Issue link: http://maconmagazine.uberflip.com/i/315858
30 l MACON MAGAZINE JUNE/JULY 2013 NOTE TAKING – EVERNOTE (free and premium option) Of all the note apps I've used, Evernote is far and away the most robust while still remaining user friendly. It allows you to store notes, images, documents, web clips and audio – and everything is searchable, even words found within an image. I find the search feature really helpful after photographing a whiteboard from a brainstorming session. You can email notes to the Evernote app, which it will then store, and email your Evernote documents to colleagues. I find this app most beneficial for remembering those early morning ideas or to-dos that pop in my head before reaching the office. PROJECT MANAGEMENT – BASECAMP (free with paid desktop account) If you aren't using the desktop version you should be – Basecamp provides excellent project management capabilities, allowing you to organize tasks by projects and invite an endless number of contributors, both co- workers and clients. It's the best I've found, and we wouldn't survive without it at the office. The mobile version allows access to all of your projects, provides progress updates on all users, allows you to attach and download documents, check off to-dos, and more – pretty much everything the desktop version allows. Currently it's only available for the iPhone, but it also works well through your phone's Internet browser. ORGANIZATION – SLICE (free) This is one of the more unique business apps I've come across. With Slice, you can track, organize and discover trends across all of your online purchases. After providing your email address, Slice will update you with pending, shipping and delivery notifications. You'll also begin to discover shopping habits and find all of your previous orders stored for future reference or re-order. Under the history tab you'll find your full spending history, with a total at the top (which can be a bit shocking). Under profile, you'll find all of your spending organized in a pie chart by categories. It's also handy for e-tickets; simply open the app and your ticket is available to be scanned by the attendant. FILE SHARING – CLOUDON (free) If you are away from the office and are working within the Microsoft Office Suite, you need CloudOn; it allows you to review, edit, share and even create Microsoft files in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint from your mobile device. Everything is shared on the cloud and you have several different options for storage and sharing – Dropbox, SkyDrive, Box or Google Drive (my preference). One of my favorite features is the built-in Adobe Reader and file viewer, which allows you to open and view PDFs, JPGs, PNGs, GIFs and more. Apps Aren't Just for Wasting Time: 5 Apps to Improve your Business On most nights, from about 5:30-7:30 p.m., my phone goes missing. Huddled on the sofa, my boys take turns playing their favorite games – Angry Birds, Monster Truck Bash, Subway Surfer, Sonic Dash and Stachify, which lets you place a mustache on any picture you take. They love it. At least half of the apps on my phone are for their entertainment. But, apps aren't just for wasting time or for entertaining your children – they can improve productivity as well. Most of the resources that help manage your day at your desk have an equally great mobile counterpart, allowing you to extend your reach while away from the office. The apps I use most often keep me aware of what's going on at the office when travelling and have replaced the need to bring my laptop home at night when I need to play a bit of catch up. Here's a look at 5 of my favorite apps for business: WORK SMART by matthew michael