Apps can represent much more than a fun game or distraction. There are quite a few productivity apps out there that can help us carry out daily tasks more efficiently. Let’s delve in to 20 of them:
1. Microsoft Office for Mobile Devices
Those who love using Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint on their laptops will find it supremely convenient to gain the ability to create, alter and share the same documents and spreadsheets via their tablets and phones. The only drawback is that to use the full power of these apps, they cost $10.66 monthly — but it’s a fee well worth paying.
2. Dial My Calls
Send a voice or text message to a list of phone numbers in seconds. Save time on redundant calls by having this app send your message to everyone for you.
3. When I Work
This app is the answer to scheduling your employees. Find out which of your workers are scheduled to work, where you need to fill in spaces in the schedule when you’re short on help – and use it to review their time sheets. All these factors will help you focus more on your customers and bottom line instead of wasting time on administrative tasks.
4. Chase Mobile app for iPhone
If you bank at Chase and own an iPhone, this app lets you do just about everything to take care of all your banking needs. From paying off bills to transferring money to checking your balance and even depositing checks without having to go to the ATM – you can snap a photo of them in your living room and be done – there isn’t a big need to visit the bank other than to grab actual cash, if you still carry the stuff. The push alerts are especially helpful for telling you when you’ve had money deposited, bills due – or unfortunately, if your account is overdrawn. There are so many pros with this app, it’s hard to think of cons, but one minor disadvantage is the fact that you must literally click on the alerts screen in order to make the number of alerts on your Chase icon go away.
5. Pocket Informant
Use this iOS or Android app to pull your calendar, tasks, notes and contact information into one place and make them more useful.
6. Asana
Asana has been described as being a task list on steroids. Use it to pull your team together and get everyone on the same page without email overload. Users say that swipe gestures that further enable them to perform functions like deleting and assigning tasks would make this app even better.
7. Trello
Trello looks like a Pinterest for managing projects. For those whose eyes glaze over trying to read long blocks of text inside lengthy emails, this app helps you and your team visualize next steps via cards, comments, checklists, uploaded files and more.
8. Google Mobile
If you don’t already use this app to check Gmail, download it ASAP in order to clear out all that SPAM and respond to valid emails on the go.
9. 1Password
Who has time to remember all the passwords our daily lives require? This app will help store your whole life – logins, credit card info, passwords and more – in one place and promises to keep them safe. As of this writing, the “pro features” of the app cost $9.99, but there are so many 4- and 5-star reviews in the Apple iTunes Store that apparently people love it nonetheless.
10. Voxer
Voxer brings those walkie-talkie type of instant communicators into the digital age, so much so that companies like Roto-Rooter allow their service technicians to use them. The effectiveness of the app lay in the ability to save all messages – be they text, voice or photo – which helps avoid having to repeat long communications. The app is advantageous because it offers free features for personal users, but pro and business users must pay specific fees per user.
11. Google Voice
Apparently, Google Voice is so good at letting folks send free texts to others in the United States and make low-rate international calls, that people are using it to do away with their cell phones or cancelling their Skype accounts.
12. AnyList
This fun-looking app lets you not only make a grocery shopping list, but share it with family and friends, which makes a whole lot of sense for those who collaborate on their shopping needs.
13. MEGA
People love their privacy, and MEGA’s mobile apps grant users the ability to stream and access their files from the “cloud in their pocket” – otherwise known as their smartphone.
14. Launcher
Launcher by Cromulent Labs makes it easier to access the apps you use most often in your notification center, without having to flip back and forth throughout your home screen to find them. While this app has plenty of positive buzz, there have been reports of frustration with the user interface.
15. HP ePrint
How many times have you wished you could print a photo or other document directly from your tablet or phone to your printer? This app makes it possible.
16. MyScript Calculator
Write out very simple to very complex mathematical equations and this app will perform the calculation for you, interpreting your handwriting.
17. Cozi
Cozi is a free app that allows you to organize your family’s lifestyle in one place, keep track of your children’s schedule along with your own and use the app to split up chores for everyone.
18. Google Slides
The free Google Slides app lets users make new presentations, share PowerPoint files and even deliver those presentations directly from your tablet or phone without needing access to Wi-Fi.
19. Prezi
Speaking of giving presentations on the go, the app called Prezi provides access to stunning presentation software that lets you present your work from tablets or phones when you’re out and about – and sync them across all your devices.
20. Super Notes
With this app, you can save notes, recordings, images and more – and tag them under color-coded signals that help you keep track of everything. Next, you can either share them via email or download them to your computer as a back up.
Article Source: http://www.lifehack.org/articles/technology/finally-20-productivity-apps-that-will-ensure-efficiency.html
