In January I purchased an iPhone and have spent the last 2 months trying out different apps (mostly free ones) to see how it can assist me in my business. There are relatively few “architecture” specific apps and searching for “architecture, iphone, apps” will get you no where. There are the obvious apps that assist me on a daily basis - Mail, iCal, Contacts, and Calculator - and there are some apps that at first I thought might be useful but never use - the Level app being the most obvious. However, I have found a handful of new apps that have made a nice addition to my workflow.

Omnifocus: For those in the know about GTD and productivity apps, you'll be aware of this one. I've owned the desktop app for some time and bought the iPhone version the same day as my phone. Being able to organize all my projects and “to do” lists and have them in my pocket at all times has become an essential part of my life now.

Files Lite: This is a file reading app that allows me to dump documents and PDFs to view. I put contracts, meeting minutes, drawings, etc in here and always have the ability to double check something without having to haul the drawing set or my laptop everywhere.

Units: This allows me to jump between Metric and Imperial. I was under the assumption when I moved to India that it was Metric country. That's only half true. The Architecture we do is Metric. The Interiors are Imperial. When you're doing both - as we often do - it's a pain in the but. You're either getting a funky 609.6mm or a 24 1/8”. For a guy who likes to think about these details and how everything nicely fits together... well, I get headaches now. Units helps me keep on top of this transition. The app is a little funky, and a pain to use at times, but I still keep coming back to it.

Evernote: This is a note taking app that allows me to file away precedents, interesting materials, or general research on anything I find on the internet and have it at my fingertips (pocket) on the road.

Also having access to the internet and nice phone is a bonus as well. Having a little computer in your pocket seems like an inevitability in some ways and now that I have it, I'm not letting go.

Published by Brook Louis Meier in office