Our top tech picks for 2013 include several pieces of hardware, some apps and a few old favorites that continue to make waves.

Hardware 2013

Without a doubt it was a big hardware year. Tablets are saturating the market while tech enthusiasts and investors search for “the next” gadget to disrupt the market.

Google Glass

While Google Glass is little more than an interesting sideshow at the moment, its reality shows what future tech may hold. Envision if you will average glasses or sunglasses with Google Glass type function. Complete with internet browsing and presumably dictation through a microphone in the frames for text, email and the like.

Yes, Google Glass looks ridiculous and that’s okay because it’s simply the first in what’s sure to be a line of wearable tech moving forward.

Smartphones

Without a doubt the best smartphone of 2013 is the HTC One. It can be debated until smartphone owners are blue in the face, but we stand behind that statement. Samsung and Apple seem to always share the spotlight when it comes to popularity, but the market needs competition to further innovation. For all of HTC’s struggles as a company the last 12+ months, they deserve immense credit for delivering what is an absolutely brilliant piece of hardware in the One.

Gaming Consoles

We could debate Xbox One versus Playstation 4 all day long and one will always outshine the other depending on how they’re viewed. Fact is, this may be the last true gaming console generation. Xbox One is already much more than a gaming console and many would say a detriment to itself. Sony has integrated more online social aspects that are maturing now with Playstation 4. By the time gamers and console makers are ready for the next generation of consoles, it simply won’t be enough to be ‘just a gaming console’.

Should we feel sad that this may be the last true gaming console generation or perhaps nostalgic about past generations? Yes, though there’s no need to panic. Game makers are delivering games at an unreal pace to every tech device they can. Mobile gaming is exploding, PC games are resurgent and new manufacturers such as NVIDIA (Shield) are delivering dedicated gaming units.

It’s impressive to see what Microsoft and Sony have delivered and we commend them for delivering possibly the last true gaming consoles. There’s no doubt each are worthy of mention for top hardware in 2013.

2014 Watchlist

Keep an eye out for Steam Machines. Steam is moving forward, if not slowly, with their own gaming device. They’ve labeled it “a powerful new category of living-room hardware” which points to more than gaming, but that remains to be seen.

Tablets are shifting towards larger models. Don’t be surprised if 7” tablets begin to fade away as new larger models flood the market.

PCs aren’t dead despite news to the contrary. However, Google’s Chromebooks are now starting to realize their potential and others are noticing. With everything online and cloud based, the Chromebooks offer a distinct advantage for some. That number will grow as cloud adoption continues.

Another watch item from Google is the Chromecast. Sure it’s getting a ton of hype now, but let’s watch what happens when it starts to hit its stride or better yet spawn something more from the minds at Google. Either way, grab a Chromecast now for $35 and enjoy inexpensive cable-like viewing.

Apps 2013

Mobile apps are an absolutely immense category to narrow down and dissect. The fact is, the app market is saturated both in iOS and Android. To stand out and make an impression you’ve either got to have a monumentally grand idea or improve tenfold over similar apps. We picked a few of our favorites from 2013 and hope you get the same kind of warm fuzzy feeling from them.

Simplenote

Not new in the traditional sense, it was new to Android in 2013. Long an app on iOS, Simplenote is, as you’d expect, a note taking app. As many of you know, we’re huge fans of productivity type apps and Simplenote falls into that category. It comes from Automattic, Inc., the makers of WordPress mobile. There are several key reasons Simplenote makes our top apps for 2013 list.

1. It’s super lightweight. Leave the fluff and extra junk at the door because Simplenote has none of it. At less than 600k, this app is like a feather compared to some.
2. The interface is nearly prestine. It’s so clean you almost feel bad cluttering it with notes.
3. If you’ve tried Evernote and didn’t care for it or even found it to be too much for your needs, then Simplenote is the option you’re after.

We won’t harp on it too much, but if you haven’t tried it yet, then start 2014 out with a new app.

Download for Android

Download for iOS

Cal

Cal comes from Any.do, the makers of ..well.. Any.do. If you’re not familiar, Any.do is a to-do, reminder, sort of productivity type app to keep you on target with tasks. Cal is basically a replacement for your other calendar apps. It’s still new so it lacks a few features that a true Google Calendar has. And while we aren’t huge fans of Any.do, Cal manages to improve on something every smartphone has – a calendar.

It’s attractive interface is super clean and sharp. It uses just enough graphic to spice things up and of course syncs nicely with Any.do to wrap your tasks into your calendar with ease. If you’re someone who likes to have their schedule at the ready and appreciates a very legible interface, then Cal should be on your list.

Download for Android

Download for iOS

Game Apps

We could literally go on forever with all the game apps. Needless to say, there were some standouts.

Real Racing 3

EA’s racing game has enjoyed plenty of ridicule for their freemium model and some of it deservingly so. However, their Real Racing 3 is visually fantastic and has sparked numerous copy cats in the mobile markets. With nearly 80 vehicles, RR3 has given gamers plenty of variety to play with. Fairly regular updates have provided new tracks and competitions and continued to keep the game interesting.

Real Racing 3 gets high marks for guiding the racing category of the market in the right direction (aside from the freemium in app costs that is).

Download for Android

Download for iOS

Injustice: Gods Among Us

Meant as a companion app to the console version. Injustice is quite fun on its own for those that don’t have time to spend in front of a console. Again, based on a freemium type model – Injustice provides achievement based reward with expensive upgrade options. The system is done well and not nearly as overwhelming as some other freemium games. The graphics are slick and for the most part gameplay is consistent.

Download for Android

Download for iOS

Old Favorites 2013

Evernote

We might be beating a dead horse with this one, but the fact is there is no better note-taking, productivity app than Evernote. It is an all encompassing tool that anyone can use. One of our readers spoke up about their experience and how they struggled to find a “practical use” for Evernote. Turns out it was easy once they stopped thinking so much about it. Now their Evernote account is used for storing warranties, manuals, recipes (in conjunction with Evernote Food) and a slew of other everyday things.

The real surprise from Evernote this year was their foray into physical goods. The Evernote gear is somewhat cheesy, but at the same time a testament to it’s popularity and following. Another physical good is their ScanSnap scanner. They partnered with Fujitsu to deliver a high quality device for taking all those loose piles of paper and sending them directly to Evernote notes. Although pricey it’s a real godsend to those looking to go completely paperless.

Download for Android

Download for iOS

Apps Everyone Should Be Using

Pocket

Save anything and everything for reviewing later. Don’t have time to read it now, but the headline looks interesting? Share it to Pocket and view it later. Need to follow a how-to found online, but need it later not now? Share it to Pocket and it’s there.

Download for Android

Download for iOS

TuneIn Radio Pro, Spotify & iHeart

TuneIn, Spotify and iHeart complement each other perfectly. iHeart has most radio stations and those it doesn’t are likely found on TuneIn. TuneIn is also great for radio broadcasts of sporting events, something any fan can appreciate. Spotify delivers everything those two don’t by way of user selected music. Spotify’s new free Playlists playback allows for greater control over selection of songs played. With their immense library of music, there’s very few songs missing.

Download iHeart for Android

Download iHeart for iOS

Download Spotify for Android

Download Spotify for iOS

Download TuneIn Radio Pro for Android

Download TuneIn Radio Pro for iOS

Any Cloud Storage App

If you aren’t using a cloud storage service, then what are you waiting for? There are literally a half-dozen excellent choices with more than a dozen other quality options. Every smartphone owner should be utilizing one to save those precious photos and other data accumulated on mobile devices.

For ease of use you can’t go wrong with Dropbox. Want something closer to your everyday routine? How about Google Drive (for Gmail users) or SkyDrive (for Outlook.com users). Our other favorite is Box although we’re disappointed they don’t give Linux users more love.

Security

Wondering where all the security apps and info are? We intentionally left that info out. Reason being that users need to dedicate more attention to security, not a passing thought in a “best of” list. With this year’s revelations and events, 2014 is going to be a pivotal year for users in securing their information. Look for an early year 2014 Security Checklist post with a bunch of suggestions for keeping you and your information out of other’s hands.

If you enjoyed or found this article useful, please show us some support by liking us on Facebook or by sharing us on your favorite social website. Thanks!

Be sure to subscribe to our Newsletter for updates and contest information.

This new twist involves more brains than brawn to save players from inevitably sore fingers.

Tekken Card Tournament

For those unfamiliar, Tekken is a fighting game where it pits opponent versus opponent in a duel to the finish. Tekken Card Tournament (TCT) is similar in that players use cards to determine their action, whether it be Focus, Strike or Block.

TCT is more of a strategy game than a fighting game. Players must not only decide their next move, but also anticipate their opponents. Countering and receiving acceptable damage during turns is integral to mastering the game.

The rub is this, TCT has issues. Some issues are bigger than others, but let’s take a look at what works in TCT first.

The Good

Graphics

While the graphics aren’t groundbreaking, they are sufficient. Battle scenes are mediocre, but not choppy or fragmented. Could they be better? Yes. Are they detrimental to the game? Not in the least.

Cards

Each deck is quite large. Players can only use 15 at any given time, but the decks themselves are more than triple that. Collecting cards is a bit of a side mission and of course the more cards collected, the larger the character’s skill set.

Each set is character appropriate and though the variety could use some work, they are different enough to make things interesting.

Player versus Player (PVP) multi-player

TCT almost had to have PVP built-in to be worth the download. Thankfully it is.

Card Fusion

The process of combing multiples of the same card to form a new, more potent card. The fusion outcome is predetermined, but the feature still delivers a bit of fun and achievement.

The Bad

TCT from day one has had some recurring problems that the developers are working on. We acknowledge that and expect many of the PVP problems to be resolved completely very soon. Having said that, TCT was released before it was ready and those who jumped in early have had to live with the pain for the gain.

PVP Server downtime

For the first week following the official release, the server was up and down more than a yo-yo. That meant no PVP or if there were server hiccups during a PVP match, loss of points. [notice type=”blue”]Note: TCT developers have consistently been addressing this issue and significant improvements have been made.[/notice]

Credits

TCT is full of in app purchasing to improve characters. Chief among them the use of credits which can be used to buy card packs and stamina refills. Prices range from .99¢ to $99.99 for batches of credits.  If you plan to pursue lengthy gameplay in TCT, then get ready to invest some money.

Credits are showered onto new users in the beginning with bonuses and early level perks.  After that, they are extremely rare.  Players can expect to receive them at each new level and the infrequent random reward bonus.

All those things would be fine, except that the pricing for Stamina refills and Card Packs are overpriced.  Stamina (more on stamina below) for example can cost 18 credits to refill 100%, but players don’t start receiving 18 credits for a new level until after 15.  Card Packs cost between 150 and 400 credits.  Do the math and it’s easily visible that collecting cards and improving characters will be a mind-numbingly long process.

Gold

For many of the same reasons as Credits.  Simply put, the rewards are too small per battle.  Card packs cost 3k gold, while specific card purchases start at 5k gold.  Card Fusion starts at 5k gold.  Per battle gold reward for a Medium level battle?  A mere 144 gold.

To be fair, there are a lot of gold bonuses and rewards. Even so, purchasing a single card at 5k depletes the bank fast, not to mention the 50k for more potent cards.

Stamina

This has to be the most ridiculous feature of TCT.  What its purpose is, we can’t say.  Essentially each character has a Stamina bar which decreases after every battle.  Players can only play 5 battles in succession without refilling or waiting for Stamina to refill on its own.

Battles last roughly 3 minutes.  Each Stamina bar (5 in total) takes anywhere from 20-30 minutes to refill on its own.  So 15 minutes worth of play and 125 minutes on average of waiting.  Players can opt to refill their Stamina with credits, but they are rare and are better used on Card Packs and additional decks (100 credits each after 3 free decks).

The whole idea of Stamina is baffling.  Perhaps it’s a measure put in place to curb server overload by artificially forcing players to stand down and not play.  That should only be a temporary measure though.  Stamina appears as though it’s a fixed part of the game.

Real World Card Purchases

It appears TCT will have the option to scan in real world cards purchased from retailers.  We see this as a non-starter and think Namco Bandai should revisit the cost of shipping, packaging and factory maintenance versus delivering more varied Card Packs in game.

The thinking is that, real world cards will add something to the game or make it more desirable.  It won’t.  Move on.

Download Tekken Card Tournament

If you enjoyed or found this article useful, please show us some support by liking us on Facebook or by sharing us on your favorite social website. Thanks!

Be sure to subscribe to our Newsletter for updates and contest information.

Now there’s an app for that!

Toy Story Live Wallpaper

If you’re unfamiliar with ‘Live Wallpapers’, they are backgrounds for mobile devices and generally have animation whether it be constant or intermittent and some have an element of interaction which is the case with Toy Story.

The scene is Andy’s room, complete with desk, bed, shelves, posters, bulletin board and other typical boy’s room décor. Throughout the room are different elements which add to the atmosphere such as a globe which users can spin, a bounce-able ball and bulletin board where a message can be written with colored block letters. The live wallpaper also tracks the local time of day and adjusts the environment (outside window) accordingly for nighttime and daytime.

Characters

What would a Toy Story app be without characters like Woody, Buzz and the gang? An empty one. Which is the default for the live wallpaper. Characters are unlocked via two methods.

First, users can purchase bundles and unlock them. Second, characters are unlocked through a collection of points which are accumulated through capturing army men and dartboard bulls-eyes. Total points collected are display on a laptop within the wallpaper. The first method is much faster, but way less fun than the second.

Each day users can throw darts in an attempt to hit the bullseye. The dartboard can only be accessed once a day. Army men on the other hand can be captured repeatedly, all day long. The points vary, but the process is always the same. Army men parachute in to the screen and users must tap them to gain points.

Character list:

[list style=”square” color=”cobult”]

• Woody
• Buzz
• Hamm
• Rex
• Aliens

What’s Missing

Toy Story Live Wallpaper is exactly what you’d expect from Disney. A fun little escape for your mobile device and safe for all ages. There could be more from this little app, so these are the things that we’d like to see added in a future update.

More Characters

Even Toy Story purists would insist on Slinky Dog and Mr. Potato Head being included in the app. Both would be great additions to the live wallpaper and it’s easy to imagine their own unique animations on screen. Beyond the original cast, the app could benefit from Jessie, Bullseye, Bo Peep, Wheezy, RC, Etch, Mrs. Potato Head, Lenny and plenty of others to choose from. We’d even be open to seeing Stinky Pete the Prospector and Zurg.

For The Girls

Another thing we’d like to see is a girl’s room option. While not strictly Toy Story storyline material, it would give girls a more appropriate option. Of course any girl’s room could be decorated with the likes of Jessie, Mrs. Potato Head, etc.

More Live Action

Aside from those two major additions, Toy Story Live Wallpaper could do with a bit more Live factor. Perhaps RC cruising across the floor at random or Etch propped up on a shelf with a random sketch after an unlock or device shake. There are a number of possibilities and we hope the app crew over at Disney open up their imaginations in future updates.

Final Notes

As it is, Toy Story Live Wallpaper is an excellent little app that is sure to please even the biggest of kids. It is free and available now.

Download Toy Story Live Wallpaper

If you enjoyed or found this article useful, please show us some support by liking us on Facebook or by sharing us on your favorite social website. Thanks!

Be sure to subscribe to our Newsletter for updates and contest information.

This week Todoist launched Karma, which is a sort of point system for tracking your productivity. Completing tasks boosts your Karma score, while postponing or delaying tasks will impact Karma scores.

The positive Karma is Todoist’s way of making task completion and productivity fun. Regardless of fun factor, no one likes to see their scores go down so this new feature could potentially compel users to accomplish more with increased frequency.

Additional Karma boosting methods include:

[list style=square color=cobult]

• Regular task management
• Completing tasks early
• Use of advanced Todoist features (labels, reminders, etc.)

The less you use Todoist, the more your Karma score will decline. Score can also be impacted by allowing tasks to exceed 4 days overdue. Here’s a video look at what Karma can do for you:

Todoist is one of the most frequently updated and managed productivity apps we’ve reviewed. With developers constantly refining and improving the app, there’s always something impressive happening at Todoist.

What does Karma mean long term? Hard to say, but we’re speculating that integration of Karma could lead to much larger scale productivity integration for business users who want to track their team’s output. Once a standard has been set, there’s no doubt Karma could provide serious insight into team member’s productivity and success rate.

Todoist is already an app that can be utilized for team project management and is definitely worth the short time investment of installing the app. You can read more about Todoist and the Todoist app in the following related articles:

Todoist Android App Review
Get More Done By Using Todoist

If you enjoyed or found this article useful, please show us some support by liking us on Facebook or by sharing us on your favorite social website. Thanks!

Be sure to subscribe to our Newsletter for updates and contest information.

Real Racing 3

Real Racing 3 is, as the title would indicate, a racing game which is available and free for Android and iOS devices. The game focuses on track racing with a wide variety of tracks and various cars available for purchase and use in competition.

Graphics

In a word, stunning, for a mobile device game. Vehicle graphics are superb and realistic right down to the clear-coat paint jobs and dash gauges.

Tracks scroll smoothly and seamlessly. Corners are tight and in close quarters with competitors remain accurate without clipping.

The environment as a whole is fairly impressive considering this is a mobile game. Tracks are detailed with mock advertising, bleachers, pit areas (not accessible) and terrain (grass, dirt, etc.). On certain occasions even a blimp can be seen overhead for added experience.

One major noticeable omission from the environment are fans. Not a single person in any of the stands or even onlookers at the start and finish line. We aren’t exactly surprised given the problems with human likeness in video games, but we’re surprised a blurry bunch of colored pixels weren’t added to give some life to the tracks.

Gameplay

Exceptional. That’s really all that needs to be said, but we’ll expand a bit. Cars have differing control characteristics and operational strengths and it clearly shows while driving. For example, an Audi is much more precise in turns than say a Viper. There are several manufacturers and models to choose from. 46 total vehicles in all with heavy representation by Porsche and BMW (too much actually). Instead of 8 Porsches, we’d prefer more manufacturers? Some clear omissions include Ferrari, Mercedes, Aston Martin and Mazda to name a few.

Drivers race against Time Shifted Multiplayer (TSM) racers. Essentially racing against recorded times of other players. For the most part the TSM data is acceptable though we’ve seen some instances where the times are disproportionate to the current situation.

As the Stig, you’re not only in control of racing your vehicles, but also in charge of their maintenance and performance upgrades. Maintenance is routine after every race and surprisingly, the repairs make a difference during a race. Oil changes, which occur often, are noticeable in the output of the vehicle so repairs aren’t simply a matter of busy work, but a matter of performance management.

Upgrades can consist of varying modules, but typically players will find Engine, Drivetrain, Tires and Brakes modules. More advanced cars have additional options such as Suspension and Exhaust.

Advanced players have a number of options for limiting the AI control over vehicles, but the auto assist is perfectly balanced for new players and beginners. Customization is available in the form of paint colors, but limited to a predefined number of colors. We hope a future update includes a color wheel type option for a truly custom appearance.

Issues & Shortcomings

Every game has its limitations and Real Racing 3 does as well.

Quirks

RR3 is a fantastic display of mobile gaming, but at times extends its reach with graphics utilization. In particular, the Southbank course in Australia which is a tight winding course will become stuttered and choppy. The reason? There are simply too many cars for that race. With limited space and maneuverability the cars are forced to bunch together, which in and of itself is not a problem, but the hardware simply cannot handle all the motion, physics and graphic manipulation on the screen at one time. That track in particular is troublesome for other reasons too. It essentially turns into a smash ’em up derby to pass vehicles because of the tight nature of the course.

Prices

Prices and earnings seem to be out of proportion. For the most part, prices seem accurate and attainable. However, the elite high-end vehicles are well over 1 million dollars. While the costs are realistic in nature, driver earnings are very low and even with the variety of bonuses rewarded some of the highest priced vehicles will take gamers so long to achieve that they will likely have a new device before they attain them. Repairs fall under this issue as well. Repairs are priced out based on the item, but for some reason there is a time delay on repairs. Waiting 30 minutes, an hour, or more for repairs to finish is unnecessary and honestly we fail to see the logic behind this waiting feature.

Backups

Which leads us to a huge shortcoming. There is no backup and save option for RR3 data. FireMonkeys has noted that the option is planned for an update, but as of now it does not exist.

Personalization

Finally, the most ridiculous limitation of the bunch is that of user personalization. New players can personalize their experience with an in game name by logging in with their Facebook credentials. That is the ONLY option. Frankly, that is unacceptable and should be updated immediately to allow players the choice of their own name without any sort of account login or association. For now, players who don’t login via Facebook are forced to play as Guest which limits the experience a bit.

Final Verdict

Real Racing 3 is an awesome mobile game. The graphics are crisp with gorgeous cars and quality atmosphere. The gameplay is some of the best we’ve experienced in terms of win-ability and competition. Though there are some shortcomings they aren’t nearly numerous or prevalent enough to steer players away.

For mobile gamers, Real Racing 3 is a must have. For everyone else, RR3 is a must try. We fully recommend Real Racing 3 from a gaming standpoint and overwhelmingly encourage users to put this on their must have app list.

Pros:

[list style=”square” color=”cobult”]

• 46 Unique cars
• Exceptional graphics
• Accurate and enjoyable gameplay
• Large variety of tracks and race types
• TSM for multi-player racing competition
• Very high replay value

Cons:

[list style=”square” color=”cobult”]

• Excessive wait times for repairs
• No sync or cloud backup option
• Facebook connectivity required for personalization
• Pricing is out of scale for super high end vehicles

[flexislideshow pageid=”” lightbox=true lboxtitle=false slideshowtitle=false]

Download Real Racing 3 for Android
Download Real Racing 3 for iOS

If you enjoyed or found this article useful, please show us some support by liking us on Facebook or by sharing us on your favorite social website. Thanks!

Be sure to subscribe to our Newsletter for updates and contest information.

Statwing

Briefly, Statwing takes information on any topic, breaks it down and provides statistical analysis on the data. Think of it as the Excel you wish you had. Where Excel is simplified enough for the most novice of users to input data and track the results, the advanced cross-sheet, formula inclusion, graph creation and chart tracking can be a bit overwhelming for even experienced users.

Statwing automatically reads the data from any spreadsheet (Excel, Google docs, etc.) or .csv file and returns an interface from which users can quickly track, analyze and compare the data.

Intuitive Data Analysis

Statwing’s approach is solid. It reads files accurately and in a rather simple form delivers a summary of the data with count, percentage and chart to visualize the data. Along those lines, users can manipulate which data should be excluded with filters (created by the user) as well as change the category assigned to each data segment.

Data handling is done on what’s called a Workspace. Workspaces can be saved and renamed as needed, though saving is best served for those who purchase one of Statwing’s premium packages as they are saved indefinitely. Free account data remains available for 24 hours, a rather short amount of time if you intend to pour over some detailed data.

Real World Testing

Like others, we examined the demo version of Statwing and found that the presentation and potential are outstanding. The possibilities in terms of time savings alone make Statwing a definite tool worthy of making it into any data analyzers toolbox.

We decided to create an account and test Statwing out with our own data and pre-formatted spreadsheet to examine the results in a less controlled way. The results were definitely different than the demo.[blockquote style=”style5″]Disclaimer: I’m especially particular about my spreadsheets and format them heavily for all-on-one-screen aesthetics. I hate to scroll in any direction if I can avoid it, but will always avoid horizontal scrolling.[/blockquote]

The disclaimer is mentioned because that’s likely where things went off the rails. Statwing read the data correctly, even accurately summarized it, but relating the data (comparing it) was less than representative of what the original spreadsheet depicted. Eventually Statwing sorted it out and provided more valuable information as the data related to each other. An adjusted spreadsheet with more generic layout and data was also used. The results were more predictable which indicates formatting may have been an issue in the first attempt.

* For purposes of full disclosure, the spreadsheet in question was that of a fuel expenditure with varying amounts, dates of purchase, totals and separation by month and day.

Overall, the statistical analysis wasn’t able to provide me with the data I was after, though as noted earlier (see disclaimer), the formatting may have been part of the issue.

Interface

If you’re going to stare at numbers and data all day, the presentation better be easy on the eyes or else one migraine later you’ll be wishing you never started. Luckily, Statwing’s interface is aesthetically pleasing. Mostly white with subtle shades of blue for functionality.

Navigation is clearly visible and uncomplicated with most essentials located in the same general area of the screen.

Statwing Workspaces can be shared via direct link sharing and recipients are not required to have a Statwing account to view shared Workspaces.

We’d like to see a built-in print function available to quick print charts and statistics. Standard printing through the browser was troublesome at best and unusable at worst. Saving is awesome and while we applaud the idea of 100% cloud functionality, users can often benefit from having a printout of things likes charts where they can highlight, circle and scratch notes on.

Plans & Pricing

There are three pricing plans available. The free account will grant you access to a saved file for 24 hours with a maximum file size of 1mb. Statwing’s premium packages offer higher size limits and unlimited life span on files.

Statwing Future

We aren’t sure where Statwing is heading, but with some small tweaks to the interface and more advanced graphing of data coupled with the existing, basic inner guts, they have the potential to become a standout resource.

Something worth considering moving forward would be a demonstration of how Statwing reads the data for a layman. The goal being to better describe to users how Statwing interprets formatting and where it expects data to be in relation to how it delivers results.

Final Thoughts

Having seen what Statwing is capable of in the demos, it’s hard not to question whether formating spreadsheets differently in the future should be considered in order to take advantage of this outstanding free service. While the statistics retrieved didn’t fully reach expectations, Statwing did demonstrate how intricately it reads files and interprets the data. We expect further enhancements which will expand on results output and broaden the analysis.

Statwing should be in your resource kit if data analysis is important and must be in your kit if it’s part of your livelihood.

Our advice is to create a free account with Statwing and see just how accurate the results are from your own spreadsheets and .csv files. Share your thoughts here to give others another point of view.

Visit Statwing

If you enjoyed or found this article useful, please show us some support by liking us on Facebook or by sharing us on your favorite social website. Thanks!

Be sure to subscribe to our Newsletter for updates and contest information.

Mobile small businesses are equally as important to a community, but lack the visual notice that storefronts offer. Mobile businesses rely many times on by-the-hour compensation with clients who appreciate exacting records of labor costs. Unfortunately, not everything runs by-the-hour and so time can be relative or spread out across periods of time during the completion of projects.

So how can small businesses, self-employed and entrepreneurs track their billable time easily? Well, they could carry around a stopwatch or guesstimate the time based on their arrival and completion. We’ve found a better way in the form of a mobile app – Timesheet.

Timesheet – Time Tracker

Timesheet – Time Tracker is a free time tracking mobile app that records time spent on Projects and Tasks while neatly organizing them into timeframes with automatically calculated billable totals and workflow statistics.

Skip to the end for an image slideshow of Timesheet screen captures.

Projects

Projects are the top level way of labeling the service performed. They can be named anything you like and are sorted to display open Projects first while maintaining an archive of closed Projects.

Each Project includes a description, hourly rate, location, employer/client and automatic tracking label. None of which are mandatory which makes the Project creation process extremely flexible. Location can be determined by a device’s built-in GPS or entered in by hand.

Tasks

Each Task is part of a Project. Users start a task with a simple touch of the screen and Timesheet begins tracking the time until stopped. Tasks can be interrupted for both a break and completion, giving users with longer projects time to grab lunch or a quick snack.

Every completed task requests information on the work performed during that task in the form of description, tags, hourly rate, location and mood. Mood is a way to describe your feeling post-task. Mood may seem like an unnecessary label at first, but I’ve often found it to be a way of illustrating how the task went, regardless of success rate. There is also a field to mark the task Paid.

Along with the basics are Expenses and Notes. Each can be added to Tasks for further completeness. For fast access to projects and tasks, Timesheet also includes a simple widget.

Tracking

Even after just a week of steady client interaction, Timesheet can begin to rack up the statistical data. The Statistics area of Timesheet displays graphs and charts to illustrate how much work has been performed, break usage, frequency etc. All the data is derived from Projects and Tasks to really give insight into one’s workflow.

Revisiting and retrieving data from previous Tasks and Projects is a cinch as well. Timesheet has several predefined time-frames to choose from such as current week, current month and so on along with custom period and custom date to precisely find the time range in question.

Projects can even be sorted by client or project ID to quickly find and reference Timesheet material. Want to analyze the data in a spreadsheet? No problem, Timesheet offers export functionality to an Excel spreadsheet.

Backup

Having all the best records in the world won’t mean much if they’re lost. That’s why Timesheet has a built-in backup feature for use with SD card or through Dropbox.

I’ve personally used Dropbox because it’s super convenient. Once linked Timesheet backs up to a folder in the Dropbox account in a single .xml file. Timesheet backups can be set on a schedule so that users don’t have to worry about performing them manually. Restoration is equally simple. By just clicking the SD card icon, access to Dropbox files are displayed and with a simple touch of the correct backup file Timesheet is restored.

SD card backup and restoration work much the same way except that the .xml files are stored on the SD card within the device.

Limitations

Timesheet’s backup offering is precise, accurate and fully functional. Having said that, don’t expect syncing between devices. That isn’t yet an option for Timesheet. Currently, best practice from my point of view, for multi-device usage is to use Timesheet from one device (smartphone) and restore the backup file to a secondary device (tablet) weekly to sync, read and analyze documented billable hours.

While not a limitation per say, Timesheet is a bit battery hungry while it’s tracking time. Not too surprising considering it’s an always-on stopwatch while working. Nevertheless, it would be great to see the battery footprint improved if possible.

In the future, we’d love to see some other cloud backup options. Dropbox is great, but it would be fantastic to have options such as Box, SkyDrive or Google Drive as well.
[flexislideshow pageid=”” lightbox=true lboxtitle=false slideshowtitle=false]

Final Thoughts

In our travels through the app markets, every once in a while we stumble upon a truly great, refined app that does exactly what is intended and exceeds our expectations entirely. Timesheet is one of those rare apps. The precise record keeping, statistical data storage, perfected backup and exceptional data organization means self-employed, small business owners and entrepreneurs can be confident their time is well spent and documented.

We fully recommend Timesheet.

Download Timesheet for Android

If you enjoyed or found this article useful, please show us some support by liking us on Facebook or by sharing us on your favorite social website. Thanks!

Be sure to subscribe to our Newsletter for updates and contest information.

Naturally, an app that focuses specifically on magazines is the next piece in digital reading consumption. Zinio is that app, with a visually impressive and easy to navigate interface.

Zinio

If you wander the busy streets of a major metro, then you’re likely quite familiar with newsstands, a virtual cornucopia of reading material with dozens of magazines all lined up vying for your attention. The same can be said for popular convenience stores where magazines are a huge staple.

Zinio is your own personal newsstand and magazine rack in the cloud in the form of an app.

Key Features:

[list style=”square” color=”cobult”]

• Full color or text only pages to fit your preferences.
• Full subscriptions or single issues available.
• Syncs across multiple devices.

The Ins and Outs

The beautifully simple interface creates an easy to navigate platform for browsing the thousands (5,000+) of magazines in the Zinio library. Magazine categories range from Art to Science, Health to Tech and appeal to both men and women. Discovering new magazines is something Zinio focuses on with categories such as Staff Picks and Trending.

As you’d expect, Zinio has sharing options, integrated search and accounts to keep all your subscriptions organized.

For those looking to try out Zinio before purchasing magazine subscriptions, there are free articles available for reading. The free articles are a great way to experience what it’s like to read through the Zinio app and get a feel for full color magazine articles on your device.

Discounts

Zinio is currently offering a 2 for 1 deal which entitles shoppers to a 2 year subscription on select magazines for the price of 1. The promotion ends March 4, 2013 so hurry over to their 2 for 1 promotion page to get started.

Visit Zinio.com to learn more or head over to your App Store to download the app.

Download Zinio for Android
Download Zinio for iOS

If you enjoyed or found this article useful, please show us some support by liking us on Facebook or by sharing us on your favorite social website. Thanks!

Be sure to subscribe to our Newsletter for updates and contest information.

Email Delivery

Email platforms are plentiful, but a few stand out from the crowd.

Exchange

Businesses use Exchange and by some accounts need to. However, instead of wasting time and resources on managing an Exchange server, small businesses should move towards a more simpler approach through Google Apps or Office 365. There is simply no need for an Exchange environment in an office size of under 10 users. With today’s full featured cloud options, Exchange can easily be replaced in a small office environment.

If your company uses proprietary software that relies on Exchange, then find a more flexible alternative. You’ll find that your business becomes less reliant on specialized software and it sends a message to the software company that they need to produce more flexible options or join the dinosaurs.

Gmail/Google Apps

Gmail is easily the most robust web based email solution available, but these same principles apply to other top email providers.

[list style=”square” color=”cobult”]

• Use filters! For the love of all holy email, if you want to get out from under that pile of email, then use filters. Start NOW!
• Gmail has a convenient priority label to manage urgent and important messages you expect to receive. However, with a quick filter setup, priority labels can be used with other services as well.
• Star messages with the dozen or so star options to organize your priorities. After some time you’ll become accustomed to using them and even organize them around your workflow.
• For gmail specifically, users can even create a ‘Snooze‘ function to delay messages from reaching their inbox. You can set your own up by following this tutorial.

Outlook

While I’m not a fan of Outlook, it is the predominant email program. It too has filtering capabilities and if you don’t bother to use them or take time to understand how they work, then you deserve all the spam and missed emails you get.

Learn what you’re doing and continue to revise to suit your needs. Stop complaining that it’s not working the way you “want” it to. You need to teach Outlook how to handle your messages. Remember, Outlook is software not a mind-reading artificial intelligence.

Messages

Spam

For the last time – spam cannot be blocked 100% by any software or service, period. Can you manage it? Yes, but results will never be foolproof and will take time to be fully applied.

Also keep in mind that sending rapid, repeated emails to recipients can cause your own outgoing email to be flagged as potential spam on the recipient’s end. By definition, flooding someone’s inbox with emails (whether you consider them legitimate or not) is considered spamming them.

Overstuffed Inboxes

This has to be the most egregious of all email offenses and elicits some of the biggest complaints. I’ve personally seen inboxes with more than 3,000 emails and recently read a story where a user had 40,000 emails in their inbox. 40,000! That is absurd. Not because of the amount, but because those users let them get that way. There’s no excuse for that much inbox email and the blame falls squarely on the user’s shoulders.

If you’re currently in such a situation, then here’s what you do:

[list style=”square” color=”cobult”]

• Delete all email in your inbox to start from scratch. [info]Note: If you have that many emails, there is zero chance you will actually read through all of them. Just delete them and if any of it was crucial or important, you’ll hear about it again.[/info]
• Create folders for email from senders you expect and want.
• Monitor your email closely for the next week. Create filters for everything you want to save and label junk you don’t.
• Continue that process until you no longer receive dozens of messages in your inbox. Remember, even the unwanted email should be filtered. You can mark the unwanted as junk or modify a filter later, after the inbox is cleaned up.

Tools

Addins & Plugins

These items can be incredibly handy or outrageously limiting. If a plugin requires specific integration or lacks open versatility between apps or email services, then get rid of it. That might be easier to say than do, but if you’re chained to one of those types of plugins, then you’re limiting your email freedom and hindering mobile productivity.

If you enjoyed or found this article useful, please show us some support by liking us on Facebook or by sharing us on your favorite social website. Thanks!

Be sure to subscribe to our Newsletter for updates and contest information.

Today we’re reviewing News360 (Tablet version). News360 is similar in many ways to other readers you may be using or have used in the past. News and stories are pulled from a wide variety of sources and articles can be segregated by topic and saved for later reading. Unlike others however, News360 doesn’t require a lot of source adding and topic subscribing. News360 learns your reading habits and tailors articles to fit your preferences.

The differences between News360 and others begins with it’s responsiveness. Though the app pulls a great deal of information in from outside sources, including images, it responds very quickly. Stories and images load within seconds of opening and smooth sideswipe scrolling keeps the app moving quickly from page to page. Along with speed comes reliability. In the past we’ve recommended several readers, including Pulse and Google Currents. Unlike those readers, News360 doesn’t suffer from the same performance degradation associated with large apps, such as news readers.

Features

Beyond the breadth of information that News360 delivers, there are a number of excellent features to keep you going back to this app over others.

Topics

Sure, there are lots of topics and yes you can choose your own of which to follow. However with News360, choosing topics is exceptionally painless, guiding you through the initial setup phase to ensure your topics of interest are setup immediately. Topics/categories are aligned across the top of the app where they can be rearranged, added, removed and expanded with ease.

Article Delivery

Over time, News360 learns what you enjoy reading and delivers current stories to you based on your habits. The behavioral customization is mostly accurate though can still seem out of sorts at times. News360 uses accomplishments to alert users of how well they are assisting the app in customizing the delivered content. Accomplishments may sound like a bit of work, but really it’s just about reading. The more you read, the closer you get to achieving ideal content delivery.

Evernote Integration

Have an Evernote account? A lot of people do. Through app integration, News360 can save articles to an Evernote account for later reading, reference or whatever the reason. Evernote is one of the most widely used apps on the market. The integration allows for easy sharing and saving, ensures stories are more readily available for reference and keeps News360 tidy.

Interface

All the top end news reader apps have a visual appealing interface with large bold images and easy to read text with direct links to articles. News360 is no different, but the added benefit of flip boxes means less ‘tap and back’ as users can spin the news box to see a more detailed blip from articles before opening the full story.

News360 also acts as a full fledged browser. Articles can be opened on the originating website directly from within the app which again means less back and forth between apps. Webpages load remarkably quick with a preview box showing what users can expect. While not entirely necessary, the preview box is a feature we find to be highly positive in adding transparency to link destination.

Conclusion

Another news reader may not be at the top of your list or even light a spark of excitement in your eyes, but News360 will definitely bring you a sense of contentment when you realize it’s the only news source you need.

News360 learns reading habits and returns the most relevant stories while still delivering other top articles and niche topics that may broaden your reading horizons.

If you haven’t tried News360 yet, give it a try and share with us your experiences and thoughts.

Download News360 (Tablet version)
Download News360 (Phone version)

Available for iOS? Yes – Check the iPhone version

If you enjoyed or found this article useful, please show us some support by liking us on Facebook or by sharing us on your favorite social website. Thanks!

Be sure to subscribe to our Newsletter for updates and contest information.