Mobile offices have changed the way business is done today. For some of us, having a mobile office means carrying a laptop and a mobile phone wherever we may go. Some even bring other gadgets like portable printers, digital cameras and other such devices that make work much easier.

But having so many gadgets with you when you travel can bog you down. Fortunately, through the latest developments in technology today, it has come to a point that it is possible for us to bring only a mobile phone during our travels and still be able to work in our so-called mobile office.

Smartphones can perform a host of functions that laptops and cameras and other gadgets can do, on top of its regular functions as a mobile phone. And when we talk of smartphones, the iPhone is definitely one of the best phones to get a hold of.

The Glory that is the iPhone

The iPhone is certainly not the first smartphone. It is not even the first touch-screen phone ever invented and released to the market. But the great thing about the iPhone is that it is very user-friendly, and there are a host of applications that you can download from the Apple App Store onto your iPhone that can make your life a lot easier. Many of these applications are software that you can use to enhance the way you work in your mobile office.

Here are some of the nifty Iphone applications that you can download on your iPhone that can streamline your mobile office, as well as help you become more productive and efficient with your work.

1. Office applications. Sometimes, you need to work on documents, presentations and spreadsheets even when you are on the go, but lugging a laptop with you all the time can be such a pain. If this is the case with you, you can download the iZoho application on your iPhone.

Zoho is a software suite that is similar to Microsoft Office. It has a word processor, which allows you to create and edit documents. You can view spreadsheets and presentations on Zoho, but unfortunately, you cannot edit them at this point. Having Zoho on your iPhone can be handy if you cannot or do not want to bring your laptop with you.

2. VoIP applications. Granted that the iPhone is still tied with the AT&T phone service in the United States, it means that long distance calls will be very expensive with the iPhone. This will prove to be a problem if you need to make long distance calls to co-workers and clients abroad. Thankfully, there are cheaper alternatives to this arrangement, and one of them is JAJAH.

JAJAH is a VoIP application, but you do not have to have Internet access just to be able to make it work. All you need to do is to install its software on your iPhone. It is free to register with JAJAH, but you still have to pay for your calls. However, the costs are way, way cheaper, and you can access any telephone on any network with JAJAH.

3. Instant messaging. In business, and in anything, there are many different modes of communications available to us. There is email for the more traditionalist ones, and the iPhone can handle that. Because the iPhone is a mobile phone, it can certainly take care of text messaging and actual phone calls.

For instant messaging, you can download software like BeeJive and Meebo. These two applications are IM clients that give you access to your multiple accounts on Yahoo Messenger, MSN, Jabber, AIM and Google Talk. This means you can stay connected and send instant messages even when you are far away from your computer.

The iPhone is truly a nifty phone to have around. It is not a perfect smartphone, but you can surely do a lot of it that will make your work on your mobile office a lot easier.