To wrap up our series on mobile technology, we thought we’d talk about some great mobile apps already out there, available for you to download. Our Far Reach team members have quite a few favorite apps they use to stay on top of work, travel, and life in general. As you can imagine, few places on earth are geekier (and you know that’s a good thing, right?) than an office full of developers.
Here’s how the Far Reach crew responded to the question, “Which apps help you get more done?”
Jason (aka the Big Kahuna) uses quite a few apps to keep him on track. He shared three of his favorites:
Cube Time & Expense Tracker Pro helps you quickly record the time you spend working on project-related tasks. Jason commented, “I really like the timer functionality that is provided – simply start the timer when you begin working on a task and when finished, stop the timer and the time is automatically recorded. One other nice feature is the ability to flag time as billable or non-billable.” Available for iPad, iPhone, and Android
Action Method is a great app for managing tasks and increasing productivity. With this app you can quickly add tasks, organize them by project, assign due dates, and delegate to others. “One of my favorite features, the “Focus List,” allows me to tag tasks that I need to focus on today and it won’t let me tag more than 5 tasks at a time,” Jason says. “It must be that I lose focus after 5 tasks. This is a great tool to help me have a bias towards action.“ Available for iPad, iPhone, and Android
FLUD is a personal newsreader. You can add the feeds from your favorite news sites and blogs and FLUD will aggregate for you. One great feature is the ability to connect with your Google Reader account. Content can easily be shared using Twitter, Facebook, or Email. Jason promises, “The user interface is amazing…it has to be seen to be believed.” Available for iPad, iPhone, and currently in beta for Android
Chris, our very own WP7 devotee and a guy who seemingly never runs out of steam, shared two apps that keep him going:
Basecamp is an online project management system that uses message boards to share document files and easily communicate with team members and clients. Basecamp allows you to assign project tasks, lists, and milestones and can sync with Google Calendar, Outlook, and iCal. While Basecamp has a mobile site that allows you to access the most important features on the go, a number of related mobile apps are also available. Chris uses Envision on his Windows phone to work in Basecamp and there are a number of other apps in alternate platforms that allow you to do the same thing. Envision is available for WP7. Similar Basecamp apps are available via app markets for additional mobile platforms.
Dropbox’s online service helps you keep your important files accessible and in sync no matter where you happen to be working. Dropbox is accessible via your desktop machine or on mobile devices. Chris and several other Far Reach Team members use this app, which only takes a few minutes to set up and is free of charge if you store less than 2G of data. Larger plans are available as well. Available for iPad, iPhone, Android, and Blackberry
As the woman who does a little bit of everything around our office, (or as we like to say, the person who does the stuff no one else wants to) Kate keeps her wide array of tasks and projects in line with the help of these apps:
Evernote lets you keep track of virtually anything, wherever you might be. This combination software/Web-based service can store text, photos and voice recordings and is automatically synced across your computer, smartphone or electronic tablet. Mobile apps for this service are offered on nearly every mobile platform. You can gather information from the Web, email, and peripherals. The best part is you can organize it all with annotations and tags, making your information incredibly easy to find. This is a great resource for writers and researchers or busy people who manage multiple projects. Available for iPad, iPhone, Android, Android tablet, WP7, Blackberry, Palm Pre/Pixi
TripIt offers a simple way to organize your travel by giving you access to all of your travel plans on your phone, tablet, calendar, or online. You simply forward your travel confirmations to your Tripit email account and Tripit creates a “smartinerary” that offers driving directions, maps, and sharing capabilities. Available for iPad, iPhone, Android, and Blackberry
Jen, one of our newest team members and a mom with a lot to juggle, initially confessed that her favorite productivity apps are games–“The kids play, I get stuff done.” But, she does have a couple of go-to’s for herself:
ASAP Lists allows you to create, archive, and retrieve all of those lists you need to make—shopping, packing, etc. You can enter lists by text or voice. You can also archive or retrieve entire categories or individual items on your lists. ASAP Lists allows you to share a text version of your list with friends and co-workers. Available for Android
Dwolla is an online service that lets you pay cash for goods and services offered by participating businesses or send/receive money to/from individuals without extra fees. Dwolla offers a mobile app for several platforms, which allows you to use your smartphone to manage Dwolla transactions on the go. Available for iPhone, Android, WP7
Todd is out and about on projects quite a bit but is never without an Internet connection, thanks to his favorite mobile app:
PdaNet lets you use your smartphone’s high-speed data connection to access the Internet on your laptop when you find yourself without wifi. Some mobile providers aren’t fond of this practice—“tethering”–so this recommendation comes with the caveat that you familiarize yourself with your provider’s policies before you tether up. Available for iPhone (if you’re willing to jailbreak), Android, PalmOS, Blackberry, Windows Mobile
And, last but not least, James, like Jen, not only uses his phone for work, but also to keep the youngest members of his family occupied now and then. His favorite app keeps all of his mobile files and apps organized and backed-up, just in case.
ASTRO File Manager lets you manage files on your phone without connecting to your computer, including copy, paste, move, delete, open with other apps, create folders, etc. You can also select multiple files to perform actions and search. Astro offers the ability to backup the installer files (APK) to SD card so you can free up low internal phone memory without rooting the phone. If you want to reuse the app, you just reinstall if from backup. James also noted, “Astro is handy if an app you like disappears from the Market. Just last night a favorite game of my daughter’s was disabled in the most recent Market update. I was able to easily reinstall it from backup.” Available for Android
What mobile apps are you using to stay organized and connected wherever you go? Have you tried any of the apps we suggested? We hope you’ll feel compelled to share your own recommendations and reviews.