If you're planning to go on a road trip or a vacation to the province, be sure to have your iPad ready as a backup to make sure you have a hassle free and stress free bonding time with your family. While the iPad will not be able to fully replace what a laptop can do (at least for now), these apps will surely help you get a lot of things completed, pretty much like you've done it on your laptop or desktop.
In this connected world, this simply means that you don't have any reason not to be productive. Whether you're on a laptop or on your tablet, you can get things done (slowly).
So here is a list of my favorite apps that has really made a big impact on the way I work, especially when I'm on the road. I've listed both the free and paid apps and by the looks of it, I'll probably keep these for a while until I find a new substitute or if you can recommend other alternatives that are free or at least, low cost apps.
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Todoist ($29/yr)
It's the all and be all of to-do apps I've tried. I use it for personal and family use. What I really love about Todoist is the fact that it's available on Android, Desktop, iPhone and iPad and it also integrates perfectly with Gmail, Thunderbird and Outlook which is fantastic.
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Basecamp (Free)
It's one of three project management apps I have on my iPad, the other two being Teamwork PM and Trello. It's simple to use, very user friendly and works well on the iPad.
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Teamviewer (Free)
I've used Teamviewer when accessing my desktop files and just getting through logins when I don't have them on my iPad. It's a bit cumbersome (as expected) but it does what it does best, enable you to connect remotely.
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Skype (Free)
The ultimate instant messaging and calling service. Skype is my personal choice when communicating via instant messaging with clients. One tip, if you sign up with Office 365, Microsoft actually gives you free minutes to use to make calls. At the same time, if you setup two way authentication for your Microsoft account, when sign in to your Skype account using your Microsoft username and password, you will also be required to approve or input a pass code to get in. So if you'd like to feel more secure, then that would a good thing to have.
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Google Chrome (Free)
I use Chrome on my desktop and it's definitely a big time saver that I have all my bookmarks and password sync flawlessly.
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Google Hangouts (Free)
While I do make use of Skype on a daily basis, I also keep Google Hangouts as my secondary IM and calling service.
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Zoho Books ($24/month)
When it comes to invoicing and managing client contact, I use Zoho Books. The app is free to download, but you need to sign up for a monthly service for $24. I've been using it for about six months now and I'm quite satisfied with the way it works and helping me keep my invoicing system organized.
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Dropbox ($13.95)
As a podcast editor, the ability to transfer and sync files from Desktop to my mobile devices is a top priority. Dropbox does its job and I'd consider it the best cloud storage and file synching tool. If you use Dropbox, I highly recommend that you also make sure to include Packrat. At $3.99 per month, Packrat will give you a peace of mind that your files can be recovered if they get accidentally deleted.
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Google Drive ($0.99/month)
While Dropbox is sufficient enough for my file sync and sharing needs, I still use Google Drive as a secondary app. The additional space is also affordable and works pretty well synching with my desktop too.
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Hootsuite (Free)
Social media is here to stay, so I'm keeping Hootsuite in my arsenal. What I love best with this app is the ability to access, schedule and post on multiple social media accounts from a single dashboard.
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Teamwork (Free)
I am working with a team of transcriptionists, data entry people, and video editors and Teamwork help me take care of the management of our projects. I use this to assign tasks and monitor the to-do list for my team.
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Evernote ($4.99/month)
Whether I'm in a meeting or just curating contents, I use Evernote to organize this for me. I usually create drafts for my blog posts before pasting it on Blogsy. I find this particularly helpful as it also serves as a backup for me.
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IFTTT (Free)
Set it up and leave it. That's what makes this app really awesome. If this then that, is something I use most commonly for my Android. Since I'd like to have pictures and screenshots available on iPad automatically, I just setup the perfect recipe and it's all done.
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Canva (Free)
It's the perfect app for someone who's not into graphic design, but wants to create eye catching images for blog posts or social media posts. And you probably have guessed it, the featured image for this post was created using Canva.
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Blogsy (Free)
I use blogsy for blogging. It's a powerful app that integrates with a lot of platforms like WordPress, Blogger, TypePad, etc. It can also pull images from your accounts in Flickr, Facebook, etc.
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LastPass (Free)
For password management, I use LastPass. It makes it a lot easier to remember just my master password than keeping tab on hundreds of websites that I have an account with or use at work.
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Quotebook ($4.99)
Whether from a sermon, an article I read, a TED talk I listen to, Quotebook is my companion in curating quotes.
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Podcast (Free)
For someone who manages multiple podcasts for clients, the podcast app on my iPad helps me monitor if my client's podcast is working properly. I use the app to keep an eye if the podcast cover art is there. I also use it to listen and test that the audio file uploaded is the right one.
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FirstMetro (Free)
Since I started investing in stocks, First Metro has been my go to app. It's a great app where you can buy and sell your shares on the go. And unlike some of the apps I've tried, this is by far the most reliable and stable.
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Swype ($0.99)
After trashing the bulky Bluetooth keyboard, I've Swype App to as the answer to my typing woes on the iPad. With the swipe app, it's a breeze to write, especially when composing blog posts or emails with the stroke of your fingers. One thing to keep in mind, you need to brush up on your spelling so you can be sure your message can be understood by your recipient.
Want to share your personal choices of productivity apps when traveling, then leave them in the comments.
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