9 Love / Hate Apps
We used to call them programs, but these days we call them apps. Soon, we’ll probably be calling them something else. It’s fun to try new ones out, but to be frank, very few makes it into my daily working life. Interestingly enough, the apps that do aren’t exactly perfect. Actually, most have them have serious flaws. But I’ve got a job to do, and so must they, so never mind the fancy stuff so without any further ado, here’s my list:
1. Dropbox
The secret to Dropbox is that the files are stored locally and mirrored to the cloud. I love that when you drop a file into it, it moves the files instead of copying them. But even if I use it several times each day, it has some serious flaws. If you use Dropbox Teams, the corporate version, then you need to use a separate email to be sure not to loose your personal files, but you can’t be logged into two Dropboxes at the same time without some serious tweaking…
 |
|
2. GOOGLE DRIVE
The fact that Dropbox isn’t perfect has forced me into using Google Drive for my personal file library. That’s actually pretty ok, since it works basically exactly like Dropbox and looks sleek. And it has support for Google Apps created content. But my biggest concern here is that I don’t feel entirely confident that my integrity is protected; there’s not much to stop Google from scanning my personal content for targeted ad analytics.
 |
|
3. HARVEST
This time tracking app has two awesome features; it allows for tracking using a toolbar timer and the mobile application is really easy to use. Reports are also easy to compile. The biggest downside? I wish there was an app that adjusted the data you enter manually with what you’re actually doing on your computer.
 |
|
4. REMEMBER THE MILK
For a long time, there was a close race between Things, Reminders, Evernote and Remember The Milk. The coolest setup would maybe to use the sleek GTD environment in Things combined with the powerful Evernote, but no. I use the ugly RTM instead. This is mainly because I don’t want to go in and out of different apps every day. And since RTM is pretty customizable, I enter all my to-do’s into that one.
 |
|
5. SKYPE
Dropped calls. Lag. Disturbing social integration. And I dislike the user interface. But still, the combination of chat, voice and video and the fact that so many people use it makes it into one of those rare apps that I use on a daily basis.
 |
|
6. 1PASSWORD
Syncs across devices and also via Dropbox and it really makes your life easier. The browser extension is great and the UI is not disturbing at all. I also love the password generator. However, most login sites has several different points of entry, so chances are that 1Password will create multiple profiles for every single site, which is annoying the crap out of me.
 |
|
7. DROPZONE 2.0
A very handsome application that saves me lot of time for typical workflows, especially drag&drop operations. It’s a lot simpler than creating complex macros with Automator. The only thing with this application is that it’s quite limited. There are extensions to download, but not that many.
 |
|
8. SHORTCUTS
Easy-to-use. I use it mostly for opening Pages- and Keynote templates with commands that works for me, but it can be used for lots of other tasks. What baffles me is why Apple doesn’t have a native app like this?
 |
|
9. AIRFOIL
You got to have Airfoil, right? You need it to stream Spotify to your AirPlay speakers at home and in the office. If you use iTunes (which I never do, really), I think you could use your AirPlay speakers without having the app, but since Apple is behind the AirPlay format, I find it strange that they don’t make it easier for laptop users to stream apps like Spotify and VLC via wifi.
 |
|
Do you have any “love /hate apps” that you use? Please share in the comments!
