As smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices become more prominent, so do the apps that make them so useful. Thousands of apps are free or very inexpensive and provide users with great utility, but there are some apps that cost more and yet are still great values considering what they do. The Street takes a look at eight apps that cost more, but are worth the price. A few apps in the review include Ignition ($99.99), which allows users to control their laptops from home; Navigon USA ($49.99), that turns users’ iPad into a fully functioning navigation system; and iDispatcher Pro ($34.99) lets users organize all aspects of a business, from tracking service calls to managing invoices. For more on this continue reading the following article from TheStreet.
We don’t need to reiterate how the Apple iPad has revolutionized our daily lives — the device is poised to replace common household products including the laptop, television, DVD player, digital camera and the traditional newspaper, to name a few. Isn’t it nice to have nearly every electronic device you own combined into one?
To make your iPad even more powerful, though, you’re going to need a few apps. It’s unusual to pay more than a few dollars for each, but what if an app made life so much easier that it was worth shelling out more? We take a look at some of the most costly apps that are worth buying.
Stock Signals
Die-hard traders will especially find this iPad app useful, since it features detailed news and stock charts for each company. According to its page on the iTunes App Store, the app “runs a complex technical trading strategy to generate daily and weekly ‘buy’ and ‘sell’ signals of varying degrees for all U.S. stocks and ETFs.”
The app goes beyond looking at typical stock charts by providing helpful signals to give investors more insight.
Price: $49.99
Navigon USA
Cars with a built-in navigation system cost more, and this Garmin(GRMN) navigation system costs almost $200 if you were planning to add one to the car you already own. The Navigon USA app turns your iPad into a navigation system, complete with turn-by-turn visualizations and detailed traffic information. You can also take it along and use it in another car when someone else is driving.
Price: $49.99
ProCam Plus HD
If you’re going away on a long trip and want to monitor your home from far away, or you own a store and want to see what’s going on during your day off, this is the app that will help you do it.
If you have webcams set up in your home, you can now view each camera feed on your iPad using the ProCam Plus HD app. The app can support however many cameras you have and is able to save the footage onto your home computer.
Price: $19.99
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Ignition
We weren’t kidding when we said earlier that the iPad was replacing the laptop. And if you’re traveling and don’t want to lug a laptop around, you don’t have to. The Ignition app lets you control your laptop or desktop from the iPad using LogMeIn software that will let you open files or documents on your computer … on your iPad.
Once you buy the app there are no further fees.
Price: $99.99
MyChair
While this app is primarily for hair salon owners, it can make the entire experience of getting your hair cut or styled better for you too. The MyChair app lets salon owners manage their business on an iPad: Stylists can book appointments, manage contact info for each customer and enter tips. Another helpful feature of the app lets hair salon owners send “thank-you” emails to customers.
No one likes sitting in a hair salon and waiting, especially if the stylist is running behind. So if salon owners are more organized, there’s a strong chance the whole hair cutting experience will be faster!
Price: $19.99
iDispatcher Pro
Managing a business is tough — there are tons of moving parts. The iDispatcher Pro app aims to help users get organized when it comes to dealing with the minute details of their business.
According to the app’s page on the iTunes App Store, it “lets you build and track service calls, customer service histories, customer lists, equipment lists, parts, and invoices.”
Furthermore, the app does not use the Web — any data you input is held only on the app itself. And once you buy the app, you have access to it for life without additional fees or subscriptions.
If your business deals heavily with invoices, you can email them as a PDF directly from the app, which cuts out the step of having to go back to the office computer and print/scan the signed invoices!
Price: $34.99
Zeptopad Planner Note
When you randomly come up with that million-dollar business idea or invention that could change the world and you don’t have a piece of paper to jot it down on, fear no more. The Zeptopad Planner Note app helps users remember and keep track of their ideas in many ways.
First, you can draw on the screen of the app as if it were a whiteboard to create concept maps, diagrams or simple notes to express your ideas. Why would this be useful? Anything to help showcase your ideas or motivate you to put those concepts into action is worth investing in. After all, your idea may result in a multimillion-dollar business.
Price: $64.99
Omnifocus
In keeping with the theme of getting tasks accomplished, the Omnifocus app can help you organize your to-do lists.
If going to the grocery store is on your list of things to accomplish, the app features an interactive map to show you where the nearest store is. You can also make notes by using the app’s voice and image features.
Price: $39.99
Scott Gamm is the founder of the personal finance Web site HelpSaveMyDollars.com. He has appeared on NBC’s TODAY, MSNBC, CNN, Fox Business Network, Fox News Channel, ABC News and CBS. Follow Scott on Twitter.
This article was republished with permission from TheStreet.
