Hasta La Gadget!

This article was written on December 31, 2007 by CyberNet.

The 2007 CyberNet Awards is wrapping things up by highlighting what we believe to be the Most Productive Apps of 2007. One of our favorite things to write about are programs that can help increase productivity, and it’s only fitting to close with this award. A big thanks to all the developers of the following programs, because without them I don’t know how I would get anything done!

The 2007 CyberNet Award for Most Productive App goes to…

–3rd Place: Foxit Reader–

This is an absolutely incredible PDF reader, and after using it you’ll likely never go back to Adobe Acrobat Reader. The reason why this has made me more productive is because of the incredible startup speed. It normally takes just 1 or 2 seconds to startup, compared to Adobe Acrobat’s 10 or 15 seconds (when you don’t let Adobe pre-load its software).

It doesn’t sound like much, but maybe you’ll see the significance once we put it into perspective. Lets say you open your PDF reader 3 times a day, and by using Foxit you save an average of 10 seconds on the loading time. Personally I know I open more than 3 PDF’s a day, so I think that is pretty conservative. That’s 30 seconds each day you could save by using Foxit, and in a year’s time that equates to over 3 hours of saved time! Even if you just open it once a day that’s one hour that you would save in a year.

–2nd Place: Launchy–

Launchy is arguably the best application launcher available, and the fact that it’s free makes it even better. They really upped their game with the new Launchy 2.0 that was just released a few weeks ago, which added a more unified experience by integrating settings into a single window. It also included some new skins which really makes the app look astounding.

I know that many of you rely on Launchy each and everyday to assist with finding the programs and documents you use the most. Having to hunt through the Start Menu or Windows Explorer to find what you want can waste so much time, but Launchy helps regain the time that would otherwise be lost.

–1st Place: Microsoft Office 2007–

I couldn’t help but give Microsoft first place in this category. Their new Office 2007 has made me a hundred times more productive thanks to the intuitive Ribbons that have replaced the old-fashioned toolbars. I find myself using features I never knew existed, and it looks so darn good. Yeah, I’m a sucker for eye candy.

I first started using Microsoft Office 2007 over a year ago when it was still in the pre-release stage. It took a few weeks to get accustomed to where some of the options had moved to, but in the end I find myself saving loads of time. A big thanks goes out to the developers who came up with the idea for “live previews,” because that alone deserves a gold medal. And the Mini Toolbar is sheer genius.

–And Your Winners–

Now it is time for you to chime in! Let us know in the comments who earned your “Most Productive App? award.

Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com

Related Posts:

2007 CyberNet Awards RecapAnnouncing the 2007 CyberNet AwardsCyberNet’s Year in Review: November-December2008 CyberNet Awards RecapAnnouncing the 2008 CyberNet Awards

As the internet has overtaken newspapers as an information source, convincing readers to shell out the dough for online news has proven an uphill battle. Now two papers are trying a new approach: entice customers with discounted Android tablets and pre-loaded content apps. The Philadelphia Media Network, which owns the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Philadelphia Daily News, is planning a pilot program for mid-August which will offer around 2,000 tablets; if successful, it could expand to more readers. The combined price of hardware and a one- to two-year daily subscription should be about half of retail. So far we have few details on what you’ll get for your money, but expect a WiFi tablet from a major manufacturer, with 3G and/or 4G possible in the future. If you’re from the city of brotherly love and want more details on this early-stage plan, see the video after the break.

Continue reading Philly papers to offer subscribers discounted Android tablets that make terrible birdcage lining (video)

Philly papers to offer subscribers discounted Android tablets that make terrible birdcage lining (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Jul 2011 00:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Remember when your legitimate emails were flanked by dozens of grammatically nightmarish blurbs, peddling pills, x-rated services, and Nigerian scams? If you use Gmail, most of that garbage no longer arrives in your inbox, instead making its way to a spam folder, where it’s held for a month before ending its journey at the Google graveyard. Now, Mountain View is applying that same concept to your Google Voice calls, flagging unsolicited calls, texts, and voicemails, then booting them to a spam folder. The company’s servers use collected data from other users marking similar messages as spam, as well as propriety identification tools, to help ensure that those generic creditor or vacation sweepstakes calls never make it to your phone. And like GMail messages, misdirected calls can be marked as “Not Spam” from within the Spam folder, letting them slip through the fence the next time around. GV users can simply check the box next to “Global Spam filtering” on the Calls tab to activate the feature, or hit up the source link for the full scoop.

Google Voice adds spam filter, lets solicitors get caught in the web originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 12 Jul 2011 23:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft’s Andy Lees quashed dreams of Windows tablets running a Mango-style OS during a talk at the company’s Worldwide Partners Conference today, saying the mobile operating system would conflict with the outfit’s ideas of what makes a slate. According to Electronista, Lees said the computing giant sees tablets as PCs, making the mobile OS incompatible with its vision. He went on to say that Windows 8’s networking and printing functions make it more suited to the needs of tablet users. So, if you’re looking for the sweet style of Mango, it looks like you’ll have get your hands on one of these bad boys.

Andy Lees says no to Mango on Windows tablets originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 12 Jul 2011 21:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Whether you believe we’re living in a post-PC world or not, there’s no denying the overwhelming growth of tablets in the past few years. Just this March, IDC put out figures saying 2010 saw the sale of 18 million tablets, but despite the recent boom, the outfit’s now reporting a 28 percent drop in tablet shipments in Q1 2011, bringing first quarter worldwide shipments to 7.2 million. IDC’s latest report points to “slower consumer demand, overall economic conditions, and supply-chain constraint,” but nonetheless estimates that total tablet sales will reach 53.5 million by year’s end, up from IDC’s original estimate of 50.4 million. Once again, Apple’s come out on top of the slate game, with the iPad 2 leading the market, despite its own dip in shipments. E-readers have apparently also seen a decline in the first quarter, with shipments dipping to 3.3 million units. Despite a slow start to the year, however, IDC’s optimistic about future sales, but you don’t have to take our word for it — full PR awaits you after the break.

Continue reading IDC: tablet shipments drop 28 percent in Q1 2011

IDC: tablet shipments drop 28 percent in Q1 2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 12 Jul 2011 21:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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