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2011 was a good year for me. I hope it was for you too. I thought it would be nice to share some things that made my life a little nicer and a bit easier. Here are my favorite items / apps / toys from this last year.
The Iconfactory went a long way this year, unifying the Twitterrific experience across the iOS and Mac platforms. The result of their hard work is an excellent Mac client that I’ve used faithfully since the day it came out. Some say Echofon or the official Twitter app are better, but I respectfully disagree. Twitterrific is the best out there in my opinion.
Cost: $4.99 for a limited time. Normal price is $9.99.
Byword quickly became one of my essential apps shortly after its release. The beautifully simple writing experience coupled with powerful Markdown abilities makes writing for the web an absolute joy. If you’re sick of looking at overcomplicated word processing apps, take a step back and check Byword out.
Here’s a bit of a controversial pick. Things users are well aware of the highly anticipated Cloud Sync service from Cultured Code that seems to be eternally in beta. But here’s the thing about Things; I use it faithfully every single day. There isn’t a day that I could get away with not using it. I manage work, home, school, and Culture Milk related tasks effortlessly in a marvelous user interface thanks to Cultured Code. Things is like that friend that always waffles about going out, never thanks you for letting them sleep on your couch, but as soon as you’re really in need they’re right there. I know users that weren’t lucky enough to get into the cloud beta are growing tired of waiting for OTA syncing, but I can say that I’ve tried most of the comparable competition including OmniFocus, Appigo Todo, 2Do, The Hit List, etc, and while most of them are very capable, none of them stand up long-term against Things.
Cost:
$49.99 for Mac,
$19.99 for iPad,
$9.99 for iPhone / iPod touch
I won’t rehash how much I love this app. You can read my review here. I’ll say it again; if you use calendars on the Mac, you need Fantastical.
The iTunes alternative, Ecoute hit 3.0 this year with an all new interface, and some really nice tweaks to keep it in its rightful place as the best iTunes replacement app out there. Last I checked, it was still on sale too.
Cost: $3.99 (limited time / regular price $9.99)
Cloak is a great little utility that protects you when you’re on public wifi. It uses a VPN to keep prying eyes off your web surfing. I’ve been using it since the beta period and it has never let me down. There’s also a handy iPhone counterpart app that provides the same protection. If you want the details of how it all works, check out this blog post.
Cost: Free, $8/mo, $15/mo depending on your data use.
After I got my white iPhone 4S, I quickly realized that finding a case would be harder than I thought. I absolutely hate clear cases because I feel that they look cheap and are easily scratched. I looked at dozens of different models but saw nothing I liked. Then Incase came out with the “Frost” case in their Snap line. This thing is great. It’s not a typical clear case as it has a nice smoky look that is brilliant on the white phone.
This bag is great. If you need one, get it. Ample storage, and a sleek look make it a perfect bag for toting all your stuff.
I’m a coffee junkie. Coffee junkies need nice mugs. These mugs from C & B are nice looking and surprisingly durable considering they’re glass. For $4 a piece, you just can’t lose. (Side note: While we’re on coffee, I just got a Bodium burr grinder and a Chemex. These could’ve made the list, but I haven’t had them long enough. I hope to write more about these soon.)
That about wraps it up. Yes, there’s a lot more I could add to the list, but I figured I’d share the things I enjoy most. If you have any specific questions, feel free to tweet me or leave a comment. Let’s hope 2012 is as good as this last year has been!
