Tuesday, January 22, 2013

B&A Poll: What program do you writers-who-type-on-their-computer use?

Q. I use Microsoft Word, but I've just recently discovered this really cool program called Evernote (http://www.evernote.com) which is pretty effective, since you can save and update from anywhere - your phone, the Internet, your program downloaded on the computer, etc... :) You can download it or use it online.
Just wondering.

A. For my fiction, I use OpenOffice, as it's free and does everything I need in a wordprocessor. (My main computer runs Linux, so MS Word wouldn't run on it anyway.)

For anything that's going on my website (which admittedly isn't much these days) I handcode the HTML and CSS in XEmacs (fancy-pants programmer's text editor). In the days of dialup, this resulted in small webpages that loaded very quickly, but now that most of my visitors are on broadband, I'm not convinced this is the best use of my time...

I work as a software developer, so I'm usually quite near to a computer in the event that I have a brilliant idea and need to write it down. If I'm at work, sometimes I email it to my home account. Otherwise, I trust myself to remember it for a few hours. If I can't, it probably wasn't such a brilliant idea after all.

Evernote looks like a cool idea, but I would be wary of storing anything confidential in it. In their privacy policy, in the section on data security, it says that their staff aren't *normally* allowed to access the information you've stored in your account, but can do so if they have reason to believe you've breached their terms of service, or if they "otherwise determine that we have an obligation to review it". So if the staff can read your notes, presumably so can a hacker who breaks in. How likely is it that a hacker will get in? You have no idea, because you've only got their word for it that they're secure. I'm not saying don't use it; I'm saying don't use it for anything you wouldn't be willing to have splashed across the entire Internet.

What Are Your Recommended Apps For Android phones?
Q.

A. Google Voice is a service that is so useful I consider it one of the top benefits of Android itself, especially since Apple rejected the Google Voice app for the iPhone. It gives you a phone number that can ring to multiple places or devices and it allows you to access all of your voicemail and text messages over the Web. The Android app integrates even deeper. It can make outgoing calls look like theyâre coming from your Google Voice number so that you can keep your real mobile number private.

2. Advanced Task Killer

One of the realities of having a multitasking mobile OS in Android is that you have to manage your apps so that they donât hurt performance or battery life. Advanced Task Killer (or ATK) is my favorite. It even comes with a widget that you can tap once to kill all open apps.

3. Dropbox

Dropbox is a great cloud service that automatically syncs a folder of files between multiple computers (Windows, Mac, or Linux). This app extends Dropbox to Android and interacts with other apps (such as Documents To Go) to open the files.

4. Evernote

Once you get used to typing on a virtual keyboard (and it honestly took me over a year to do it), then these devices are great for note-taking, and Evernote is a great note-taking app. It is similar to Dropbox in that it saves data locally but syncs it across all your machines and devices.

5. DroidAnalytics

For some reason Google doesnât have an official app (for either Android or iPhone) for Google Analytics. The best one Iâve found on Android is DroidAnalytics. Another good one is mAnalytics.

6. Documents To Go

The free version of Documents To Go offers a great little reader for Word and Excel files. You can upgrade to the full version (for $15) if you want to edit files and add PowerPoint files to the mix. If you do want editing capability, Iâd also recommend taking a look at QuickOffice.

7. Amazon Kindle

I never warmed up to the Amazon Kindle e-reader, but Iâm a big fan of the Kindle mobile app. Since it was released Iâve read a lot more books simply because my smartphone is always with me and I can pull it and read a few pages anytime Iâve got a couple minutes free.

8. Places Directory

This is an awesome app for finding shops and services near your current location. From restaurants to movie theaters to medical facilities to taxis, this app is very accurate and takes advantage of the business information from Google Local. This app is better than the info you get from a GPS unit (or app) and better than any of the similar apps available on the iPhone.

9. Tripit

I dig Tripit. It is by far the best app Iâve found for keeping track of all my travel itineraries. It runs on some great backend systems. You simply forward your confirmation emails for your flights, hotels, rental cars, and more to Tripit and it automatically organizes them into trips with all your details and confirmation numbers.

10. Seesmic

Twitter is an amazing instant-intelligence engine and it was made for mobile browsing. Although thereâs an official Twitter app for Android now, Seesmic is still the best Android Twitter client.

11. FCC Speedtest

Iâm obsessed with running speed tests to check my bandwidth in various places, both to see 3G fluctuations and to check the quality of Wi-Fi. There are a number of really good speedtest apps, but my new favorite is the FCC Test app.

12. Astro File Manager

Another one of the great things about Android (if youâre a geek or a tinkerer) is that you have lower-level access to the system itself. Astro is an app that lets you navigate the Android file system.

13. Got To Do

There are plenty of to-do apps to choose from on Android but I prefer Got To Do because of the solid interface and the fact that it can sync with the online service Toodledo.

14. Gist

Many of us have contact lists scattered across various computers, devices, and online services. Gist is a Web service that can bring them together and even pull in stuff from the Web to help you stay up to date with your most important contacts. Thereâs an Android app as well as an iPhone app.

15. TED Mobile

TED is a fascinating event that features a meeting of the minds of some of societyâs most influential thinkers. Youâll definitely disagree with some of them, because thereâs a large diversity of opinions, but many talks are worth listening to. What I love is that theyâve taken the videos from their conference and made them freely available on the Web. This app provides a great way to access the videos. I hope more conferences follow TEDâs lead on this.

What are the Best iPhone apps?
Q. I got my iPhone 4 a few weeks ago and I'm bored of all the same apps, what are the best free apps available? Useful or not useful it doesn't really matter, I just want to make the moat of my phone.

A. The list



1. Google Voice



Google Voice is a service that is so useful I consider it one of the top benefits of Android itself, especially since Apple rejected the Google Voice app for the iPhone. It gives you a phone number that can ring to multiple places or devices and it allows you to access all of your voicemail and text messages over the Web. The Android app integrates even deeper. It can make outgoing calls look like theyâre coming from your Google Voice number so that you can keep your real mobile number private.



2. Advanced Task Killer



One of the realities of having a multitasking mobile OS in Android is that you have to manage your apps so that they donât hurt performance or battery life. Advanced Task Killer (or ATK) is my favorite. It even comes with a widget that you can tap once to kill all open apps.



3. Dropbox



Dropbox is a great cloud service that automatically syncs a folder of files between multiple computers (Windows, Mac, or Linux). This app extends Dropbox to Android and interacts with other apps (such as Documents To Go) to open the files.



4. Evernote



Once you get used to typing on a virtual keyboard (and it honestly took me over a year to do it), then these devices are great for note-taking, and Evernote is a great note-taking app. It is similar to Dropbox in that it saves data locally but syncs it across all your machines and devices.



5. DroidAnalytics



For some reason Google doesnât have an official app (for either Android or iPhone) for Google Analytics. The best one Iâve found on Android is DroidAnalytics. Another good one is mAnalytics.



6. Documents To Go



The free version of Documents To Go offers a great little reader for Word and Excel files. You can upgrade to the full version (for $15) if you want to edit files and add PowerPoint files to the mix. If you do want editing capability, Iâd also recommend taking a look at QuickOffice.



7. Amazon Kindle



I never warmed up to the Amazon Kindle e-reader, but Iâm a big fan of the Kindle mobile app. Since it was released Iâve read a lot more books simply because my smartphone is always with me and I can pull it and read a few pages anytime Iâve got a couple minutes free.



8. Places Directory



This is an awesome app for finding shops and services near your current location. From restaurants to movie theaters to medical facilities to taxis, this app is very accurate and takes advantage of the business information from Google Local. This app is better than the info you get from a GPS unit (or app) and better than any of the similar apps available on the iPhone.



9. Tripit



I dig Tripit. It is by far the best app Iâve found for keeping track of all my travel itineraries. It runs on some great backend systems. You simply forward your confirmation emails for your flights, hotels, rental cars, and more to Tripit and it automatically organizes them into trips with all your details and confirmation numbers.



10. Seesmic



Twitter is an amazing instant-intelligence engine and it was made for mobile browsing. Although thereâs an official Twitter app for Android now, Seesmic is still the best Android Twitter client.



11. FCC Speedtest



Iâm obsessed with running speed tests to check my bandwidth in various places, both to see 3G fluctuations and to check the quality of Wi-Fi. There are a number of really good speedtest apps, but my new favorite is the FCC Test app.



12. Astro File Manager



Another one of the great things about Android (if youâre a geek or a tinkerer) is that you have lower-level access to the system itself. Astro is an app that lets you navigate the Android file system.



13. Got To Do



There are plenty of to-do apps to choose from on Android but I prefer Got To Do because of the solid interface and the fact that it can sync with the online service Toodledo.



14. Gist



Many of us have contact lists scattered across various computers, devices, and online services. Gist is a Web service that can bring them together and even pull in stuff from the Web to help you stay up to date with your most important contacts. Thereâs an Android app as well as an iPhone app.



15. TED Mobile



TED is a fascinating event that features a meeting of the minds of some of societyâs most influential thinkers. Youâll definitely disagree with some of them, because thereâs a large diversity of opinions, but many talks are worth listening to. What I love is that theyâve taken the videos from their conference and made them freely available on the Web. This app provides a great way to access the videos. I hope more conferences follow TEDâs lead on this.



Nec Projector Review

Plastic Shed Reviews

Ati Graphic Reviews

Nurse Uniforms Reviews

Cabochons Reviews

Inflatable Water Slides Reviews

Barcode Scanner Reviews

No comments:

Post a Comment