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10 iPhone apps for execs on the go; BlackBerry defectors speak; Even smart phones are moving to the cloud.

10 iPhone Apps for Execs on the Go
Source: InfoWorld

Apps for iPhones are not all fun and games. In fact, there is a cottage industry for apps designed to help busy executives keep their lives in order. Curtis Franklin at InfoWorld highlights the 10 best he has come across, with a focus on tools that are affordable or free and easy to use.

One example is GeeTasks, an electronic to-do list that enables users to create tasks on a PC and upload and manage them on an iPhone. If a user makes changes to a task while working off-line, the app will sync with the desktop PC after a connection is available. The app costs $2.99.

In addition, DropBox is a cloud-based app designed to let users move files back and forth among computers. It is now available as an iPhone app, and it works with common file types, including documents, spreadsheets and photos, Franklin writes. A free account comes with 2G of storage, and more capacity is available for a monthly charge.

BlackBerry Defectors Speak
Source: CIO.com

The amount of attention a hot, new technology attracts is not always matched by actual product sales. But smart phones that use the new Android operating system appear to be living up to the hype.

To show that Android is gaining popularity at the expense of the BlackBerry in particular, CIO.com’s Al Sacco interviewed seven smart-phone power users who made the switch to the upstart from the mobile device stalwart.

The most popular reason cited for Android-mania is the devices’ strong focus on Internet browsing and multimedia. Users also appreciate the phones’ easy integration with Google’s e-mail and other Web-based applications. That’s no surprise because Google developed the Android operating system.

The BlackBerry hasn’t kept up when it comes to browsing the Web or being a platform for third-party applications, the users said. However, the device still gets respect for its strong security and seamless integration with popular enterprise e-mail applications such as Microsoft Outlook and IBM Lotus Notes.

Even Smart Phones Are Moving to the Cloud
Source: Computerworld

Experts are predicting that virtualization will catapult smart phones and tablet PCs to the next level of computing.

“As mobile devices gain more processing power, virtualization will also enable users to load and run multiple operating systems and take advantage of powerful cloud computing applications on their mobile devices,” writes Agam Shah at Computerworld.

Virtualization technology could enable users to connect to their home PCs to run applications, view mulitmedia files or even play high-definition video games on their smart phone or tablet PC.

Those changes could revolutionize the devices in the next three to five years.

"We ultimately will be handling handheld computers with the [capability] of today's PCs," said Les Forth, field applications engineer at Freescale Semiconductor.