Millions of professionals and students use their iPad for much more than a round of Angry Birds or a Netflix fix.

The App Store also houses tens of thousands of productivity and business-based apps, many of which can help you get your work done on your tablet.

In case you missed the free giveaway a few weeks ago, Picsel’s Smart Office 2 is a $10 software suite for iOS that lets you view, create, edit and share Microsoft Office files (all versions since 1997), as well as support for PDFs.

It’s half the cost of QuickOffice HD Pro, doesn’t require an Internet connection like CloudOn (though there is some cloud support) and there’s no monthly fee, as is the case with OnLive Desktop. The app is also more versatile than Apple’s own standalone apps for word processing (Pages), spreadsheets (Numbers) and presentations (Keynote).

While there were a couple of random issues with the app, this handy productivity tool works very well for the most part.

Launch Smart Office 2 and you’ll see two main ways to look at your documents:

• The Explore tab opens up any files stored on your tablet (in the default My Documents folder) or one of two cloud services at this time (Google Docs and Dropbox). Once you’re looking at your documents stored on or off the tablet, you can choose to see the files alphabetically, by date, file size or by type of document (segregated by .doc, .xls, .ppt and .pdf). The app also supports newer .docx, .xlsx and .pptx files.

• The Timeline tab is a visually appealing look at the last few documents you worked on, in chronological order. But instead of the files listed by file name and type, you see a thumbnail view of your recent work for easy access. Simply tap the image to bring it up full-screen, for editing, printing or sharing.

Smart Office 2 lets you create a Microsoft Office-compatible document from scratch or view and edit an existing one brought onto your iPad, iPhone or iPod touch. Along with cloud support, you can also open up attachments in an email (“Open In”) or drag and drop files over when connected to a PC or Mac (from within iTunes).

Along with support for Adobe PDF, the app also lets you view image files, plain text and other files. You can share your documents via cloud service, email in original format (or export as PDF) or wirelessly print your work with built-in support for thousands of wireless printers from 34 manufacturers, says Picsel.

Whether you’re working on a .doc, .xls or .ppt file, the interface is clean and effective – in portrait or landscape view. When you need to pull up some tools, simply tap near the top of the screen for a list of options. Tapping on a word brings up additional options, such as highlighted desired text, formatting and colour options, adding (or taking) photos to the document, and more. Press and hold on the screen to zoom in or out on the text, copy and paste text from other apps or take advantage of the “Undo” button for mistakes.

Curiously, I couldn’t find a spell-checker when in a word processing document, and animated transition effects didn’t appear to be working in an imported PowerPoint presentation -- but these seemed to be the only main shortcomings.

Smart Office 2 also provides a number of document templates – whether you’re writing a professional letter or creating an attractive presentation. There’s also a slideshow mode if you want to use your iPad to view or control your presentation – and even an option to view your slideshow (or regular documents) in stereoscopic 3D for those wearing supported glasses.

Despite a few minor issues, which could be remedied in a future update, this comprehensive suite of Microsoft Office-supported programs is worth the price of admission.

Even with all of today's high-tech tools, many still prefer good old-fashioned pen and paper. This is especially true for jotting down notes and reminders.

So, what if you could combine the simplicity of paper note-taking with the power and convenience of a tablet computer?

A new app, Sticky Notes for iPad, aims to fuse these two worlds – and it works, for the most part. There's a lot of room to grow, but this free app is off to a great start.

As you'd expect from an app called Sticky Notes for iPad, this free download lets you post virtual sticky notes on the iPad's 9.7-inch screen. You can select the background colour and material of your board – be it a corkboard, cloth, blueprint, wood or chalkboard, to name a few --- and then you simply tap to start a new note in landscape or portrait mode.

Type what the reminder is, such as "Don't forget to call John about the meeting next Friday." You can use your fingertip to adjust the size, style and colour of the font, as well as drag the sticky note around the board and adjust the paper colour and size, if desired (such as larger notes take higher priority).

Alternatively, if you own the new iPad, you can touch the microphone icon to the left of the spacebar on the onscreen keyboard and speak your note aloud; your spoken words will show up as text a moment later as if you typed it with your fingertips. Speaking of the new iPad, the app was recently updated to support the new Retina Display screen with higher resolution than its predecessors.

The Sticky Notes for iPad app is drop dead simple to use, whether it's to stay organized at work or at home with the family.

But it's not a perfect produc. For one, because it's digital, it's too bad you can't set an alarm on a note, so that it can ring and show up on the iPad screen when you want it to. Otherwise, you might not get the reminder unless you manually open up the app and look at your virtual corkboard. How cool would that be to see a yellow sticky note appear with a note about something you need to know, when playing a game, browsing the web or typing an email?

Secondly, there is no iCloud support for this app; imagine if everyone in the office (or family) could post notes in the app and they'd automatically show up on everyone's device, wirelessly.

Finally, it would also be great if the app supported handwriting and/or hand-drawn sketches, and such, as many other apps do.

Even with these shortcomings, Sticky Notes for iPad is a free, simple and useful app to help keep you organized. It successfully fuses "old school" paper reminders with the power and customizability of a digital platform.

Just because you can afford a fancy new smartphone and accompanying data plan doesn't mean you've got money to burn. This is especially true for entrepreneurs and small business owners who need to watch their budget closely.

The good news is there are many free applications at your smartphone's online store that can help take some weight off your wallet.

The following are a few of my favourite free downloads.

Savvy shopper

While shopping in your favourite store, take out your smartphone and boot up ShopSavvy (Android and iPhone) to snap a picture of a product's barcode. Within a second you'll see the product onscreen and a list of local or online retailers who carry the same product – and for how much. If it's a local retailer, you can see the store's location as a pushpin on a map (such as a Walmart that's, say, 2.2 kilometres away). You can also learn about rebates, coupon codes and special sale prices to take advantage of.

Talk to me

Chatting with colleagues, family and friends over a cellular connection -- while roaming -- can really add up if you don't pick up a good travel plan ahead of time. If you can, also be sure to log onto your hotel, airport or café's wireless network and use your smartphone to make a VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) call for free. Video calling via FaceTime (iOS), Skype (Android, iOS) and Google Talk (Android) lets you see who you're talking to, and they can see you, too. BlackBerry smartphones also support Skype for audio-based calls.

Fill 'er up

Find cheaper gas prices with the help of Gas Buddy for iPhone, Android or Windows Phone 7. Designed for Canadian and U.S. users, this app that shows you which nearby stations have the lowest prices -- and provides maps if you don’t know the area. View gas stations by distance or price, plus you can see prices for regular, midgrade, premium and diesel fuel. Obviously this app is more useful when you’re in a big city – as it doesn’t pay to drive a few kilometres just to save, say, $2 on a fill up – but you can save some cash by seeing which gas station in the area has the best prices.

Take some direction

Android smartphone owners need not buy a standalone GPS, thanks to Google Maps Navigation. This free Internet-connected GPS navigation system not only provides visual turn-by-turn directions to a destination (as with Google Maps for other smartphone platforms), but for drivers it includes audio-based guidance, as well, so you can keep your eyes on the road. Additional features include a "search by voice" option, live traffic, satellite views, and the availability to find nearby businesses. iPhone and iPad users can try NavFree GPS Live Canada app, which also provides audio- and visual-based directions and local search.

Surf’s up

Don't pay for wireless connectivity when you can find thousands of free Wi-Fi hotspots around the world. As the name suggests, the Free Wi-Fi Finder app for iOS and Android asks to know your device's GPS location -- tap "Allow" and within a second or two you’ll find all the establishments in your area that offer free Wi-Fi, be it a café, restaurant or bookstore -- including handy maps to take you there. The latest version, 2.0, offers a number of new features and improvements over its predecessors.

If you're relying on a Windows Phone device for business – perhaps the sleek new Nokia Lumia 800 from TELUS – then you've got a lot of choice in downloadable apps to keep you on your game.

In fact, out of the box you're already sitting pretty, thanks to exclusive built-in apps that will be familiar to PC users. This includes Outlook (email), Internet Explorer (web browsing), Bing search and maps, and even pocket editions of Microsoft Word (word processing), Excel (spreadsheets), PowerPoint (presentations), SharePoint and OneNote.

But with more than 60,000 apps available in the Marketplace, there are many worth snagging for those looking to boost productivity while on the go.

The following are a few recommendations, most of which are completely free to download and use:

SkyDrive

One of my favourite apps is the free Windows Live SkyDrive, a cloud service that lets you store up to 25 gigabytes of files – and access it all on virtually any device. In fact, it's 25GB of free password-protected storage per account, and you can have multiple accounts (such as a Windows Live ID, Hotmail address, and so on). This Windows Phone app lets you see, edit and share documents, view photos and play videos in either .mp4 or .wmv formats. Also consider Adobe Reader as it lets you download and read PDF files on your Windows Phone 7 device.

Notesly Free

If you're in need of an app to jot down notes during a meeting, interview or wherever inspiration hits you (think digital napkin at Dennys), Notesly Free is a simple, elegant and functional note-taking app for writing, drawing or text notes. You don't need to sign up for an account (like Evernote) to get going, yet you can back-up your notes or drawings to your PC or Mac via Dropbox or share with others through email or text message. A small thumbnail shows a preview of your notes, so you can see what's inside at a quick glance.

WhatsApp Messenger

You're likely aware of BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) for BlackBerry smartphones, a fast, cheap and reliable way to send and receive messages with others in real-time. But what if you're on Window Phone (or Android or iPhone)? WhatsApp Messenger is a free, cross-platform solution that works between multiple smartphone operating systems (including BlackBerry), and enjoys many of the same features as BBM: real-time group chat, file sharing (send video, images and voice notes) and receive a confirmation when messages have been delivered and read. Unlike BBM, you don't have to get someone's unique PIN as WhatsApp works with your phone number, just like text messaging, and integrates smoothly with an existing address book.

Find My Phone

If your Windows Phone is lost or stolen, the aptly named Find My Phone can remotely track the GPS-enabled device on a computer (via windowsphone.com). You can make it ring loudly (in case you think it's under the couch cushions), lock it to prevent nosy types from accessing your data or even erase the phone's contents completely to be extra sure it doesn't fall into the wrong hands. Note: it's not recommended to attempt recovery of a stolen smartphone yourself -- contact the authorities with the information instead.

VoiceTranslator

Based on Google Translator APIs, the free VoiceTranslator for Windows Phone allows you to translate from one language to another – and there are many dozens of languages supported for your convenience. This handy travel companion works by either text or voice, therefore you can type in a word or phrase (or copy and paste from the web or email, text message) or speak into the phone to get a translation moments later. Keep in mind you need an Internet connection (Wi-Fi or cellular) for this app to work.

Password Padlock

As the name suggests, the $0.99-cent Password Padlock is an app that serves as a lock for all the passwords you probably have to remember on a daily basis, be it for online banking, ATM and credit card PINs, home alarm codes, shopping sites, media accounts (Netflix, iTunes, etc.), and so on. You're required to create a strong, single master password, which is then used to encrypt all the other passwords in the collection using AES encryption; the master password is never stored on the phone itself.

It's virtually impossible to escape the excitement surrounding the new iPad, whether it's the long lines snaking around Apple stores, front-page reviews in hundreds of publications or references to the new product in monologues by late night TV show hosts.

But all this coverage of the new iPad (from $519) doesn't mean the product can live up to the tremendous hype.

After spending 10 days with the third-generation iPad, I do agree it's pretty awesome – but it's definitely more evolutionary than revolutionary. In fact, if you have last year's iPad 2 then I'd suggest to wait to uprgrade. That being said, the new iPad does offer a number of improvements over its predecessors and I firmly believe it's the finest tablet on the market – despite some amazing Android tablets and the aggressively-priced BlackBerry PlayBook.

Here's what you need to know about the new iPad:

• The first thing you'll notice is the new "Retina display" technology, meaning its pixel density is so high the human eye is unable to distinguish individual pixels. Quite simply, the new screen is stunning. In fact, the iPad delivers four times the number of pixels – the little dots that make up the image -- than the screen on the first two iPad models. In fact, the new iPad's 3.1 million-pixel display offers one million more pixels than your HDTV. Photos are vibrant, text is crisp and videos look more sharp than in the previous iPad (now with support for 1080p movies, too).

• Speaking of 1080p resolution – the top-of-the-line video quality available today -- the new and improved 5-megapixel camera on the back of the iPad can shoot 1080p video (up from 720p in the iPad 2), and with image stabilization and facial detection, too. I shot a few videos and snapped some high-resolution photos with the new camera and they both looked quite good. OK, so you typically wouldn't reach for your tablet to capture memories but it's a convenient feature to have.

• Another major new feature of the 2012 iPad is support for 4G LTE networks. “Long Term Evolution” is the next-generation in wireless technology, allowing for cellular speeds in select cities that rival if not exceed your home's broadband Internet connection. That's right, Telus, Bell Mobility and Rogers all offer LTE add-on data plans as low as $15, so you can surf, download and stream at incredibly high speeds (up to 72 Megabits per second downloads, though this number is "theoretical" opposed to somewhat slower "real world" performance). In areas without LTE support, the iPad will revert to HSPA+ (up to 21 Megabits per second downloads) or in the case with Telus and Bell, dual-carrier HSDPA for download speeds of up to 42 Megabits per second. The new iPad can also be used to create a personal hotspot, allowing other nearby devices to get online wirelessly via the tablet. The LTE-enabled iPads start at $649.

• A few other thoughts: Apple's new A5X chip with quad-core graphics delivers faster and smoother video game performance, as experienced with Namco's aerial combat simulation called Sky Gamblers: Air Supremacy. I was also able to test the new dictation feature; it's not Siri – a full-featured voice-activated personal assistant built into the iPhone 4S – but you can tap the microphone button while composing an email, writing a note or searching the web and iPad will transcribe your words into text. Despite all the new features, the new iPad offers the same industry-leading 10-hour battery (9 hours on LTE) and for the same price as the iPad 2. But be aware it's a smidge heavier (1.44 pounds for Wi-Fi or 1.46 pounds for Wi-Fi + 4G) and thicker (9.4mm) compared to the iPad 2 (at 1.33 pounds and 8.8mm thick).

So, what's the bottom line?

While these are somewhat minor updates over last year's iPad 2, the new screen and 4G LTE speeds really help solidify Apple's lead in the highly competitive tablet space. Once again, the company has raised a bar when it comes to its specs, but also excels in the overall experience thanks to smooth synchronization with iTunes and iCloud, support for more than 585,000 apps and a major hardware ecosystem including thousands of accessories like docking stations and cases.

If you're a skeptic, at least pop into an Apple store in your local mall to see and touch the new iPad for yourself.

Here's an informal video walkthrough of some of the new iPad's core features:

Spend a lot of time browsing the web on the iPad?

Whether it's for work or play, consider the free Readability app, as it offers a clean and simple way to read online content.

It's similar in concept to Apple's own "Reader" option within the Safari browser – which strips out advertisements and enlarges text -- but Readability offers a few other features, too, including the option to save web pages to read when you're offline.

Based on a three-year-old web-based service, the Readability app for iPad first requires you to sign up for an account – it's fast and free, but mandatory -- before you can use the service. The next step is to search the web (via Google) or type in a specific URL, such as telustalksbusiness.com. When you'd like to read an article or blog post, tap "Read Now" to see the cleaner version of the site, with no distractions such as ads, polls, and other ancillary content along the sides, top or bottom of the page.

Also available on iPhone and iPod touch, this view is very similar to Safari's "Reader" view, except at the very bottom of the page you can swipe a slider tab to adjust the text style, size and column width. Plus, you've got the option for day or night reading, featuring black text on a white background or white text on a black background, respectively.

Other options include selecting it as a Favourite (which goes into its own section in the app), share it with others (via email, Facebook or Twitter), copy the link (to paste elsewhere) or view it in a full web browser (by default, it's Safari).

Another way to use Readability is to tap the "Read Later" tab instead of "Read Now." This adds it to your reading list, which you view even without an Internet connection at a later time. If you tapped the "Read Now" tab instead, and still want to save the article, you can tap the "Archive" button to save it for later. Another benefit to Readability is the option to search for text by keyword; this pulls up the relevant article you've saved.

If you save a number of web pages, I like how Readability will automatically load the next saved page (with the stripped out formatting), when you get to the bottom of a previously page. This is convenient as you don't have to leave the reading view to select another article to read.

You can also do a search for keyword

Readability goes above and beyond Apple's Reader feature within Safari to provide a very clean, customizable and shareable way to read web content, including the option to save content to read later on, and offline.

Spring is around the corner, which often means family vacations, road trips with friends and traveling more for business.

A GPS navigation unit in your vehicle can help you get to where you’re going quickly, accurately and safely – but not everyone wants to spend $100 or more for a good GPS nav unit or $50 for GPS smartphone software.

Guess what – you don’t have to pay anything at all.

A downloadable app called Navfree GPS Live Canada is the first free professional GPS navigation software for iPhone and iPad.

While not flawless, you’d be surprised how good this no-cost app is.

Navfree Canada from Geolife Ltd. gives you 2D and 3D maps (for the entire country), voice-based turn-by-turn instructions (so you don’t need to look at the screen), points of interest (such as restaurants, hotels, gas stations and tourist sites) as well as live Google Search (to find many other nearby places you might be interested in).

Unless you do a Google search, which requires a wireless connection, no data is used up for this GPS app as the maps are stored on your device.

Navfree uses map data from OpenStreetMap.org — often referred to as the "Wikipedia of map software" — as more than a quarter-million people contributed to it over the years. Therefore, there’s no cost to use the product, it’s continuously updated and you, too, can add to the map, as well, right from within the app.

The interface is quite clean, too. Aside from typing the word "Ontario" where it says "State" (er, this is the Canadian version of the software, so why not "Province"?), Navfree found the five addresses I typed in – in Toronto, Mississauga, Richmond Hill and Barrie – without a hitch. At least you can change "Miles" to "Kilometres" in the map's settings screen.

By default, it’s a British woman's voice but you can change it to other male and female voices and languages, too, if you like (15 in total, including French, Spanish, German, Italian, Dutch, and more). Note: It doesn’t say street names, but will tell you when to turn, such as in "1.2 kilometres or in 200 metres," etc. While hearing the directions you can also use your fingertips on the map to scroll ahead, switch between day and night maps (low glare maps are safer night driving) and even access your music library right from within the map (music fades in and out when the voice directions are playing).

Routing was fast and – for the most part – accurate. In one instance, I was about to hop on Highway 400 North from Woodbridge to drive to Barrie, but it was suggesting to go on Highway 407 east to some point. Huh? So, as with any GPS unit, general knowledge of your area is always helpful. But this was one instance out of an otherwise flawless experience.

Of course if you take a wrong turn or need to go on streets not recommended by the app (perhaps because of an accident or construction), it’ll automatically reroute for you.

Another issue is if you cross the border, you’ll have to close the app and open up Navfree U.S. version as this map is only for Canada. At least it's free, too.

There’s also a Pedestrian mode for when you’re on foot – for instance, it’ll say you can walk in either direction of a one-way street.

Other features of Navfree include the ability to send your route to a friend via email, text message, Facebook or Twitter; you can set a "Home" location to quickly get back to your home; and access a Navfree Store to purchase the "Ad-Free" version of Navfree for $1.99 – though I never saw one advertisement in this free version.

Overall, Navfree is an excellent – and free – GPS solution for iPhone and iPad owners.

Last week in this space I wrote about a way to add 25GB of free storage to your iPhone or Windows Phone – via Microsoft's Windows Live SkyDrive cloud service.

In this blog post, I wanted to share another way you can expand the capacity of your limited smartphone or tablet – but this one doesn't require an Internet connection and you'll get 500GB of storage.

It's an external hard drive that is not only portable – therefore small and battery-powered – but it has the unique ability to wirelessly stream content to a nearby smartphone or tablet. And it doesn't matter if you're using an iPhone, BlackBerry, Android or Windows Mobile device.

Intrigued?

Called the Seagate GoFlex Satellite ($199.99), this small drive emits a Wi-Fi signal and can stream content to nearby devices – even serving up three different streams at the same time.

The work applications are obvious -- as you can fit many thousands of documents, spreadsheets and presentations on a half-terabyte drive -- but you can also use this when on a family road trip over spring break. Imagine you're in the car with a few kids in the backseat and they each have a different Wi-Fi device, such as a smartphone, tablet or media player like an iPod touch. As long as they join the GoFlex Satellite drive -- as if they were logging onto a Wi-Fi network -- they can launch the web browser or open up a free app to see and access the contents of the hard drive. This includes high-definition movies, TV shows, music, photos and other files.

Once you go over three simultaneous streams, it can begin to affect performance for everyone. Of course this gadget can be used at home or at the office, too.

The only other limitation is in the file formats supported. Because an iPhone, iPod touch or iPad can't play .AVI or .WMV files, for example, it won't be able to stream those videos from the GoFlex Satellite hard drive. .M4V or .MP4 video files will work just fine, however.

Slightly bigger than a deck of playing cards, this drive's 500GB capacity translates to more than 300 high-def movies. And consider most portable devices like smartphones and tablets usually max out at 64GB anyway.

While the GoFlex Satellite creates its own Wi-Fi hotspot, keep in mind you can't get online through this drive. It only creates a wireless connection between the drive and the device you're streaming to. But at least you don't need a wireless network to use the drive -- hence the road trip scenario.

Battery life tops five hours for playback and more than 25 hours on standby.

While there's some content preloaded on the device, such as some cartoons and Discovery Channel programming, you'll first want to connect the GoFlex Satellite drive to a PC or Mac via USB 3.0 connectivity (compatible with USB 2.0) and drag and drop content onto the drive. Optional interfaces include FireWire 800 and powered eSATA (sold separately).

Want one? Or at least want more info? Click here for additional specs and features of the Seagate GoFlex Satellite wireless hard drive.