The iPhone's Best Business Tools

One of the best new features of Apple's(AAPL Quote) new iPhone 3G -- and any original iPhone that has been upgraded with iPhone 2.0 software -- is the App Store.

What Apple has done for the iPhone is brilliant. It has created a marketplace for mini-programs that turn the phone into a gaming machine (Scrabble, Texas Hold'em, etc. -- and you have to see how Super Monkey Ball utilizes the gyroscopic feature of the iPhone for this addictive game) a book reader (visual and also audio books), a constantly updated information center (Weather Bug), music device, travel assistant and business tool.

I could go on for days, but you have to see it for yourself to get the full breadth and scope of what is available. But, for readers of TheStreet.com, we're concentrating on some of the first business and finance programs available in the App Store.

Make Your iPhone the Ultimate Business Tool

Many of these little applets are free. There are nominal charges ($1-$10) for others. I even found one, called MyAccountsToGo -- SAP(SAP Quote) BusinessOne, which is selling for $449.99. If you need full, direct access to a SAP BusinessOne accounting system on your iPhone, I'm guessing $450 (or nearly two-and-a-half times the price of the phone) is not too much to pay. For the record, there is also a free version that lets you see what the full program looks like. Of course, the free version can't be updated from your corporate office.

At the other end of the spectrum, there is a set Calculators (in addition to the upgraded one on the iPhone 3G) that sells for 99 cents, and the nifty (CheckPlease, Tip Calc (both free), Gratuity (99 cents), Tipper (99 cents) and BigTipper ($1.99) which help figure restaurant gratuities.