Productivity tools and hazard detectors make life a breeze for users of smart devices

One of my favourite productivity tools is Evernote (www.evernote.com). Evernote makes it easy to remember things, big and small, from your everyday life, using your computer, phone, tablet and the Web. You can write notes on any of your devices and they will be automatically synchronised with all your other devices. If you are in a meeting and taking notes on your tablet or phone, the minute you login to your office/home computer, you will find them there!
The beauty of this elegant piece of software is that it is truly cross-platform. It supports iOS, Blackberry, Windows and Android on smartphones and tablets and Mac
OS X, Windows, Safari, Chrome and Firefox on Computers. It just synchronises seamlessly.
Your notes could be text, audio, picture notes, checklists or even sketches. So, remember everything, access anywhere and find things f-a-a-a-a-s-t! Best of all, it is free to install on each one of your devices. Free accounts have a 60MB (megabytes) upload limit per month; but I have never even reached half of it in any month. For advanced features, you may go in for a paid version which is available in two flavours. My current favourite; no gifts of diaries for me for the New Year!
Google Calendar
If you are a regular user of Gmail (900 million active users, why not you?), I have a bunch of productivity tools lined up for you. One of the most used is the Google Calendar. It helps organise your life seamlessly! Simple calendar options are there by default. If someone sends you a mail which has the time, date and place for a possible meeting, you have the option to directly add it to your calendar from your inbox itself—no need to manually add it to your calendar. Recurring appointments and reminders are a breeze. You can add attachments to your calendar entry and you can also show the time as busy. Many more features are inbuilt for you to explore; but, then, I would run out of space here! Google Calendar is also now available as an App for download on Android devices and it remains synced always. Just try it; I’m sure you will be hooked: don’t tell me you were not warned!
Write to me at
[email protected] if you would like to have more Gmail productivity tools and I will cover them in my future columns.
EMF Hazards Detector
These days, one is exposed to so much radiation—the television, speakers, cellphone towers and your microwave oven; even your cordless telephone emits radiation. Most of it is safe. But what if it is not? You can buy a Gauss meter to measure the accurate value. However, your smartphone can also be converted as a simple Gauss meter. Use your Android Smartphone to detect such hazards emanating from electromagnetic fields (EMF) with the EMF Hazards Detector. This application will sound the alarm when an abnormal EMF field is detected. The screen colour will also turn from healthy green to dangerous red. So, scan your home and office now and find your level of exposure. Proceed to Google Play and download this light and simple to use app. To acess go to:
http://tinyurl.com/b36bbbo
Simple Unit Converter
Often, one needs to make simple unit conversions without wading through a complex calculator. The Simple Unit Converter does just that! Once you download and run the app, you are presented with a simple screen with the following options: length, volume, weight, temperature, speed and others. Just tap on any one, based on your need, and choose the units to and from. Voila! You get the conversions instantly. A must-have for those who have children abroad, who quote the temperatures in Fahrenheit and go crazy trying to figure them in Centigrade! This is available at
http://tinyurl.com/qfljsz6
Yazdi Tantra is a chartered accountant by training, computer consultant by profession, entrepreneur-developer by hobby and trainer in his leisure time. He is currently the vice-chairman of Zoroastrian Co-operative Bank Ltd and has been running a medium-sized computer company ON-LYNE for the past 24 years.
Have not used the hazards detector yet. will try it out!
Thanks!