iPad for business
The iPad is not just for consumers, according to Apple, which includes a section about iPad for business at their new device’s web site, complete with recommendations and instructions for enterprise deployment. And while most apps are geared towards consumers, there are a few already targeted at the business user. Here are our favorites:
Enterprise email
Native Microsoft Exchange access is baked into the iPad OS with ActiveSync (as it is to the Mac and iPhone OS as well), letting users get access to their corporate email, calendar and contacts.
Productivity apps
Want to take the PowerPoint document with you but leave the desktop replacement laptop back at the office? Convert the file to iWork for iPad, a slimmed down version of the Mac’s office suite which includes Keynote, Pages and Numbers, designed to both take advantage of the iPad multitouch screen as well as offer compatibility with ubiquitous Microsoft Office documents.
PDF Reader Pro Edition for iPad
Got white papers to read? Why pull out that bulky laptop on the plane, only to get the screen crushed by the person in front of you reclining their seat. Available from iTech Development Systems, this $3.99 PDF app is enabled for landscape mode, offers search capabilities, allows bookmarking a certain page, plus it opens password-protected PDF files.
Cisco WebEx Meeting Manager for the iPad
Think you can escape from that online meeting just because you are out of WiFi range? Think again. Now you can attend online meetings wherever you take your iPad. The app enables content sharing, call-back functions, online chatting, and VOIP, according to Cisco.
Citrix Go to Meeting
Or maybe the meeting you need to attend is in Citrix Go To Meeting. Not a problem. There’s an app for that too.
Citrix Receiver for iPad
Miss your Windows 7 PC? (we’re winking as we type this.) Well now you can take it with you when you travel with your iPad. That’s right, Citrix’s XenDesktop and XenApp’s desktop virtualization enables the iPad to run as a thin client for a virtualized Windows7 desktop.
Bento for iPad
This $4.99 all-purpose personal database from Filemaker comes with 25 templates users can customize to organize information. It can be used to hold contacts, track projects, plan events and more.
iBooks for iPad
With a color screen that’s bigger than many eReader devices out there, why not catch up on the most recent business bestsellers after you finish editing that PowerPoint, ahem, I mean Keynote document?