CONTEST: How do you use the iPhone for your job?

[Microcosmos]

Blair Witch Project in grease paint!

See you in your nightmares!

That whole post was hilarious and fun to read! JimmySlo you make me want to go see Cirque du Soleil's show, and tweet about it the whole time!

 

[Ipheuria]

My iPhone is my little helper

I am a Network Admin but despite my job description I'm basically in charge of anything with wires in my company. The phone system, printers, workstations, etc. There are more and more employees especially higher ups who have gotten iPhones. We've had a few help sessions where they brought their iPhones and a list of their complaints and problems and I would go through the steps to resolving the problems. So at that time I am glad I have my iPhone because otherwise I would be lost. We've had employees going to other countries and I've unlocked their phones before they left so they could use a local SIM to save money while they are there, another thing I knew about only because I had to do it on my 1st generation iPhone which was never available here in Canda. I have my work exchange address on the phone so I'm able to get emails at home without bringing home my laptop. Whenever I try apps that I find useful I send out an email to all the iPhone users with details about the app and the benefits of using it. I wake up every morning to the alarm and put together my playlist for the train ride to work. The train ride takes an hour to get to work, my music drowns out the teeny boppers and the other people talking about dribble. I used to use an appointment book to schedule my time and keep track of my daily tasks. So now I'm using the calendar app and Checklists to keep track of the daily tasks I want to get done at work and for myself. One of my friends at work is an iPhone guru so we usually get together during the day to talk about the newest story ie. 4th Generation iPhone, iPad delay, etc. We download new apps we reccomend to each other and talk about new Jailbreak methods available. Then on the way home I start the TiPb podcast if it's available, to keep me company on the train ride.

 

[SoxFan13]

Do you ever wonder what keeps a Middle School Music teacher sane? Yes, you are correct, alcohol. No, no, no, but it helps. It's the iPhone, of course!

Waking up at 5 to go see kids that act like they're 5 isn't easy, except with my customizable iPhone alarm! I can't say my wife appreciates waking up to Pac-Man theme music as much as I do, though.

Once I'm at school, my iPhone definitely gets a work out. I take attendance in my choirs using the ever convenient Attendance app. It's much easier to argue with parents about how many absences their child has if I have a copy of each day's attendance emailed directly to them, and myself.

Of course, scenarios where students sing out of tune, and out of rhythm can occur- even with the best of us! My Metronome app helps us with both those things. It would be more impressive if I had perfect pitch. But then again, it would probably be even more impressive if my kids didn't sing off-key in the first place!

Other times, it's the students' musical tastes that are impressive. What's that 14 year old girl, you say you want us to sing a Justin Beiber song? Hmm, let me just look that up on my YouTube app, plug this into the stereo system and... Dear God, what are you thinking no, no we can't sing that. Thank you YouTube!

Other times, it's their gullibility... Ah, study hall, time to help those 8th graders with their math. Oh, yes, you need help converting liters to teaspoons? I definitely remember that conversion off the top of my head. No problem, let me just turn my back to you as I contemplate (c'mon Convert Units app... start, START!) There you go, sweetie, 202 teaspoons per liter, just like I thought.

And no day would be complete without last period hall duty, starring the dillgent, eagle-eyed music teacher. Of course, he's mostly keeping that eagle eye of his on theFacebook and Tweetie 2 apps, while rendering the hallways safe for adolescents school-wide.

Just another day made possible (and passable) by my iPhone!

 

[Cyberdooley]

Use of my iPhone in my job

JOB: Kept Man

USE: Having left a managerial position to move to another country to follow my girlfriend, I now live the life of a 'Kept Man'. My day proceeds thus:

1) I wake up, after said girlfriend has finished in the bathroom, looking immaculate each day. Her being in the fashion industry dictates she must dress this way. I meanwhile arise in my boxers, scratch whatever needs to be scrathced, grab my iPhone and head to the livingroom.
2) While eating my Weetbix and watching the BBC or SKY news (or sometimes FOX if I need a laugh), I check for any messages or games awaiting my urgent attention.
3) After girlfriend has left to battle the traffic, I shower then head down to a caf?. This involves me walking about 150m, taking 2 elevators and 2 sets of escalators, giving me plenty of time to use a ?pick-up-and-play? app.
4) At caf? I generally surf, read any RSS feeds, drink coffee and search for new apps.
5) After 3 to 4 cups I do Step 3 above in reverse order.
6) Wait at home for girlfriend to finish work or hang by the pool.

5 Apps I NEED for my JOB: Morning is for UNIWAR, games always demanding my attention. PING for any messages from friends. ACTION HERO for the walk to the elevators. PRO RSS READER for caf?. STRATEGERY for poolside relaxion.

 

[DomArch]

Indispensable

Thanks to Wall Street's gambling, the field of architecture has been pretty hard hit over the past few years. My office shut down in March of 2009 and i've been forced to go out on my own. Not necessarily how one wants to start a business, but you do what you have to to keep the family fed. Without my iPhone, it would have been much tougher. Obviously the email and web surfing are key, but some of it's other abilities are what separate it from the smartphone pack.

I carry my portfolio with me on the phone, indispensable when you're at an event, or a kid's baseball game and someone asks what you do.

Apple's iDisk and gallery apps allow me to access files on the road for quick verification of a detail, a photo of a site condition, verification of a specification, etc. It's actually quite amazing how useful the small screen can be. And in reverse, I can upload images to MobileMe and share them with a client whose not on site with me at the same time. Indispensable.

Taking a photo and sketching an idea over it using any one of the amazing drawing/painting/sketching apps and then showing the client exactly what I'm suggesting. They understand it more clearly and are impressed with the technique, and I'm simultaneously doing a better job for them, and marketing my skills for future referrals. Indispensable.

Taking a photo of something I see that inspires me or my client for future reference. Indispensable.

Notes. Self explanatory when I see something I need to remember when I get back to the office. An indispensable app.

Finally, the calendar, syncing with my wife's iPhone, MobileMe, and the computer back home. Since she has gone back to work, the schedule (with two kids in the mix) has become exponentially more complicated, and the calendar is the indispensable tool that keeps the days, weeks and months coordinated between meetings, events, activities etc. My business and my home couldn't function without it.

iPhone. Indispensable.

 

[CstDskSol]

Necessity is the mother of invention.

I'm a locksmith by day and a software developer in my free time. Sounds like an odd mix right? Well, let me explain.
Out of necessity, I started using FileMaker Pro to track my customer info and my jobs. I know, this is about the iPhone, I'm getting to that.
Recently, I learned of a way to turn my FileMaker database into an iPhone app. Thanks to the folks at FMWebschool.com, (not being paid to mention their name) I now sell the very app, I made to solve my own problem, on iTunes. It's called iDispatcher.
This isn't a sales pitch. Even if I wasn't selling the app, I would still be writing this because of all the great features that the iPhone provides. Being able to access maps, take pictures and send / receive email all from one device, is awesome. The fact that it's so easy to use is even better.
I use iDispatcher to track all my jobs. It's a great app for any kind of service based business. It tracks open jobs, displays all the who, what, where, when and whys of a job. It allows me to call the customer from the app, Get maps to the job (ties into the Google Maps on the iPhone and uses MapQuest from within the app)
and store photos of my work. I can capture signatures on the work order and even email the customer a copy. I can also update the office as to the status of my jobs and get any new jobs the office has entered, by syncing via WiFi or 3g.
Again, this isn't a sales pitch, having a platform as powerful as the iPhone, makes all this possible. I am still amazed at the power of the iPhone and all the information that is now at my fingertips.

Mark Fleming

 

[hauswulf]

Here I sit at my desk all day,
Life as a lawyer means no time to play.
But thanks to my iPhone I stay connected,
Entertained, amused, and not so dejected.
For music I listen to Pandora and Slacker,
Google Reader keeps me up on Gizmodo and LifeHacker.
The Weather Channel tells me if it's gonna be sunny,
Mint helps me keep track of my money.
Mail lets me stay connected near and far,
GPS Drive helps me get around in my car.
Dropbox gives me access to all my files,
With Words Free I can take a break with letter tiles.
The iPhone rocks, there is no doubt!
One satisfied user, over and out.

 

[Super27]

1. I'm a Certified Flight Instructor for a large flight school and aircraft rental company in Chicago.

2. The moment I wake up, my day starts with a quick check of my work email. My students use email and text messaging to get in touch with me, so oftentimes I'll have several emails requesting lesson appointments, making changes to the schedule, etc.

Once those are disposed of, it's time for a quick check of the weather to see what's in store for me once I get to the airport. I use the free app Aero Weather for that. It saves a list of all the airports I fly to most often, and gives me the current conditions (what pilots call the METAR report) and the forecast for the rest of the day (what pilots call the Terminal Area Forecast).

I usually also do a quick check of Twitter before I leave home, as I am also the person who updates our comapny's Twitter feed. If I'm feeling particularly creative, or if something is going on out at the airport that day, I'll post a quick tweet to let everyone know about it (or possibly just retweet some piece of aviation news from the several blogs I monitor).

Once I'm at work, truth be told the default calendar app is by far my most used app. I sync it with Google to manage both my personal life and my student appointments at work. Sadly, our company doesn't have an online calendar system, so my first task once I get to work is to update my Google calendar with any appointments or flights that have been added to my work schedule.

By the time I'm out flying and working with students for the day, my use of the iPhone depends on what I'm actually doing. If I'm going on multiple flights, I'll use ForeFlight File to transmit my flight plans into the FAA Air Traffic Control computer system. I'll also log onto the FAA's weather briefing service to get updates on the latest notices and information that I need before I fly. If the weather starts to become a factor, I use Radar Scope to get a look at the nearest high-resolution NEXRAD radar, which gives us the best look at what the weather is doing.

Of course, it's not all work and no play. Occasionally, I spend the majority of my day conducting training in our flight simulator, which basically means I stare at a computer screen while a student practices flying in a large box that shakes and moves to simulate flying an actual plane. As exciting as that sounds, it gets a bit boring, so I've been known to use my iPhone to check out the latest Youtube vids, play the addicitng game Flight Control, or even play a whole game of Monopoly.

3. By far the most helpful feature of the iPhone that I've learned to use is the Exchange sync with Google. I rely so heavily on my calendar that having it instantly updated everywhere I go is a necessity.

4. Aeroweather, Radar Scope, ForeFlight File, Twitter, Flight Control (gotta have a little fun, right?)

 

[Bcloutier]

I'm a student, so it's not technically a job, but it might as well be.

My day starts waking up to two Alarms, 4 minutes apart. The first one jogs me out of sleep a bit, then the second one reminds me that I need to get up. Then I grab the phone from the bedside table and check Twitterriffic and Facebook to update me on what has went on since I fell asleep. Then I'll reply to any Texts or Emails that I got during the night. Once I leave the house I plug in my headphones and play some music or podcasts with the iPod app. During school I don't touch it too much, except for a few texts or emails or when I need to look something up. When I do I use the Dictionary app, or Safari. After I come home I'll take a break and play a few apps. Usually Tetris, Scrabble or some similar game. Throughout the day I'll use it as a Phone to organize something if it's taking too long over texts. There becomes a point where texting is too much and calling is much quicker. Whenever I'm traveling I'm using the Camera and Photos apps to capture what's happening and show off what's happened to friends and family. Tethering is great, too. I no longer have to search for internet, I just plug my iPhone into my MacBook and away I go. I swear I'd be lost without my iPhone, and my friends agree too.

Top Apps would be: Twitterriffic, Facebook, Messages, Safari, Phone.

 

[anon1928001]

You asked for it...

I am working as a Key Account Manager for a supplier of the Retail industry, based in the Netherlands but an being an Austrian by origin.

My iPhone is running on the 4.0 beta as I am geek enough to have a developer subscription only to get at the beta's before everybody else, trying to develop my own app being a secondary priority. So far it feels great and even snappier than 3.1.3 did. So you guys can really look forward to that.

I wake up to the alarm clock of my iPhone, and while doing the morning toilet I read the news on the apps from nu.nl, NewYork Times and Net News Wire. I also check out the Facebook and Twitter entries of my friends and family to see what they're up to using the corresponding apps. It makes my life a good deal more comfortable that I can stay in touch with them even though they are so far away.

Then I usually check out the traffic jams to Rotterdam (where I work) using the Dutch touring club (ANWB) app. If it is too busy, I use the Jaadu RDP app to log into the company's system and set an information for my colleagues so they know that I will be at the office later.

The agenda is of course of great importance to me to get my business (and private) appointments planned and even more important to remind me of them in time. For my Todo's I use 2Do from Guided Ways Technologies which syncs with Toodledo and let me tell you, this list is really long and I have the impression it's only getting longer by the day, no matter how hard I work. But I believe many of you have been there, done that and got the Tee too...

For meeting notes, or inspirations that I encounter I use Evernote which I think is really one of the greatest programs I used to date. Other important business tools for me is obviously QuickOffice. I use the iPhone as a wireless drive, as well as to have all my price lists, calculation and logistical information spreadsheets on it, as well as some presentations and product info sheets.

e-mail is my main means of communication and I get around a 80-100 on an average day, maybe 50 on a slow one. My iPhone allows me to stay on top of them all and it has made me lot more efficient because I can forward information or give a short reply while I'm on the road, instead of having to wait until I get back to the office.

I use the Deliveries app to track sample shipments and to send my customers a notification that their package is underway. The finarXFax app I use to communicate with the few customers who haven't yet made it to the digital age.

The keynote remote is being used for my presentations and if I go out store checking (aka "spying") I use a self made Bento database to enter all information quickly, while Codecheck allows me to scan barcodes of products where I don't know the manufacturer. If it is serious competition or a really interesting product idea I snap a photo (hoping security of the store doesn't see it) and print it out back at the office using Print from Eurosmartz. SplashID keeps my passwords safe and synced to my Mac at home.

We import a lot of stuff from China and also export to i.e. Scandinavia, so there is a whole lot of conversions to be done, for which I use Equivalence. The built-in calculator is yet another valuable tool for me to do my calculations.

Further I use the built in Maps app to do estimates of travelling times when I'm planning business trips or to find a place to get something to eat or drink in case I am caught in between meetings. I also use it to call up a cab if I'm abroad. For such travels other indispensable tools for me are Swoodoo Flight search to book my flight, the WorldMate Gold Edition to track it and check into a hotel, the Hertz Rental car app so the car is waiting for me when I arrive and last but not least the Navigon satnav app so I don't have to pay the extra fee from Hertz.

Several language apps (Russian, Norwegian, Spanish, Italian) make sure I can make a good first impression because I can start off my pitch by greeting my hosts in their native language. This is almost always a great hit with my prospects and a great ice breaker.

That pretty much covers my business use of the iPhone during a regular day.

Asking me to pick just five as my favorite ones: Evernote, QuickOffice, 2Do, WorldMate, Jaadu

iPhone, yes, there's an app for that....

 

[websyndicate]

My day is rather simple

JOB: Microsoft Employee

1) I slide to unlock
2) Turn phone and wifi on
3) Check mail and all notifiactions
4) Check for any alerts from work
5) Browse twitter if im feeling good
6) Sync it up with new podcast and if I dont have time to sync I download them at work over the wifi

I mostly use mail for work.
I know boring but im not wiriting a novel like some other have.

Just trying to keep it real

 

[soulfulzeta]

We want some real life stories, some real world experience. We want to know what it's like to use the iPhone in your line of work (and yes, being a student or caregiver or stay-at-home parent or even... politician, counts as work!)

1. Tell us what your job is.
2. Give us a paragraph or two describing how you use your iPhone during your workday. Tell us the *story*.
3. Share any tips or tricks you might have come across. What about the iPhone makes your job easier?
4. List the top 5, must have apps you use to get that job done.

Current job is in a Social Worker capacity for a non-profit agency in Philly. I use my iPhone for everything that concerns me or my clients. Calendar for all appointments (backed-up and sync with Google through the Microsoft Exchange server). All client numbers are also stored in contacts, however the main function that I use for my clients is finding resources while I'm conducting home visits. I use the Google Mobile App for that. It hasn't failed me yet! No tricks as I'm just a regular person..no IT person or anything of the sort, but the iPhone has just been the best phone I've ever had to do anything work related and/or personal.

Top 5 apps I used regarding to clients: Google Mobile, Safari, Notes, Voice Memos, & Calendar. Basically the normal apps that already comes with the phone plus the Google one. I don't really need anything more although I have tons of apps.

 

[Duvi]

You all use your phones for work? Pfffft. lol.

SMH @ you all!

 

[Guzman]

My job is more of a headache than a job. I make a measly paycheck for dealing with what everyone else lacks the common sense to do. I am a police officer in a small town. I am also a father, a husband, and a web designer to name a few. When i'm wearing the badge instead of the hat, I utilize my iphone all day long. Why? Because of my co-workers on AT&T that never cease calling me. I also utilize Google Maps to help travelers find their way. Because i'm in an area that does not have 3G (edge, really AT&T, really?) I tend to use my iPod interface instead of something more dynamic like Pandora. I tend to listen to podcasts while at work to pass the time while I hunt and search for that sorry soul with whom I yearn to ruin their day. When I leave work, I'm calling my wife on my iPhone and listening to my 10 month old talk and babble which puts a smile on my face and makes me glad to be done for the day. My iPhone is my alarm clock, my music center, my multimedia portal, my on-the-go-never-fail-me-internet-hooker-uper, my own personal assistant, my calendar, my means of communication with the world. When AT&T lets me down on service, there is usually a hotspot near by for catching up with the news via FB or CNN, or I can always play We Rule, or a game of Words with Leanna Lofte (though she tends to win, so we dont play often).

I am also a student and so I utilize MyWi on my iPhone ::cough: Spirit :cough:: so that I can connect to my school via my MacBook Pro as we all know AT&T does not enable tethering. I carry my iPhone in the "pure" fashion with no case and no screen cover anymore. I listen to music when I have time, and generally kill the battery on my iPhone twice to thrice each day. I would utilize a Morphie however I am too in love with my iPhone 3G stand.

The iPhone makes my job easier because it is everything I could want, all in the palm of my hand. Thanks to the iPhone I can haz all the interwebz with me.

My top five apps I could not live without include the native apps, however I use the new Twitter for iPhone for keeping up with the TiPb crew, Gowalla for keeping tabs on friends, MyWi for on-the-go tetherability, Photobucket for uploading images to websites, and We Rule for when I want to dabble in a game.

All in all, the iPhone is the ONLY device that will work for me.

 

[usmc]

I am in the Marketing field and I use my iPhone for "EVERYTHING" I do vendor shows where I used to need a wireless terminal for credit card transactions, now I use my iPhone. I also have to fax a lot of docs to my office when I'm at the shows, I have an app called Scanr, that sends VERY good faxes straight from my iPhone, it also sends me a confirmation email when it gets to my office. I also have apps that allows me to get invoices sent to me by email and I can sign them and send them straight back, which helps me get paid faster. I could not run my business without my iPhone.

I LOVE MY iPhone and all the time it saves me and how it makes me 10 times more productive, as a result of having my iPhone, I Make more money. Thanks, and I LOVE TIPB!!!

 

[Iphonelostie]

I work as a nanny to an autistic four year old.

Every morning there is a ring on my iPhone to wake me up, yes the dreaded alarm announcing a new day. I head to the bathroom for my wake up shower complete with music from the iPhone for shower singing and invisible dancing.

When little Bob arrives I activate my email. It is my direct link to his mother. She doesn't get any cell signal at the high school where she teaches. With email I am able to send pictures of what our adventures hold, or warnings of a bad day. My favorite pictures to send are when his routine is broken a he tries something new. It may seem silly but to a family with a special needs child every small step of life is a victory and my iPhone camera is there to capture our small victories. I keep track of all the meetings regarding Little Bob, and his mothers schedule With the calendar on the phone.
My day can become unpredictable at any time, but it can be filled with normalcy too. At 11:30 every morning we have dance time, and if there is a song we need but don't have, downloading right to the phone gives us a way to find the music that matches our mood. The iPhone also provides the mellow playlist for nap time.
Bob is a brilliant boy can read and understand what he reads, and he loves to do algebra. However smart he still struggles with speech and pronounciation, routines and repetition. I am constantly on safari trying to find activities and milestones for his age group that will help him learn correct social behavior.
Sometimes when things around him become too overwhelming headphones and tv episodes help him collect himself and take in his enviornment on his terms.
Math master, word search, and super monkey ball have become essential to everyday life as there is nothing to settle him faster than his favorite apps.
The most important app I would have to say is his voice4u. Sometimes there is no way to understand what he is trying to communicate apps like these make my days manageable when it seems impossible. The iPhone has become so important to our everyday little Bob's parents bought him his itouch for his own use.
All day my phone brings a constant stream of calls and texts with questions to be answered by the appropriately named iphone "the answer man" and myself.
When my day is coming to a close I use my iPhone to find take out numbers.
I spent the remainder of my day hiding my phone from my husband to keep him from playing world poker. ( if he does get a hold of it, there is not a chance to get it back before bed time.) I then retire to bed to wait for the new alarm.

 

[Joebin]

1. Childrens Ministry Director
2. I work for a church in Southern California. My department serves over 1200 children per week. My main responsibility is to create content and supervise all events. I use my iPhone to communicate to the staff, my team of 100 volunteers, and the families that attend the church. I also do a ton of note taking to assess and tweak programs.
3. Tips? Find and use apps that either sync or communicate with your desktop or laptop. For example, I use Notes to email myself a draft of a letter while being mobile. Then, I email it to myself to finish the draft on the office PC (boo) or personal Mac (yay). Evernote has helped me efficiently organize note and projects.
4. Top 5: Evernote, Mail (Using MS Exchange), Notes, Tweet Deck, & Facebook

 

[cameront19]

As a student, I get the most use from Mail, Notes, Calculator, Voice Memos and Calendar. I need not explain why Mail, Notes and Calculator are important, but I have used Voice Memos to record lectures in classes. Calendar has all of my test dates entered into it as soon as the instructor tells us, with alarms set reminding me to study. Being a Computer Networking major, I also get some use from the Speedtest app for our Wireless labs. Of course, Wikipedia is a handy app to have available on any occasion, and it has helped me out on more than one occasion.

Not sure if this counts, but my girlfriend used the Classics app to help in her writing-intensive English class because it has a copy of Odyssey on it.

Also not sure if it counts, but the Pizza Hut app has helped out on some lunch breaks : )

 

[lonbeehold]

I am a criminal prosecutor in a big city. Cases come to my courtroom directly from an arrest. Everyday is different-to paraphrase Forrest Gump and his mama, "My day is like a box of chocolates. I never know what I'm gonna get." So I use my iPhone to to get a bit of a heads up and a jump on the day. AP Mobile and several other news apps let me know what may have happened overnight and what I might expect in court. Safari searches will let me know what other information may be out there about the night before. A string of armed robberies of taxi cab drivers? Arson to a business? I can start thinking about potential arguments to present my case in the best possible way before I even have my first cup of joe. Speaking of joe, I use my Starbuck's apps to keep my card loaded or to find a different nearby store when the line at the one down the street is too damn long. Questions about specific charges? A state statute app takes my 1000+ page statute book and squishes it all into my iPhone!! Judge tries to trip me up with a point of law or throws a new case at me? Fire up said statute app or my Fastcase app and get the answer in seconds-no need to ask for a continuance, begin a vain search for a law clerk or even plead for "just one moment" when my iPhone is with me. For times when something new comes up during a hearing, I can SMS a partner to get me needed information or missing documents without ever leaving the courtroom. National news apps like The New York Times and Time Magazine keep me apprised of legal trends around the country and Supreme Court decisions that may affect my jurisdiction. Need a new word for an argument because I've worn out the usual suspects? My Dictionary app gives me over 20 different ways to say "dangerous". If a make a particularly good (or not so good) argument, I can document it in Notes so I can use it (or not) again. On the way home, the iPod function keeps with happy with my music, podcasts and books I don't want to lug around/haven't had time to read. At the end of the day when thoughts shift from criminals to the people in my house who will be clamoring to be fed, I can turn to any number of cooking apps to plan dinner and make a shopping list. If it's been a really long day, I'll just make whatever Martha Stewart's Everyday Food app pushed to my iPhone that afternoon. Alarms and calenders help me keep up with the comings and goings of the aforementioned people I will be feeding at the end of the day. Thank you iPhone for all you do

 

[cyrusn]

Math Teacher

(1)hi, i am a math teacher, hope the apps will have following function.
(2)edit/ Type equations (very important, esp it can output to other apps like pages/ keynotes).(most apps in teaching are all not favorable to math teacher?..). please give us a hope^^
-easily draw coordinate, circle, triangle, ellipse, hyperbola, parabola?.with different color.
-Can replace blackboard, that means i can draw and write in iPad, students can see what I wrote through projector connected with my iPad. and of course, i can upload what i wrote in that lesson to cloud for students to download.
- Give a bigger room for drawing/ handwriting.
(4) pages, number, keynotes, things, iStudiez Pro,