A smartphone is now essential for every person, not just professionals. To some, their whole lives are on their phones and some continue to treat it like the standard cell phone. With every new development, there comes more convenience. People can make videos, cram their graphics design deliverables, review the minutes, and make presentations on the fly.
However, there is a fine line between using your phone as a tool to help or being overly reliant on it that it becomes a distraction. Here are some apps that would serve as excellent tools for every professional:
Microsoft Office
While every phone has a note-taking app, smartphones now come with Microsoft Office. Microsoft Office is a compilation of Microsoft Excel, Word, and Powerpoint which work on your phone. These apps are useful especially you’re doing a whole lot of things such as fixing contracts, taking down minutes, cramming a presentation, and etc. Microsoft Office is valued for its utility and allows young professionals to easily access files.
If Microsoft Office is not available to you then, there’s also Polaris Office. Polaris Office is similar to Microsoft Office and uses the same file extensions as Microsoft Office. It also provides programs to edit your presentations, to read documents, and to edit spreadsheets on the fly.
Google Drive
People don’t use solid, concrete file storage anymore. They prefer uploading it on a cloud. Google Drive is a good example of a cloud. A cloud is a kind of storage that keeps your data safe especially when your hardware gives out on you. Your only issue is that if you have no internet, you will not have access to the cloud. Also, keep track of which account you use to open Google Drive so it’s easier to find.
For Apple, some use iCloud as an easier way to get around. iCloud is exclusive to Mac/IOS users to help transfer files especially if they have pictures.
Adobe Reader
Some documents especially government documents, visa documents, and other legal documents come in pdf format. This is one of the formats that Microsoft Office cannot read easily which is why Adobe Reader is helpful. People usually save big documents such as books and manuals as a pdf to help ease up on the file space. So having Adobe Reader is increasingly useful.
Scanner Pro
Scanners have now been shrunk and magically put inside a smartphone. Documents and other things can now be easily turned into a PDF or JPEG by simply snapping a photo. The tool is really useful and can get you out of a bind when you need something scanned and you do not have a computer. You do have to pay for it but it is certainly worth it.
Voice Recorder
Have no faith in your note-taking skills? That’s okay. There’s no shame in actually recording the meeting (so long it’s not obvious that you are). If you’re in a job that involves secretarial work such as taking down the minutes and etc. then, having a voice recorder helps. It helps you take note of who said what and also helps clear some questions you may have while making the minutes. It’s also helpful especially if you have a boss who’s always busy that she forgets a lot of things.
Waze
Especially if you’re the one driving, Waze can be useful in getting to your meetings on time. Waze calculates the amount of time required to get to the area using the fastest possible route. So, if you’re driving and you’re going to a place you’re not familiar with, Waze is a good app to have.
However, Waze is not infallible. As it is an app that is continuously improved on by a community, there are some roads that you might prefer.
Grab
Have a broken car and need to rush to that meeting? Grab will get you there. While there is Angkas, Grab would be a more suitable option especially for someone who is in business attire and carrying a laptop. While Angkas is cheaper and is faster due to the smaller size of vehicle, it’s best not to take it if you’re trying to look presentable to a client.
Updated, overhauled, and revised by: Kevyn Gohu, 10/18/2019