To someone who does not have an iPhone, or who did not use a smartphone/ or Pocket PC before getting the iPhone the upset over Apple locking out 3rd party apps might seems to be an overreaction. Having used a Windows Mobile device for the last few years, however, the inability to sync with Exchange, or to add additional productivity apps is a huge loss and, for some, a deal breaker. The choices are simple-
– don’t get an iPhone
– get an iPhone but only use it as a secondary device
– get an iPhone and go looking for workarounds.
I initially got my iPhone as a secondary device but I liked it so much that I quickly turned to the third option so I could use it all the time– I went looking for workarounds. What I found though, aren’t compromise solutions that work, but rather new approaches that work amazingly well– often better than what I was previously doing.
Case in point- Highrise. Highrise is an online contact manager, address book, task list and much much more. The service isn’t cheap (unless you go with the anemic free version), costing from $12/month for the personal plan and up (it can get pricey), but so far, I am finding it well worth the cost.
Read on for some examples of its usefulness.
Scenario 1– It is late at night and I remember that I need to call someone first thing in the morning. I start a new email addressed to "Task-Today" (a special contact I created as part of Highrise). In the subject line I write, "Call John at 555-555-5555". I send the email and forget about it. In the morning two things happen. When I open the Highrise Dashboard I am greeted by a task reminded to "Call John…" In addition, my email contains the same reminder. No need for any special task program on the Iphone.
Scenario 2—I get an email that requires a specific action from me some time next week. I immediately forward the email to "Task-Next-Week" (another new Highrise contact). Seven days later when I look at the Highrise Dashboard I will be reminded to do the required action. Moreover, that same morning my daily task list from Highrise includes the same reminder. Once again, there is no need for a special task program.
Scenario 3– (and my favorite as a Jott user) I am in the car and remember something that I need to take care of as soon as I get to the office. I call Jott (another great service that is worth looking into). Jott "asks" to whom I want to send a message. I say, "Highrise" and leave a voicemail message. Later, when I open the Highrise dashboard on my iPhone or my laptop the task is there waiting.
The Highrise site is not optimized for a small screen the way many of the Google sites are so I would not want to try this with any mobile browser other than the iPhone’s safari browser. But while it takes some getting used to… like the iPhone’s keyboard, after the initial learning curve it works like a charm.
I highly recommend checking out Highrise to see if it might be right for you. For more information head over to http://www.highrisehq.com/
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