It was kind of a fun coincidence that this week’s chat topic of Apps took place directly after the Apple event announcing the new iPad2 and some of the new apps that will be featured on it.  As community managers we generally have a sick fascination with new tech toys, apps, and shiny objects.  Or that might just be me.  Regardless of the type of phone we all use, we all add, try, and delete a number of apps for a variety of reasons.   In the 554 tweets by 87 people there were quite a few amazing suggestions for apps.  See below!

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Q1 What kind of smartphone do you have? and does it matter?

HSirhan: Mostly use iPhone 4 and HTC Desire – it does matter to an extent I think

evanhamilton: G2 (Android). It’s awesome. I think it matters – the interactivity of the apps and the background tasks are essential for me.

blaisegv: I have an iPhone 3GS but switching to an HTC. I’d say depends on role but emails at least a must.

JPedde: It only matters when it comes to #apps & the availability of a lot of them in their stores.

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Q2. Can community management be done WITHOUT a smartphone?

KellyLux: I personally could not manage my life (personal or professional) at this pt, without a smartphone. It’s always by my side.

RachelYeomans: It could but wouldn’t be nearly as effective – I always have my smart phone AND iPad handy no matter what

DanKlamm: Yes, but it’s more difficult. I had a regular phone until last June- tough to live tweet events, take photos, etc.

semantic: Seems like it could, but you’d have to be tethered to a laptop at all times

rhogroupee: Smart phones facilitate faster response, but do they make it harder to take a break? Need to use them “smartly”

evanhamilton: Sure, but for most situations I say no. If you’re not available to deal with a crisis on the go, you’re in trouble.

marcuspowers77: Smartphone = faster response and reaction. But I think it depends on what your community expects and the expectation you create

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Q3) How many apps do you have on your phone? How do you manage them?

sacevero: I have 4 pages of apps on my iPhone. Haha. Folders help keep social media apps for work organized.

rhogroupee: 126 (never counted before, whew!) I do occasional purges..

elysa: Yeah I have a good 300 apps. But I’m crazy about organizing apps. I use @appolicious to manage my library/find new apps

SunnyinSyracuse: I use folders to group apps together like “Going Out” or “Shopping”

marcuspowers77: I only have 12 apps on my iphone but I use all of them regularly. I like to keep it clutter free.I’m distracted enough as it is.

elysa: oh speaking of I did a list of iPad apps I use for CM: http://appo.me/fv0me

qualitylogo: I have 8 pages’ worth of apps on my iPhone, but not every page is filled up b/c I manage them by sorting according to category

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Q4) What are the top 3 apps you can’t live without and WHY!?

pushingvision: Anyone use an app like Pandora Box or App Miner to find what apps are currently on sale?

elysa: @pushingvision I do – FreeAppADay & AppDeals are pretty cool

rhogroupee: My top 5 would be: Kik, Flixter, my GaGaJoyJoy app, Evernote, & Twitter

pushingvision: Mail, InstaGram, Echofon/Hootsuite, Facebook & Camera

amfunderburk1: My top 5 apps: Google Reader, tops news app, Twitter for Android, sticky notes and Facebook

JPedde: KIK has changed my life. Saves me $15 a month in texting!

JPedde: I love Red Laser for iPhone. Always scanning bar codes in stores for cheaper deals.

KellyLux: Hootsuite, Smartr, techDygest Instagram and @BrianSolis (yes, he’s an app)

KellyLux: My password keeper, FB, foursquare, NYTimes & PulseNews, Camera+ are some other favs

sacevero: I made a list of tools on @oneforty I use regularly–we should all compare! http://bit.ly/hXcZ5O

RachelYeomans: Seesmic, Evernote, &Google Maps- Seesmic 4 my Twitter addiction, Evernote for memos & Seesmic synch & Gmaps for not getting lost

gilmoreglobal: Jumping in! Apps: UnberSoc, BlackBerry Maps, Drivesafe.ly, QRcodescanner pro, my camera!

rjburkejr: Twitter, bitesms, and skype

elysa: Top 3 for CM purposes: Evernote (gotta have access to everything), BoxCar (push notices on tw/FB), Yammer (we use @bizzy a lot)

Triplyksis: For CM purposes on my iPad… Tap11 (iPhone app – social media), Dropbox (file syncing), FeeddlerRSS (Feed reader)

SunnyinSyracuse: Apps I can’t live without: mail, red laser, tipulator, @instagram, pandora, maps..oh wait, you only wanted 3

KellyLux: Forgot about Instapaper, Bizzy, hipmunk & Vogue Stylist.

CallFireMktg: I can’t live without Words with Friends. It’s not for work or anything, but it’s all I ever do anymore

pushingvision: Have you seen Fooducate? You scan a barcode and it rates the nutritional value and offers alternatives.

maggielmcg: Super late to the chat–apps I use every day: toodledo, Audible (addicted to audiobooks), Twitter

sarahkayhoffman: My dear @swonderlin suggested: @plancast @hashable @groupme @gowalla I’m so excited for @Bump, too!

KellyLux: I use Smartr to find good content for twitter, same for TechDygest…it cuts out all the junk & just leaves the links.

7Huck: Recent app I found pretty helpful was @ZocDoc, book appts instantly!

7Huck: There is an app for ordering movie concessions right from your seat – @munchlymobile. Putting it out there

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Thanks to all who participated! If you would like to see the entire transcript, please click here. Make sure to come back to #cmgrchat every Wednesday from 2-3pm EST for more chats!

If you have any ideas or suggestions for future topics, leave comments or get in touch with either Jenn or Kelly!