6. Swipe Credit Card Terminal
> What it does: handles credit card transactions
> Who uses it: entrepreneurs, small business
> Cost: $0.99
> Similar apps: Square
Now, any merchant at a festival, convention or open market place can accept credit cards, replacing carbon paper and the old “zip-zap” machine. The app allows vendors to set a default tip, view transaction history, and send receipts to customers. The app gives small businesses and vendors the opportunity to operate out of the store and keep records electronically. The app also interfaces with popular payment gateways like Paypal.
7. DrChrono
> What it does: creates an electronic patient database
> Who uses it: doctors
> Cost: free
> Similar apps: Healthpad, Lexicomp
One of the greatest inefficiencies in America’s health care system is the costly, time-consuming and antiquated paper-filed patient records system. Programs like DrChrono are helping to solve this problem by allowing doctors to keep detailed electronic records of their patients’ medical history and appointments while seeing them. iPad apps can be so effective at streamlining health care processes that the government subsidizes physicians who use the software. The HITECH Act of 2009 provides that that physicians can qualify for $44,000 or more in economic stimulus incentives if they adopt a certified electronic health record application like DrChrono. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, health services are expected to account for one out of every five jobs created by 2014. Additionally, as DrChrono explains, “the Obama Administration is requiring all physicians to adopt EMR systems by 2014. Ours is the only one on the market optimized for tablet platforms.”
8. Contractor’s App Box
> What it does: streamlines contractor invoices, reports
> Who uses it: contractors
> Cost: $11.99
> Similar apps: Business App Box
Filling paperwork and invoices can be time-consuming for contractors. According to its description at the App Store, the Contractor’s App Box gives contractors the ability to complete paperwork while in the field and then send it send it remotely to their office and clients. The app also has functions for recording hours and incident and accident reports, as well as to make on-the-job purchase orders. These services are especially critical for those contractors whose office is often the next job site but who still need to get administrative work done.
9. PDF Reader Pro
> What it does: organize, annotate, and transfer PDF files
> Who uses it: everyone
> Cost: $1.99
> Similar apps: GoodReader, Stanza
Although iPads come with the basic function of opening PDF documents, any person who wishes to store and access more than one file will find themselves looking for an app that is dedicated to the process. PDF Reader Pro is the top-rated paid app in the Business category. This is probably due in large part to the ubiquity of the PDF as the preferred format for sending protected documents. The app can be useful to just about anybody who uses PDF files, which includes just about everyone who uses computers for their business.
Michael A. Sauter, Charles B. Stockdale
