I recently asked a Google spokesperson about how Android stacks up in the enterprise.
She insisted that the Android is a consumer device - for now. "We plan to support
more enterprise applications and features on top of our existing structure in the
future, but we don't have anything specific to share at this time," she said
However, just because Google is focused on the consumer doesn't mean that Android
developers are. Plenty of business- and enterprise-specific apps have already launched
for the Android. Here's a look at 15 of the most compelling ones, all currently
available in the Android Marketplace.
1. TripIt Having used TripIt to stay
organized during several trips over the past few months, I can vouch for its effectiveness.
You simply forward your travel confirmation emails (airline, hotel, rental car,
restaurant reservations, etc.) to TripIt and it will create a master itinerary for
you. TripIt synchs with your calendar and social networking sites, emails alerts
to colleagues, provides maps and route details and sets alarms so you don't forget
to arrive at the airport with enough time to suffer through the security line. The
Pro version will track your frequent flier miles and rewards points, alert you of
such nuisances as gate changes or delays, and help you find an alternate flight
in the event that yours has been cancelled.
Cost: Basic: free. Pro: $69/year.
2. Gist
Gist is another social networking for business app. However, unlike most of these
me-too apps, which I actively avoid, I've actually downloaded and started using
Gist. The Gist Android app gives users "complete business profiles for their contacts
including updates from social networks like Facebook and Twitter, mentions in the
news, and email correspondences across multiple inboxes. Presented in context around
an upcoming meeting or recent status update, Gist puts the most important information
about contacts at a user's fingertips."
Gist isn't perfect, especially if the signal-to-noise ratio in your inbox is low.
I get dozens of pitches from dozens of companies each day, and Gist only does a
so-so job, initially anyway, of figuring out which connections are of high value
and which are not. You can tweak this, but it takes some doing. That said, this
is a beta release, so it should improve.
Polished or not, how on earth did LinkedIn (and to a lesser extent Xobni) let an
up-and-comer beat them to the punch?
Cost: Free, with a premium version in the works.
3. Locale Are you one of those
annoying people whose phone is always ringing during meetings, movies and presentations?
Do yourself (and everyone around you) a favor and get Locale. This app immediately
transforms you from a boor into someone Miss Manners would be proud of. Based on
time of day and GPS coordinates, Locale will do such things as switch off your ringer,
turn down the screen brightness when your battery is low, and even save you from
that sexual harassment lawsuit by switching away from your porn wallpaper when you're
at work.
Cost: $9.99.
4. Lookout. You can't have
a list of essential business apps without addressing security. Lookout provides
mobile antivirus protection, while also backing up your important data. Lookout
also helps you locate your phone in the event it is lost or stolen. If you think
the phone is simply, say, hidden beneath your couch cushions (or you want to drive
whoever stole your phone crazy), you can activate a screeching alarm. Otherwise,
you can view the phone's GPS coordinates in any browser.
Cost: Free.
5. TouchDown
For those of you who, like me, use Gmail as your preferred method for synching Outlook
to your phone, TouchDown offers an alternative with plenty of enterprise-grade features,
such as remote wiping and PIN enforcement.
Brian A. Schar, Esq., Director of Intellectual Property for Cardica emailed me to
nominate TouchDown. "It is an easy-to-set-up and easy-to-use solution for syncing
my Exchange email. I find it invaluable. Google should buy this company and bundle
TouchDown standard with the Android system. TouchDown is well worth the license
fee," he said.
Cost: $19.99.
6. Intuit GoPayment This app
lets you accept credit card payments via your Android. It's billed as a way for
service people to get "paid on the spot," but I could see plenty of mom-and-pop
stores ditching their credit card readers and using this instead. After payment
is approved, the app lets you quickly email or text message a receipt to the customer.
Cost: $12.95/month + transaction fees.
7. Gmote Turn your Android into a remote
control for your computer's multimedia, such as music and video, and - getting to
why this is a business-related app - presentations. Now you can stretch your legs
and walk around the room during your next PowerPoint presentation while your audience
is trapped in their chairs.
Thanks to Petri R.J. Darby, Director of Brand Marketing & Digital Strategy for the
Make-A-Wish Foundation, for nominating GoPayment and Gmote.
Cost: Free.
8. Alarm.com For security-minded organizations
- physical security-minded, that is - the Alarm.com app gives you the ability to
monitor your security system via your phone. You can monitor video, remotely arm
or disarm your system and access a searchable history of events. You can also set
up the Alarm.com app to alert you anytime an alarm sounds or a motion sensor is
activated.
For this roundup, I've focused on stand-alone apps and avoided those that require
big on-premise investments. Alarm.com is an exception here, since it is only useful
if you have a security system in place, obviously. However, anyone so worried about
security that they view security feeds on their phone will clearly have no qualms
about investing in a physical security system. Thus, I'll give Alarm.com a pass.
Cost: Free (free for the app; however you must have an Alarm.com security
system deployed).
9. GDocs When
you use Android, you end up being subtly pushed towards Google Apps. I never had
a Gmail account, nor did I want one, until I learned the hard way that the HTC Sync
program is terrible, and the easiest way for me to sync Outlook with my phone is
through Gmail.
Start with Gmail, and soon you'll be dabbling with Docs, Blogger and Buzz. Several
people emailed me to suggest various Office synching programs. While I included
one in this roundup (TouchDown), I personally think that for most people it's easier
to use Google, which converts documents quickly and without much fuss and gives
you plentiful, free online storage.
GDocs is a word-processing beachhead on the Anroid. GDocs lets you view, create
and edit documents and spreadsheets from your Google Docs account. Of course, since
Google lets you store Office documents in Google Docs, GDocs works for Word too.
As a test, I wrote this entry on my Android and had no trouble, other than the less-than-ideal
onscreen keyboard.
Cost: Free.
10. aTrackDog Patch management
and software updates are a major IT headache. How long until this problem migrates
from the desktop to the smartphone?
aTrackDog will help you get ahead of this issue, keeping track of all of your applications
and informing you of updates. Without aTrackDog, this is a manual app-by-app chore.
With aTrackDog, it's a centralized task completed in a couple of minutes.
Cost: Free.
11. ASTRO File Manager This app is the
easiest, most popular way to manage files and folders on your Android. Having troubling
locating music on your SD card? Tap over to ASTRO and you'll find it instantly.
The only downside of ASTRO - and this is not ASTRO's fault - is that you cannot
uninstall annoying preloaded apps (on Sprint it's nuisances like the NASCAR app)
with ASTRO. Unfortunately, you have to root your phone to do that. Of course, readers
of an IT pub like CIO Update should have no qualms about rooting their phone. I'm
not as tech savvy as most of you, and I found it to be a relatively painless process.
Cost: Free.
12. PdaNet Say you're traveling,
you have all-you-can-eat data through your Android, yet you'd rather be working
on your laptop without shelling out for a separate mobile broadband card and plan.
You should be able to tether your laptop to your phone, right? Wrong. Carriers frown
on this and have made sure it's not easy to do on their phones.
Search the web and you'll find plenty of ways to root your phone to enable tethering.
And easier method is to simply install PdaNet, which makes tethering a breeze. Simply
install it on your phone and laptop, connect the two via USB or Bluetooth, and you're
all set.
Cost: Basic: Free. Full version, which includes support of secure websites:
$18.95.
13. gPanel Mobile
for Google Apps Continuing with the premise that Android woos you further
into Google's realm, for organizations that have ditched Office in favor of Google
Apps, it'd be nice to have a way to remotely administer those apps, wouldn't it?
Enter gPanel Mobile for Google Apps. Aaron Gumz, Managing Partner of Promevo, which
developed gPanel, explains the app's value through a couple of worst-case scenarios.
"You're at a conference and your CIO calls you and says you need to suspend a user's
account immediately because that person went rogue and is blasting out derogatory
emails. With gPanel Mobile you can suspend a user's access in seconds" right from
your Android.
Or: "It's 11 PM and you're out on the town. Your CIO calls you because he can't
access his Google Apps email. His password is not working. With gPanel Mobile you
can reset his password in seconds without having to boot up your netbook or laptop,
or worse, run home to do it."
Cost: $50/year.
14. Google Goggles
Zigurd Mednieks, co-author of Android Application Development, wrote to me to recommend
Google Goggles as a business app.
Google Goggles lets you use your phone's camera in order to perform picture-based
searches of the web. Sounds like a consumer app, right? Not if you use it to read
business cards and turn them into contacts. You can also use Google Goggles to identify
landmarks, get instant wine reviews, retrieve book summaries and translate foreign
text.
Cost: Free.
15. Layar The utility of augmented reality
in the business world is sketchy at best - for now. However, with behemoths like
Cisco believing augmented reality is the "future of shopping" and BMW considering
it the "future of car repair," it's just a matter of time until augmented reality
catches on in the enterprise.
Layar is an "augmented reality browser" that uses your phone's camera, compass and
GPS to serve up real-time digital information that is layered over your camera's
view. For instance, National Geographic is using Layar to serve up AR travel guides.
The first one will be released soon for Washington, D.C.
Cost: Free.