2015 Software Tools
Communicating
This category describes apps that help you to communicate with others.
- Slack is by far the most interesting and promising app of the year. LIFE.CEO wrote about Slack in March. Slack adoption continues to sky rocket because it solves problems for teams. OS X | iOS
- Spark by the venerable Readdle is now serving as a replacement for my trusty old favorite Mailbox which dropbox is shutting down on February 26, 2016. Spark is beautifully designed and features swipe gestures which speed up processing mail on the run. Readdle claims that "you are going to like your email again." Although I think this claim is highly unlikely, I have enjoyed the ability to customize the swipe gestures to speed up the processing of email. Federico Viticci over at MacStories is recommending Outlook which I haven't played with yet. iOS
Spending and Saving
This category covers financial apps.
- Acorns is a clever concept that encourages an individual to round-up "spare change" into an investment account. For example, you buy a starbucks latte for $3.30. Acorns would round-up the charge to $4 giving you a miniscule investment of 70 cents. However, all of these round-ups begin to add up without feeling the pain of putting money aside. "Acorns aims to provide a powerful, mobile service that enables users to micro-invest often and early. We invest your money according to a respected theory of finance known as the Modern Portfolio Theory (MPT), with a little advice from its father, Harry Markowitz." Acorns allows users to choose between one of five portfolios which best meet their investement strategy. The app is fun and easy to use. iOS
- YNAB— a.k.a., "You Need a Budget" provides a clear path to creating a budget. YNAB provides a clear and easy to follow system for creating and sticking to a budget. iOS
Thinking
This category describes apps that help you to think and organize information. I use these apps on a daily basis.
- OmniOutliner 2 syncs beautifully between iphones, ipads, and computers. I have used this application steadily for over ten years.
- iThoughts is an extraordinary mindmapping application created by Craig Scott. I have tried them all and this is the best.
Delving
This category covers apps that help you to stay current with the news, explore your interests, and learn more about the world.
- Reeder 3 is a standout RSS Reader. Load it up with all of your favorite feeds and quickly scan what you are intersted in reading.
- NYT Now is a fantastic news app which covers breaking New York Times stories. The "Morning Briefing section" provides a quick executive summary which helps you keep abreast of major stories
- Overcast is a powerful podcast player packed with many useful features. It uses an interesting business model— the app is free and users are encouraged to become patrons.
- Instapaperis a critical part of my system. When I see an interesting or important article I send it to Instapaper to read later. Also, my Instapaper account is connected to Pinboard (a social bookmarking tool) so that I have the link for reference.
Learning
This category covers software that excels in a classroom setting.
- Showbie makes a paperless classroom possible. It has revolutionized the way that I collect papers from students. The application keeps on getting better.
- Notability is the best student note taking app. The ipad has the best interface for handwriting. iOS | OS X
Doing
This category includes productivity apps and scheduling apps.
- OmniFocus is the most robust personal task manager. Although this a strengtht the app, it is also a weakness in that it is difficult to use and encourages fiddling. I have tried to break away in favor of a more visual Kanban style taks manager, but I always return. iOS | OS X
- Fantastical is the best calendar application for iOS and OS X. LIFE.CEO reviewed the application in April.
Navigating
- Waze is by far my favorite navigation/gps tool. It will re-route you based on traffic conditions. I'm always amazed at the new shortcuts I find around town.
Writing
- Ulysses is a clean and well-designed writing app. I'm following the iphone beta with deep interest. iOS | OS X
- 1Writer is my favorite writing tool on the iphone.
- DayOne continues to be my favorite digital journaling app. iOS | OS X
Syncing
- Dropbox is the glue that holds much of my digital life together. This is the first app that I install on a new phone or computer as it enables me to open up 1Password. I think Dropbox lost some of their focus this year, but it remains at core the best way to move files around the cloud.