According to a March 2011 survey by comScore, 33% of Canadians own a smartphone and they mostly use it to text (64.5%) and take photos (48.9%). Using apps (40.6%) trailed behind in third place.
To be honest, this statistic didn’t surprise me as much as it puzzled me. To think a third of all Canadians own either an iPhone, Android, Blackberry, Windows Mobile or Nokia device, yet are under utilizing the features of what makes them “smart” in the first place.
One of the features that I love about my iPhone and iPad are the apps. The App Store currently has over 425,000 apps in 20 categories while the Android Market has over 200,000. Those are staggering figures. And to think these numbers will only increase like wildfire in the months ahead.
There’s no doubt that iPhone and Android devices appeal to the more casual user and many may not view them as true business device contenders, like the Blackberry.
But there are lots of great apps that business owners may find helpful.
For example, you’ll find apps for
- tracking business expenses and project time,
- calendar apps to keep track of meetings and appointments,
- office apps to create presentations and reports, travel apps to organize air,
- hotel and car rental arrangements,
- productivity apps that won’t let you forget anything, social networking apps to stay in touch with local and global customers and even mobile payment apps where clients can pay via the smartphone.
As you can see, apps can transform your mobile device into a mini mission control centre. I’m not advocating that you must go and buy a smartphone. But if you already own one, why not put it to work for you?
