I was asked on one of my more recent travels what apps were on my iPhone and iPad. I blinked a little, wondering why anyone would care what apps were on my two devices, and he then added “You seem to get a lot done with those devices. You must have something good on there!”
So at the risk of making this intensely boring, I’m going to pull my favorites off and talk about them. This list is not at all complete. I have about 9 pages of apps, and most don’t get used a lot.
First off is ConnectWise, holding a place of honor on the first page. Having the ability to do my timesheet in my hand means I’m more accurate about it and don’t forget things. My first page gives me most of the things I use daily, so I have Snapture as a camera replacement, allowing me to take multiple pictures in a row. This ensures I get clear pictures for when I upload them to Facebook, which I tend to use the mobile app to get photos and articles online quick. I keep TweetDeck handy as well for reviewing Twitter feeds, as I like the integrated view, and on my iPhone I can review Facebook at the same time. I use ping.fm linked to text messaging for updating my status, and QuickPing on the iPad, since I can’t text from there. I want to be able to update my status from anywhere, so I never have an excuse not to when a good thought comes to me.
I’m an Evernote addict, putting anything that’s a Word document or PDF into it to make sure it’s synced across my iPhone, iPad, and desktops and laptops. I have all the integration too on my browsers, Outlook, etc. In keeping with the productivity line, I have both GoToMeeting and WebEx on my iPad. I’m already finding it’s great for standing up and wandering my office during a meeting, and useful if you need to take that call in the car. I also have adopted GoodReader, particularly on the iPad. Linking to my SharePoint sites and the Dropbox I have on my computers, I have portable access to all my resources, and can pull up any document I might need on any of our systems. I’ve also linked my Macs, which use Growl for notifications, to a Prowl account, and Prowl has an app to get me push notifications when things are finished on my various computers. My HP MediaSmart at home has a MediaSmart app, allowing me to connect my devices to my Windows Home Server on the go as well.
To help with traveling, I have TravTracker linked to TripIt to keep all my arrangements in order. I’m horrible at remembering details, so having all the reservations in one place keeps me on my game. I also use Yelp extensively to figure out places to eat and things to see if I’m on the road. I like to find things I can’t have at home when I’m on the road, and Yelp makes that easy. I have Easy WiFi for looking for wireless when I need it, and Starbucks as a backup. Chai Latte and WiFi. I keep OpenTable for finding a dinner reservation when I want to take my wife out, and I have PizzaHut for when I’m hungry and running late from the office. I even know when to order to make it home as it arrives. I also have the Not for Tourists DC app for my own city, in case I need new things to explore. With all this emphasis on food, I have the Livestrong app for tracking my diet, and I use iBP for tracking blood pressure. My doctor wants me to keep an eye on it.
For connectivity, I have the Wyse PocketCloud application, and it’s on both my iPhone and iPad, but I prefer it on my iPad. RDP and VMWare View all at once. I have Meebo setup for mobile instant messaging, linking a Meebo account to all my IM packages. I also have the Remote App from Apple, letting me control Keynote for presentations in case I forget my presenter device. I keep Speedtest X HD on my iPad for doing connectivity tests at customer sites.
To keep myself informed, I use a number of different applications. I have NetNewsWire, which links my RSS feeds, and keeps them all synced via Google Reader, so I can read my news anywhere. I love the BBC News iPad app, using that to keep up on international news (as I don’t want to loose sight of the rest of the world) and I have the Metro UK app, which renders complete copies of the Metro newspaper from London so I can keep up with local news for my HTG11 colleagues. I have the Washington Post app for reading my own city’s news, and CNN as the final source of national news. I’m trying to stay informed in two geographies, but I think at a minimum it’s good to have a local, national, and international news source. For reference material, I have the Wikipanion app to allow me to access Wikipedia quickly
I round out my reading material with the Amazon Kindle app, which syncs my books, and I have the Amazon app so I can buy more. I use Zinio for magazine reading, and for fun I have both the Marvel and Comixology apps for reading things more from my youth (and I haven’t quite grown up yet). As a media junkie, I also have the TiVo Mobile app to control the