My Favorite Things of 2012

“These are a few of my favorite things…” This is probably the most interpreted (and one of my favorite) jazz tunes in history. I won’t give you my musical rendition, but I will tell you about some of my favorite apps and products of 2012:

WAZE
Probably the most perfect iPhone app. They call it a community-based traffic and navigation app and it does not fail to deliver. Especially for city traffic, this app has saved me countless hours this year. Thanks to Jo Tango who introduced me to it.

DropBox
DropBox is the perfect companion to my iPad when I travel. It’s the end of bringing along the usb stick, the end of not having the right file with you when you’re at away from your desk. Just load your files up to DropBox and access them fro anywhere – and share specific folders with others. Can you say super-productivity?

Doc Scan – Iphone Scan and Fax App by IFunplay
Great way to scan a document and fax it from your iPhone. I haven’t had a fax since forever… but hate it when I have to run to a UPS store to send something to an insurance company that won’t take email. This app is the perfect fix for that. Though each page costs a whopping 90 cents, it’s still a great and convenient deal for the few times I need it per year.

WorldCard Business Card Scanner
The easiest way I’ve found so far to enter business card information of new contacts into my contacts database. It even supports foreign languages. Very nifty!

Fujitsu ScanSnap
Goodbye paperwork! I now just scan my paperwork, even my notes into my ScanSnap scanner on my desk and voila: the shredder is the destination of 99% of my paperwork. You can set it up so it scans directly to a folder in DropBox so you won’t overwhelm your hard drive, either. Perfect app for the desktop!

1Password
After years of struggling with lists of passwords and usernames, I’ve finally found the perfect app for the purpose: 1Password creates and manages your passwords for you. I love it on my MacBook Pro, but it’s still not the ideal app to use on mobile devices.

Holy Rosary Audio app by Handech International
My wife introduced me to this very easy to use and useful application. I try to pray the rosary when I travel, and having someone pray it with me on the earphones is great. Try it!

The Better Part
I believe Father John Bartunek writes some of the most inspiring and profound reflections on the New Testament I’ve read in a long time. My family uses his iPhone app on a regular basis and from our usage, we can attest that it satisfies the spiritual needs of anyone from 8 to 70 years of age!

Skype
Well… it’s not new – I’ve been using Skype for years, but when I think of what apps were useful to me during the year, Skype is always near the top of the list. I use it to make international and domestic calls, both to Skype users and to landlines, and I do a fair bit of video conferencing as well. Cheap and reliable – perfect combination!

Sentry Total Connect Home Security System
Our newest home-tech addition is a new security system that can be controlled from the iPhone. The company who installed it, Sentry Protective is an embodiment of expertise and service. The app itself is easy to use. It gives you full control of your house, including video and lighting from your iPhone. And it’s cheaper than our old system!

And a bonus one that was just released: A friend of mine in Portugal, David Sanguinetti has just released an iTunes Game called Bubbly Invasion that looks like lots of fun for young and old – check it out at https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bubbly-invasion/id576234932?mt=8

I hear rumors that maybe Christmas morning will see me with a new iPad cover with a built-in Bluetooth keyboard… I’ll be sure to tell you about it next year- in the meantime, have a Merry Christmas!