2013 must-haves [New Straits Time (Malaysia)]

(New Straits Time (Malaysia) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Enter the new year with some cool tools that boost your productivity, writes Izwan Ismail iPhone 5 1 This new smartphone from Apple offers faster processing power with its A6 chip and 4-inch retina display, so you can load web pages faster and get things done in a jiffy. Apps such as Messages, Reminders, Calendar, Notes, Voice Memos and Newsstand will keep you organised like never before.

Google Calendar 2 More than just a calendar, it can be used for just about any task that is relevant to either days or times. It is a free time- management web application offered by Google. Events are stored online; consequently, the calendar can be viewed from any location that has Internet access. The application can import Microsoft Outlook calendar files (.csv) and iCalendar files. Multiple calendars can be added and shared, allowing various levels of permissions for the users. This enables collaboration and sharing of schedules among groups. General calendars available for importing into one's account include those containing national holidays of various countries.

Samsung Galaxy Note II 3 If you want to boost your creative side, the Samsung Galaxy Note II is a handy tool to carry around. As creative ideas can come at any time, this latest phone-cum-tablet from Samsung gets you to develop those ideas when they come. Packed with 1.4GhZ quad-core processor power and Android Jelly Bean OS, this device has features such as a smart stylus and supporting apps that allow you to create notes, view pictures, multitask, view videos and the Web in a refreshing manner.

Online space 4 A file hosting service that provides an online space to store our digital lives. It offers cloud storage, file synchronisation and client software, among others. The service allows users to create a special folder on their computers, which Dropbox then synchronises so that it appears as the same folder (with the same contents), regardless of the computer it is viewed on. Files placed in this folder are also accessible through a website and mobile phone applications. And the best thing is, it's free.

Take note 5 It is a suite of software and services designed for notetaking and archiving. A "note" can be a piece of formatted text, a full webpage or webpage excerpt, a photograph, a voice memo, or a handwritten "ink" note. Notes can also have file attachments, and be sorted into folders, then tagged, annotated, edited, given comments, searched and exported as part of a notebook. This free service supports a number of operating system platforms including Windows, Mac OS X, Chrome, Android, iOS, Windows Phone and WebOS and also offers online synchronisation and backup services.

iPad mini 6 If you feel the 10-inch iPad is too big for your hands, check out this 7.9-incher. Comes in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB, the device offers a host of apps and support for a range of mail attachments. Everything you love about iPad is everything you'll love about iPad mini, too. And you can hold it in one hand! Instapaper 7 It is a web service that saves articles for later reading on web browsers, Apple iOS, Android devices and Amazon Kindle. After registering a free account, the service saves articles that users select with its "Read Later" bookmarklet and presents them in a minimal, readable text layout. Priced at US$3.99 (RM12) for iOS and US$2.99 for Android.

OmniFocus for iPad 8 It combines the in-depth task management features of a desktop app with the advanced mobile experience of the iPad. With flexible viewing options, location-aware task lists, and on-the-fly task entry with voice notes and image attachments, OmniFocus for iPad allows you to manage everything in your busy life. Available at iTunes for US$39.99.

2Do 9 This hands-on task management app is designed to work around your fingers. 2Do surrounds you with your projects and actions, group them the way you like them, sort them the way you need them and will remind you when you want them done. Priced at US$9.99 for iTunes and US$6.99 for Android.

Nokia Lumia 920 10 This Windows Phone 8 device comes with full versions of Microsoft Office and Outlook. If you are always on the go, take your office with you, and create and edit PowerPoint, Excel, and Word documents with ease. Its Personal Information Management app features calculator, clock, calendar, notes, reminders, to-do list, etc to help you get organised with your daily activities.

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