Inspector Lestrade had to make do with a trusty pipe for a comforting smoke and a deerstalker hat to keep the British weather at bay during the course of his investigations. Today though, a world of helpful apps opens up new ways of working that help us achieve more in less time.
Case Notes
The Target: Windows 7 Phone and apps.
Whereabouts: Many hundreds of apps can be downloaded completely free; others at a modest price; all can be found online at the Marketplace. (you’ll be prompted to create a Zune account in order to download apps from Marketplace).
Modus Operandi: Everything you could need to run your business on the go.
Appearance:
Case History
Today’s smartphones are an indispensable life accessory – using them to make calls is now just a part of how they help us through the day. Windows Phones will keep you and your kids more than happy this Christmas with a wealth of games (thanks to a simple connection to Xbox Live), but you can also comfortably keep your respectable professional credentials because they’re fully equipped to do business.
A Windows Phone puts all your essential information right upfront on the home screen: your new emails, pending appointments, your key colleagues’ details or anything else you fancy. It also links seamlessly to cloud services like Office Web Apps and Office 365, so the screen in your pocket is as effective as the screen on your desk. Best of all, Windows 7 Phones are the only mobiles to include Office Mobile, which puts mobile versions of Office, Word, Excel and OneNote in the palm of your hand.
There are plenty of readers for these programs on other platforms, but few also allow editing, and only Office Mobile promises guaranteed fidelity between what you do on your phone and how the document looks when it’s re-opened on your desktop or at a client’s office. So those last-minute edits in a lay-by or motorway services before that crucial meeting will actually be worth it.
Once you’ve customised your home screen with personalised Live Tiles, you’ll want to add your ideal collection of apps; small and perfectly formed programs designed to solve a raft of business challenges. There are thousands of apps from hundreds of manufacturers; so here are just five which will give your business day a boost.
Under the magnifying glass...
- Sync OneNote documents (voice clips and pictures as well as notes) automatically to the web across wi-fi in the background.
- Connect to SharePoint Workspaces (group work areas run by your company or other partners) more easily than with any other platform.
- Enjoy a powerful web browsing experience with Windows Explorer Mobile: open up to six tabs at once and simply click to call phone numbers or present addresses on a map.
- Windows Phone 7 is the only phone with native support for Outlook. Cut through the clutter while you’re on the go to show only unread, urgent or flagged emails.
- Search using Bing, which puts the web at your fingertips with a phone-optimised interface.
- The next release of Windows Phone (coming soon) is the ultimate collaborative workhorse. Text , email or instant-message groups of colleagues together for seamless collaboration; plus get the LinkedIn professional business network fed straight to your home screen.
The target exposed.
Find out more about Windows Phone 7
Office Mobile