Productivity

Microsoft releases Invite for iPhone for organizing and scheduling group meetings on the go

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 1, 2018

Not to be outdone by Google which just released a note-taking iPhone and iPad app called Keep, software giant Microsoft today rolled out a brand new productivity app of its own, Invite for iPhone.

A Microsoft Garage project, Invite was designed to help groups “agree on a time to meet, even when they can’t see each other’s schedules.”

Recognizing that scheduling group meetings is no easy task on desktop, let alone on mobile, Invite keeps things simple enough to help you effectively coordinate multiple people’s schedules on a small screen.

You simply suggest times that work for you, and then invite attendees. After attendees select all the times they can attend, and once everyone has responded through Invite or via the web interface, you simply pick the time that works best for everyone and your group meeting is a go.

Google’s Keep app makes its way into App Store

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 24, 2015

Following its Android debut nearly two and a half years ago, Google's note-taking mobile software, called Keep, is now available to download from the App Store.

Featuring Google's Material Design, the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad app offers a nicely rounded set of features commonly found in other note-taking apps but with less bloat and clutter. Needless to say, Keep benefits tremendously from seamless integration with other Google products and technologies.

Notes created in Keep can be accessed, edited and managed on iOS, Android and on the web, via a Keep web app. Google Keep is a free download so give it a try and let us know how you like it in comments.

Spark email app gains iOS 9 support, default From: account, customizable quick replies and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 23, 2015

Spark, Readdle's excellent iPhone app for Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, iCloud and other email services, is now compatible with iOS 9 features, including 3D Touch on new iPhones.

Spark 1.2 for iPhone also includes the ability to select any email account or alias as default FROM: address for new emails. The app now lets you customize canned replies to your liking and includes a host of other improvements.

Scanbot 4.0 rolls out with Quick-Actions, Workflows, FTP & OneNote support and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 26, 2015

Scanbot, a powerful document and QR code scanner for iOS which sports optical character recognition and a slew of other cool features, was bumped to version 4.0 today.

Available on a freemium basis with optional paid upgrades, Scanbot 4.0 for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad introduces Workflows and Quick-Actions, a pair of major new features aimed at increasing your productivity by automating repeating tasks such as uploading scans to cloud services.

Spark email client gains HTML signatures, new swipe actions, aliases and other new features

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 18, 2015

Spark, my new favorite email app by Readdle (good-bye Mailbox!), launched in the App Store nearly 3 months ago.

In my initial review of Spark, I praised its gorgeous user interface, powerful productivity features and integration with popular services but cautioned mobile pros to wait until a future update brings a few commonly used features that didn't make it into the initial release.

Spark 1.1 is here and with it come some much-needed missing features that make the app more powerful and productivity-focused. These include brand new swipe options, support for HTML signatures, email aliases and more.

Microsoft Office apps pick up better Outlook integration with ‘Send with Outlook’ and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 12, 2015

Microsoft today issued refreshed Word, Excel and PowerPoint applications for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad in the App Store. The new versions of these mobile productivity apps include several new features, most notably tighter integration with Microsoft's Outlook for iOS app.

In addition to richer Outlook integration across all three apps, you can now change selected text in Word to uppercase, lowercase, sentence case and more, as well as view comments in PowerPoint next to the slide in a task pane.

Today: Pomodoro Timer gets you focused on the task ahead

Lory Gil ∙ Updated February 1, 2018

As a writer for iDB, sometimes, it gets difficult to stay focused on my work. I am easily distracted by chats with friends, social media, and playing games on my iPhone. The best way to combat distraction is to time my tasks and finish on deadline.

Today: Pomodoro Timer is a task manager that helps keep you focused by timing your daily tasks and giving you much needed breaks in between. You can get more done if you are aware of the time ticking away while you work.

BitTorrent Sync update brings a major productivity element to peer-to-peer file syncing

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 1, 2018

BitTorrent Sync made its App Store debut back in August 2013, its major appeal being the underlying distributed technology that facilitates secure file syncing between devices but without a roundtrip to the cloud, thus appealing to privacy-minded customers.

The mobile component to BitTorrent’s peer-to-peer file syncing product, BitTorrent Sync for iOS is receiving a major update later today with an important productivity element added to the app: you can now save various types of files created in other apps right into a Sync folder to share with connected devices via a new Share sheet action.

Readdle holds a massive App Store sale in celebration of its 8th birthday

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 4, 2015

Ukrainian developer Readdle is behind some of the best productivity applications for the iPhone and iPad. It's hard to imagine that eight years have passed since Readdle released its first app in the App Store, but it has. To celebrate its eighth anniversary, the company has launched a massive App Store sale, cutting the price of some of its popular apps in half.

The promotion runs for 48 hours so now is your chance to add your favorite Readdle apps to your collection, if you don't have them already. Here's a quick list of apps that are available half price until Thursday, August 6 at 9am Eastern time.

TurboScan puts the power of a high quality mobile scanner in the palm of your hand

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 24, 2015

TurboScan by Piksoft Inc., a small Bay Area company, has been available on the App Store for more than five years. Yesterday, they finally launched a free version which leaves no features behind so anyone can now experience the power of a high quality scanner in the palm of their hand, at zero cost.

Ranked #1 business app in the US App Store and with over three million existing users, this document and receipt scanner includes powerful features wrapped around an engaging interface.

Office for iOS gains Outlook integration, easier sharing, viewing protected files and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 23, 2015

Software giant Microsoft on Thursday issued a set of updates adding several new features to its Office mobile apps on the iOS platform. For starters, the refreshed editions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint for the iPhone and iPad can finally open and view protected documents.

Next, users can now easily invite others to collaborate on documents and grant permissions from within the apps, another important productivity boost.

eMail Widget lets you view and manage your inbox from Notification Center

Lory Gil ∙ Updated May 7, 2018

When it comes to the daily task of rummaging through email messages, I spend the first 30-minutes of my workday just trying to get my inbox under control. I can quickly delete or archive more than half of them, which helps me feel like I've made some progress

eMail Widget is a Notification Center app that allows users, not only to see new messages in their inbox, but perform a few basic actions in order to keep things under control without having to open a dedicated app.