Lee Hogan No, I didn’t acquire any crucial customer e-mails or text messages. I wasn’t working on a last-minute estimate for that purchaser who wants us to upgrade their pc system subsequent week. There had been no emergency carrier calls.
I performed BrickBreaker on my Blackberry. For three stable hours. It got me via the teach’s limitless speeches, the multiple awards designed no longer to allow anybody experience not noted, and the excruciatingly unfunny “gag” items given by means of students to their teammates. I’ll by no means have that Sunday night time back. But I did make it to degree 25 and a non-public all-time-excessive points general. So the night wasn’t a complete loss.
That night time, BrickBreaker become my killer Blackberry app. But most of the time I’m using my Research In Motion (RIMM) Blackberry for work. It’s been a quite outstanding tool that allows me to run my small enterprise. There are different first-rate Blackberry apps-apart from BrickBreaker-that I assume most small commercial enterprise proprietors ought to be the usage of. And like a number of the meaningless awards given out on the ceremonial dinner (“Best Attitude?” Really?), there are some useless apps for the Blackberry that small commercial enterprise owners need to, as an excessive college sports feast, keep away from if viable.
For instance, I don’t discover mini-workplace apps inclusive of the eOffice Mobile Suite or Documents To Go productive in any respect. It’s no longer that they do not work as advertised. They do. But I’ve by no means been a success thumbing my way through a Word document or Excel evaluation on a two-inch display screen. In reality, the editor for this column requested me if I recognize of anyone who truly uses and/or likes those packages. I can absolutely say no. (Go beforehand: Prove me wrong in the feedback under.) I’ve downloaded those applications and used them maybe once or twice during the last couple of years earlier than giving up. Those medical doctors can wait until I’m on a normal-sized machine.
However, I in reality like Google’s (GOOG) cell apps for my Blackberry. Gmail works awesome. I particularly like Google Latitude. With this provider, I can sing my employees through GPS to see who’s goofing off and who is genuinely on the client that they’re billing me for. (It works excellent for finding out wherein your kids are on a Saturday night time, too.) I rely on Google Maps to offer me riding instructions. I can also sync contacts and calendars from Google to my smartphone. All of those apps from Google are wonderful, however the satisfactory is still its looking competencies.
While we are on the topic of looking, why might an enterprise proprietor download silly packages which include Caffeine Finder or Fast Food Finder? Are we so in want of caffeine that we have to have a separate software on our cellphone to find a cup of espresso? Is there no longer a Starbucks (SBUX) or McDonald’s (MCD) inside 10 toes, anyplace we are?
Want any other vain Blackberry app for a commercial enterprise owner? How approximately those that let you do invoices and accept payments on your device, such as EZ Bill Maker or BlackCharge, or eBay’s (EBAY) Paypal? Again, I have no difficulty with the software, which fits great. I’m now not going to have my guys do invoices, not to mention gather bills, on their Blackberrys. They’ll locate some manner to screw it up. And the final issue I want is for my clients’ credit card numbers to be floating around on our devices. The invoicing can wait till the paperwork receives back to the office so it may be finished by folks that realize what they’re doing.
Besides, if all of us wait for some years, the process of paying and invoicing and giving receipts to clients will be getting loads less complicated. There are a few cool technologies simply hitting the marketplace now to make this happen. I just like the men at Blingnation. They accomplice with banks so that the banks’ clients can put a little RFID sticky label on the lower back in their device after which just faucet it on a Blingnation reader at the nearby deli or gas station. Payment is made. Invoicing is accomplished. A receipt is e-mailed. This is the future of our cell devices.
Communication gear for small corporations has a very good vicinity at the Blackberry, too. I’m no longer speaking approximately Facebook and Twitter apps that all of us download and never use, except to maintain up on that guy I hardly ever knew from high faculty who insists on telling me his brand new Mafia Wars sports. I’m talking video. Fuze Meeting is an exquisite app that shall we users video conference right on their phone. For some companies, especially those supplying clinical services, surveying production sites, or demonstrating a chunk of gadget, it is able to be a totally big deal.
Some other advice for small commercial enterprise Blackberry users: Don’t use the browser that comes widespread in your Blackberry. Download Opera or Bolt. You’ll get a lot greater productivity from your surfing. Oh, I almost forgot. Instead of punching out the drywall the following time you hear that a consumer has stiffed you, download Pandora or Slacker and funky yourself down with some free song.