Free and Fantastic Productivity Apps for the Android Mom

The following post is from Prerna of The Mom Writes:

Yes, I finally bit the bullet and traded in my trusty Nokia for a sleek Samsung Galaxy Pro. The reason was simple. I needed an Android to help my business run better, keep me organized and make me more productive.

So, naturally, when I got my new best friend, I went hunting in the Marketplace for apps that would boost productivity and help me do more.

Here are some of my favorite free apps:

Evernote

I’d read about Evernote on several blogs and even created an account on the site, but it was only when I read Tim Ferriss’s The Four-Hour Work Week that I realized the potential this tool has. Evernote is your phone’s digital library. You can use it to record and store your daily brain dump, article ideas, websites that you’d like to visit and even voice commands.

Read Tim’s  interview on BNET about how he uses Evernote to do basically everything, and understand the magic that this tool can create.

What makes it so fantastic is that everything is indexed automatically and is therefore searchable. You can add tags and create separate “notebooks” for different categories. Doesn’t that make your life simpler?!

CamCard Lite

Have you ever wasted time copying down details from a business card into a phone book, either on the cellphone or in your diary? Yeah. I know.

I used to invariably get a number wrong or forget to enter the details only to have to hunt for the card later on anyway.

So imagine my delight when I discovered CamCard Lite, a free app that allows you to take a photo of the card. It then reads the data and saves it to your phone book or your email account. No more keeping stacks of business cards or hunting for them. Ever.

Astrid Task/To-Do List

Finally, being the list-lover that I am, I hunted for an app that would let me make my to-do lists easily and effortlessly. I found Astrid Task/To-Do List that not only lets you make your lists, it allows you to tag them, sends reminders, syncs with Astrid.com and allows task sharing as well. No wonder they call it a “social productivity tool”. For example, if you make a grocery shopping list, you can share it with your spouse as well. Yay!

Plus, it is really fun to look at and use.  I love the reminder, “Shouldn’t you be doing this?” with that cute, red little Astrid icon.

Do you use your smartphone to stay productive? Have a favorite app? Do share!

	Prerna Malik is a mom, a wife, a writer and woman who believes in being postively productive, parenting with love and creating a home that invites you to put your feet up and relax. Find her sharing her journey and experiences with productivity and parenting at The Mom Writes.