Smart Cellular

This will be quick! Really just want to make a quick list of Web 2.0 applications that I am using to stay productive by working as much as possible in a Web browser. It is really a hot topic for me as I just took a working vacation in California with my family last week. The beach house we had rented had a wireless Internet connection, but for some reason, I could not get my pc connected. My wife’s iBook connected immediately. So, rather than spend hours troubleshooting my PC, I commandeered the iBook .

The first thing I did was download Google’s Browser Sync plug-in . It syncs bookmarks, folders, tabs, stored passwords, cookies, etc. So, I installed Browser Sync and logged in. Within minutes, all of my tabs and tab folders were now available on the iBook . So, I could use my tab organization that I have spent months perfecting to quickly access all of the websites I use to do my job.

Tools I use to do my job:

Writely.com - this is for quick word processing with easy-to-use tables. It is collaborative .

Google Spreadsheets - this is a great, full-featured spreadsheet. It supports multiple sheets and functions from sheet to sheet. It does have limitations in the number of rows/columns that can be created

Gliffy.com - this replaces Microsoft Viseo - it is super easy to use and creates beautiful, printable visual documents. It is also collaborative.

DabbleDB.com or GroupSharp.com - these are great database tools - really a toss up between the two - you will have to review their attributes to determine which is best for your application.

Google Mail - I eliminated Microsoft Outlook in favor of Gmail. The beauty is that my email lives on the Net. I am not tethered to a particular PC or Mac where it is archived. I can also easily access it on my smartphone . It also handles spam like a champ!

Google Calendar - I have my entire family using it. That means that I can access all of their calendars and see where we have openings. That way I don’t miss the important things .

TaDaList.com - this is a 37 Signals product. I like it because my family can collaborate on to-do lists and I can access from my smartphone. So, we have a family grocery list - where any of us can add items - whoever is at the store can access via phone and see what needs to be bought.

Backpack.com and iOutliner.com - Backpack is another 37 Signals product - it is a to-do list on steriods. I can create a to-do list with notes, reminders , add images, etc. iOutliner lets me create lists with an outline hierarchy. Both are awesome.

All of the tools listed above are FREE! At least for the beginning version .

My goal is to completely move online with all of the applications I use to do my job. I am missing the following applications: Photoshop, Quicken and Quickbooks are all that are left. Then, I am free to use a super cheap PC or Mac to do my work. If you know of any great Web 2.0 applications, please email me at info@thoughtlava.com. Thanks!

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