Specialty Android Apps for Business Users

InfoWorld — Android smartphones are now the market leaders in terms of mobile sales, and more and more are finding their way into business, following the footsteps of the iPhone. Android fans have watched in the last year as the iPhone slowly shifted its perception to become the new corporate mobile standard -- but you don't have to just watch. These 40 apps show that the Android platform can play a serious role in business, too.

Slideshow: 15 Best Google Android Apps for Newbies -- All Free

The companion article "The right office apps for the Android at work" compares the basic Office-like tools you need to get work done. But beyond word processing and spreadsheets lies a whole world of applications that can turn your Android smartphone into a powerful business machine.

[ Read JR Raphael's picks for best Android productivity boosters. | Android innovators: See the devices that are leading the new generation. | Keep up on key mobile developments and insights with the Mobilize newsletter. ]

What follows is a category-by-category guide to the best Android specialty apps for business users. Whether you're after email management or mind-mapping, I've tracked down a top-notch tool that'll get the job done. It's true that more business apps are available -- and in more categories -- for iPhones and iPads than for Android devices, but it's also true that business Android users have a solid set of app options.

Click the name of any app I mention to load its Web page from the Android Market; from there, you can read user reviews, get additional details, and even install the program over the air to your Android smartphone.

Got a favorite specialty app I didn't include? Share the tip; just leave your recommendation in the comments section below.

The categories are:

• Email and calendar
• Notes and lists
• Databases
• Mind-mapping and whiteboarding
• Conferencing
• File management and printing
• Cloud storage and FTP
• Remote access
• Business travel
• Business miscellany

Email and calendar Perhaps the most common tool for managing business-based email on Google's Android OS is Nitrodesk's $20 Exchange for Android (formerly called Touchdown). The app allows for secure connections between your Android smartphone and your company's Microsoft (MSFT) Exchange email server. It features a wide range of security options, including data encryption and remote wiping of corporate email data. The program can also be mass-deployed by administrators, making it one of the most IT-friendly solutions available.

Email aside, a service called CompanionLink offers a range of methods for synchronizing your contacts, calendar, tasks, and notes between a PC and your Android smartphone. CompanionLink works with Microsoft Outlook, IBM (IBM) Lotus Notes, Novell (NOVL) GroupWise, and a handful of other common desktop utilities. It can sync your data via Wi-Fi, a direct USB connection, or over the Internet by linking up directly to your Google (GOOG) account. CompanionLink costs $40 for the Outlook edition and $70 for the Lotus Notes or GroupWise version. Note that the Google sync option will send larger businesses' IT groups into fits, as it circumvents their security controls by forwarding email and other data to the unsecured Google service; for them, CompanionLink offers a secure cloud-based forwarding server product instead for $10 per user per month.

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