Process servers and smartphones are a match made in heaven. Smartphones allow the on-the-move server to communicate, conduct research and take care of many other smaller duties that pop up at any given time. Along with the communications benefits of smartphones, you can choose from millions of smartphone applications (apps) that can help you accomplish goals ranging from finding the cheapest gas near you to plotting your daily routes. 

With the sheer number of apps out there, it can be time-consuming to browse through them all to find the ones that will be useful to you. To spare you time, ServeNow searched the web for smartphone apps that might be useful when you’re on the job, but we didn't include apps specific to process serving. We chose the apps on our list based on user reviews, suggestions from professional process servers, and sometimes even just a hunch that they could make your life easier. 

Try them out and let us know how they work for you, and if you have suggestions for other apps, you can post them on our Facebook page. Here's the list.

Social Media 

• Twitter  (iPhone|Android|Blackberry) - The easiest way to stay updated on the people you are following.
  Price: Free
• Facebook (iPhone|Android|BlackBerry) - The person you're trying to serve isn't where you thought they would be?  Check their status!
  Price: Free
• LinkedIn (iPhone|Android|BlackBerry) - You can keep up with the latest group discussions from anywhere.
  Price: Free

Weather

• Weather+ (iPhone)- Be completely prepared with three-hour forecasts,humidityreadings, and visibility details for multiple cities.     
  Price: $0.99
• The Weather Channel (Android) - Don't trust the weatherman?  Follow the animated radar, detailed forecasts, severe weather forecasts and voice search to keep yourself informed.
  Price: Free
• WeatherBug (BlackBerry) - Stay updated on your local forecast, severe weather alerts, and radar, with live camera views to back it up.
  Price: Free

GPS

• GPS by Telenav (iPhone)- Turn-by-turn
  navigation,3D maps, real-time traffic, and cheap gas and restaurant searches will simplify travel. Price: Free
• Sygic GPS Navigation (Android) -  Have a second subpoena to serve?  Follow your saved routes, turn-by-turn navigation, and real-time traffic updates for an efficient trip.
  Price: Free
• Telenor Navigation (BlackBerry) - Search for locations, use turn-by-turn navigation to get there, and share your location with friends.
  Price: Free
• GPS Logbook (iPhone) - Track and record your movement for future reference.
  Price: $1.99
• GPS Tracking(Android) - Record and track your routes forfuture reference.
  Price: Free
• GPSLogger (BlackBerry) - Record all movement of yourphone over time.
  Price: Free

Gas

• GasBuddy (iPhone|Android|Blackberry) - If there is cheap gas to be found, GasBuddy will find it for you.
  Price: Free

Coffee

• Beanhunter (iPhone) - It's been a long day, and you need caffeine!  Find cafes near you, write reviews, and upload photos.
  Price: Free
• Coffee Shop Finder (Android) - Search for nearby coffee shops by location and register your favorite spots for when you need an energy boost.
  Price: Free

Food

• Fast Foods (iPhone) - Search for restaurants, ratings, and deals (don't worry, you can ignore the nutritional information section).Price: Free
• Foodspotting (Android) - Not interested in a list of restaurants and reviews to read?  Search for food visually, follow your friends' recommendations, and upload your own photos.
  Price: Free
• Fast Food Finder (BlackBerry) - Sometimes, you just need a cheeseburger.  This has maps, listings, and directions to nearby chains.
  Price: Free

Bathroom Breaks

• CLOO’- This one won’t be released until early 2012, but we couldn’t leave it off thelist. With CLOO’, quickly locate the nearest private bathroom and pay the owner a minimal fee. Hey,when you have to go, you have to go!
  Price: 'The cost of a latte'

Web Search

• Google Search (iPhone|Android) - Search the internet from your mobile device.
  Price: Free
• Google Quick Search (BlackBerry) - Search the internet . . . quickly.
  Price: Free

Reference Directories

• White and Yellow Pages (iPhone|Android)- Search for listed names, numbers,addresses,and businesses.  Easyskip tracing.
  Price: Free 
• White Pages Mobile (BlackBerry) - Search for listed names, numbers, and addresses.
  Price: $6.99
• Yellowpages.com (BlackBerry) - Searchbusiness listings.
  Price: Free

Wi-Fi Finder

• Wi-Fi Finder (iPhone) - Find the wi-fi hotspots closest to you.
  Price: Free
• WiFinder (Android) - Find wi-fi hotspots nearby.
  Price: Free

Recording

• Socialcam Video Camera (iPhone|Android) - Record unlimited video and share to computer, friends, and web.
  Price: Free
• Voice Recorder (Android) - Record interviews, create memos, export files, and search archives by date or title.
  Price: Free
• Recorder (iPhone) - Create voice memos, record phone calls, and export your files.
  Price: $0.99

Reports

• CamScanner+ (iPhone)- This app looks pretty cool.  Use your phone to scan your documents, convert them to PDF files, and export them.
  Price: $4.99
• Droid Scan Pro PDF (Android) - Don't have an iPhone?  That's okay, youcan scan documents and convert them to
• exportablePDF files on a Droid too.
  Price: $4.99
• HoursTracker Lite (iPhone) - Go paperless!  Track your time, assign a pay rate, set up pay period details and export your reports.
  Price: Free
• TimeClock (Android) - Track your billable hours and generate spreadsheets.
  Price: $3.99
• Expensify (iPhone|Android) - Log expenses, scanreceipts, create PDF expense reports, and analyze data.
  Price: Free
• Dropbox (iPhone|Android|BlackBerry) - Take your documents, photos, and videos with you wherever you go.  Anything you save in the dropbox also gets saved on your computer and other devices.
  Price: Free
• Evernote (iPhone|Android) - Take and save photos,record audio, save web pages, takenotes, and share with other people and devices.
  Price: Free
• iTeleport (iPhone) - Access your computer and its filesremotely.
  Price: $24.99

Other Useful Apps

• Square (iPhone|Android) - Accept credit cards on your mobile device, track sales, and send receipts via email. (Submitted by Jacqueline Waddington-Alger)
  Price: 2.75% of each transaction
• Jibbigo for (iPhone|Android) - Can't speak Japanese?  No problem.  Tell you're phone whatyou want to say and it says it for you.  It's a speech-to-speech app with many different languagecombinations. (Submitted by Ron Rugen)
  Price: $4.99
• SpyCams (iPhone|Android) - View the world from real-time cameras.  We're not really sure how this works, but from the screen shots,it could get interesting.
  Price: Free
• Nightcamera (iPhone) - Need a lighting boost?  This app increases quality of dimly lit images.
• Price: $3.99
• Night Vision (iPhone) - Okay, so it's not real night vision, but it does improve the display by adjusting the brightness and contrast.
  Price: $1.99

Other Suggestions from Process Servers

• Tom Tom U.S.A. (iPhone) - Turn-by-turn navigation, maps, and search. (Submitted by Ed Ochoa)Price: $49.99
  
• AAA Triptik for (iPhone|Android) - Maps, directions, gas prices, AAA hotels. (Submitted by Ron Rugen)
  Price: Free
  
• Hulu Plus for (iPhone|Android) - Watch TV shows and movies. (Submitted by Ron Rugen)
  Price: Free (Hulu Plus subscription required)
  

• Maps (iPhone) - Pinpoint your location and search nearby places. (Submitted by Kate Leach)
  
  Price: Free

Bonus App

• Breezy (iPhone) - No more kicking the fax machine!  With this app you can print or fax documents directly from your phone.
  Price: Free (requires credits to send faxes)
  

We hope that some of these apps come in handy and look forward to finding out which other ones you use on the job!

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