iXpenseIt is an iPhone application meant to help users to keep track of their daily finances through easy management of purchases and spending patterns.
By making excellent use of the iPhone’s built-in features iXpenseIt can help both organize your expenses and/or get you started on the path toward using any sort of money management tool.
The application keeps records of all inputted purchases and tracks the information in a number of useful manners. Users can choose to view their data through a variety of different displays.
iXpenseIt is capable of creating solid graphs of your spending patterns over whichever range of time you wish to see and thus provides a great manner of creating a visual representation of your finances.
Your data can be exported to your desktop as well, a feature which should help users to archive their spending information into monthly or yearly folders.
iXpenseIt also has the very useful feature of using the iPhone’sbuilt-in camera to capture photos of your receipts so that they can be digitally input before being thrown in the trash.
At $4.99 the iPhone application may be a bit too expensive for some to warrant downloading but it’s a fair price for what the software does manage to pull off. If nothing else, at least the price of the program can be the first item entered into it!
It is the final countdown to Christmas now, 4 days till the 25th and I am sure that everybody reading this blog will be totally organized and prepared for the festive season 🙂
I have just this minute received an email from Amazon stating that the David Allen Book, Making it all Work, has been delayed by the publishers and not due into the UK until the 15th of January 2009. Looks like my Christmas Reading is limited to the Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp as that has just shipped and will be with me before Christmas.
My second link is a link to Spootnik.net. Spootnik is a web based system for synchronizing your OmniFocus tasks with Basecamp from 37Signals. I use both OmniFocus and Basecamp so I am going to try this. Although the system does look like you have to sync all tasks and it does not appear to give you the option of choosing which tasks to sync. I will provide more details
My third link is a link to a post about the OmniFocus Start date From MacSparky. This is anew blog I have just started reading via another blog and the content is very relevant to me.
My fourth link is a link to the Mind Depositor Index Card Templates – Nice little index cards ready for GTD for you to print. I know these have done the rounds on various blogs already but they are pretty neat if you use a paper based GTD system so check them out.
My fifth and last link for this week is a link to an article from the Times Online titled, Tough Times need a Cool Head and Clear Planning. It is a nice little article about surviving in these tough times and how productivity can help.
My next weekly links will be on the 28th of December when all the Christmas celebrations will be over and we will all be focusing on the New Year.
As it is the New Year, I will do a special New Year links section with all links focusing on planning for the New Year.
Hope you all have a very Merry, and of course productive Christmas!
I have covered Zenbe in a few other posts on this blog and I do have a review of the full web based Zenbe ready to publish as soon as I can get it on the site. I just thought I would review the little cut down Zenbe Lists for the iPhone as this is a good list manager that syncs with a web based application.
Zenbe is one of the best productivity program developers currently at work and has justly achieved a certain level of notoriety for their dedication to multiple platform releases. Now the addition of the ZenbeiPhone application, Zenbe Lists means that the task-organizing and daily planning so many computer users enjoy is finally coming to the most popular mobile device.
The iPhone version of Zenbe Lists is a great option for both those who already make regular use of the application from their desks and users who are unfamiliar with the entire program. As to be expected from the name, Zenbe Lists allows users to make simple run-downs of their to-do items.
The best features are found in the level of customization offered however as Lists provides fairly substantial sharing and sorting options. Users can collaborate on their lists with other Zenbe subscribers so that business associates or roommates can keep real-time access to their shared items. Marking finished list items is updated immediately which makes Zenbe Lists an extremely effective tool for keeping track of the day’s work.
Zenbe has also made Lists accessible from their official website as well which allows for easy uploading of data to iPhones. The portability and in-depth functionality of the program makes it ideal for blog updates too, a feature which should greatly extend the user base of Lists past the GTD crowd.
Overall Zenbe Lists is definitely one of the higher ranking iPhone productivity applications available for download, packing enough worthwhile features and quality design to warrant a spin from just about anybody.
I have just read this neat little story and video that I thought I would share with you all. Now, I am one of those very lucky people with a very good photographic memory.
I am able to tune into the memory of sight to help me remember items. I have managed to utilize Mind Mapping techniques to really harness this power that I have and this has helped me pass numerous exams as well as impress people with my memory.
I was just reading about how Evernote have teamed up with Eye-Fi to bring you a digital electronic memory.
I have covered Evernote in great depth in this blog and my regular users will know that I love Evernote and use it daily to collect and share notes between my numerous computers and also the Web.
Eye-Fi manufacture WiFi enabled SD Memory Cards. These are the same cards that go into your digital camera for photo storage.
So, what has happened now in the collaboration between Evernote and Eye-Fi is that you can take a picture with your digital camera and with some simple setup it will be automatically sent to your Evernote account.
Obviously you need a WiFi connection to make this happen but you can take the pictures and then they will be uploaded when you are in range of a trusted WiFi Access Point.
Think of the uses for this!, here are some from the Evernote Blog
* Got back from a conference with a stack of business cards? Snap a photo of them.
* Just finished a big whiteboard session? Don’t copy it into your notebook, snap a photo.
* Just had dinner? Snap a photo of the receipt for your records.
* Doing some comparison shopping? Go to a store and snap a photo of the sales tags.
* Got a billion dollar idea sketched on a napkin? Snap a photo so you’ll never forget it.
How cool is that!
Just added one of these to my want list as I have to try this out, although I mainly use Evernote on my iPhone for image collection so I do have a feature like this already.
Evernote as a photo storage and automatic backup service, now there is an idea…
WritingPad is one of the many iPhone productivity applications designed to encourage users to keep notes through easy, convenient and even fun access to their program.
Using ShapeWriter technology, WritingPad is able to provide iPhone owners with a great method of organization and outlet for every idea or idea in need of remembrance.
The application allows for a sort of short-hand version of typical note-taking which makes it into an invaluable tool for meetings, lectures or any other situation where a memo is in order but time and concentration are scarce.
WritingPad’s ShapeWriter system works incredibly well and allows users to transcribe their thoughts much faster than that which is possible via traditional means. The software recognizes a user’s writing of letter or number shapes and interprets them into clean, easily read computer text.
In addition to this, WritingPad also uses an ‘Add Word’ feature which functions in a similar fashion as the T9 anticipation of cell phones, recording and suggesting typically used words and phrases to further increase the speed of typing.
It can be extremely handy for iPhone users to be able to take notes without having to rely on a virtual keyboard to get things inputted to the device. The fact that WritingPad is free to download makes it at least worth a shot for anybody who finds themselves taking frequent notes and would rather speed up the process through their iPhone.
Do you have any experience in using WritingPad? If so, I would love to hear from you.
Springpad is one of the more interesting attempts at organization currently available from designers who wish to provide a fresh take on productivity software.
Although it is probably best taken as a single part of a total organizational plan the system is nonetheless a very impressive program which can go a long way toward providing users with a forum for keeping their thoughts and lists in one attractive and detailed place.
The software is exceptional and provides easy access coupled with pleasant visuals. Springpad’s designers have obviously spent a significant amount of time ensuring that their organizational method is both functional and graphically impressive.
Navigation of various Springpads and their editing or maintenance features is very well established and easy to pick up and get used to using while the aesthetics are all extremely clean and colorful, proving conducive to the experience rather than acting as an unnecessary level of eye-candy.
Design elements such as lots of open space and simple icons work together to create a beautiful home for daily list creation and editing.
Due attention should be paid to the unique Springpad system that has been developed here. The programmers have created their very own nomenclature and sorting method through their ‘springpads’— essentially any number of organizational pages and sections for users to customize. The developers have created a substantial number of Springpads with templates for popular organization projects (holiday shopping, grocery lists, weekly chores, medical check-ups and prescriptions, etc.) so users can easily pick a well-established outline for common work.
Aside from this, it is quite easy to learn how to make your own, specially tailored and completely personalized Springpads from the tools provided.
As mentioned before, Springpad is probably best taken as one aspect of a larger GTD (or other) productivity plan. Even from within this light the program still offers a fantastic option for any individual’s organizational system.
GTD devotees will most likely get the best mileage out of using Springpad as a temporary holding place for their short-term actions.
Springpads are great places to keep next actions or tasks which may have many different facets but still require completion within a small time-frame.
They can also be shared among other users or re-used when the situation calls for repeat access (like in daily or weekly actions such as meal preparation or regular work tasks).
Lastly it should be noted that each Springpad can have online features added in to enhance their usefulness. Through the addition of maps, location-based favorites (such as restaurants, hotels and more) or e-events, users can easily improve the functionality of every one of their lists and pages.
Springpad does a good job of keeping its users up to date on all company news, job listings and community information through their homepage.
Tutorials and in-depth guides to the system abound which help to ensure that even novices will have a painless process getting used to creating and editing their own Springpads. The hosted blog also helps in keeping all application updates and information in one place as well.
Users who try out Springpad are sure to be happy with at least some aspect of the program given the detail present in each organizational option intended by the developers.
Although it may ultimately prove to be a bit shallow on the whole for those who want a single resource for all of their productivity tasks, Springpad should still be commended for its inventive take on GTD software and organizational software in general.
Do you use Springpad?, If so, I would love to hear your thoughts on the application.
Evernote is in my opinion one of the best productivity applications available on the Internet and, luckily, the iPhone application (which serves as translation to this service) is a great mobile access method.
I use the Web, Mac, and iPhone versions of Evernote and it has saved my bacon on more than one occasion.
The creators of the app have paid close attention to the strong suits of Apple’s gadget with the ultimate result of producing a strong, efficient and extremely useful tool.
The same features which users look for in the traditional version of Evernote are all represented here and have been tailored to complement the iPhone technology aptly.
Users are able to create and edit memo documents easily from the program’s menu as well as take quick reminder photos using the built-in camera. Evernote has also made good use of the iPhone’s microphone to allow for convenient recording of voice memos.
Synchronization and offline viewing help to extend the program’s functionality so that it is truly worth using and counting on within every situation where a note can be taken and/or organized.
The iPhone iteration of Evernote is certainly worth a download for both existing users and those just looking for a solid organizational program to help maintain or increase their daily productivity.
A wide feature base and design which encourages usage throughout any situation combine to make the EvernoteiPhone app an invaluable productivity tool.
Do you use Evernote? If so, I would love to hear the cool ways in which you use this application to make you more productive.
These applications are the ones that are listed as Productivity Applications in the iTunes store. The ranking is based upon the number of times that they are downloaded from the iTunes store.
So, here are the list of the Top 10 Free Productivity Applications for the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch.
I am glad to see Evernote on this list. Evernote is an application that I use all the time and really do find helps me with my capturing of notes, especially voice and photo notes.
I do not use any of the others, just going to check some of them out now to see what they are like. The iPhone really has been a hit for me as far as Productivity and their are some amazing apps coming out for it.
Do you have a story to tell about any of these Apps? Do you have other Free iPhone Productivity Apps that you use? I would love to hear so please comment.
This week I am linking to five blogs that I have never linked to before. Some of these are established and some are total newbies to Productivity Blogging. Great to see new blogs appearing all the time.
My first link for this week is a link to a UK based site dedicated to managing your time. This is a great little site with some great resources. Pretty basic information and the site is Adsense heavy but sill a nice little site. It does appear to be a “Made for Adsense” type of site at first glance but the content does check out to be unique.
My second link is a link to the GTD tag from the Blue Knight Blog. The main reason for the inclusion of this blog is the information to be found on Pocket Informant. I used to use Pocket Informant on my Windows PDA and loved it. Nice to see it is still going and people are using it in their GTD and Productivity methodologies.
My third link is a link to a Scotch Box Hipster PDA (hPDA). A bit of fun and some good information from this new GTD Blogger.
My fourth link is a link to the first Google Android GTD Application Review from the Getting Things Done Blogspot Blog. Now, I have never seen an Android phone but looking at the user interface, I do not think the iPhone has much to worry about!
My fifth and last link for this week is a link to a neat little post about taking notes and using MarkUp. Another new blogger that I have never linked to and a blog which does seem to have good resoruces on it.
I am going away tomorrow for a midweek break to Centerparcs in Nottingham. Looking forward to a nice break with the family before the chaos of Christmas sets in.
May not be many posts this week, 3G coverage dependent.
iXpenseIt is an iPhone application meant to help users to keep track of their daily finances through easy management of purchases and spending patterns.
Last week I blogged about the new