Best iPhone apps: Office and personal productivity

These iPhone applications help extend your business desktop to the phone. Some sync contacts, calendars, and documents; others provide direct access to your PC or Mac; and a few conquer notes and memos with speech-to-text or handwriting recognition. All are native, except for iGoogle and Google Apps, which are tuned to the mobile Safari browser.

Google

Google's been a staple on the iPhone, but now there's more to the experience than integrated search and maps. iGoogle for the iPhone lets you select personalized modules (such as news) to be optimized for the smartphone. iPhone versions of Google Apps help you view and respond to e-mail, update your calendar, and edit documents. Moreover, the main Apps screen has custom tabs for fast access to your three most-used Google mobile products.

Bloomberg Mobile

Bloomberg is a trusted source of financial data -- information that's now available on the iPhone and iPod touch through this free application. Naturally, you can create customized lists of stocks that you follow. Going beyond Apple's stock application (which is powered by Yahoo), Bloomberg offers news, company descriptions, market leaders, price charts, and market trend analysis.

SugarSync

Sharpcast's SugarSync for iPhone provides remote access to your PC or Mac. Sign up for the service (US$49.99 per year for 30GB of storage) and install the free iPhone app. On your PC or Mac, select the folders to automatically sync with your iPhone or iPod Touch. The instant you make a change on your computer, it's reflected on the iPhone. Moreover, with a couple of clicks, you can share files or photos -- even those too large for e-mail -- with anyone.

Vlingo

Vlingo lets you dial contacts, search the Web (through Yahoo or Google), and look up phone numbers and maps. Significantly, you don't have to memorize commands; the software translates your voice, word for word. Another well-executed feature of this free speech-to-text application is that you can send status updates for Facebook and Twitter.

Evernote

The free Evernote application lets you capture text notes, snap photos, and record voice memos on your iPhone or iPod Touch -- then automatically synchronize them to your desktop (the free Web account gives you 40MB of storage a month). Additionally, Evernote has fantastic image recognition. Take a snapshot of, say, a whiteboard or business card, and Evernote renders text searchable within the photos. Also, you can filter files by tags, date, location, and other criteria.

iTalk Recorder

Griffin Technology's no-cost iTalk Recorder and the ad-free premium application ($4.99) are serious sound recording software. iTalk Recorder lets you choose quality levels, provides a one-button recording interface, and makes it easy to add on to existing recordings. With the free, companion iTalk Sync program, you can drag recordings as high-quality AIFF files to your computer over a Wi-Fi connection.

Jott for iPhone

This free application from Jott Networks turns your voice into notes. Record for up to 15 seconds; the software then transcribes this speech into text and places the results on your list. After you complete a task, just swipe your finger to cross it off your to-do list. Further, all your lists are saved to Jott.com, where you can access and manage them from your computer.

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