Top Business Tools

Besides being a fun way to read and respond to email and social network, there are all kinds of business apps that can make the iPad 2 a powerful business tool. But perhaps the iPad's most powerful business capability is its ability to serve as a POS system for retail businesses.

A landline with some basic phone services lets you make and take phone calls, but a smartphone can do so much more. Take, for instance, Apple's iPhone 4S. With the graphical processing power of a dual-core A5 processor, an 8-megapixel camera, and features such as FaceTime, HD video recording and editing and Siri voice recognition, making and taking phone calls is just the beginning of the iPhone S4’s business possibilities.

Microsoft Office is my workhorse of choice because of its combination of features and applications integration; I find it really useful to be able to keep a database of contacts within my email application (Outlook with Business Contact Manager) or import data from a database (Access) into a spreadsheet format (Excel). The new features in the 2010 Professional version make it even easier to do more faster making it a great pick for a business gift. Office 2010 Professional includes 2010 versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, Publisher and Access.

I know some people don't like it, but I think MS Outlook is the greatest thing since the invention of the Day-Timer for organizing, managing tasks, and communicating with groups of people. It's the integration that sells me on this small business tool. Calendars, task lists and upcoming appointments are all directly available when you're reading a specific email message, making staying organized easier, and there are scads of information-sharing features that you can use to share anything from calendars through contacts with others. And, of course, it's an email program - one that lets you do things that other email programs don't.

There are others, but this is the one that I use. While sign up can be a bear if you're not starting from scratch, (here's how to get around the problem) once you're in, the apps are easy to use and I particularly like the collaboration features of Google Docs and Google Sites. I recommend Google Apps for Business (currently only $5 a month per user with an unlimited number of users) because of the additional apps such as Google Groups. Particularly for a startup or a business with no existing website, this is a quick, relatively easy way to get a whole package of vital business tools in place. Read my How to Set Up Google Apps series.

Backup software is another small business tool that no small business should be without. If you’re not doing regular data backups, you’re running the risk of losing all your business data. My pick for this small business tool is EMC Retrospect Professional; it's designed for home and small businesses who want data backup protection for a single Windows computer and up to two additional networked computers and is easy to set up and use. Once you have this top backup software set up, backups are automatic, fast and accurate - providing full data protection. You'll also be able to perform Smart Restores and Automatic Disaster Recovery.

Digital voice recorders are handy small business tools to have if you need to know what you thought or what they said. I find them ideal for recording ideas on the go. They’re also great for recording business meetings. The Olympus DS-420 is one of the company's most sensitive recorders and is a great pick for those looking for quality sound recording. With 533 hours of recording time in LP mode with 2GB internal memory and 51 hours of battery life with USB recharging, it's also a great pick for people who want lots of worry-free recording time and a lot of space for files.

More: Top Digital Voice Recorders