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The technology has made life so much easier that we forget how it used to be. A child of the new millennium has no idea how to work a rotary-dial phone, and the thought of not having a cell phone can feel like the ultimate peer pressure overload to a teenager. So as a trip down memory lane, here are six formerly paper items that have been turned digital.

1. Photographs

Remember photographs that were printed with a special dark room process on photographic paper? They gave us something to remember things, people and events by and they were kept in photo albums that had to be stored somewhere. If a person collected a lot of pictures, they would have uncivilized amounts of photographs taking up room in boxes or big, bulky albums that gathered dust. Thousands of photos can be stored on something smaller than a stick of chewing gum, now; it‘s amazing.

2. Contracts

Every company who’s anybody has contracts to deal with. The contracts are between the company and it’s clients, or the company and it’s creditors, or even between the building owner and the company who rents the place. There are as many kinds of contracts as there are businesses, and firms like Echosign are providing electronic signatures to verify that everything is legal and recorded.

3. TV Guide

Many still use the paper hard copy of TV schedules, but more and more of the big TV-makers are programming the sets to display the schedule to be seen on-screen. No need for the paper version.

4. Books and Magazines

Books and magazines now come on electronic devices that can hold hundreds or thousands of books. The Nook, Kindle and iPad are taking the reading world by storm–iPads are being used in schools now–leaving storage and durability problems in the past. Buying e-books take place in a digital market instead of requiring a trip to the bookstore, and the book downloads onto the device, ready to read. They’re paid for with online transactions involving plastic cards or digital signatures, and not cash.

5. Statements and Bills

Bank statements and cell phone bills can be accessed online; in fact, some companies give discounts to paperless customers.

6. Employment Applications

Job hunting is now a paperless application done by computer, requiring emailing a digital resume–saving time, money and trees. For a potential employer, the online application has given large chunks of time back, being able to weed out definite no-hires without having to interview them all to find out they’re definite no-hires. Potential employees can send out many applications a day online, rather than have to pound the pavement going to one place at a time. It’s a known fact that more people find jobs at home in their pajamas these days.
It’s a growing list of things that are turning digital, and it grows exponentially by the day. Do you have any to add?

Since their inception, smartphones have become one of the most widely-used devices in offices. They allow employees to work and be mobile at the same time. Not only do they help users stay connected, they are invaluable for completing tasks with their array of powerful mobile apps.

With the right apps your smartphone can become your office. So here are seven mobile apps that you should be sure to arm your office with.
 
1. Insight
 
Project management is one of the most important operations of any office, especially when employees make frequent business trips. The Insight app allows project team members to easily track their progress as well as coordinate tasks. With active boards for postings or comments and email capability, this app also helps members communicate. 
 
2. Metrofax
 
Receiving faxes from only one location the sole location of the office can hinder the mobility of your company, requiring someone to monitor the fax machine and you to come in just to review them. The Metrofax mobile app gives you the capability to view incoming faxes instantly and keep track of those most important. Now you can respond to faxes from anywhere.
 
3. Salesforce
 
Working with clients no longer has to be a stationary office operation with the Salesforce app. And this app is just as equipped as its Web-based predecessor. Right from your smartphone you can access client account information, follow new sales leads and handle any customer enquiries. 
 
4. Quickoffice
 
Getting work done as you move is a lot easier when you have the Quickoffice Mobile Office Suite app. With Quickoffice you can compose, edit or view documents for popular software like Microsoft Word and Excel. Forget about lugging around your laptop when you have this app. 
 
5. FlightTrack Pro
 
If your office is full of business road warriors, FlightTrack Pro is the app for your company. Worldwide flights are tracked by this app, keeping you posted on any potential delays or gate changes. It can pull up your full itinerary just by simply sending your airline confirmation. This app has access to over 5,000 airports and 1,400 airlines so your office will always travel on time.
 
6. Dropbox
 
Instead of having your office staff constantly sharing files by sending them via email, synchronize them all together with the Dropbox app. It works with all major computer platforms – Mac, Windows and Linux – so everyone can be automatically connected. 
 
7. Contact Hero
 
This mobile app allows you to put contacts from other applications, such as email clients Gmail or Yahoo, all in one place. Contact Hero lets users organize their phonebooks, as well as create a history of all correspondence from calls to texts to emails.
 
With these mobile apps you, and your staff, can almost literally carry the office around on a smartphone. It should be company policy that each employee have them at their disposal. What apps is your office armed with?