10 Apple iPhone Apps for Cost-Conscious Businesses

The growing popularity of VOIP specialist Skype (and its high-profile iPhone App Store debut) coupled with focus on saving communications costs makes this application a welcome addition. The service, which was downloaded a million times in its first two days of release, allows free Skype-to-Skype calls from your iPhone from any Wi-Fi hot spot.

This app from the widely used SAAS customer relationship management (CRM) company Salesforce.com allows users to synchronize Salesforce CRM with Microsoft Outlook address books, calendars and e-mail.

With this flight tracking application you’ll have access to real-time status for flights around the world. Users can also check live weather updates, route maps, delays and cancellations. FlightTrack Pro uses online travel organizer Triplt to further streamline the travel process.

It can be tricky to keep all your receipts and business expenses in order, but BizExpense allows users to submit expense reports by e-mail and check their expenses breakdown with a pie chart, and it comes with a currency rate converter. A Lite version is available through the App Store for free.

Although gas prices have fallen sharply since the horrible highs of 2008, road warriors on a budget should always be looking for the best price at the pump. GasBuddy allows you to find gas stations by ZIP code, distance, directions and estimated drive time. It also has a savings calculation program.

This app provides secure access to a PC running Windows XP Professional and enables users to access their work computer from a Wi-Fi or EDGE network. Users can see files, programs and resources exactly as if they were seated at their desk. With a smaller screen, of course.

Small business owners struggling with tracking invoices will find Billing Manager a source of relief, especially since 33 percent of business owners stated that they are chasing more overdue payments today than they were last year. Billing Manager provides free unlimited invoicing, with a small monthly fee for added services such as estimate creation and credit card processing.

Currently the top-selling business application at the App Store, QuickVoice allows users to “speak and send” perfectly formatted e-mails. It allows voice mail recordings of up to 20MB and includes a pause/resume feature. Developer nFinity is currently offering a free desktop app as a bonus when you download QuickVoice Recorder for the iPhone.

This free app allows users to run credit card transactions directly on their iPod touch or iPhone. All one needs is the MerchantWARE Mobile virtual terminal application, a merchant account from Merchant Warehouse, and a connection to a network. It also includes an automatic end-of-day batch processing feature.

Currently the top-selling productivity application, WifiTrak helps users find free and open Wi-Fi hot spot public access points. It displays a list of networks sorted from most usable (open, strong signal) to least suitable (locked or hidden, weak signal). Users also have the ability to “forget” networks, and the app includes support for secure networks and password storage.