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Posts tagged Productivity
Timeband Brings Project Plans & Gantt Charts to iPad
1 month ago
Urban Anomaly announces the release of Timeband, an iPad application for entrepreneurs, planners, strategists and ordinary people to create stylish timelines and effortlessly share them in high-resolution PDF format. The app can turn thoughts and ideas into a visual chart of activities and milestones that will be considered a work of art, suitable for sharing with any important audience. Timeband was designed for the touch interface and is exclusively available on the iPad.
“A well-constructed timeline conveys refined style and credibility. It helps others understand and emotionally connect with the project,” said Steve Barham, Director and Lead Developer of Urban Anomaly, “We made Timeband because formatting, customizing, printing and sharing a timeline schedule in standard project management software is not easy. Timeband makes it possible to use the iPad instead of a team of engineers, designers, and graphics artists.”
Timeband will pay for itself after just one use. It is an efficient way to map out the key elements and sequencing of a project, with just a few easy steps:
1. Define the start year, start month, and duration of the timeline.
2. Add groups, activities, or milestones. Define the dates or adjust them using the touch-drag interface.
3. Customize styles and colors.
4. Preview the document. Adjust paper size, orientation, and gridlines. Add a logo and custom header text.
5. Print or email the stylish document directly from the iPad.
After releasing the minimalist project management app, Timeline, which includes budget, progress, and status features, Urban Anomaly heard from many users desiring an app focused only on creating timeline schedules. Timeband was created for this purpose and can be used to:
* Organize thoughts into a coherent strategic plan or project
* Earn respect and credibility from clients and stakeholders due to the refined format of the documents
* Create a unique style that very few will be able to reproduce
* Send updates and revisions to others with very little effort
Timeband requires iOS 6 on an iPad.
Timeband is $2.99 and is available in the App Store
Timeband (iPad Only) – $2.99 – Download Now
Clinton
Clinton is the editor of AlliOSNews.com. He has been writing opinions, reviews, how to's and anything related to the mobile communications market since 1999. You can follow Clinton on Twitter @AlliOSNews
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TechMom Tuesday – Remind Me to Review Something…
2 months ago
Did you miss me in February? (In my defense you did get two TechMom Tuesday posts in January.)
Nevertheless, it is with a heartfelt apology that I shall now regale you with my thoughts on Apple Reminders. (Because I totally could have used a reminder for the last TechMom post. And since we’re airing confessions – I’m writing this right now because a reminder just buzzed at me from my shiny iPhone 5 toy.)
I’ve been trying to go paperless for a while now. Between the terrific toddling twosome creating confetti out of receipts and other important papers and my giant dogs who seem to believe pulped paper products are a culinary delicacy, the precariously placed post-its weren’t cutting it any longer.
Also, I was forgetting things.
Managing my tasks as work (SHOCKINGLY, I am not a professional full-time blogger), tracking family commitments, remembering doctors appointments, calendaring my blogging exploits, random to-dos, a shared honey-do list, the grocery store checklist indicating whether or not we’re out of Cheerios, and of course noting the movies that my friends seem to be so incredulous that I haven’t yet seen. (Who am I? Where are we?)
I needed something that would ideally encompass all of the above in one fabulous app.
And Apple Reminders is a standard app on all my iDevices (and my MacBook, but I couldn’t figure out a clever iPhrase for that one).
The Good:
- It reminded me of stuff to do.
- Integrates with Outlook tasks for work purposes. (I couldn’t test Apple Mail notes, because, well – that died.
- I can share lists. And everyone with an iPhone already has the app. (Honey…I’ve got a great idea! Also, Clinton can cull my crazy ideas long before they’re threatening to go live on the AlliOSNews site.)
- I am restricted to one folder (“Tasks”) for my work tasks.
- If you aren’t a complete Apple shop, you miss out on desktop access – which could be a pretty big pain for work items.
- There is very little space for in-depth notes about the task.
The Ugly:
- Can you see my shopping list? We’re out of toddler snacks AND wine! (APOCOLYPSE NOW!)
Overall, Reminders is okay. It’s not great; I don’t think it sucks.
It served its purpose – blinking up reminders of the items I entered in. However, Reminders very much works best as a straight series of lists, not a comprehensive life organizer.
Now, because I know “meh” isn’t really a review you can do much with, I’ve gone a step further to look at some of the other productivity apps available.
It’s a free (highly rated) app that syncs across all your devices – including a Web portal and PC desktop plan – and also sharable provided your desired share-ee also has the app.
With a more comprehensive notes section as well as sub-tasks you can enter, WunderList is a much cleaner option for paperless life task organization.
If only one of the apps could now remind me what direction my iPhone toddled off… (FYI – Find iPhone app does not share which toy bin your shiny toy has been stashed in.)
Tricia
Corporate writer by day, mommy blogger by night, Tricia is raising twin toddlers – Search and Destroy. Instead of having one baby after 9 months, she had two after 6; she’s efficient like that. Tricia is a hybrid – running on coffee and chocolate. Tricia also rambles on her personal blog: Stream Of The Conscious.
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Starting off 2013 right – Our apps to help with those New Year resolutions
4 months ago
by Clinton
in App Spotlight
2013 is officially here and much of today’s conversations will revolve around three main topics:
- Looking back at how crazy/great/sad/wonderful/challenging 2012 was for you/us/them
- Who will win the college Bowl Games in the US/Who is going to win the Premier League in England
- 2013 Resolutions
Depending on who you are, it may not be in that order but you can bet that last year, next year and sports will come up in every. single. conversation. Looking forward to 2013, are you setting resolutions or setting plans to change something about yourself or your lifestyle? There is a reason that many of us set resolutions at the beginning of the year: It is a easy place to remember where you started from on your quest. The tricky bit is keeping that resolution going come the first day of February.
We live in a world driven by apps for mobile devices and when it comes to resolutions and keeping them, developers may be the unsung heroes for many of us. These apps can help keep you on track on any life changes you want to effect in 2013 and frankly make it easier than it ever has been to be successful.
Tricia and I have put together a list of the apps we use the most in some key categories & we think that they could help you as well in kicking off your 2013 resolutions the right way. No this list isn’t exhaustive and in fact you will see that we don’t always have the same apps in mind. That’s because we are individual users, just like you.
Weight Management/Weight Loss/Diet Monitoring/Food Service Apps
Clinton: My documentation of the amount of weight I’ve lost in the last few years is out there and I’ve made no secret that I use to be a big, big boy. In the last two years I’ve dropped just shy of 80 lbs and I’ve more-or-less kept it all off (+/- 5 lbs.). I do that through MyFitnessPal. MyFitnessPal is a service that allows you to track your exercise, diet and set weight loss (or maintenance) goals that is realistic in expectations and in targets. This isn’t an app that will tell you that you’ll lose 10 lbs in a week. No, this is about lifestyle changes and maintenance and it is the best for it as far as I’m concerned. Just scan the barcode of the item you are eating or do a search in the hundreds of thousands of items in the MyFitnessPal database and you can track your caloric intake easily and accurately. Plus, if you couple in exercise devices such as a FitBit, the two services will automatically synchronise so you don’t have to manually enter in your exercise. Brilliant, eh?
Calorie Counter & Diet Tracker by MyFitnessPal – MyFitnessPal.com
Tricia: Caffeine survival (Starbucks): Coffee addiction aside, this is one of the greatest consumer apps I’ve found. No need to rifle through your Mary Poppins bag of stuff to find your wallet. Simply navigate to the app, scan and that sweet caffeinated nectar of the gods is yours. Also earn discounts and rewards to maintain your addiction.
Starbucks – Starbucks Coffee Company
Clinton
Clinton is the editor of AlliOSNews.com. He has been writing opinions, reviews, how to's and anything related to the mobile communications market since 1999. You can follow Clinton on Twitter @AlliOSNews
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