6 iPhone Productivity Tips That You Haven’t Seen Yet
I’ve had my iPhone since the beginning. I’ve always found it to be a great device, but what I really like is its versatility. After all this time I’m still finding new ways that I can use my phone to streamline my life. I’ve listed some of the more interesting ones that I’ve come across here.
1 - Notes As To Do Lists
The iPhone’s note app has it’s drawbacks. I’ve read many complaints about its lack of maturity. It does, however, make a great to do list app. You simply enter each task on it’s own line and delete them when complete. The ability to have multiple notes also lets you segregate to do lists (personal, work, 9-5 work, etc.) There’s no ability to cross things off, but in my opinion a to do list gets too crowded if you have a bunch of checked off or crossed off items. Once it’s done I don’t want to see it anymore.
2 - Link sharing via Gmail
You already know that you can use the “share” button on your iPhone’s browser bar to e-mail website links to others or to yourself. If you have a Gmail account there’s an extra twist that you can add to this. Gmail allows you to add tags to your e-mail address. For example an e-mail sent to johndoe@gmail.com and johndoe+links@gmail.com will both go to the same place.
You can then create filters based on your tagged address. What I have done is create a label (Links) where I keep all of my links. I have a filter that places all e-mail sent to myaddress+links@gmail.com under this label and automatically archives it. This way the e-mail never hits my inbox and all just stays under my “Links” label for viewing at my leisure.
3 - Google Maps Directions From Your PC On Your iPhone
The iPhone Google Maps app is great. The only drawback to it is typing addresses on the iPhone’s soft keyboard. This is even worse for directions. Fortunately there’s a slick integration that you probably haven’t found.
After you’ve searched for directions on Google Maps use the “Send” link above the map. Send it to your e-mail address that your iPhone connects to. Once you get the e-mail on the phone open it and click on the link. The directions won’t open in a web browser, they’ll open in your Google Maps app. This trick makes it easy to use your computer to look up directions, but your iPhone to navigate you there on the go.
4 - iPhone Camera For Whiteboard Capture
I’m a software development manager and software architect. A key tool of my trade is the white board. It’s used to document things that are said during meetings. This is typical of many professions these days.
After a meeting is over the typical protocol is for someone to stick around afterwards to copy down what was written on the white board. Fortunately your iPhone can help alleviate this task. As long as your room is well lit the iPhone camera is more than adequate to capture white board scribblings at a level of detail that can be blown up and read on a computer monitor. At the end of the meeting I now snap a photo of the board and send it out to the participants. It’s a huge time saver.
5 - Webapps
Although the iPhone doesn’t allow 3rd party native app development yet, it still offers a full version of Safari that many have written rich web apps for. Go to Apple’s webapp page to view the list. There are train schedule apps, travel apps, custom calculators, Google docs mobile, a great Digg app… The list goes on. Check them out!
6 - Switch to IMAP Mail
Those of us with Gmail accounts know the pain of using POP mail. Fortunately Gmail has now started to roll out IMAP access to some users. To see if your account has it go to gmail in your browser and click on settings. If you have a “Forwarding POP/IMAP” tab with the option to enable IMAP then you’re good to go. See the instructions for setting this up on your iPhone. You’re probably best just deleting your current mail box from your iPhone and re-creating it as the instructions lay out.
Your mailboxes will now stay in sync. No more reading mail on your iPhone and then finding it marked as new in the browser. You can delete, archive, star, and label mail right from the iPhone. Your sent message won’t come back to you as new messages anymore either.
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[…] Seen Yet … 4 - iphone Camera For Whiteboard Capture. I??m a software development manager and …http://www.sctidevelopment.com/2007/11/03/6-iphone-productivity-tips-that-you-havent-seen-yet/Mac Productivity Software- MacLifeMacLife.com provides news and analysis about the Apple Macintosh […]
Text-Processing is already on your iPhone. Work on your computer, sync to your iPhone, work on your iPhone, sync back to your computer. Uses applications resident on your iPhone and computer (any platform.) For list of instructions, send an E-mail to etowse@nyc.rr.com. Please include the words “iPhone WP” in the subject line. Hope you find this helpful! Rev. Eric R Towse
[…] Create to do lists in your notes: Use your iPhone’s note app as a simple to do list. […]
Re the comment about using your iPhone to photograph whiteboards. Another alternative will be Oxford Papershow. Have a look at my blogpost.
Apologies, blog address below:
http://movingstationery.wordpress.com/2008/07/02/technology-meets-paper-based-stationery/
If you use Gmail, I’ve (eventually) found a great way to maintain/view To Do Lists on iPhone AND your Computer: create a new label “ToDoList” then send mail to yourself with each task ad add this label: Then, and this is the tricky bit: IPhone Gmail version doesnt allow you to link via URL to the label view: but if you go to googles standard mobile mail (NOT the iphone one, so do this on your computer) , use the “Other’ meu option to find your ew label, click on it and then take the url: send it again to your self so you have the URL on your iPhone: load it, go to bookmarks and then Add to home screen! Finally ( I think its worth it
you have a Gmail-maintained ToDo List icon on your IPhone hoem screen! Enjoy!
[…] including Microsoft Outlook, so you can stay connected no matter your location. You can even sync your iPhone with your PC email by using the IMAP application. And if you get frustrated by having to compose emails in portrait […]