There’s no two ways about it - smartphones are now primary computing devices for most people.
Think about it - even if your computer of choice at work is your laptop, the first and last device you pick up each day is probably your phone. Whether it’s to check your email, send a quick team message or see what’s on your to-do list for tomorrow, virtually every important task can now be carried out in the palm of your hand.
There are so many apps these days, however, that it’s sometimes nice to have a bit of a steer towards the best.
Here are five of our current favourites.
Whether you’re using Instagram for marketing purposes, a hobby, or just as a way to keep up to speed with what your favourite celebrities are up to, there’s no escaping its allure.
Of all the social media platforms out there Instagram is obviously the most visual, but it has also remained pleasingly uncomplicated and simple to use. We love that.
As task management apps go, Omnifocus is a bit of a beast. But, it doesn’t need to be, and that’s why it’s so great.
If you just want a powerful to-do list app that hides the complexities it offers the more advanced user, Omnifocus is brilliant. And, if you’re one of those power GTD users, it will answer every need you have.
Oh, and it syncs to every single device you own, too.
Time tracking is, of course, useful for client billing purposes, but it’s also a great productivity technique.
The more you track your time, the more likely you are to work out where you’re spending too much of it - or too little. There are loads of time tracking apps out there, but Toggl is one of the best in our opinion.
It’s also free, which is fantastic, given how fully-featured it is.
Dropbox probably needs little introduction for most people, but the benefits of having this cloud file storage service on your smartphone can’t be underestimated.
If you’re out and about at a client meeting and quickly need access to a file - it’s there, almost instantly.
Dropbox on a mobile is also a great way to quickly show content to people without clogging up the memory available on your phone - something that it was near impossible to do just a few short years ago.
If there’s one app category that is rather swamped, it’s the realm of note taking.
Thankfully, Evernote still exists, and as the ‘grandfather’ of note taking apps, it really is streets ahead.
You can store pretty much anything you like (words, audio, video, web clips, etc) in its vaults, and you can categorise and organise them to your heart’s content. It also syncs across all platforms and devices, meaning your notes are constantly with you.
Interestingly, the smartphone apps above are all ‘stalwarts’; none of them are the new kid on the block.
There are lots of fresh new apps we like, too, but the above represent those that have some staying power - and there’s a lot to be said for that these days. We hope you enjoy them, too!
