QR Code Reader
iPhone, iPad
£0.69
Like all senior media executives, is essential for the Appetiser to be able to track his advertising campaigns – and the latest version of the QR reader does exactly that. With this app, you are taken straight to the buying page after scanning the QR code and can see how well your product is selling. In this age of digital marketing, the Appetiser cannot afford to fall behind and will never have to with this handy app. You will instantly be able to tell whether your advertising campaign is on the right track. Also, it works in dim light ¬– great if you are on the London Underground. There are some problems, though, as it occasionally fails to open the URL code and kicks you off. It’s cheap though, which the Appetiser likes.
PM Rating 4/5
iPhone, iPad
Free
The iPad has revolutionised browsing the internet with its impressive touch-screen technology – and Flipboard capitalises on this. Gone are the days of fiddling with a hundred tabs on the laptop – Flipboard lets you see everything from Twitter to ITALS National Geographic ITALS in a simple magazine layout. You can catch up on the news, flip through high quality images and even customise your Flipboard with your favourite topics. You can search for absolutely anything you want and bookmark it without having to worry about running out of space. No need to clutter up your house with millions of magazines – it’s all conveniently packed on your iPad! And it’s free.
PM Rating 5/5
Idea Flight
iPad
Free (Enterprise £6.99)
In business, as the Appetiser knows, you have to keep everyone on the same page. Idea Flight is great for this ¬– letting one person, the ‘pilot’, control everyone else’s iPad screen as they go through their presentation. Only the pilot needs to pay – they can then invite up to 15 users to download it for free. They can access files using Dropbox, iTunes File Sharing or email – giving immediate access to whatever you need for your presentation. The meeting can then be followed up through an invite with LinkedIn. There is one obvious drawback – everyone needs to have an iPad. The Appetiser has one, of course, but not everyone is so tech-savvy, so Idea Flight is not a presentation panacea. It does have potential though, so it might be a good idea to invest in it now and wait for everyone else to catch up.
PM Rating 3/5
Dragon Dictation
iPad, iPhone
Free
Early speech transcription applications had accuracy rates so low it was quicker to type your message than fix the software’s mistakes. Dragon Dictation is different. If you speak clearly – and reasonably slowly – its hit rate is extremely high, making it a genuine labour-saving device for managers who have to record ideas or messages regularly. The closer your accent is to Received Pronunciation, the better Dragon performs. It struggled with my unrestrained Nottinghamian, and failed miserably with my wife’s lilting Geordie. But the cut-glass and the careful will love it. Remarkably, free.