5 Best Business Tools & Apps of 2012

With 2012 nearly complete, it’s easy to look forward to the coming technology that will dot the electronic landscape of 2013. In fact, it can be downright exciting, considering the much-anticipated (and, sometimes, merely hypothesized) releases of the Samsung Galaxy S4, the Facebook Smart Phone, and the BlackBerry 10.

However, not all of the technologically-inclined among us are even at that point yet; we’re still reeling from the influx of personal technology and business tools that just came out (or gained popularity) in 2012. With that in mind, let’s review the year and take a look at the best tools and Apps that were released this year and note why they will remain relevant even in 2013.

1. iPad Mini. Released just this past November, the iPad Mini might seem like an “in-between” phase to some. It’s useful, like the iPad, but smaller, coming closer to the handheld feeling of an iPhone than a full tablet. The result? Many people prefer the pocket-friendly iPad Mini as a go-to business tool, enjoying the portability of the functions of an iPad without the bulkiness. It can be easy to dismiss the iPad Mini as a mere “size adjustment” for the market, attempting to test the preferred size of personal gadgets of loyal Apple users. We just call it a step forward.

2. Evernote Web Clipper. You may already be familiar with Evernote, a service that allows you to “bookmark” the Internet and store your favorite links in a cloud-based system. But the Evernote Web Clipper is an Add-on for both Chrome and Firefox that works with your browser and allows you to easily save and organize your favorite links while keeping your bookmarking tab clean.

3. Google Presentations. What kind of list would this be if we didn’t include Google in some form? Google Presentations is almost like a cloud version of PowerPoint, allowing easy collaboration between project members while also giving you the ability to publish slideshows that can give your presentations a bit more visual “oomph.”

4. AnyMeeting. In 2012, as in other recent years, the big story about business is how global it is. With a tool like AnyMeeting, entrepreneurs are free to hold seminars for a wide range of people, no matter their location (as long as they have access to a computer). AnyMeeting is a business tool that gives you the ability to host online seminars for to up to 200 people quickly and easily. That’s the kind of “international Internet” tool that really delivers on technology’s promise to shrink the world.

5. CloudOn. Because cloud data storage is all the rage these days, it only makes sense that a business tool like CloudOn, which allows you to access Word documents from your iPad or Android phone, would be so popular in 2012. This tool allows you to make changes to important documents even if you aren’t on your work computer. You don’t even have to log in to your computer remotely!

Author Bio:

Chris Turberville-Tully works with Sunrise Software, which provides various help desk software along with project management, training, and consultancy.