| APPS that can organize your life! Posted: 05 Jun 2014 02:30 PM PDT The commodity in shortest supply for any of us is time. While life was dedicated by the seasons for our ancestors, modern life means navigating near-constant demands on our time and attention. The human brain just isn't wired to operate in that environment,at least not for most of us. The majority will need some kind of crutch to keep track of our daily schedule -- and the device we're most likely to have with us that's capable of handling that task is our ever more powerful and connected smartphone.
The explosion in connected capability has unleashed a generation of new and powerful tools to help organize our day and find what we need. Trying to pick the best apps for managing the crush of tasks that crowd our days is difficult because we all don't need the same type of help. Some of the newer apps include predictive modeling, and some people find that their phone predicting their needs is a little creepy. With that caveat, here are my picks for the apps with the best options for keeping you on track.
Any.do
With any app there's always a fine line between functionality and simplicity, and Any.do walks that line better than almost any GTD (Get Things Done) app on the market. The task list is easy and intuitive, and the display can be modified and sorted multiple ways to fit your personal tastes. The missed call feature is particularly attractive, letting you return a call immediately or schedule a callback, which is then automatically added to your to-do list; or have Any.do ignore it. Like most good organizing apps, Any.do has the option to share tasks with one or more people, making it ideal for controlling your legions of minions as your plot to rule the world moves inexhoribly forward.
ToodleDo
If you're the type who is driven by priorities as much as scheduling, then ToodleDo is worth a look. Not only can you create a hotlist of tasks based on priorities, but with the built-in scheduler you can take a block of time and ToodleDo will fill it with the highest priority tasks. ToodleDo also has the option to record task times, so if you have the type of job where you need to support hourly billing, ToodleDo is a good choice. Part scheduler and part project management tool, this is the one for engineers and builders.
Evernote
If your definition of organization means keeping track of names, dates, and places, then Evernote is the app to check out. Not only can you capture voice, text, and photos, you can link them different ways and share them across all your devices. Layered on top of Evernote's organizational capabilities is the ability to set reminders and tasks related to the information you're gathering. The only niggle on Evernote is the storage on the free version is seriously anemic, and some of the history functions are disabled. If Evernote is for you, plan on spending the money for the premium version.
Google Now
Because Google Now isn't available on older versions of Android, it's been a slow to catch on. Google Now is part organizer and part context-aware Al. If you're a road warrior with a newer Android phone and large capacity battery, Google Now is an indispensable travel tool. Google Now knows where you are, knows your flight information, and will remind you when it's time to leave --- and show you the travel options available. If it's mealtime, Google Now will show you nearby restaurants. When the markets are open, Google Now automatically shows me my portfolio performance, and shows me a list of my online orders that are currently in transit. The voice recognition has improved dramatically; and the only downside is, because it keeps the GPS on, it's a bit of power hog. Android users can't mock the Apple faithful as Google Now was recently released for iOS.
Jorte Calendar
Jorte Calendar is one of the more popular apps on Google Play with over 132,000 user reviews. Jorte Calendar would accurately be described as a productivity app with the addition of Jorte Cloud. If you're comfortable with technology, and like the ability to customize everything, Jorte is your app. Jorte integrates with services like Google Voice and Google Maps. While Jorte is a solid performer when it comes to scheduling and organizing, the free service offerings are a bit anemic. Still, if you have the kind of job where you have to juggle dozens of moving parts and other vendors, like a wedding planner, Jorte will be worth the money.
Staying organized means more than a simple calendar app these days, it means finding the app that fits your lifestyle and conforms to your needs. The best apps are the ones that work best for the way you work and that's why I separated these by career field.
-Redtea
Independent News for the Right-Minded American:laugh:
redteanews  |
| How-to: Easy Ways to Transfer Contacts from an iPhone to the Huawei Ascend P7 Mini Posted: 22 May 2014 07:31 AM PDT Using iTunes to Transfer Contacts: One of the most common methods of contact transfer is through iTunes. The software allows you to sync contacts from an iPhone with a Google account, allowing you to then sync the contacts from the account to your Android smartphone. This method requires a computer with iTunes installed and Internet access. - Launch iTunes on the computer
- Establish a connection between your iPhone and PC via USB
- After it connects, click the iPhone once it appears in iTunes
- Go to the "Info" tab and mark the "Sync contacts with" check box
- Next up, select "Google Contacts" from the drop-down menu
- If you haven't done so before, register your Google account in iTunes. Otherwise, you can click "Configure" and select an existing account from the list
- Click "Apply" to commence the syncing process
- Once the contacts have been synced, register the same Google account as the one used in iTunes, on the Huawei Ascend P7 Mini
- Allow Google to sync contacts with your Android smartphone
Transferring Contacts through iCloud: Another method of transferring contacts from an iPhone using a Computer with Internet access is through iCloud. In case you've already activated the service on your iPhone, your contacts should be backed up on your iCloud account. You can export these contacts for use on the Android device. To do so: - Open the Internet browser on your computer
- Go to https://www.icloud.com/ and sign in with your iCloud account
- Click "Contacts" and select the contacts that you wish to transfer
- With the desired contacts marked, click the "Settings" icon located in the lower-left area
- Click "Export vCard" and wait for the VCF file to be downloaded on your computer
- Next up, import the VCF file to "Google Contacts". Otherwise, you can connect the Ascend P7 Mini to your computer via USB, and copy the file to the phone's "sdcard" directory. Then, you need to launch the contacts app, and press "Menu" > "Import / Export" > "SD card" > "Next". Select an account and tap "Next", then choose the vCard file and tap "OK"
Transferring Contacts using "My Contacts Backup": While the iTunes and iCloud methods require you to have computer access, you can still transfer your contacts without the need of a computer. To do so, you need to install certain third party apps, such as " My Contacts Backup". This is an iOS app that can backup and send your iPhone contacts via email. - Download the "My Contacts Backup" app on your iPhone, via the App Store
- Launch the application and tap "Backup"
- Once the VCF file has been created, tap "Email" to attach the file to a new email
- Enter your own Gmail address as the email's recipient, and send it
- On the Huawei Ascend P7 Mini, open the email containing the attachment, and download it
- Import the VCF file's contacts using the people app and the "Import" option from the "Menu"
Using "Send Anywhere" to Transfer Contacts: Another application that you can use is " Send Anywhere". It's an iOS and Android app that can transfer contacts and other file types cross-platform, through a P2P connection. As such, you are not required to have access to a computer - Download "Send Anywhere" on your Ascend P7 Mini from the Play Store
- Install the application on your iPhone via the App Store
- After you've downloaded the app, open it on both smartphones
- On the iPhone, tap "Send" > "Contacts"
- Select the desired contacts and tap "Send"
- Finally, select the desired sharing method. By tapping "Receive" on the Ascend P7 Mini, you can enter the randomly generated transfer code from the iPhone. You can also tap "Generate QR Code" on the iPhone, and scan the code with the Android phone's camera to commence the transfer
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