The News Site of Fresno City College

The Rampage Online

The News Site of Fresno City College

The Rampage Online

The News Site of Fresno City College

The Rampage Online

Must Have Productivity Apps of 2013

2013 is quickly becoming the year for iOS mobile apps, especially ones that are designed to make your life as a student more productive and less stressful.

One thing every cellphone comes with is a stock calendar. Unfortunately, some tend to have a big learning curve, which is something that Do.one by Luke Freeman Productivity seeks to correct. Do.one received four out of five stars and is featured in the iTunes App Store as a “New and Noteworthy” productivity app.

This free calendar, which can be found in the iTunes App Store,  allows you to enter one thing, and one thing only to remember each day. It works independently from your phone’s already existing calendar, which makes it perfect for  remembering tests, financial aid due dates, work hours, or maybe a late night study session with your friends.

Another application to make your life easier is brought to you by Google. Google Drive is a cloud based application that is designed for file sharing, collaboration, while also hosting an integrated word processor (similar to Microsoft Word) that allows you to create files online. Google supplies your Drive with plenty of storage for all of your class work, video lectures, pictures and music. In other words, leave the laptop and flash drives at home, because when you use Drive, it’s all in the cloud.

MyScript Calculator , winner of the 2013 App Showdown at the Consumer Electronics Show is probably the most useful and revolutionary application for math students. It’s fun and simple to use. To answer an equation, draw it out on you screen, and let Myscript do the rest.

On Android phones you can take your pick from several high ranking to-do list apps. Wunderlist, Any.DO, Evernote, Catch notes, and many more. These apps often do similar if not exactly the same things. What’s important in an phone app is that it’s straightforward in the same way a daily planner or notebook would be.

Astrid, a similar to-do list app, gets the job done and doesn’t take up too much space doing so. If you want to do everything you do on your phone to work with an app, Evernote and Catch notes have more features and tools. All of these apps are intuitive and help keep you on task, reminding you of what you decide to share with them.

Email is almost synonymous with having a phone number. Most phones will have a built-in email app that works fine, but if you’re a Gmail user, you’ll find that syncing all of your accounts in one place is convenient. Instead of logging in and out of accounts to check mail given the opportunity, we expect today to receive them in real-time.

Facebook. ’Nuff said. Not even going to link that. However, as a student, getting real-time updates to a like from a silly uploaded photo isn’t something you need to see right away. Consider removing it from your phone altogether if it’s more distracting than helpful. If you’re checking Facebook more often than a to-do list, that’s a good sign it’s distracting. Check it when you get home.

More important than acquiring the best app is creating a solid relationship with the app you choose. Using them well will help students succeed in their goals, or become a hinderance for getting what needs to get done, done.

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