Communication apps

If you are an Android user you are probably reasonably content with the excellent inbuilt email system. But, while there's nothing wrong with it, there are definitely times when you might need email management that has a bit more clout. This will be particularly useful if you use your phone for business and especially if you have multiple email accounts. MailDroid is a free email app for Android that supports an unlimited number of email accounts whether they be from IMAP servers, cloud mail servers or the usual free email servers like Hotmail, Yahoo Mail and Gmail etc.   More

I guess the best way to describe a heat map is probably to think of it as a table or a spreadsheet. Rather than detailing information with numbers, however, heat maps highlight the same information but use colors instead. This makes it clearer and easier for experienced users to analyze certain aspects of information. Read Heat is an education application that uses this technology to better analyze students to see how they react and respond to questions posed in the new Common Core standards testing. It aims to find out more about how students respond to the latest formats of standardized ...  More

Big business has whole departments to follow up on any business leads in order to take them to fruition. They run vast CRM's that are overflowing with features and make sure that they do everything in their power to nurture even the merest hint of a lead and turn it into a business opportunity. That's not so easy if you are a freelancer, an entrepreneur or a small businessperson who might not have the time or the resources to follow things up quite as efficiently. Nectar is an easy-to-use and very manageable lead tracking solution that is designed for those of us that don't have copious ...  More

I planned the ultimate road trip around California a few years ago and researched it to perfection. I started a new Word page for each part of the journey and copiously listed all the websites, resources and attractions I wanted to visit for each section of the journey - right down to the music that I wanted to hear. My hard work paid off and the trip was one of the best I've ever done. If Mammoth had been around back then though, it would have saved me a hell of a lot of time - not to mention looking more impressive and proving to be a lot more fun. This productivity app is an easy and ...  More

How much more convenient would it be to be able to answer your emails with a quick SMS message than to have to go through the whole rigmarole of replying directly? You can still text them via your smartphone, of course, but that does involve finding your phone first. Then you can type in your message on that tiny keyboard after checking the email address on the computer. It’s all a bit messy, isn't it? And who knows if your service provider charges you for text messaging or whether you have enough credit left? MooMle is one of those communication applications that makes you wish that ...  More

While its easy enough to call a person to person or team meeting when you are all in the one place, it's not quite so easy if you are in different places or working remotely on the other side of the world. You can probably get away with Skyping it, if you are lucky and well organized. If you want to run through the issues of a website when the relevant parties are scattered around the globe, however, things can start to get a little trickier. Surfly is a free, cloud based collaborative application that lets you share a web session with others without the need to install any software or ...  More

emoteShare is a very useful little cloud based tool that might well give you the same amount of information that a much more expensive feedback tool will deliver. This simple yet clever advice and communication tool for web publishers gives you a plugin giving you an easy way to analyze social media opinions on your site or page. Just create your plugin at the website, paste it on your page and get immediate reactions as your customers offer their opinions on any questions you want answers to or polls that need winners or losers.   It takes a lot of time and effort to sift through the ...  More

The only thing that really needs to be said about this social project management application is that if every business used it, the world would be a better (and certainly better organized) place. Fuseboard is a safe and secure, cloud-based business application that provides a comprehensive platform for all your connections and collaborations while adding, amongst other things, a familiar-looking social element to proceedings. This powerful and beautifully put together set of tools delivers an advanced CRM and a truly classy project management tool that provides an intranet for your workers ...  More

Probably the most amazing thing about this iOS video messaging application is the fact that delivery is instant. Vtalkie uses simple 'press and talk' technology that allows you to share video or text messages immediately. So, effectively, this turns this easy to use communication app into a back-and-forth,  real-time 'walkie talkie' messaging service. The app also adds a social element allowing you to search for friends via social profiles. Like Glide, Vtalkie video walkie talkie is a free application that lets you get your message across fast. However, the former is only available ...  More

There are plenty of businesses where customers virtually demand to have an ongoing relationship. By that I mean occupations like real estate agents, networkers and financial advisers. It's almost as if your client is sitting on the phone waiting for your call and, if they don't get it, they are either going to be mighty peeved at you for not keeping in touch with them or they will take their business elsewhere. Either way you can lose a good client for life or, at the very least, a sale. Musubi takes the difficulty out of relationship building and gives you timely reminders to reconnect ...  More