Zoho is a popular project management program which has only been available for desktop and laptop usage up until last year.
The addition of the iZoho iPhone application is meant to branch the service out to smartphone users who require access to the organizational software while away from the computer.
The release of iZoho effectively boiled down the existing formula of the program in order to provide an optimized experience for mobile users.
This effort has resulted in the iPhone version hosting only document, presentation and spreadsheet access, something which is still fairly impressive but ultimately of lesser worth than competing programs.
Users are able to open, edit or create new Zoho documents and organize their data through this format but are forbidden write authorization for the other two categories.
While it may be useful to view presentation and spreadsheet information the document-only usage of iZoho cuts the service off from being of any real use past a simple convenience for pre-existing Zoho users.
Although there is certainly nothing wrong with iZoho it’s difficult to shake the feeling that there are better uses of your time and effort while perusing the software.
Taken as what it is, iZoho is sufficient as a somewhat limited productivity app but fails in holding itself up against the competition and it’s own, non-mobile renditions.
Do you have any experience with iZoho? Please leave a comment and share if you do.
Well, one month down in 2009 already. Hope your year is working out well.
I have been bashing the @Home context again this weekend removing the tiles from our bathroom in preparation for a tiler to arrive next week. Need a well earned break in front of my computer tonight to catch up on what I have missed this weekend.
Here are my collection of links for this week.
My first link for this week is a post by Michael Deutch from the MindJet Blog titled Making it all Work with MindManager Michael is a regular reader and commenter on this blog and it is great to see such a great GTD post on the MindJet blog.
My second link is a link to the Zen Habits post on How to Get Things Done with Twitter. I have been using Twitter for quite a while now and must admit that sometimes it can be counter productive and quite a distraction. This post shows you how to use Twitter productively and in my opinion it is a must read for all users of Twitter.
My third link is a link to a different take on GMail GTD from Neil Dixon. First time I have linked to this blog and it is a good read. Neil provides some good information if Gmail is the mail system that you use.
My fourth link is a link to 10 Productivity Tips for Road Warriors courtesy of Ian’s Messy Desk. I can spend quite a few days away from the office on road trips so I can see the benefit of the information presented in this post. Carrying a portable document wallet system is a great one for me. All the business receipts go into their correct folders as well as my portable inbox, for any notes or anything else that needs collecting for later processing.
My fifth and last link for this week is a link to a 100 GTD Resources from Mashable. This is the most recent up to date list of GTD resources and applications. There were some new ones on here that I had not heard of. I found out about this through Twitter.
I have got quite a few reviews stacked up for release on this blog and I cannot believe that I have never published a review of Evernote before.
I did review the Evernote iPhone application a few months ago. I love Evernote and it really is one of those applications that I use on a daily basis.
Evernote is one of the most well-known organizational programs on the internet and is a great choice for users looking for a GTD application or just a better, general tool to help sort out their daily lives.
Its “remember everything” slogan encapsulates the main goal of the app; to provide an easy and convenient method of taking digital notes from the user’s daily life.
Visually, Evernote is outstanding. The simple yet detailed aesthetic cultivated by the developers makes the program very welcoming and a joy to check into.
Evernote’s main features are all clearly laid out and easy to access for new users or those who only ever really use the program at a basic, surface level.
Each form of the system from the no-download web access to portable phone usage looks and navigates extremely well so users shouldn’t be worried about how their operating system or choice in medium will be able to handle it.
The developers of Evernote have obviously spent a lot of time packing the program with important features. Interface support is, frankly, quite astonishing.
As mentioned before, Evernote can be used on the web, on a Windows or Mac Client and also on mobile devices including the Apple iPhone. The option of signing in and using the whole array of tools without a download is also great for users who wish to access the program from various computers.
Some of the more innovative aspects of the application include incredibly simple copy and pasting from the web (both words and pictures) into Evernote and text searching within images.
The “Endless Tape” view through Evernote Windows is also interesting in that it allows users to scroll through all of the ‘memories’ they’ve pasted into the program — a great feature for those who want to make sure absolutely everything gets sorted from within their various files.
Once notes have been taken it’s also quite easy to organize, store and peruse your various work which makes it an excellent choice for those who want to incorporate the program into a GTD philosophy of work.
There aren’t too many faults worth mentioning with Evernote when considering the large amount of attention and continued work that has obviously gone into the program. While it may have a fairly overwhelming number of features this is ultimately a pretty difficult aspect of the program to consider negative.
The community attached to the program should help to make the learning curve relatively gradual and exciting. In future versions it would be good to see a greater emphasis on sorting information into more detailed categories, tasks and next actions although users are still able to make this happen on their own accord with a bit of effort.
The support is pretty remarkable and it’s obvious that the popularity of the program has lead to a great, helpful community. From Evernote’s homepage users can peruse press releases, news, updates, tours and manuals along with a quick video tour which highlights the main program features for the uninitiated.
RSS feeds, Facebook fan pages, FriendFeed and Twitter options all help to further increase the level of involvement with the Evernote world that dedicated fans can choose to get into as well.
Users will no doubt be impressed by Evernote and its wealth of features no matter what kind of organizational tool they’re interested in.
Whether accessed through the website, offline mode or via a mobile phone the program is a great bet for the busy user interested in introducing a little more order to their day to day lives.
This video has been doing the rounds over the past couple of days so I thought I would post it to my blog in case you have not already seen it.
This is David Allen, the Author of the Getting Things Done Methodology in his home office. Although the video is only short, it shows you how David organizes his own office.
This weekend my @Home context has been getting a battering. I have knocked quite a few items off this list which included changing taps and replacing the floor in my en suite bathroom. Hopefully going to settle down for a nice move with my wife tonight and some well earned rest!
My second link is a link to Motivating your Volunteers, a post from Rebecca Leaman on the Wild Apricot Blog. This is aimed at motivating volunteers in non-profit organizations but the concepts of Maslow can be used in many circumstances. I had a great Risk Management teacher when I was younger who was a real advocate of Maslow and reading this post stirred great memories for me.
My third link is a link to a a great thread on Lifehacker about analogue (low tech) capture devices. The good content is in the comments showing you what people use as their low tech capture device. As expected, the Moleskine is mentioned quite a bit.
My fourth link is a link to a good post from a GTD advocate about how they implement GTD. Nice post from somebody who started with Merlin Mann’s Inbox Zero process and then moved to GTD.
My fifth and last link for this week is a link to a review of PlutoPro. This is a Mac only GTD App that lives in your Menu Bar on your Mac. Looks quite a nifty lightweight app that has been added to my review list for another day.
I have a got a few GTD Application Reviews lined up for this week as well as some ideas for some more posts about my GTD thoughts. I have been listening to David Allen in my car over the past week whilst travelling and it has really sparked some great post ideas.
Twitter has caught on in a huge way for many internet addicts and blog fanatics alike but the biggest problem with the site can be the time it takes to access and peruse when you’re just looking to make a quick update.
The Twinkle app for the iPhone looks to address this by providing a far more productive method of using Twitter.
Twinkle provides a convenient way to posting tweets no matter where you are and does so with a great deal of ease. The iPhone app functions perfectly and allows for quick Twitter use without having to go through the hassle of logging on to your computer to get onto the website.
The most interesting capability that Twinkle brings to the table is the ability to tweet your location data along with your message. While it is a great method of using the iPhone’s technological capabilities to enhance your posts it should be noted that this GPS information is only visible for other Twinkle users and doesn’t show up through the Twitter website.
For hardcore Twitter fans Twinkle is a good call although it does lose points for not having the map feature translate onto the main site (and adding their official user, Twinkleking to your list!). Overall the app is still a great download for those who tweet often enough that portable access is a relevant selling feature.
I have been using Spotify for the last couple of weeks and I am very impressed with the service it offers. I have created a playlist of 20 Motivational Songs for you to listen to for free
I received the free invite from Kieron Donoghue who has incidentally just published a great blog post titled Ten Reasons why Spotify Rocks. Read this blog post as a great intro to Spotify.
Spotify is a new way to enjoy music. Simply download and install, before you know it you’ll be singing along to the genre, artist or song of your choice. With Spotify you are never far away from the song you want.
There are no restrictions in terms of what you can listen to or when. Forget about the hassle of waiting for files to download and fill up your hard drive before you get round to organising them. Spotify is instant, fun and simple.
One of the cool things you can do with Spotify is to create and share playlists. So, in the spirit of my site I have put together a playlist of 20 Motivational Songs for you to listen to, free of charge courtest of Spotify.
Good news, I have ten Spotify invites to give out to readers of this blog. To get one, sign up to my newsletter (so I have your email address) and leave a comment here. The next ten people will get a free invite to what is the hottest free music system on the Internet right now!
So, here are my songs in no particular order!
Life – Haddaway
I Feel Good – James Brown
I’ve Got the Power – Snap!
Survivor – Desiny’s Child
The Final Countdown – Europe
What a Feeling – Irene Cara
Circle of Life – Elton John
Tubthumping – Chumbawamba
Lose Yourself – Eminem
Born to Be Wild – Steppenwolf
Total Eclipse of the Heart – Bonnie Tyler
You Raise Me Up – Josh Groban
Eye of the Tiger – Survivor
The Best – Tina Turner
Mony Mony – Billy Idol
Jump – Van Halen
Unbelievable – EMF
Killer – SEAL
My Heart Will Go On – Celine Dion
Everybody Hurts – R.E.M.
I am not sure what regions Spotify currently works in but it does work in the UK for a change!
iPhone owners can pick and choose from a staggering number of productivity applications, many of which are excellent in their own right, but the aim of your organizational goals is usually the most important criteria for choosing the right download.
Round Toit is pretty much just another of many to-do list applications but it succeeds in finding a good way to channel all of your tasks into a solid, temporary holding tank.
I first heard of the term a Round Toit from Zig Ziglar who is told to carry one in his pocket as his business card. Then when people say that haven’t got around to it, he would give them his card and say “You have now”.
Round Toit succeeds in its work toward providing a fully realized grouping and sorting system for all types of data. The application doesn’t aspire to be something that it isn’t and focuses well on the specific task of collecting and organizing all sorts of data the user has collected.
Items can be prioritized in different manners and allow for customized alerts, deadlines and more while unsorted work can be filtered into organized and/or unorganized categories for later handling. All lists can be moved around or edited quite easily and the overall view is clean and pleasant to look at.
The application costs $4.99 to download but may very well be worth the entry fee for iPhone owners in the market for a new productivity application. Probably the best way to assess Round Toit is within its stated framework as a to-do list and nothing else.
Users expecting a fully formed GTD app will be disappointed with the lack of options but those interested in a fantastic, virtual dumping point for new work and memos will likely be quite pleased with what Round Toit accomplishes.
Another very productive week for me. I have been working on a very long customer report all week and also my latest eBook writing project for Cisco Press.
Deadlines really help you to focus and I am happy to say that I hit another one. Good planning and time allocation are key to working on a writing project with a deadline. I avoid procrastination and start early. There is nothing worse than leaving everything to the last minute, by which time you put yourself under undue pressure!
Here are my collection of links for this week.
My first link for this week is a link to a Flash video from David Allen about Mind Mapping. This is a video created in conjunction with MindJet. The audio quality is not fantastic but it is a good video that shows how you can use Mind Mapping to help with GTD.
My fourth link is a link to 5 Links about Making it All Work, the latest book from David Allen. These links are from the Smart productivity Blog.
My fifth and last link for this week is a link to the start of a Book review for Making it All Work from fellow GTD Blogger Kris over at Fresh Focus.
I am just getting ready to set off to Havant near Portsmouth for three nights. This time my hotel advertises Free WiFi Internet so let’s see how good the connection is.
