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.

Any who travels for business can probably relate to the pains of mobile connectivity: finding a Wi-Fi hotspot to get online with your laptop, paying through the nose for high-speed access at your hotel or risking a data breach because of a cleverly disguised rogue network at the airport.

Instead, many computer-using Canadians are opting to bring their own wireless connection with them – in the form of a “Mobile Internet Stick” that snaps into an available USB port on your laptop.

Not only are these small accessories ideal for those who don’t want to hunt for a Wi-Fi hotspot – because it’s cellular, you can even get online in the back of a moving taxi or on a park bench – but you’re not putting your data at risk by cyber-snoopers who prey on users of public Wi-Fi networks.

I’ve been spending time with the impressive Huawei E397 4G LTE Mobile Internet Key, an ultra high-speed solution that works on the Telus Long Term Evolution (LTE) network in major Canadian cities; theoretical download speeds top 100 megabits per second. In areas without support for LTE devices, the Internet Key falls to Dual Carrier HSPA+ (up to 42 Mbps downloads), HSPA+ (up to 21 Mbps downloads) or regular 2G/3G bands following that.

Faster speeds -- which might even exceed your home or office broadband connection -- mean you can engage in videoconferencing, download large files in mere seconds, stream content smoothly or access data in the cloud so quickly it’s as if the files were stored locally. (Anecdotally, I also let my kids stream Netflix movies while in the back seat of the car.)

This small, black Mobile Internet Key (93 x 35 x 15 mm) can be rotated once it’s plugged into your laptop’s USB port, to position it vertically, horizontally or even diagonally.

Setup is a breeze. Simply snap off the cover to insert the SIM card, plug it into the Windows or Mac laptop and the built-in Huawei Connection Manager software begins installing the necessary drivers. After a few seconds, you can access the Internet by clicking the “Connect” button. That’s it! A green LED light on the unit confirms connectivity to the Telus network.

This Mobile Internet Key also has a slot for a microSD card, if desired, to add up to 32GB of external memory to your laptop. No power is needed to use the key as it uses the computer’s power to operate the Internet stick.

The Huawei E397 4G LTE Mobile Internet Key is sold for $149.99 with no term -- or $0 on a 3-year plan, $49.99 on 2-year plan or $99.99 on 1-year plan. Data plans vary, but you can learn about monthly costs by clicking here.

On March 19th, TELUS and The Globe and Mail announced the launch of the #challengecontest, an opportunity for small businesses to present their biggest challenge and how a $100,000 grant from TELUS would help them overcome it.

I had the opportunity to sit with Steve Tustin, senior editor for CCG at The Globe & Mail and contest judge to find out what he’s looking for from contest entries this year.

What do you see as the biggest challenge facing small and medium business owners today?

What we hear  from businesses through The Globe and Mail challenge series is the need for good expert advice, which, of course,  is what the challenge series is all about.  In particular, one challenge we hear of often, is how to help small businesses buy the right technology and then use  it to its maximum potential, And, how to use social media, in order to help them grow their business. They understand that social media provides significant marketing potential for their business in terms of extending their brand reach to people who are interested in their services and products.  But because they are already stretching resources (people, time, money) as far as they can, dollars and time are tight, so getting the right advice is imperative.

Have you heard any qualitative feedback to date on the contest?

I’ve heard some potential candidates say that the challenge wasn’t for them because they were too small (just starting out their business). But as far as The Challenge Contest goes, there’s no too small; there’s just thinking small. I think that taking part in the contest, and putting a full effort into filling out the entry form, is an excellent way for any business to take a step back and think about where they want to be in one or two years. Sometimes hard to find the time or motivation to do that when you’ve just started and you’re dealing with the day to day issues.

What is your advice to contest entrants – what are you looking for from contest entries as a judge in 2012?

I would encourage anyone entering the contest to take their time and really define your challenges and goals. An excellent way to prepare for working through the entry form is to go online and read the challenge series, along with the story about last year’s winner.  The series is a great resource that can help you explain specifically the results you want to achieve with that $100,000 grant. As judges, we’re looking hard at your potential.

What are some of the additional benefits business owners can gain by entering the contest?

Although the $100K is awesome, again I think it’s always important for any business to take the time to stop and analyze your business and challenges, beyond the day to day, or even month to month but a year or more ahead.

Small business is what drives our economy, and we hope that by engaging in the contest many of the businesses will be re-energized with a clearer roadmap for their business that will stimulate both growth and competitiveness.

For more information on the #challengecontest, visit: www.theglobeandmail.com/thechallenge. The deadline for submissions is May 28, 2012.

Rebecca Bailey is a Product Manager with TELUS and manages marketing campaigns dedicated to small and medium businesses.

Naturally, you don't carry around a flatbed scanner with you to digitize documents, receipts, business cards or hand-written notes and sketches.

But a newly updated app called Scanner Pro from Readdle can turn your iPad or iPhone into a powerful – and portable – scanner to accomplish these kinds of tasks.

While it's missing a key feature -- which I'll get to momentarily -- this business app works very well, and with exceptional "scan" quality based on my experience with the new iPad and its superior rear camera.

Ideal for any hard copies you want scanned and saved, Scanner Pro allows you to capture paper documents, contracts, magazine pages, whiteboards, business cards, cheques and receipts – and the digital version shows up on the iOS screen a second later. More so than other scanner apps I've tried, text is incredibly crisp and clear. Paper photos can also be scanned, and they look remarkably good.

For optimum quality, you'd lie the paper down onto a flat surface, like a desk, stand above it with your iPad, and line up the edges with the on-screen gridlines (such as an 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper or magazine article). Tap the photo button on the edge of the screen, hold still, and you'll see a flash and hear a camera click. Once captured, you can tweak the edge alignment, if needed, and select a desired size (e.g. A4, letter, Ledger, Business Card, etc.) or type of scan (photo, document or grayscale).

Once saved to the iPad, you can rotate between landscape and portrait modes, create multipage scans, crop out unwanted areas and more. Scanned papers are automatically saved within the app but you can also email, save in your Camera Roll, open as PDF in a supported app (such as iBooks), wireless print or upload to a cloud service like Dropbox, Evernote, Google Docs or WebDav.

You can also assign a password in order to view the document, fax it somewhere or manually transfer scanned docs to a PC or Mac (by dragging and dropping from within iTunes).

Disappointingly, one thing Readdle's Scanner Pro app does not do is OCR, or "optical character recognition." This is a handy feature when scanning documents because OCR software can translate typewritten (and in some case, handwritten) words into editable text. Once it can recognize words, you could perform tasks like search for a keyword within a document, get a dictionary definition by tapping on a word or tally up multiple receipts for your expense report. You get the idea. Because the scan quality is so good, it's a shame OCR isn't included but perhaps it will in a future update.

Even with this omission, Scanner Pro is an excellent app for those who'd like to digitize and organize their paper world.

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.

The most obvious way to increase revenues is to sell more of your existing product or service to customers. So how can you do this during an economic downturn?

FIRST TARGET EXISTING CUSTOMERS. Before searching for new clients and customers, try stimulating your level of business with current ones. Persuading brand new customers to make a purchase takes time and nine times more effort and is five times more costly than persuading past customers. So go for warm calls before cold calls.

1. Pamper your regulars.  Make a list of your most regular, most profitable, and most loyal customers. They obviously like you and you cannot afford to lose them. So assist them to create more business for you:
   1. Offer your best customers preferential treatment such as sneak preview or customer appreciation events.  Make them feel special. You could also offer a 10% discount off any new work or increased orders. But avoid cutting your profit margin too tight.
2. Reactivate old accounts. Wade through your client lists, order books, and sales ledgers. Find people who you served in the past but who haven’t been customers for a while. Let them know you are still in business and ask what their present needs are.
3. Increase each sale with ADD-ONS.  Aim to enlarge the value of each daily sale or work contracts by encouraging customers to purchase more.
4. Provide Incentives. Offer multiple purchase schemes so that after customers make multiple purchases, they get the next one free.  Or offer items of free merchandise, greater discounts or special gifts as incentives for customer recommendations and word-of-mouth referrals. 
5. Search for new deals. Look for clones of your best customers. Construct a detailed profile of the different sorts of regular customers you presently have: size, location, type of operation, level of business, etc. Then hunt through trade and various directories for similar firms to target for new sales. (Try doing the same analysis on your worst customers—is there a  pattern?)
6. Diversify your range of clients. Try broadening your customer base so you aren’t vulnerable to a slowdown in one sector of the economy. For example, try cross-selling with a business already selling in a new market and seek assistance with selling each other’s goods and services. You can share marketing costs and piggy-back on each other’s sales contacts. This is a cost-effective way of breaking into a new market area or gaining an international audience.
7. Get the product into people’s hands. Customers are more likely to purchase your product if they have already used it for themselves. Hold special demonstrations for target client groups. Offer your products as prizes and/or part of the gift bags at events. Offer customers free-home trials, money-back guarantees, and other incentives for testing the product. (Similarly, if it is a service you provide then get speaking engagements in front of audiences from Chambers of Commerce to a variety of business associations).
8. Use social media. Having “friends” is an excellent way to increase your reach. Your existing clients are a great starting point, and you can reach many of them now through social media. Many loyal customers can, with a little encouragement, become advocates. These are customers who not only use your product or service, but actively promote you!  We know that the recommendation of a friend is one of the best ways of increasing your customer base. The value of YouTube showing your product in use and/or hearing your “service” tips is increasingly more apt to attract new customers. Build your social media in a formal and systematic manner.

Just remember: Good marketing begins and ends with the customers - but you must understand your market.

Next week in the last of this series, I will cover Obtaining Bank Financing. Getting the right loan for your business can be challenging and most small businesses don’t know what is required and are too afraid to ask. It’s time to review the criteria used by banks to evaluate your loan.

This is the seventh blog in the Blueprint for Success in Changing Economic Times series by Barbara Mowat.

Blog 1 - Series Introduction

Blog 2 - Preserve your Cash Flow

Blog 3 - a Six-Pack of Ways to Stay Afloat

Blog 4 - Recover your Receivables

Blog 5 - Reduce your Costs - Part 1

Blog 6 - Reduce your Costs - Part 2

Barbara Mowat is the Founder of “GroYourBiz", a new initiative to support and help small businesses take their business to the next level. GroYourBiz will fundamentally change the way  you do business. For more information on how to become a member, contact Barbara.Mowat@GroYourBiz.com.

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.

When cash is short, a business should always look inward for ways to reduce expenses before looking outward for ways to increase sales or raise new financing. Start by scrutinizing every fixed and variable expense incurred by operating the business over the past quarter and then compare these actual costs with those you projected in your last forecast or business plan. If you are overspending, you’ll need to trim back expenses by exercising restraint. If your expenses are already lean, you’ll need to use some creative ways of stretching each dollar further.

1. Buy used rather than new. Much money can be saved by purchasing supplies such as filing cabinets, chairs and other office equipment in a used condition from auctions and government surplus sales. Since supply will be plentiful in recessionary times, prices will likely be cheap.
2. Join discount warehouses.  If you must buy new, especially with consumables, then investigate the savings available at wholesale shopping outlets and at a broad spectrum of stores selling consumables. There are several discount houses offering stationary and computer products and offer considerable savings without requiring membership fees. Credit cards and 15 day commercial accounts are also accepted.
3. Bargain with suppliers.  Aim to reduce the costs of your supplies and raw materials by dealing for the best price with wholesalers and suppliers. Remember that they could be hurting too if money is tight. They may be willing to offer considerable discounts on larger than normal shipments. (Or alternatively will accept smaller volume orders than usual). Offer to pay cash immediately, if you can, to help their cash flow in return for further savings.
4. Drop unprofitable items.  Don’t tie up too much of your cash by burdening yourself with inventory you won’t be able to move. Take each product line or type of service provided and analyze its unit costs. Examine whether it is absorbing sufficient overhead and whether its shelf life or the costs of making the sale or service presentation are higher than for other items you offer. Often, you will find one or more items are dragging down your profitability. Consider discontinuing these items immediately since raising their price is probably not possible.
5. Save on advertising.  Since advertising and promotion are a critical link to your customers, avoid cutting these activities. Instead, look for ways to reduce the costs associated with them by generating free publicity for your business:
   1. Start using social media such as Twitter, Facebook, YOUtube, Blogs, etc.
   2. Hold promotional events such as a competition with prizes and invite the media to attend.
   3. Write a press release about something new about your business - such as introducing an innovative product line or securing a large contract.
   4. Write an article about your business and submit it with a small ad to local newspapers.
   5. Phone local radio and television stations and offer to do free interviews on talk shows.
   6. Listen to hot line shows and then phone in with your opinion on the topic. Aim to include some reference to your business and its name.
   7. Offer to give free talks and presentations at meetings of local community groups such as women’s business networks, Chambers of Commerce, Lions, or Rotary Clubs, etc. Plus the networking opportunities at such events will significantly enhance your business
6. Reduce energy consumption.  Reasonable gains can be made to reduce overheads by cutting some key variable costs:
   1. Turn down office and warehouse thermostats by 5-10 degrees in winter and turn off air conditioning units in summer.
   2. Turn off lights and electronic equipment such as photocopiers and computers at the end of each day. Replace ordinary light bulbs with more energy efficient ones using less wattage. 

More ways to “Reducing your costs”.  Stay tuned for the next blog on this topic….

This is the fifth blog in the Blueprint for Success in Changing Economic Times series by Barbara Mowat.

Blog 1 - Series Introduction

Blog 2 - Preserve your Cash Flow

Blog 3 - a Six-Pack of Ways to Stay Afloat

Blog 4 - Recover your Receivables

Barbara Mowat is the Founder of “GroYourBiz", a new initiative to support and help small businesses take their business to the next level. GroYourBiz will fundamentally change the way  you do business. For more information on how to become a member, contact Barbara.Mowat@GroYourBiz.com.