There are thousands of apps out there but here are two I reckon are `musts’ for any Smartphone user. The LinkedIn app and Onavo, a slick way of saving on your data allowance each month.
LINKEDIN ON THE GO
Definitely an app designed for a touchscreen, LinkedIn does the job
Obviously LinkedIn is a network which is more business than social. Great potential for networking yourself, job hunting, recruiting staff if you’re a HR director, or showcasing your company news, events, new products etc. But for me LinkedIn’s PC/laptop site is a bit fiddly, some of the key buttons are buried in obscure places and it lacks a real intuitive feel.
But the iPhone app version of LinkedIn is about 75% better to use than the PC version of the LI dashboard. Four basic buttons to tap open; Inbox, Updates, You ( Your Profile ) and Groups.
It is really simple to `Like,’ reply or Favourite an Update from a LinkedIn contact, the search bar is at the top of page if you want to find a person in a hurry. The Groups menu has a little button showing the number of recently updated discussions – dive into Groups and the most popular discussions are set at the top of the stack. Perfect.
I love this app and best of all, it’s free. The only criticism you can level at it is that it lacks some key features, such as the ability to leave a Group say, or find a company using the search box, rather than say just a person. It is ultimately a stripped-down version of LI, but in some ways, all the better for it.
The app version of LI is more appealing than the PC dashboard
ONAVO- THE DATA MUNCHIN’ MARVEL
Here’s another really useful free iPhone app; Onavo basically shrinks your downloads from all social networks, chops your emails down and puts the squeeze on photos that you may be uploading to sites like Facebook or Foursquare.
Looking at my first month of use I have saved 8.49MB out of 16.1MB downloaded to my phone, or just over half. The greatest savings have been on my general web browsing and Foursquare use. Not surprising, as I do like to post quite a few photos on Foursquare, just to prove I am actually at that place, rather than just `checking in’ whilst stopped at traffic lights near a shop or restaurant. Oh, you didn’t know people did that? Oh yeah, there are some naughty tricks used to blag the Mayorship of Domino’s Pizza…
If you’re on a monthly phone contract for your iPhone or Android device, then there will almost certainly be a data limit on that contract. See the famous T&Cs for details. Now if that limit is fairly low, then an app like Onavo can make all the difference between an extra £5 `top up’ charge in a month, or not.
Here’s a little detail you need to be aware of though, the Android version only monitors your data – it doesn’t shrink it.
Yes, I know I’m beginning to sound like Money Saving Expert Martyn Lewis here, but if there’s a way to cut your iPhone or Android bills in this recession, then why not?
Onavo helps you keep a lid on your data transfer in the background and as a bonus, by saving you data there’s a chance the phone’s battery will last a little longer. Very useful for iPhone 3G and series 4 users, as battery life can be a dismal 4-5 hours once you begin uploading plenty of pics and watching video clips on the move.
More phone tips, reviews and general techie ramblings coming soon. Why not subscribe to the blog and win a biscuit?*
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