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If you’re an avid businessman or woman and you need a new smartphone, or if you’re tasked with selecting a ‘company phone’ for your staff, then you might find yourself having something of an impossible task trying to choose which device will best suit your needs. These days there are hundreds of phone models on the market at any one time and all of them have impressive features that might make them seem like good candidates.

Which phone then, if any, has the edge over the competition for a business setting?

The Operating System

While there are numerous different operating systems you can get for smartphones – including Linux – the only two you really need to consider are iOS and Android. There was a time when many people were interested in Blackberry phones for business but unfortunately there just isn’t the app support necessary on this platform and the hardware leaves a lot to be desired.
iOS and Android run the most impressive range of business applications and they are found on the most top-end hardware. So which one has the edge? Well, if you are a design business using Macs and you don’t need any proprietary software then you could probably choose either – with iOS having slightly smoother function all round. For many businesses though, the greater amount of flexibility that Android offers means that it will have the edge. Android lets you drag and drop files over USB for instance and it lets you create your own applications more easily.

The Specs

In terms of specs, you don’t need quite the same workhorse that you do for your main PC. That said, you do want something that will be capable of some basic multitasking and that will be able to run the best apps.
Here the most important consideration might be the RAM. 2GB is the highest for most phones (with only very few going up to 3GB) so this should cater to most of your needs.
What’s most important though is the screen size. If you’re going to work well on a mobile device you need to make sure that you can see a lot of the screen so that you can fit lots on all at once. The iPhone 6 Plus is famous for its large screen, while the Galaxy Note 4 and Nexus have a smaller screen

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If you are a business user and you have a smartphone, then there are lots of different things you can use your device for that will help you to get more work done, to improve your workflow and to generally enhance your productivity. Read on and we’ll look at some of the very best of them.

Taking Notes

Whether you’re on the move or you’re sitting at your computer, sometimes it’s useful to be able to take notes wherever you are. A great way to do this is with a smartphone, especially one with an app like Evernote that will keep your notes on the cloud for you to access online later. Alternatively, you can take voice notes, or even use the camera to capture things that are happening around you when you don’t have time to input information in any other way.

Working on the Move

Stuck on the train? Then you can actually get quite a lot of work done on your phone as long as you know how to find the right apps. An example of a great app for working on the move is Office365 for instance which is essentially the whole of Microsoft Office in a mobile format. If you run a website meanwhile, then the WordPress app is one of the most useful things you’ll be likely to find!

Streaming Your PC

Need to do something else on the move and can’t do it on your phone? Then consider using an app like ‘Splashtop Remote’. This lets you stream your desktop so that you can operate it remotely. The framerate is a little laggy but if you need to send yourself a file from the office or something then this is still incredibly helpful.

Extending Your Screen

Another interesting thing you can do with an Android or smartphone is to extend your screen so that you can do more at once. Either you can load up webpages and look at them next to your monitor for easier multitasking, or you can use apps that let you literally turn your phone into another computer display.

Organization

Perhaps the best way to utilize your smartphone in a business setting though is as a way to organize your information. Organizing contacts of course is very helpful but just as useful is having Google Calendar in your pocket so that you can get notifications wherever you are in the world!

When it comes to working on your smartphone, this will likely ultimately come down to using office software. If your business requires custom software then you will be unlikely to be able to find this specifically for your device but if what you need to do is update a spreadsheet or edit a Word document then there are lots of options. And if you have a Bluetooth keyboard, you can actually get very productive with this software!

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Read on and we’ll look at the best office software available for iOS and Android that you can start using to get more done.

Office365

Relatively recently, Microsoft finally unveiled a mobile version of their full suite of office apps. That means you can now use Word, Excel and Powerpoint wherever you are. This is exciting news for a lot of people and businesses but note that you will need an Office365 subscription in order to make use of these apps.

Google Drive

If you don’t have a subscription then the next best option may actually be an app that doesn’t market itself as an office app at all. Google Drive is first and foremost a cloud storage option but what makes it interesting is the fact that it also offers office software in the form of Google Docs. Again you can create and edit Word files, spreadsheets and more and more and all those changes will be reflected live online for those back in the office.

Multiscreen Multitasking THD

A limitation of most mobile devices is the lack of split screen option. This means that if you need to write something while looking at a website as a resource, you don’t have any option other than to keep flicking back and forth between the browser and word processor apps.
Multiscreen Multitasking THD solves this pain point by giving you multiple ‘mini apps’ built into a single environment that can be resized and dragged around the screen. Thus you can write while looking at a website. Unfortunately this is only available for Android.

Kingsoft Office, Documents To Go

If you’re looking for a free alternative to Office365, then either of these two options will do the trick. Both offer a full range of options and even more than the mobile version of MSOffice. Kingsoft has the slight edge in terms of usability but with either of these there’s no need to shell out for anything expensive.

If you’re looking to get more out of your phone in a business setting, then sometimes what you need is the right accessory. Unlike a PC, it’s unfortunately not possible to upgrade the internal specifications of your mobile device but with the right extras you can nevertheless get a lot more from your device and practically upgrade its ability that way.
Here we will look at some of the top accessories to consider for your smartphone that will turn it into a powerhouse of a productivity station…

Keyboard

A Bluetooth keyboard will give you an input method that is just as quick and accurate as that on your computer. This way, when you’re caught without your PC you can load up something like Office365 and start writing wherever you are.  To get even more from a Bluetooth keyboard, consider getting a foldable one. As long as it’s sturdy enough when you type on it, this will let you fold your keys and store them in your pocket when you’re on the move!

Mouse

For Androids only you can also use mouse input. It’s a little janky as it works the same way that touch input does (meaning you have to drag pages to transition on your home screen). Nevertheless, it’s much easier when you’re navigating the web for instance and inputting data with your keyboard.

Micro USB – USB Connector

This is another one for Android only, but with a Micro USB to USB connector you can plug any USB device into your Android as though it were a PC. Of course not everything will work but there are many things that will – such as memory pens for instance.

SD Card

This will only work on some specific Androids but if you have expandable memory then this is a must!

Case and Stand

If you will be working with a keyboard and mouse then you should get a case that doubles as a stand so that you can more easily see it while you type.

Hands Free

For improving your productivity and workflow you should never underestimate the power of a hands free kit. This way you can multitask and catch up with correspondence while on the move or working with your hands meaning that you don’t waste time on hold or in lengthy conversations.

Stylus

If you have a Note 4 then you’ll have a ‘real’ stylus. Otherwise you’ll have to make do with a touch capacitive stylus. Though these are limited in their capability, they’re still better than nothing

If you’re looking for a phone to use for business, or you’re looking for lots of phones that you can give out to your staff as ‘work phones‘ then you need to make sure that you first do the necessary research to identify which models and brands are the best suited to your specific needs.

With that in mind, you might well find yourself torn between getting Android devices or iOS devices.

Here we will look at the pros and cons of each and which you should ultimately choose.
iOS
iOS is the platform used by Apple and iPad and does have many significant advantages. For starters, iOS has the widest selection of apps and services, many of which you may find are useful for use in a business setting. While Android these days has most of the same apps, there are still one or two that you will only find on iOS.
iOS is also incredibly stable. It can never get viruses or bugs and it very rarely crashes. While Android viruses are rare (and not the same as desktop viruses) they nevertheless can occasionally occur and it’s important to bear this in mind if you want something that will absolutely never let you down. Android is also slightly more prone to crashing.
Finally iOS has the advantage of being considered somewhat ‘hip’. If you want to give out devices that your staff will appreciate and that will make your business look modern to visitors, then an iPad or iPhone might be a good choice.
Android
On the other hand, Android has the advantage of being considerably more flexible and potentially more powerful.
An example of this is how Android allows you to simply drag and drop files onto your device instead of having to use iTunes or various cloud platforms. This can save you a lot of time and is much easier – especially if you require advanced file management options.
Android also has better synchronization between applications. What this means is that you can benefit from being able to download a file in your Gmail account and open it immediately in another app for instance – whereas iOS makes this process a lot more fiddly.
Finally, Android simply exists across a broader range of devices and this means that it’s much easier to find the right device for your business and especially when you come to upgrade.

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There is no right answer but consider these factors when making a choice and you should be well positioned to make the best call! No pun intended…

If you use your smartphone for business and you’re looking to upgrade, then you should take some time to consider your options so that you can ensure you get the most productivity and power out of your new device. With that in mind you might be looking at things like screen size, RAM, processing power and more in order to ascertain which gadget will give you the most bang for your buck.
But there are other factors to consider here too – such as the various different features that specific devices offer as differentiators over their competition. Take the Note series of phones and tablets for instance and their styluses – are these a useful accessory or are they just a gimmick?

The Different Types of Stylus

First of all, it’s important to understand the difference between the stylus on the Note 4 and a capacitive stylus. A capacitive stylus is basically a piece of foam that can mimic the effect of a finger, thus allowing you to interact with your phone as you would with your hand, but using an item shaped like a pen. Unfortunately though, it is no more accurate than using a finger and has no other features.
With the Note 4 however, you get a digitizer pen. This means that the screen has a thin mesh underneath it that allows you to use the Note 4 pen in a far more accurate and varied way. For instance with the Note 4 you write precisely and it will look like your handwriting and you can also benefit from other features – such as the ability to use a hover pointer (useful for dropdown menus) and to select text from websites more easily.

The Benefits of a Digitizer

So is it worth getting such a stylus for your smartphone if you intend to use it for business purposes? Well, if you’re interested in writing on the screen and taking hand written notes, then the answer is definitely yes as they likely won’t be highly legible with a capacitive stylus. Other than that, they may be useful for artists – but the features like being able to select text are only a nice bonus and not worth a large extra expense.

Ultimately then you need to ask yourself:

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• do you use Evernote or other note taking software often?
• Will it be helpful to take down notes and draw diagrams with the pen?
• If so, you should consider a Note 4 or another device with a real stylus.