16 Apps That PR Pros Can’t Live Without

I have a confession. I’m an app addict. On the Web, on my iPhone, on my iPad. I can’t get enough of them. Without my apps, I wouldn’t be able to calculate how much to tip at a restaurant, get my news fix, check-in to wherever I am at, or share photos, news and updates on Facebook. I was wondering whether this app addiction was my lone penance or something common to other PR/social media types. An informal poll of my InkHouse colleagues confirmed that it is indeed an addiction we all share.

So what does this say about us? Here are my highly unscientific conclusions:

We eat news for breakfast (and lunch and dinner)

PR people are news junkies extraordinaire. At any given point during our waking hours, you can find us feeding our addiction by dipping into all or any of the following, favored news apps:

• FlipBoard and Zite – two extremely cool, well-designed personalized news magazines for the iPad
• New York Times – especially on the iPad
• TechMeme – aggregates all must-read stories in technology from 100s of news sites and blogs.

We can use any help being organized

At any given moment in time, a PR pro will inevitably have a gazillion balls in the air. If you are like me, I barely have time to make a to-do list, trusting my priorities to my uncannily keen sense of urgency, the occasional Post-It note and my usually reliable but sometimes spotty memory. These two apps help maintain sanity and a sense of control:

• Evernote – this app had me with its tagline “remember everything!” This uncannily powerful web and mobile app helps you “capture any moment, idea, inspiration, or experience whenever and then make all of that information easy to find.”
• TeuxDeux – a fantastically simple app for the web or your mobile, syncing to-do lists between both so you never have an excuse for forgetting a deadline!

We are navigationally-challenged

To be honest this one surprised me. (What surprised me most was this input came from the guys in the office. You know, men who allegedly never ask for directions.)

• Google Nav for Android – Helps you find your way to where you need to be using your Droid whether in your car, on foot or using public transportation. It comes complete with voice directions tied to Google’s extensive database of information about the areas you might be driving through (restaurants, reviews) plus it’s 100% free and built right into your mobile device.

Connectivity matters

Most PR/social media folks have their mobile devices and laptops practically surgically attached to them. So nothing is worse than when your battery dies or your have no Web access. These two apps are lifesavers:

• PdaNet - this free app turns your mobile device into a true WiFi Hotspot so that you can access the Web, email and your apps on four or five laptops. So useful when you have to get that press release out, but WIFi is nowhere to be found, or for days when you're working from home and your broadband goes down.
• Battery Life - incredibly helpful to avoid being caught short.

Yes, we also have a life

These few faves help us chill out, inform us, impress, make dining decisions or overcome impatience:

• IMDB – because you always need instant access to information about which actor starred in which movie.
• Google Sky Map – augmented reality for the night sky, and it's free. Point your Droid at the sky at any constellation, and you'll learn its name, and the names of all the neighboring stars. Great for first dates.
• Scrabble – played obsessively anytime we are waiting –  in line at the supermarket, the ATM, coffee shop, the vet.
• Yelp – great for checking out restaurant reviews if you haven’t been to a place yet.
• MenuPages – easy menu check for ordering takeouts.
• WhiteNoise – helps with sleepy time when traveling.
• Atomic Fart – because childish humor never gets old.

So tell us, which apps are your addition?