A few weeks back I was talking to a tech friend of mine who really enjoys reading my blog. He was politely pressing me for the next subject for which I would scribe and which musical influence would be appropriately paired with it. I laughed at the comparison between my storytelling and a meal that deserves the compliment of a fine wine. Or maybe he meant the music make the blog taste better. I'll need to think on that one. So, I told him I had a few ideas that I was kicking around to which he said, "Good! Because last year around this time you took the easy way out with an updated list of the apps you use. It was useful and all, but it wasn't entertaining." Jeez. Backhanded compliment? I think so. Kinda like saying "hey, I don't care what your wife says, you are a lot smarter than you look." Or "it will feel better when it stops hurting!" Ok, so I went back and looked. Sure enough there is some truth (albeit a tiny bit) to his comment. Yet I had already decided to update that list in this blog post. Well then, let's have some fun with it, shall we? My mind is a raging torrent, flooded with rivulets of thought, cascading into waterfall of creative alternatives -- Hedley Lamarr - Blazing Saddles(released 40 years ago this month)
This week marks the release of Jackson Browne's 20th album. His musical career has spanned my entire life and has produced some of my favorite songs. Who doesn't love Running On Empty? Most people don't know that his most well-known song wasn't actually made famous by him. In 1971, Jackson began writing a song but was having trouble getting it finished. So he played it for his neighbor who, like Jackson, was an up and coming musician. Anyway, Jackson's neighbor kept on him to finish the song but he couldn't get it done. So the neighbor asked Jackson to give him the song and he would finish it. After refusing a bunch of times, Jackson finally caved and turned it over, saying the whole thing was just a ridiculous waste of time. What happened next is a bit of musical magic. See his neighbor took the unfinished song, wrote the second verse, and recorded it with his band. In 1972, the song was released on the band's first album and became not only one of its signature songs, it is perhaps one of the best road trip songs of all time...right up there with Running On Empty. The neighbor was none other than Glen Frey. And that new band? That would be The Eagles which, until their first (self titled) album was released, were merely the backup band for Linda Ronstadt. And the song: Take It Easy. Yup, you read that correctly.
In 2004, Jackson was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Shortly afterwards, he embarked on what he called his Solo Acoustic Tour. A tour that was him, his acoustic guitar and a piano. Actually, it should be his acoustic guitars. Jackson has a lot of them. I was so moved by the acoustic arrangements of his songs that I saw him three times within a two year period. You can image how thrilled I was to see him release the tour on two albums. So click here, kick your feet up on the coffee table and enjoy. This one is sure to make it into your playlist in a matter of minutes.
Never Stop
When it
comes to devices, there are usually four basic types of users. First is the
collector (aka pack rat). Collectors usually reveal themselves first in trivial
dialog. They are known for stating "I have an app for that" instead
of "there is an app for that." A quick glance at their electronic
weapon of choice will quickly confirm they are in fact a collector. That's because they have an app for that; in more succinct terms it would
seem they have installed nearly every app available.
And just to make sure the apps don't feel lonely, add in every picture taken
across every device…ever. Yup, all 15,000 of them. Needless to say, that tiny
squealing you here coming from the device is not a defective speaker. No, it’s
the cry of an overloaded device. It is
bloated, slow to respond, and pretty much maxed out on an ongoing basis. A
self-described perpetual "tester," a collector will remark that they
need to remove "a few things" from their device and will do
so…eventually.
Next you have the evangelist (aka the Kool Aide drinker). I call them e-ciples. Anyway, they took the red pill and not only went down the rabbit hole, they swim laps in the pool at the bottom. If you proudly display a car window sticker in the shape of a robot or piece of fruit, you might be an evangelist. If you believe that the Apple store is hallowed ground and that your purchases there somehow constitute a sacrifice being made to the technology gods, you might be an evangelist. If you have a stuff toy and/or bobble head of Lloyd (that is the name of the Android android), you might be an evangelist. If you've named something, including children, after the working name of an operating system (ie Leopard, Cheetah, Froyo, Gingerbread etc), you might be an evangelist. Actually, if the latter is true, there is no doubt about it. To an evangelist, the good is always great and the bad is...well...not talked about except under competitive circumstances. They champion their platform to anyone, anytime, all the time, with no ambiguity or quarter given to any other one. Think of a caffeinated cheerleader in a grown-up's body, dropping ping pong balls in front of a box fan that is pointed right at you. Now you get the idea.
Somebody's Baby
Next you
have what I call the purest. In the wild, they are sometimes
called "natives" as a group reference or by the more entertaining adjective of "going commando" in recognition of the way they use their devices. Minimalists by nature, a purest is all
about performance and applications that are absolutely necessary. A quick
conversations with a purist, especially about his devices, will no doubt
include a few strange sounding terms such as rooting, jail breaking, and ROMs;
all of which refer to the process of stripping every vestige of a phone's unique features (known to them as bloatware) and returning the device back to
its crap-free form. The purest's device will rarely contain any antivirus
software. They will tell you those pieces of software just slow them down.
Besides, viruses and malware are beneath them; something that plagues the weak
and careless user. After all, a purist would never fall for the "banana in the tailpipe trick" right? Just like a Mac can't get infected and The Eagles will get back together when hell freezes over. Brrrrrrr. Purest are known to be easily offended, especially if someone mistakenly refers to them as a "knuckle dragger." Never do that. See, when confronted with this moniker, a purest will seize the opportunity to school you in an aloof yet somewhat elitist way. The dialog will begin with something like "You silly, uneducated imp, a purest is all about keeping their devices as clean as possible. I have made the choice to keep it free of everything I don't need. I am the king of all that I survey...on my device. A knuckle dragger makes a different choice; they chose the "no app" route; as in "no apps will run on my old school flip phone."
For Everyman
Lastly, we have the conformist (aka average
person). Motivated by either want or need, this group is usually one generation, perhaps two behind the latest available devices. And that is perfectly fine with them. With the exception of an Otter Box or some other colorful case, the conformist pretty much leaves their device the way it came into the world. Want to make them uncomfortable, put them in a smart phone store. To them, this is a cage where they are helpless prey, hoping the predator (in this case the carrier) doesn't smell fear and will allow them to leave with limbs still intact. Next time you are in a Verizon or AT&T store, look around and you will see them. They're the ones wandering aimless around the store in a counter-clockwise circle, looking for the Easy Button (which by the way lives in Office Depot) or will be in softball-ready position waiting to pounce on an unsuspecting greenhorn sales guy. Unfortunately, conformist are easily misguided by those store bound smartphone waiters
solutionist who love to tell those BS tales of the phone that crapped itself due to exhaustion and leaked memory. Jeez,
who knew memory could get tired or drain from a phone? How many people do you think immediately start to pat themselves down, checking for holes, just to make sure you weren't leaking
gigabytes all over the floor? More than a few I assure you. Anyway, conformists don't really know what they don't know. They don't know their mobile device is kind of like
your stomach. Eat a big meal on a Saturday night and that baby gets stretched
way out. The body responds by summoning energy for all points and directing it
to the stomach which, by all accounts, feels like a sleeping bag was just stuffed into it. As a result,
limbs go limp and the head bobbles about as a wave of fatigue sweeps across the
body. Crawling in bed never sounded so good, right? Feeling uncomfortable and
listing to one side, enough momentum is mustered to stand upright and begin
that time-honored tradition of wobble walking across the room and having a seat
in the "oval office." There, it is hoped that this evening's meal can
be…shall we say…dispensed without haste. A short time later (or should I say lighter), things return back
to normal.
Thankfully, the conformist usually has a technical friend (or the 14 year old son of a poker buddy) that can help "flush" their phone and return it back to good health.
Lastly, we have the conformist (aka average
person). Motivated by either want or need, this group is usually one generation, perhaps two behind the latest available devices. And that is perfectly fine with them. With the exception of an Otter Box or some other colorful case, the conformist pretty much leaves their device the way it came into the world. Want to make them uncomfortable, put them in a smart phone store. To them, this is a cage where they are helpless prey, hoping the predator (in this case the carrier) doesn't smell fear and will allow them to leave with limbs still intact. Next time you are in a Verizon or AT&T store, look around and you will see them. They're the ones wandering aimless around the store in a counter-clockwise circle, looking for the Easy Button (which by the way lives in Office Depot) or will be in softball-ready position waiting to pounce on an unsuspecting greenhorn sales guy. Unfortunately, conformist are easily misguided by those store bound smartphone waiters
solutionist who love to tell those BS tales of the phone that crapped itself due to exhaustion and leaked memory. Jeez,
who knew memory could get tired or drain from a phone? How many people do you think immediately start to pat themselves down, checking for holes, just to make sure you weren't leaking
gigabytes all over the floor? More than a few I assure you. Anyway, conformists don't really know what they don't know. They don't know their mobile device is kind of like
your stomach. Eat a big meal on a Saturday night and that baby gets stretched
way out. The body responds by summoning energy for all points and directing it
to the stomach which, by all accounts, feels like a sleeping bag was just stuffed into it. As a result,
limbs go limp and the head bobbles about as a wave of fatigue sweeps across the
body. Crawling in bed never sounded so good, right? Feeling uncomfortable and
listing to one side, enough momentum is mustered to stand upright and begin
that time-honored tradition of wobble walking across the room and having a seat
in the "oval office." There, it is hoped that this evening's meal can
be…shall we say…dispensed without haste. A short time later (or should I say lighter), things return back
to normal. Thankfully, the conformist usually has a technical friend (or the 14 year old son of a poker buddy) that can help "flush" their phone and return it back to good health.
Take It Easy
Curiously,
I fall a bit in between. I am an above average user with strong purest and occasional
collector/evangelist tendencies. I have minimalist habits when it comes to my devices;
they are streamlined, neat, and organized. I am all about performance so I can
often be found closing and killing off those unused background apps that are
slowly robbing my device of speed and resiliency. I am a bit of a collector in
the sense that, due to my profession, I am trying out all different apps and
things pretty much all the time. Yet I am good about cutting loose the ones
that simply don't get used or have no value to me any longer. And while I am
quite pleased with a number of staple apps that I use each day, I am very open
to innovation that comes from new app developers; innovation that would be
compelling enough for one app to replace another one. That is a really nice way
of saying no app is ever 100% safe on any of my devices. And that my friends is
the way it should be. In the app universe, a loss of innovation signals
complacency. And therein lies the beginning of the end, for complacency leads to
stagnation; stagnation leads to irrelevance; irrelevance leads to certain
death.
And with that brief introduction, here is my latest list of apps that have been kicked to the curb, hopped in the car, or still riding along.
Curiously,
I fall a bit in between. I am an above average user with strong purest and occasional
collector/evangelist tendencies. I have minimalist habits when it comes to my devices;
they are streamlined, neat, and organized. I am all about performance so I can
often be found closing and killing off those unused background apps that are
slowly robbing my device of speed and resiliency. I am a bit of a collector in
the sense that, due to my profession, I am trying out all different apps and
things pretty much all the time. Yet I am good about cutting loose the ones
that simply don't get used or have no value to me any longer. And while I am
quite pleased with a number of staple apps that I use each day, I am very open
to innovation that comes from new app developers; innovation that would be
compelling enough for one app to replace another one. That is a really nice way
of saying no app is ever 100% safe on any of my devices. And that my friends is
the way it should be. In the app universe, a loss of innovation signals
complacency. And therein lies the beginning of the end, for complacency leads to
stagnation; stagnation leads to irrelevance; irrelevance leads to certain
death. And with that brief introduction, here is my latest list of apps that have been kicked to the curb, hopped in the car, or still riding along.
What I am digging right now:
Push Bullet
Back last
year, I talked about a great app and Chrome extension called Chrome to Push Bullet. At
first, it was the same idea. Then it was taken to the next level. Right now I
would say it is THE killer app! I can "push" anything to anyone
pretty much any time. For example, I look up an address on my desktop PC. I can
push it right to my phone, or to anyone else for that matter…even if they don't
use Push Bullet! Need to send a picture to someone? No need to attach it to
email or text it over. Push it to someone instead. It happens instantly. Here
is where it gets a bit cooler. Any notification that comes up on my phone can
be mirrored to any of my other devices. So, say you get a call on your phone
and it is in your pocket. A pop-up will leap in front of you on your PC or your
tablet. Same is true of text messages.
There are just too many cool things you can do with this app. Click here and you
will get a better idea. Yea, I've got a little app love fest going on with this
baby. It is awesome.Phone. The concept was simple: the find a website on your PC and can zap it right over to your phone with nothing more than a click of your mouse. No emailing, texting…all that other stuff. I used to use that app every day. Then along came
Safe In Cloud
Zoiper
Zoiper is a VoIP app that runs on my laptop
and my smartphone. No, it isn't like Vonage or one of those other Internet
phone services that you use instead of a traditional phone service. You will
use an app like Zoiper when you have a VoIP service that is used at work. Why
am I mentioning this? Because we all have people in business that we simply
cannot give our cellphone numbers since they seem to not understand boundaries
like…well…weekends, sleeping, family time etc. Yet you still need to converse
with them and you aren't always near your office phone. Same situation when you
are working remote due to a certain situation or condition. This past winter
was particularly rough in Atlanta. A few times, I found myself working
remotely. Ok, no big deal there. However, I needed to make and receive calls.
And, I didn't want to begin circulating my cellphone number to everyone.
Moreover, people already know my office number. Enter Zoiper. I fire up the
Zoiper app on my laptop and it connects to our VoIP phone system via the
Internet. Someone calls my office extension, it rings on my laptop and I can
answer it. Need to place a call, I dial out using Zoiper and the call runs
through my office even though I am a thousand miles away on a hotel's WiFi
network. Here is where it gets more cool: Zoiper will run on my smartphone.
Now, as I travel around, I can make calls to people using my Zoiper on my
smartphone, without giving out (or revealing for that matter) my private
cellphone number. All the calls appear as if they are coming from my office.
Mighty Text
Ok, so
when I tell you about this app, you will likely email me kudos and ask why in
the world you didn't have it sooner. I bet you didn't know it existed. MightyText installs on any device as well as you PC and laptop via Chrome. Once
installed, it allows you to send and receive text messages, on your PC, laptop,
or tablet, as if you were using your cellphone. Take a moment…think about what
I just said. Listen, sometimes my phone is on the charger...at the other end of the house. Sometimes it is a pain to type messages on such as small screen, especially when you're like me and have Flintstone thumbs. Mighty text changed everything
for me. I arrive at work and put down my cellphone. As texts arrive, they pop
right up on my PC screen where I can read and reply to them as if I grabbed my
phone. Same is true of my tablets. It also works right through a browser. Go
grab this app and I will gladly receive your praises.
Headphone SMS
So Headphone SMS does exactly what the name says: it reads your text messages to you when
your headphones are on. I discovered this app back in February when I went
skiing with a set of Outdoor Tech Chips helmet headphones. Notice I said helmet
and not earbuds. When I am active, I can't shut out the world. Call me paranoid
but I still need to hear things going on around me. Anyway, for the first time,
I enjoyed a bit of downhill while listening to some good tunes. And with this
app, I could hear my text messages read to me without grabbing my phone. Same
is true when I am at the gym with my Rockfish Bluetooth Headphones. Yes, the
app knows if you have headphones plugged in or are using wireless ones. Put
another way, since the app works with Bluetooth, you can hear your texts read
to you on any Bluetooth connected device. Headphones, external speakers, and
car stereos. Yes, you can hear your texts while driving. One other thing: the
app is smart enough to sense that you aren't using headphones. So, if you accidentally
leave the app running, those unbelievably inappropriate text messages, you know
the ones that come from your last unmarried friend who is partying like its
1999…at 10:30 in the morning on a Wednesday, will not be read aloud from your phone while you
are meeting with your child's teacher who, upon hearing the message would not
only scold you as if you were her student, but would also declare that her
second grade students make better choices than your friend…even on their worst
days.
UpTo
Ah the
never ending search for the perfect calendar app. I've seen my fair share. For
me, a good calendar app must have a good calendar widget. I like having an
agenda calendar view right on my main screen. If you aren't rockin the calendar
on your main screen, you 're missing out on one of the key differences between
Android and iOS and might as well go back to packing a Day Timer. Anyway,
besides the widget, the big difference between them used to be which one was
prettier to you. Then along came UpTo. A great widget, fresh looking and very
fluid interface, and a new idea which I call calendar layers. So you have your
regular calendar that you use for all of your personal and business things. But
you also want the full schedule for your favorite sports team. Or the IMDB
movie premier calendar. How about the schedule for Game of Thrones or 24. Jeez,
in one calendar that would be a mess wouldn't it. Now imagine you could just
stack them all on top of each other, leaving your main calendar clean and intact.
Here is where it gets cool. Touch your thumb and index finger on any calendar
day and spread your fingers to reveal your other calendars; calendars you've
chosen from UpTo's long list of prepared ones. Now then, want to add the
baseball game from the baseball calendar to your main one? Swipe your finger
and it quickly moves "Up To" your main calendar. I'm hooked on this
calendar app.
Android Device Manager
Just
tonight, my wife lost her tablet. Or should I say, it hid itself without her
knowledge. She checked under the dog, asked the kids, and did a quick perimeter
search. No luck. After a few minutes, she gives up hope and does the
unthinkable: she comes to me. Instead of joining the search, I ask her for her
phone. At that moment, there were no words; just the "you're an
inattentive knuckle-dragger" stare that only a wife can give a husband.
Not familiar with that look? Ok, imagine the look you would get if you say
ordered eggrolls and wonton soup in an Italian restaurant. Yea, that look.
"Really? It's on the charger." I grab her phone, click the Google
Voice Search microphone and say "find my device." Meanwhile, my wife
has resorted to tossing sofa pillows, blankets and cushions as she angrily
searches for the tablet…all while our children and dog look on and wonder what
crazy spirit has possessed the body of their mother. Anyway, Google takes me to
the Android Device Manager website. A completely free service for Android users, her
tablet is listed as one of two devices attached to her Google account. I click
the device and, moments later, Google GPS locates the tablet. Ok, so at least I
know that she didn't leave it outside or at the gym. Next I select
"Ring" and a few seconds later, a loud jingle can be heard in the
den. No, that isn't a children's toy, it’s the tablet. A quick look under the
couch and there's it is. As I raise the tablet above my head in victory, my
family stares at me as if I were a big pink unicorn. I would
love to take credit for having some level of foresight to put said app on the
device knowing this day would happen. The truth is, the Android Device Manager isn't an app
and doesn't require you to install anything on the device. It is just
"there" as part of the Android ecosystem. Let's keep that to
ourselves shall we?
Textra SMS
I know
there are at least a hundred different texting apps out there. I recently
switched over to Textra SMS after Simple Text (made by the same people who
make Mighty Text) started acting flaky with the latest Android update (4.4.3).
This was after I got tired of Handcent being a bit of a hog with its delays,
daily updates, and overabundance of settings and services always popping in my
face. I read others were having the same problem as me. So, I looked around at
what was new and found Textra. The story goes that two guys didn't like many of
the other text apps as their interfaces looked old and were no longer
innovative apps from a form and function perspective. Too many pop up boxes and
settings…all that took away from the efficiency that was supposed to be
texting. Not an incorrect statement when you consider that texting had really
been relegated to being more of a utility app than a pretty one. Anyway, these
guys came up with their own spin on a texting app, combining contact pictures,
color and slide out menus. When all pulled together, you get a fresh and very
finger-friendly texting app that feels polished and easy to use. So if you've grown tired of that run-of-the
mill, boring two-color texting app that comes bundled on your phone, go grab
Textra.
Google
I know
you are well aware of the seemingly limitless power of the great Google machine. I am too. I use Google just about as much as I drink water, which is a
lot coming from an avid water drinker. On a recent fun trip to NYC, I realized
how far it has integrated itself into daily life. Going anywhere in New York
requires three things, and only three things: a subway map, walking shoes, and
a Metro Card. I've traveled here before and, over the years, have had my fair
share of city maps. And I have participated in that time honored tourist
tradition of eye gymnastics. I'm talking about the practice of rapidly moving
your eyes up and down as you attempt to match tall buildings and street signs
with a map that begins as a napkin and explodes into a blanket once opened. The real challenge comes in the testing of your basic Origami skills
to get said map back down to napkin size; something that never seems to quite work. Anyway, on this trip I wanted to see how much I could really rely on Google. I
began with loading all of our reservations and events into my calendar. I
stepped outside the hotel and coined a new phrase: GTO time. No, I am not talking about the old Pontiac sports
car. I embraced my inner geek and let Google Take Over. Google Now pops up and
reminds us that our first event was the newly opened 9/11 Memorial Museum. Here
is where it gets cool. It knew how long it would take to get from midtown
Manhattan down to Wall Street and recommended the subway. Click on the
recommendation and Google Maps opens up with a color coded subway route,
complete with train name and directions to the nearest station relative to our
current position. Once you leave the station and switch to walking, Google
navigation takes over with turn-by-turn directions and a cool 3D map of New
York. No typing in addresses or fiddling around with a browser. Moreover, no
paper map or asking the nearest flat foot for directions. It was all just right
there. From restaurants to shopping, whether walking, cabbing, or riding the
Metro, Google was our guide for the entire trip.
It gets
better. Sitting in a bar with friends, one of which is digging the song being
played yet doesn't know the title. I grab my phone and say, "Ok Google,
what song is playing?" After a moment of listening, the song name and
artist pops up on the screen. No app required. Impressive when you consider the
bar was quite noisy. Next came meeting up with some friends for lunch. We
didn't have definitive time but had a restaurant name. They asked to call them
around 11:30 to get a sense of their timing. I knew we would be immersed in the
museum and would likely need a reminder. "Ok Google, set a reminder for
11:30 to call about lunch." Later
that morning, my phone buzzed in my pocket, complete with a link to my friend's
phone number…a good thing since, as I suspected, we were more focused on the
memorial than the time. "Ok Google, create to do list. As the trip came to
a close, Google reminded us to check in for our return flight. "Ok Google,
set alarm for 6:45am tomorrow" should get us awake in time to make our
flight…and keep us from fooling with the clock in the hotel room which, as many
travelers have experienced, seems to have a mind of its own when it comes to
programming let alone going off on time. Departing the hotel, Google Now showed
us the travel time to the airport, the weather in Atlanta, and the current
traffic conditions, sparing us from delays due to bridge renovation and a
higher cab fare. And get this: upon arriving at LaGuardia Airport, Google Now
throws an airport map in front of you. Impressively intuitive and easy to use,
my travelling has been forever change thanks to the GTO experience. Yours will
no doubt be changed as well. And, as an added bonus from your Uncle Ricky, I
will spare you certain embarrassment by making you appear less like a tourist
thanks to liberating you from your old-school paper map and compass.
Still in use on every device, I use:
Google Chrome
Besides
being the fastest browser, you'll want to use Chrome on all your devices thanks
to its built-in sync system. Here's the deal. Ever grab your phone and run off
to your car only to forget that you needed the info on your webpage…on your PC.
Decision time: dash back into your office and be late to your appointment or
grab your phone and open Chrome. What you say? Open Chrome on your phone. That
will show me my desktop? Yup. Open Chrome and choose "other devices."
In a moment, you will see a list of the last link you opened on all of your
Chrome browsers across all your devices. Just cool. Just login to your Google
account from each device and everything stays in sync. Yea, that easy.
Dropbox
I think
this is the defacto app for getting info between your devices and sharing with
other people. I take pictures and they go into my Dropbox. Automagically they
sync to my PC. No mas. Really, it is that easy. When I travel, I throw docs and
reading material into my Dropbox. I can then read or edit them on my iPad or
laptop. No thumbdrive, USB cable, Wi-Fi transfer. It just works. And, if you
get your friends to sign up, you get more free Dropbox space. One of the
coolest features is being able to quickly drop a file into a c folder and
sending a link to a friend or colleague. They don't even need a Dropbox account
to get to the file. Effortless. I've used SugarSync and Box.net. Dropbox won me
over. And my wife can use it too which counts for...well...everything
DropItToMe
I am a
big, big Dropbox fan. But sometimes people need to send me files. Perhaps my
accountant wants to send financials. Or a customer wishes to get proprietary
files to us. This stuff can't (and shouldn't) be sent via email. This is where
DropItToMe fits. I have a web page link that never changes (ie www.dropittome.com/yourownname).
I send that to you along with a password. You go to the site, enter the
password, pick your file and choose upload. That’s it. In a few moments, I get
an email that you just uploaded a file to me. And guess what, it lands in my
Dropbox. How cool is that? No crazy FTP. No big attachments clogging up the
email on your phone. Best of all, it's free.
Microsoft OneNote
This is
by far one of the most important apps I use every single day. And now Microsoft
has made it 100% free! I could go on and on for days about how awesome it is.
In fact, I wrote an entire blog about it.
Microsoft OneDrive (formerly SkyDrive)
Yes, I
use SkyDrive as well as Dropbox. I needed to add OneDrive because it does some
things that Dropbox won't. Like keep all my OneNote notebooks in sync between
all my devices. I also love the fact that I can save files from Word and Excel
directly to OneDrive. A little integration that saves mouse clicks and time.
And, I can share a file or folder with other people…even if they don't have a
OneDrive account. OneDrive has actually changed the way I share information
with customers. Used to be I would email revision after revision of projects
and proposals to customers. Same was true of network diagrams and other
relevant info. I know you understand since you have been on the receiving end
of this time-honored tradition from all different people. When you think about
it, it is horribly inefficient as it forces you to constantly comb through
emails looking for attachments and trying to determine which one is the latest
revision.
Nest
I didn't
know whether to mention this one or not since it requires that you also buy a
Nest thermostat (www.nest.com). If you
haven't read about these things yet, you should run out and grab one. It is the
learning thermostat re-imagined. I have two of them. Besides the fact that they have saved me
serious money on my energy bills each month (well below my old programmable
thermostat), you can control your thermostat from your phone or any browser.
Think about that for just a minute. Land at the airport and turn on the A/C in
your home while you are getting your luggage. Forget to adjust the thermostat
before leaving town? No problem. Grab your phone or hop on a PC. And save
money. What could be better than that?
Pandora
It is
really hard to find a better streaming music service than Pandora. I am
convinced that Pandora is the perfect companion. She willingly goes everywhere
with me. She makes me smile; I never tire of listening to her and she
wants nothing more than to please me.
Oh, and she knows what music I like too ;)
Plex
I am a
big music and movie guy. And while I prefer to use Spotify and Pandora for
streaming music I don't have in my collection, they really do nothing for the
music I have amassed over the years B.D.E (Before the Digital Era). They also
don't give a hoot about my movie library. Plex will take the music and movies I
own and stream them to just about any device so long as I have Internet.
Install a small piece of software on a PC, open the web interface and point it
to your collection. In a matter of seconds, I can watch or listen to anything
in my collection. So whether I want to jam to that Allman Brother's concert
from 1991 on my phone, or watch "Tangled" with my daughter on our
home TV, Plex handles it all for me.
Spotify
So you
know how I handle the music and movies I already have in my collection. Going
forward though, I've really stopped buying music. And while Pandora is great
for mixing it up, it doesn't know anything about albums. Hey, sometimes you
just want to listen to a bunch of Grateful Dead, Zepplin, or Rush. This is
where Spotify comes into play (no pun intended). Spotify is all about streaming
albums of music to you just about anywhere. It also has a Pandora-like radio
feature called…wait for it…Spotify Radio. The service is free if you want to
deal with commercials. I pay for the service and get it commercial free. For
the few bucks a month (literally $5.00), I have access to all the albums I can
possibly stand and I am saving serious coin thanks to no longer downloading
tracks and albums. And besides, who needs to build up a huge music library on a
hard drive any longer. This is a no-brainer.
TripIt
I plan
all my trips with this little ditty. No spreadsheets with itineraries. And no
long emails to friends and family. Here is how it works. You create a trip.
Then you book your flights, hotel, cars, etc. When you get those handy
confirmation emails, you forward them to plans@tripit.com. Within seconds, the
email is "read" and all the information is automatically added to
your trip. Seriously. Your flight info, hotel arrangements, car rentals...down
to the confirm numbers. It is all neatly organized per day and guess what? You
didn't type in any of it. There are also cool little links that are added in.
For example, click on you departing flight info and it will give you your
flight status. Click on your hotel name and you immediately get Google
directions and the local weather. Plan one trip with TripIt and you will never
do a travel itenary in Word or Excel again. Ever. Oh, and you can share the
trip with anyone you wish.
Pulse Newsreader
It's hard
to keep up with all the news all the time. Pulse makes it nice and easy. It
pulls together all of your favorite stories and presents them in a tiled and
scrollable format. Yea, these guys were doing a little Metro UI before
Microsoft. Go check it out. This one I know you will thank me for.
Trillian
Part of
my job involves talking to people all the time. However, I can't actually
"talk" to everyone all the time. Sometimes, I use Instant Messaging.
Kind of like texting through the Internet. Unlike texting though, instant
messaging started a long time ago and has remained compartmentalized. That is,
if you have a Windows Live or Skype IM address, you can talk to anyone so long
as they too have a Windows Live IM address. Same for AOL, Jabber, Yahoo, and
Google. So, in order to maintain communication with all your friends and
colleagues, you needed to have like five different accounts. A pain in the hind
quarters. Trillian solves the problem by pulling all these IM accounts into one
program. Launch the program, and it logs into each account for you. You can
send and receive messages now without having to go in and out of each program.
One day perhaps the IM systems will all come together. Until then, there is
Trillian
WiFi Analyzer
Another
geek toy but actually very useful for the non-geekdom as well. Whenever I am in
a place where WiFi doesn't seem the be as good or as fast as the bars indicate,
I turn on WiFi Analyzer. This app shows me all the wireless networks that are
broadcasting at that moment. While it doesn't give me the ability to nuke the
ones that are stepping on my signal, it does give me an idea of why my WiFi
isn't working great and gives me the chance to change the channel on my gear to
give me better performance.
Fing
For those
network folks out there in the audience, this is a nice one to have. Fing will
scan your network and show you all the devices that are present, via IP
address. A very useful tool when trying to find devices.
FoxFi
This one
would seem a bit retro but there is a real need for it. I have a full data plan
on my GS4 but not on any other device. Why? Because FoxFi turns my smartphone
into a WiFi hotspot that can be shared by all of my devices. It is very simple
to use and gets around that ridiculous hot spot charge the carriers like to
(try and) charge. When I travel with my laptop and tablet (as well as those for
the rest of my family), this app is a life-saver, especially when free WiFi is available. I
know that WiFi is all around me. So does every other traveler. You can have
great wifi signal and palsy Internet access because of all the devices latching
onto the cow for free milk. Don't believe me? Travel through the DFW airport
and try to use WiFi to get on the Internet. It's brutal. You're smarter than
that. You will have this app loaded on your laptop and phone so that you become
the shepherd and not one of the sheep.
Google Voice
This is
the first app I load on all my devices. If you are not using Google Voice, you
really are missing out. Why do I like it? Well, for starters, I don't always
have the ability to listen to my voice mails. I don’t have to with GV. It
transcribes them and either sends them to me in text or email. That alone would
be good enough. With the native app, I can view them or listen to them within
the app. If you call my cellphone, GV is my default voice mail (no I don't use
the carrier's voice mail). It will screen the call, hunt me down, or just let
the call come through. There is also a really nice Google Chrome extension. It
allows you to playback your voicemails right in the Chrome browser, without
going to the Google Voice website. Really Sweet
IP Camera Viewer
I have
all sorts of cameras for many different things. And they are all from different
manufacturers. Want to watch them on your phone in one view? Easy. Download
this gem and you can pretty much connect to any of your cameras from anywhere
you have connectivity, mixing and matching different manufacturers. The
developer does an awesome job of keeping the program up-to-date with the latest
camera drivers. I wish he had a version for Windows 8. For now, it is out there
for Android and iOS.
Open Table
If you
eat out these days, you need reservations. This is my go-to program. I use it
quite a bit in my home town. However, I find it immensely useful when I am on
the road as well. A few clicks and your table will be waiting for you.
In/Out
I'm Out
|
Replaced
By
|
Google
Chrome To Phone
|
Push
Bullet
|
KeePass
|
Safe In
Cloud
|
AI
Keyboard
|
Samsung
Keyboard
|
AccuWeather
|
HDWidgets
|
AquaMail
|
Android
Stock
|
CloudCube
|
Nothing
|
DigiCal
|
UpTo
|
