Rich web apps are undoubtedly the future (if you’re in doubt just have a play with Angry Birds in your browser) but what is there that you can use for productivity? Google Apps and the offerings form 37Signals are hugely popular but who else is trying to replicate experiences from the desktop online?
Pixlr is basically Photoshop for the web. Made by Autodesk Pixlr has a lot of features and an interface that’s not a million miles off what Adobe offer. For power users Pixlr is unlikely to replace Photoshop but for a bit of light use it certainly beats paying funny money for CS5.
Familiar Interface
If you ever have wireframing to do MockFlow is the tool for you. Nice web app with a bunch of excellent features such as Google App integration and collaboration tools. There is a free ‘Basic’ account and a ‘Premium’ account costing $69 a year. Perhaps a good investment if wireframing is something you’re required to do often.
For creating a slide deck there are no shortage of online tools to create and run your presentations. Its the web at it’s best, how often have you went to present when you find the equipment given to you wont read the slide or doesn’t have the correct software? Using the web means you only need to have a modern browser (IE6 could be the downfall here) and an internet connection. Of all the apps for creating decks SlideRocket is the daddy, feature rich and with the ability to import/export powerpoint files (unfortunately the de facto for creating presentations). SlideRocket comes in Free or Premium versions and could come in handy at you’re next pitch.
Screencasts are a powerful way of getting across what you’re product or service actually offers. A 60 second video can quickly inform potential clients or users and greatly increase conversion. Screencasts can be made in a variety of ways but Screenr is by far the simplest I’ve ever seen just watch their own short screencast:
Screenr in 60 seconds
Cloud storage is gaining in popularity and the service I’ve taken to using is Box.net. Similar to Dropbox although aimed more at enterprise, Box.net works a dream with Chrome or Firefox allowing you to drag and drop files from the desktop into the browser to upload. There is also some nice social integration with LinkedIn and a range of native apps. Also of note is the Box.net API allowing developers to make their own apps utilising the platform.
A few other apps of note are Grooveshark, Doodle and Mindmeister. All great to use and could come in handy regardless of what you’re working on. I’ve given a few of the apps I like, what would you suggest?
