Smart phones in general and the iPhone in particular have made life away from the office much easier. The main reason for this is the introduction of Apps. Thanks to this little invention we now have maps, navigation and encyclopaedias available all the time. To add to this functionality Apps have developed into useful tools that are written to take care of specialist functions or applications tailored to a particular field of expertise.

Design professionals, such as architects and structural engineers reflect a professional group whose office is often taken out onto the road with them. Whether meeting clients or visiting sites, thanks to the development of various Apps today's professional now a useful selection of tools at their disposal at all times.

We take a look some of the best free iPhone Apps presently available.

Globe Convert

Quick and precise conversion of units (from imperial to metric for example) is an essential part of a design professional's work. Designed and produced by Ivan Karpan, Globe Convert is as useful in the office as on the move with hundreds of conversion possibilities covered. Available types of conversion include area, speed, distance, power, temperature and pressure. This is an essential App and useful for anyone, not just the professional designer.

Design Observer

The Design Observer App allows you to review a mobile version of the designobserver.com website. The mobile optimised version of the architectural design website is tailored specifically for mobile devices where page widths are shown correctly and pictures don't take over the viewable space. This leads to a perfectly readable website whilst on the move.

Drawvis

Produced by DOT Systems, Drawvis allows AutoCAD's (the software package most used to produce detailed drawings) DXF format files to be viewed on your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad. However, this is more than just a viewer as the software allows sticky notes to be applied to the drawings to either act as a reminder or as a comment made by or intended for another observer. The current version 1.3 also allows voice, image and video notes to be left.

ColorSnap

Colorsnap from Sherwin-Williams allows colour from a photo or physical object to be converted into an actual paint colour. Palettes can be made up from different colours and assigned to a specific project. This is an extremely useful tool that can turn something you see in the street into a part of your next project.

Buildings App

This piece of software from Despark Ltd is a reference guide for buildings throughout the world including those proposed and under construction. It is particularly useful for students as well as those with just a passing interest in architecture. The map-based application contains all of the iconic and important structures from all over the world. Buildings can be searched for by name or location, whilst each entry contains information such as designer, date constructed and size. In addition to being a great reference tool, it is equally as good for bit of casual browsing.

As this article shows, the design professional can still have their essential tools at hand even away from the office. With these free iPhone 4 Apps you will never have to wait to get back to the office to get something done.

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