I don't know about you, but I was not happy when Google announced that it would be pulling support of Google Reader on July 1. Reader is tool I use all the time. I have the RSS toolbar extension on Firefox on my computers set to default to reader so I can quickly add new sources to my feeds. I regularly check reader on my computers and use the app on my mobile devices.
So I was looking for a reader replacement. CIO Online put together a nice list of alternatives. After reviewing that list, I decided that feedly seemed to be the app that best met my needs. I downloaded the feedly add-on for my browser(s) as well as the app for my mobile devices. And that got me thinking... do I need the app on my mobile devices? After all, mobile devices tend to become clogged with too many apps, and mine are no exception.
And that got me thinking... what mobile apps am I really using?
A number of months ago I did a post about my favorite apps here. Reviewing it, I noticed that I still regularly use most of the apps I listed there. But, those critical... use every day... can't do without... are few. In fact, I had listed 9 apps I said I use every day and another 16 I use often.
I realized, though, that there are really only 4 apps I use every single day. And, if I didn't have access to these 4 apps every day, my day would be less productive. And, if I had to replace one or more of these apps it would be, at best, a pain, and maybe not possible at all.
Here's the list of my critical 4 apps (in no particular order):
- DoggCatcher (with the Presto Sound library) - for podcasts (blog post)
- Audible - for audiobooks (blog post)
- Google Task Organizer (GTO) - I've tried many todo list/organizers and like this best
- Gmail
And yes, I did remove the reader app and add the feedly app.
What are your critical, use 'em everyday, gotta have 'em, apps?
Multiple stats have shown that the average number of apps on a smartphone is 60 compared with 30 on a desktop or notebook computer. This increase in the number of apps can probably be attributed to three things:
ReplyDelete(1) The ability to obtain apps and install these with ease on a mobile device is far simplaer than a traditional computing device. Think about - no "next", "continue" "are you sure?" or 100 page EULAs to read when you install a mobile app.
(2) The fact that there are so many apps to choose from which we would have browsed to a web site to on a computing device such as weather, news, social media and online banking.
(3) We have a more personal connection with our mobile devices because they fit in our pockets, are always on and always connected.
Cognizant of the fact that more apps means more security woes and the lack of maturity (or existence in some cases) os mobile security solutions I have tried to keep the number of apps on my tablet and smartphones to a minimum. Despite that there are a few apps I rely on:
(1) LinkedIn - it keeps me connected with the information security industry
(2) Twitter - similar to LinkedIn, it keeps me current on the latest security news
(3) Evernote - yes, I know it has its security weaknesses, but it is handy to jot down or even record audio ideas for content for my blog
(4) Audible - just like you, Barry, I also like AudioBooks and this is a great app.
Excellent points! It's just too easy to keep downloading. I think I'm also guilty of keeping more apps on my phone than I really use.
ReplyDeleteI do like your list. For some reason I find that I use LinkedIn and Twitter more from a PC rather than the phone.
Thanks for the comments!