Apple's iPhone apps, which have been increasing in number at a near-exponential rate, have shown their utility within the enterprise context. Whether allowing users to read reports, analyze business metrics or approve supply requests while on the road, enterprise applications—many of them developed by Citrix Systems, Oracle, Google and other top application vendors—have helped streamline mobile workplace life.
Given that a big part of workplace life involves its financial aspects, it's no surprise that many companies—Bloomberg, PayPal, Salesforce.com—have decided to work the mobile-functionality vein a little more and produce a series of financial applications. Whether recording expenses, executing financial transactions while on the road, or following the dips and rises of the stock market, these programs can help users with processes that ensure that their enterprise's financial house is in order.
These applications, which eWEEK gathered from around the Web, are all available for download from Apple's iTunes App Store. Many of these apps are also free.
of
10 Must-See Finance Apps for the iPhone
by Nicholas Kolakowski
Name:
Bloomberg Mobile
Cost: Free This App delivers news, stock quotes, analysis, price charts and company descriptions—basically, much of the same functionality available to Bloomberg users. The mobile version supports 11 languages (including Ukrainian and Chinese), lets you see expanded versions of charts by rotating your iPhone and lets you follow a customized list of stocks.
Name:
PayPal
Cost: Free Small and growing businesses based primarily on the Web often utilize PayPal for their financial transactions. This App allows users to send money to their vendors or contacts while on the road, check their PayPal balances and review their transaction histories. Some 16 different currencies are supported in this version.
Name:
Currency Exchange
Cost: $0.99 As the enterprise becomes more global, mobile workers can just as easily find themselves in Tokyo as Kansas City. To that end, this App provides up-to-date exchange rate information for 61 currencies. U.S. dollars don't need to be used as the base currency, and physically flipping the iPhone will reverse the currency conversion on the screen.
Name:
Expense2GO
Cost: Free Salesforce.com users can utilize this App to complete expense reports and then send them wirelessly to Salesforce CRM. The newest update includes international currency support and lets users take an image of the relevant receipt with the iPhone's built-in camera and send it along with the report.
Name:
Mint
Cost: Free This App automatically syncs with the user's online bank accounts, allowing users to track their budgets and manage cash even while on the road. Users can look at income versus expenses, check balances, review purchases and monthly budgets, and even check on the performance of retirement accounts. If you lose your iPhone, access to the accounts can be deactivated in one click from your Mint.com profile page.
Name:
Moneypedia
Cost: $1.99 The "fun App" in this list, Moneypedia shows off the world's banknotes in colorful format and supplements that with information about each bill. Search operates by a currency's name, value or country of origin.
Name:
NYTimes
Cost: Free You can access financial and business news on the iPhone version of The New York Times via this App; a customizable tool bar allows financial mavens to access any finance-world updates they need more quickly. Articles and photos can also be made available offline.
Name:
iXpenseIt
Cost: $4.99 This App provides much of the same expense-tracking and recording functionality as Expense2GO, only it isn't necessary to be a Salesforce.com user. Features include records export, expense summary, one-time setup for recurring expenses, graphical reports, password protection, text search and world currency list. Also available in a free "Lite" version that limits the user to 10 expense records.
Name:
Loan Calc
Cost: $0.99 This App allows the user to calculate interest rates, payments per year and number of payments, and see everything in a graphical format. You can also compare one loan against another.
Name:
CheckPlease
Cost: $0.99 Business dinners and lunches are a part of life. To that end, CheckPlease lets you calculate tips, round up either the tip or the bill, switch to another currency, and not tip on the tax. There's also a free version (CheckPlease Lite) that includes an ad banner.
Join us on February 1 for an encore rebroadcast at either 5 am or 12 noon EST and discover how business intelligence (BI) supports companies in uncertain business and economic
climates. Get expert advice on how to create a strategy that fits your organization's needs and budget and see how quickly it can pay for itself.
Enterprise Applications News & Reviews 
iPad 3: 10 Design Ideas Apple Should Borrow
10 Hot Tech Products Sure to Fire Up the Market in 2012
iOS, Android App Economy Fuel 500K U.S. Jobs: TechNet
Microsoft's Windows 8 Minimized Ribbon, Sensors Among New Feature[..]
NoSQL Database: 5 Ways to Make It Enterprise-Ready
Facebook IPO: 10 Facts You Didn't Know Before the SEC Filing
See All Slideshows
Apple's iPhone apps, which have been increasing in number at a near-exponential rate, have shown their utility within the enterprise context. Whether allowing users to read reports, analyze business metrics or approve supply requests while on the road, enterprise applications—many of them developed by Citrix Systems, Oracle, Google and other top application vendors—have helped streamline mobile workplace life.
Given that a big part of workplace life involves its financial aspects, it's no surprise that many companies—Bloomberg, PayPal, Salesforce.com—have decided to work the mobile-functionality vein a little more and produce a series of financial applications. Whether recording expenses, executing financial transactions while on the road, or following the dips and rises of the stock market, these programs can help users with processes that ensure that their enterprise's financial house is in order.
These applications, which eWEEK gathered from around the Web, are all available for download from Apple's iTunes App Store. Many of these apps are also free.