Technology Top 5 for 2015

This began as a Top 10 list for 2015.  As I wrote, it became apparent that the top items for me this year all involved technology.  So that you get the full benefit of my learning, I am limiting the list to just technology.  The impact has been profound.  Starting with…

    1. Surface Pro 3 – With my 5 year old laptop running slowly and crashing more than I would like, it was time to find a new hardware solution. The “concept” of a laptop tablet appealed as it would make work more portable.  With the new handwriting technology available, could my laptop also be my note taking and making device?  At the time of this search in July, two candidates rose to the top, a Hewlett Packard model and the Microsoft Surface Pro 3.  The edge went to Microsoft as its note taking platform includes palm recognition, meaning that you can place your palm on the writing surface just as you do when writing on a note pad.  Sold!  Afterward I wondered if basing my decision on the handwriting technology was too future- focused.  Not at all.  This option has streamlined my note taking and encouraged my creative side.  The Surface Pro 3 is now my laptop and tablet, traveling with me often.  Note:  Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book are now available.  Compare the models here.

 

    1. OneNote – Hardware alone is not enough to make handwriting on a tablet a feasible undertaking. You need the right software to make it work.  Welcome to Microsoft’s OneNote, the best note/file/thought collecting system on the planet in my humble opinion.  Long a fan of Evernote, I ran into challenges with slow response time, crashes of Evernote’s web browser and syncing issues.    Not only is OneNote stable, the organization of notebooks, pages and the ability to embed all types of media make it my repository for any and every note or collected thought.  OneNote backs up to Microsoft’s OneDrive and is available on my iPhone 6s in a well-designed mobile version.

 

    1. DropboxOneDrive by Microsoft holds my OneNote files and that is due to Microsoft’s system design. I have no issue with OneDrive however I have used Dropbox for so many years that I am accustomed to its interfaces and ease of use.  It now uploads all the photos I take with my iPhone.  Perhaps I will move over to OneDrive in the future.  Complacency and one less thing to change keep me with Dropbox for now.  Whichever system you choose a cloud-based file server keeps you fully functional on the go.  It also makes sharing files with others a breeze.  My assistant can access files and the draft version of these blogs to add the finishing touches.  No emailing back and forth or accounting for version this and that.  Want to send a video to a client?  Instead of blowing up their email with an oversized file, send a link to the file in Dropbox.

 

    1. LastPass – When you get new hardware and need to access all of your web-based software and files, what do you need? All of your log-ins and passwords.  After countless times of looking up these combinations in my oh-so-secure paper copy, I researched the various providers of password services.  I settled on LastPass and can highly recommend it.  It resides on my laptop and on my mobile device, and is an easy-to-use software.  I can “share” log-in credentials with my assistant so she can do more things for me, without knowing my passwords.  Passwords are *****’d out (an optional feature) and I can “unshare” at any time.  It also allows me to regularly change passwords without having to inform her as the password updates automatically.  Get LastPass and commit one last password to memory (and a safe place!)  The features described above are part of LastPass Premium, which is not free but costs a whopping $12 per year.

 

  1. SaneBox – Oh, what a discovery SaneBox has been. After the acquisition of the Surface Pro 3 in mid-July, my email seemed to multiply.  The ease of use of the Surface Pro likely caused me to be more involved with my laptop and thus my email.  As my email Inbox reached over 200 unread emails, something had to be done.  Research lead me to an app that only worked on Google mail.  Surely something existed for Outlook that worked better than the Clutter feature.  Thank goodness for SaneBox.  At $59 for a year’s subscription (the Snack version), this program learned my email habits in no time and begin sorting appropriately between important, directed communications and all the others.  The important communications stay in my Inbox.  The less important, including newsletters, meeting notices, spam and junk are seamlessly swept into an inbox called SaneLater.  My eyes do not have to view this material until I have the time and space for it.   It even provides that the SaneLater materials can be forwarded to an assistant for further culling.  Another great feature of SaneBox is SaneNoReplies.  This folder holds copies of emails you have sent for which you have received no reply.  A reply is not needed for all emails and you can simply delete those.  For others a follow-up is necessary and is neatly organized in one place.  Get SaneBox and get your sanity back for email.

Disclaimer – The tools mentioned here do much more than what I have described.  I’ve simply highlighted the features that have made my life more efficient and better organized!  Other tools and apps can likely perform similar functions.  These are the ones that have worked for me.

This is our last message for the year.  I wish you and yours a wonderful holiday season!

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