certain features work via any mobile phone
Cost: Starts at US$12/month for up to three users, $90/month for ten users (plus $10/month for each additional user); free 30-day trial
Harvest is a multipurpose app ideally suited to entrepreneurs and small businesses. It offers almost everything related to productivity: time tracking, online invoicing, expense tracking, estimating and customizable reporting tools. And because it's a cloud app, it can keep your staff productive from the office, home, plane or hotel. Harvest features integration with tons of third-party tools, including Twitter, Gmail, Basecamp, QuickBooks, desktop widgets and more. There's an iPhone app, of course, but even users without smart phones can track their time and expenses via text message.
Get it at: www.getharvest.com
Task Management: Wunderlist
Works on: Mac OS X, Windows, Android (coming soon), iOS
Cost: Free
Wunderlist is a visually attractive task management app that tracks all of your to-do lists. You can create multiple lists—say, one for work and one for home, or one for each client—set deadlines, assign high-priority status, share lists for collaboration with colleagues and publish lists to the cloud for viewing at a dedicated URL. Create a task on your laptop, check it off the next day on your phone, then open Wunderlist on your iPad—your lists are automatically updated no matter the device you use. Some people find the lack of automated reminders and time-based deadlines a drawback, but others love it for its minimalist design and streamlined approach to getting stuff done. Best of all, it's pretty.
Get it at: www.6wunderkinder.com/wunderlist
Brainstorming/Idea Management: Evernote
Works on: Mac OS X, Windows, Android, BlackBerry OS, iOS, Palm OS, Windows Mobile
Cost: Free for 60 MB of uploads monthly; $5/month for extra functionality and 1 GB of uploads monthly
Evernote lets you capture, organize, store and sync virtually any kind of information across most devices. Sound broad? It is. Think of Evernote as an ever-ready, virtual notebook. Use your phone to snap photos of the business cards you collect, upload them to Evernote, and search them based on the words in the images. Grab screenshots, organize travel information, leave voice memos for yourself and automatically convert them to text, snap images of whiteboards after meetings—it's hard to imagine something Evernote can't help with. Business users who want to collaborate on notes with colleagues might want to upgrade to a premium account.
Get it at: www.evernote.com
File Storage: Dropbox
Works on: Mac OS X, Windows, iOS, Android, Blackberry OS; Windows Mobile, some features work via any mobile browser
Cost: Free for 2 GB of storage, $9.99/month for 50 GB of storage, $19.99/month for 100 GB of storage
Dropbox offers online storage and file sharing. Leave the USB drive at home; you can drop any kind of file into the Dropbox folder on your computer, and it will automatically appear on any other device on which you've installed Dropbox. That means your files are available wherever you go, from any web-connected device. You can keep folders private or share them with colleagues. A big Dropbox plus is the automatic syncing, which means that it can act as a remote backup service so you never lose your most important work. Lots of third-party apps integrate with Dropbox to give more functionality that keeps workers productive while they're away from the office.
Get it at: www.dropbox.com
Google Docs
Works on: Any desktop/laptop browser, Android, iOS, Windows Mobile
Cost: Free
It's one of the best-known cloud apps out there, and for good reason: When it comes to creating, editing, storing and sharing documents, spreadsheets and presentations from anywhere, Google Docs is still the cloud app to beat. Some people and businesses have even dumped Microsoft Office for Google's free suite, even though it offers fewer features. Still, all the basics are available and work well, and collaboration with colleagues is easy.
Get it at: docs.google.com
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