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10 Must-Have Windows Phone 7 Apps for Business

These apps for Windows Phone 7 smartphones keep you plugged in and productive.

By Brent Rose, PCWorld

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Windows Phone 7 Apps

Windows Phone 7 is the new kid on the block among smartphone OSs--odd, considering that tech veteran Microsoft made it. A quick look at WP7's top apps shows that Microsoft has initially marketed the OS toward consumers. Still, if you want to use your Windows Phone 7 handset for work, you won't be left high and dry. Here are some of the best apps available to keep you wheeling and dealing.

(Since Windows Phone 7's app Marketplace doesn't yet have a Web interface, the best way to find these apps is to search from your phone. Or, if you use a Windows-based PC, you can download the Zune software for Windows to sync apps between your PC and phone.)

Review Horizon Analytics

Price: $2

Review Horizon Analytics is a simple viewer for Google Analytics reports that enables you to get information about your site's Web traffic while you're on the go. You can view daily visits, hourly traffic, unique visitors, average pages per visit, average time on site, bounce rate, and more. It has a clean layout, and you can instruct it to track as many Websites as you want.

GoVoice

Price: $3

If you use Google Voice or have been itching to try it, the GoVoice app will be money well spent. It offers a simple interface for listening to Google Voice voicemail, reading and replying to text messages, and managing your account. Is it as full-featured as Google's apps for Android and iOS? Not nearly, but it gives you at least some of the functions. You can set it up for push notifications of new voicemail and text messages, which is nice.

Google Search

Free

So, I guess there's some other little search engine that isn't Bing. It's called Google. Ever heard of it? Me neither. I kid. I don't want to dive into the "Which is better, Bing or Google" debate, but I will say this: It's nice to have options. This app gives you Google as an option. It doesn't offer much beyond location-aware searches (which is still plenty, if you ask me), but it's worth having on your phone.

Virtual Remote Presenter

Price: $3

Use your shiny new Windows Phone 7 handset as a remote control for your PowerPoint presentations. This app has a nice interface, and includes easy-to-read thumbnails of your slides and an on-screen timer to keep you on pace. The app requires that you install the Virtual Remote Desktop.

Adobe Reader

Free

This one is a no-brainer. If you ever need to view PDF files (and who doesn't?), get this app. It allows for easy opening of PDFs from e-mail attachments, Websites, or your device storage. It supports a wide array of PDF types and multitouch controls, and it allows you to view items in portrait or landscape. You won't find an easier or cleaner way to view PDFs.

Upvise Pro

Free

Upvise Pro is a cloud suite designed for small to medium-size businesses. It allows for mobile and Web collaboration with shared projects, contacts, sales, quotes, invoices, and more. It's compatible with almost all mobile and desktop operating systems, which makes it a decent option for a diverse ecosystem of devices.

My Trips

Price: $2

If you use TripIt and Windows Phone 7, you need to pony up the two bucks and buy this app. It's as simple as that. My Trips integrates nicely with TripIt, showing you your flights, check-in links, hotels, taxis, and just about everything else you need to know. Note: You will need a TripIt account to make use of this app.

Send To Windows Phone 7

Free

Say you're looking up something on your desktop and you want to send the information quickly to your phone. With Send To Windows Phone 7, you can do so with a click of a button. The app is compatible with Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera, and Chrome browsers. It's great for sending yourself addresses, sites, maps, phone numbers, or even bits of text.

Kayak

Free

Kayak.com is a travel search engine that aggregates information from hundreds of other sites to get you the best deals on flights, car rentals, hotels, and stuff like that. This app is, essentially, Kayak.com optimized for Windows Phone 7. I have found that Kayak.com consistently gets me better deals than Orbitz or Travelocity do, and having access to such info while you're on the go can be extremely useful.

WinMilk Task Manager

Free

WinMilk is a to-do list app and task manager that syncs with the popular Remember the Milk service. It lets you view and sort your tasks by date, list, and tag. You can add and edit tasks directly from the app, and it's nicely laid out. It requires an RTM account, but it can be a real lifesaver.

Next…

10 Free, Useful Windows Phone 7 Apps

If you switched to Windows Phone 7 and think you’ll immediately be able to get every app that your Android and iPhone friends have, you'll be disappointed. Have patience--these things take time. But while you’re looking at apps, check out these related stories.

12 Must-Have Android Apps for Road Warriors

15 BlackBerry Apps for Newbies

22 iPhone Apps You Need

10 Cool LinkedIn Apps to Boost Your Profile