5 Aug 2009

Photo: You Know You Have a Problem When....

You know you have a problem when this is your iPhone on apps. I kid you not, this really is my iPhone - all 10 screens worth! 

I was staring at these icons on the train ride home tonight, thinking how many of these little buggers I really use. The short answer is far too many. I got a fever. And the only thing that's going to fix it is more cowbell! Oh yeah, and there's an app for that too.

In case you're wondering: they are indeed alphabetized - except for the last few, which are new additions. Oh and my "desert island apps" are as follows: Evernote, Instapaper, Byline (RSS), Kindle, Birdfeed (not to be confused with Birdhouse), Satchel, Umbrella, WeatherBug and WriteRoom.

Is this a common problem among geeks or am I alone???
30 Jul 2009

WriteRoom Syncs Basic Docs Between the Cloud and the iPhone

On the Mac I have become a fan of a little app called WriteRoom. It's a very basic writing app that also has an iPhone counterpart. Last night the developer pushed an update that, among other things adds search and syncing to the cloud at WriteRoom.ws.

I tried it this morning and it worked just great. You can start a document on the iPhone, sync it to the cloud, and then continue it in your browser elsewhere. The screen shot above shows my recent Adage column on my office PC. Since it's web based, WriteRoom.ws works on Macs and PCs and, just like the Mac desktop app, it's refreshingly very basic. The web app is powered by the Google App Engine, so you log in with your Google account. It also includes version tracking and features a very retro interface!

I would like to see it have a bit more tweaks on the web side (I don't care for writing in green, but white would be nice). The site also works awesome in a distraction free mode with any browser that operates in full screen mode - like IE, Firefox or Chrome. I wonder if John Gruber thinks this could give Simplenote a run.

21 Jul 2009

Workstreaming in 140 Characters with Backpack

Nowadays, status update boxes are everywhere: LinkedIn, Twitter, Friendfeed, Yammer, AIM, GTalk, Facebook and more. The stream is becoming a de facto way that we communicate with others. However, thinking in 140 characters is also changing how I work. I am now using status updates to workstream. 

I have dusted off using Backpack as a tool for managing my life. It's improved a lot since I last used it a few years ago. One of their recent additions is the Backpack Journal, which I love. I can update it throughout the day to capture a running log of what I worked on, when. Right now this is just for my own use but Backpack works great in teams as well. Above is a screenshot from my Journal this am. I also update it from my iPhone using an app called Satchel and on the desktop use text expansion software to enter items more quickly. I use codes and phrases to track my time which I refer to when I enter my time reports.

Several of my colleagues are workstreaming with Yammer. This is something I need to explore more, since it's certainly easy to do. Are any of you workstreaming - and if so, how - in private or public forums?
24 Jun 2009

Instapaper 2.0 Turns Every RSS Feed Full-Text

via youtube.com

Watch this screencast - particularly the part where the New York Times is added as a folder. Note that the app doesn't just pull down the text in the feed but the full text of every article - and then makes it available in a mobile format on your device.

24 Jun 2009

Instapaper Becomes an Awesome Techememe Reader

Instapaper Pro for the iPhone got a nice upgrade last night that turns it into a mini feed reader of sorts. The best feature is that it will automatically download the full text of the top articles on Techmeme, not just the links.

   

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Steve Rubel's Posterous

Steve Rubel (bio) is SVP, Director of Insights for Edelman Digital, a division of Edelman - the world's largest independent PR firm.

He is charged with helping clients identify emerging technologies and trends that can be applied in marketing communications programs. Rubel also explores these topics on his site and in monthly columns for Forbes.com and Advertising Age. He can be found on Twitter and Facebook as well.

Steve can be reached via email at steverubel@gmail.com.

Note: Everything posted on this site is Steve's personal opinion. It does not represent the views of Edelman or its clients.

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