Mobile Business Apps
Project Management
Zoho Projects Mobile App Now on iPhone, CRM Apps Available on Android
By now, you’ve probably heard about Zoho’s newest addition to their iOS mobile app offerings–the Zoho Projects mobile app. The company unveiled it last week in San Francisco at the Zoholics user conference, in addition to new Android apps for their Zoho CRM and Zoho Docs services. Just like their other offerings, the Zoho Projects mobile app requires that you be subscribed to the Zoho Projects service and pay a monthly fee ($3 in this case) in order to access the app.
It’s great that Zoho is showing more support for Android users, which is no doubt due to Zoho’s close collaboration with Google Apps. Even though it seems like iPhone users still outnumber Android users, Google’s mobile platform has quickly caught up with and surpassed Apple. So, more and more software vendors are going to have to think about providing services that cover their entire customer base instead of just focusing on the iOS market.
In any case, the Zoho Projects mobile app seems pretty slick based on looks. They put lot more effort into the UI, as opposed to the other Zoho mobile apps that just look like mobile web-optimized apps. It provides access to Activities, Tracking, and Time Sheets, but not a whole lot else, apparently. If you’re only subscribed to their Express plan, the Zoho Projects mobile app as it is will probably be enough for you, but it leaves out the majority of the other Zoho Projects features available to Premium and Enterprise users.
This isn’t Zoho’s first foray into mobile apps, but the user response for those apps doesn’t really bode well for Zoho’s newest iOS offering. Zoho Docs is a read-only mobile app that apparently crashes frequently according to reviewers; Zoho Invoice has generally good reviews both in the Android and iPhone app stores, but some disgruntlement over the lack of updates and bug fixes; and the main Zoho CRM mobile app doesn’t seem to sync contacts correctly or provide much functionality beyond contact look-up. Considering the fact that the Zoho Projects mobile app actually looks like a native iOS app, it seems like an indication that they’re trying harder to deliver a superior user experience.
The Zoho Projects mobile app doesn’t have any reviews in the Apple App Store yet, so we’ll see how this newest addition stacks up in the months to come. Considering the fact that Zoho is charging for use of the mobile in addition to existing service subscriptions, they really need to step up their game when it comes to functionality, bug fixes, updates, etc. Mobile users have come to expect much more from their mobile apps than a prettied up mobile-web version, and they won’t be afraid to voice their discontent if the service doesn’t deliver.
Looking for additional information on Zoho Projects and other mobile business apps? Browse all business applications designed for mobility using the Business-Software.com software product directory.
Amanda Andonian
Expert in Mobile, CMS, and Social Media
