Guest Post by Jane Johnson from Going Cellular….

Keep your business competitive and agile with these smartphone apps

Running a small business from home is becoming easier and easier as online sales become more mainstream and secure. In an increasingly flexible, open market, a smartphone with a data plan is among the essential tools for independent small business. What is a data plan, and why do you need it to keep your business competitive? A data plan allows you to surf the web, download applications, and conduct your business all from your smartphone, and you’ll need it to access the next generation of small-business innovation. Here are some apps to get you started.

1. WordPress (Android, iPhone)

If you’re on the move and you get a great idea for a new blog post for your home business, you want to be able to access your blog client at a moment’s notice. WordPress is probably the slickest, most intuitive blogging client currently on the market, and a blog is a necessary part of any small business’s online marketing strategy. WordPress’s mobile app allows you to do from your smartphone basically anything you could do from your home computer. While you might not type as fast on the phone as you could from your home keyboard, the app is surprisingly well designed—most formatting and editing options are simple to access while you type.

1. Dropbox (Android, iPhone)

Dropbox allows you to share files between any number of computers or mobile devices as easily as dragging and dropping files into your shared folder. If you have business partners or clients who use Dropbox, it makes it easy to collaborate with shared information. It also helps if you want to edit files from your phone; if you have this mobile app, anything shared in your Dropbox folders will also be available on your smartphone. If your business involves more than one computer or mobile device, Dropbox is essential; and for 2 GB of shared storage space, it’s free.

1. RDM+ Remote Desktop Management  (Android)

This app allows you to remotely connect to any computer from your smartphone, so that your home or office desktop will appear on the smartphone display. RDM+’s functionality is somewhat hampered by your smartphone keyboard, but otherwise it’s like having your desktop computer with you wherever you go. This app is a slightly more expensive option, but if you spend a lot of time away from your desk, you might get more done through RDM than you do at home.

1. Dragon Dictation (iPhone)

Solid voice-recognition software is probably the only way around the keyboard limitations of your phone: if you want to produce large quantities of text in a short period of time, you’ll need to dictate it. Early, inaccurate voice-recognition has generated frustration and distrust in many users, but the software is getting faster, cheaper, and more accurate all the time. Your transcribed text can be sent in a text, email, or pasted to your phone’s clipboard for use in any other application (such as your blogging client or a word processor). There may be more accurate options on the market, but you can’t beat free.

1. Square (iPhone, Android)

For a long time, the options for small businesses to accept payment were not very good: you could take cash or checks, you could buy an expensive credit card swiper, or you could work through PayPal. The Square app for iPhone and Android Square accepts Visa, American Express, MasterCard, and Discover, taking a 2.75% fee from each purchase—cheaper than PayPal or an external card swiper. The app and card reader are free, with built-in analytic software to track your sales, tips, and tax. Your customers can receive an electronic receipt via email or text message.

Bio: Jane Johnson is a writer for GoingCellular, a popular site that provides cell phone related news, commentary, reviews on popular providers like T-Mobile.

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