I find myself using a suite of mobile Google applications on my Nokia 6620 phone more and more these days. In fact, last night the Google Maps Mobile helped me get around San Francisco in a pinch.

The mobile version of Google Maps is a better alternative to a paper map in my opinion. No need to fold my phone up and over to find a spot. Just type in an address and you can zoom to see the streets in the area. So what’s social about this tool? If you’re heading to a social media event and need to find the location then it becomes a very social tool!

Mobile Gmail works really well on my phone too. A few months ago my carrier’s (Cingular) email service stopped working. Not sure why, but since I wasn’t paying extra for it they weren’t responsible to keep it going I guess. Enter the new mobile Gmail app. The thing is fast and it works very well with my Gmail account. What’s social about it? This tool allows me to monitor blog comments and even approve them when I’m on the go.

The mobile interface for Google Reader rocks! I like the idea of having my feeds set up in a hub and spoke model where the hub is on the web and the spokes are my cell phone and laptop. Google Reader has enabled the cell phone spoke. More and more I find myself checking up on my RSS feeds via my phone. Now that’s social!

There are a pair of caveats to mention when it comes to getting the most out of these tools. First, your phone needs to support Java apps. Second, you need to be on a data access plan with good coverage. Cingular has great GSM data coverage, at least they do in the places I frequent. I also happen to be on an unlimited phone data access plan that has now since been eliminated for new users. So you have to consider potential data access charges.

So if you’ve got the right phone, coverage and data plan you can really take advantage of these free tools that turn your phone into a powerhouse tool for managing your social media endeavors.

[tags]Social Media, Google, Google Mobile, Gmail, Google Maps, Google Reader, Nokia, Cingular, Cell Phone, GSM[/tags]