Whether you use Android to get work done on the move or to organize and plan, discover the best Android productivity apps. Task-specific tools include word processors and document scanners, while organizational aids help you to plan tasks, schedule, and keep notes. Here are 10 android apps to organize your projects and get things done when you’re on the move.
DejaOffice: Best Free Personal Organizer App
DejaOffice has many different widgets that can be used to view important summaries of information directly on your home screen, as well as shortcuts straight to a particular function of the app.
Access all your Outlook data.
Today widget to view upcoming appointments.
Shortcuts to edit specific memos.
Shortcuts to call favorite contacts.
Paying to sync our data.
Extra cost for cloud sync.
One of the most useful of these is the Today widget, which places a list of upcoming appointments on your home screen. You can also create a shortcut that take syou from the home screen straight into editing any memo.
Download DejaOffice for Android
Outlook for Android: The Official Outlook Solution for Android
Outlook for Android aims to provide a more streamlined Outlook experience than the full PC version. If all you need is email and calendar and you sync via an Exchange Server, then this is ideal for you. If you want to have access to all your Outlook data or you don’t have Exchange, you are much better off with DejaOffice.
Access email and calendar.
Works with Exchange server.
No tasks.
No notes.
Requires a Microsoft service to sync calendar.
Download Outlook for Android
CompanionLink: Best Paid Android App for Outlook Sync
CompanionLink is the best app if you need to keep all your data synchronized between Outlook on your PC and your Android device. Where other solutions only sync some of your data, CompanionLink syncs everything in the standard Outlook database and even allows you to configure custom fields. If you use categories, reminders, recurring tasks, contact notes or any other standard feature, you’ll have it all on your Android.
Sync all your data between DejaOffice and Outlook.
Sync locally via USB, Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.
Sync in the cloud with DejaCloud or Google.
Unlike DejaOffice it isn’t free.
Ongoing cost for DejaCloud.
Download CompanionLink for Android
Google Calendar: Best Free Cloud Calendar for Android
Google’s own Calendar app is best integrated with Android. If all you need is a basic calendar and task list, it’s a great choice, but it has far fewer features than Outlook, which may be an issue.
Sync to built-in Android Calendar app.
Includes tasks.
Integrates with Google Assistant.
Simple and clean interface.
No task categories makes GTD difficult.
Notes aren’t integrated.
One key weakness is the lack of categories for tasks. However, integration with Google Assistant is nice, meaning you can say “Hey Google” and ask things like “When’s my first meeting today?” or “Where’s my next event?” You can also ask the assistant to schedule and add events.
Download Google Calendar for Android
Word for Android: Best Android Productivity App to Edit Word Documents
If you need to open and edit Word documents on the move, the official Microsoft Word for Android app is the best option. It has a simple interface that intuitively gives access to the most important features for creating and editing documents, and you can even write complex equations in the mobile app, provided you can write in LaTeX.
Interface that works on small screens.
Sync documents with OneDrive or Dropbox.
Edit styles and equations.
Preserves as captions and cross-references.
Track Changes isn’t reliable.
You can’t add captions and cross references.
A common use for Word for Android is to review documents received by email. This is where the app has some issues. Although it has a Track Changes option, it doesn’t always work reliably.
Download Word for Android
Google Docs: Free Cloud-Based Word Processing on Android
If you need a basic word processor, Google Docs can do a good job. However, don’t expect it to replace Microsoft Word. Docs isn’t suitable for producing large complex documents, as it lacks features like captions and cross-references. Also, unlike Word for Android, you can’t edit equations in the Android version.
Tight integration with Android.
Great for working on collaborative documents.
No auto-numbered captions.
No cross-references to captions.
Missing basic word processing functionality.
Download Google Docs for Android
CamScanner: Best Scanner App for Android
CamScanner provides a convenient way to quickly scan paper documents, whiteboards, and receipts using your phone, almost completely removing the need to keep paper documents.
Very easy to use.
Corrects alignment and perspective.
Recognizes text (OCR).
Can sync documents with Evernote, Google Drive, Dropbox and OneDrive.
Lots of pop-ups in free version.
Need to pay for sync.
Need to pay for OCR.
For this to work in an ideal manner, the scanning process needs to be quick and easy. Maybe even more importantly, documents need to be filed in a trusted and easily accessible location, meaning you need to pay to sync files to your preferred cloud storage.
Download CamScanner for Android
Google Keep: Cloud-Based Notes
Notes in Google Keep look like post-it notes, but you can do a lot with them, including adding sketches, photos, and creating lists. Like most Google apps, everything is stored in the cloud and can be easily accessed from a PC using a web browser.
Simple visual note taking.
Create reusable checklists.
Set reminders by time or location.
Not integrated with Google Assistant.
Locations must be a single location.
You can also set reminders, either by time or location, but Keep isn’t fully integrated with other Google apps in a way that truly capitalizes on Keep. For example, integration with Google Maps could allow location reminders to be set to any grocery store, instead of only a single location. What’s even more surprising is Google Assistant can’t be set to take and save notes in Keep.
Download Google Keep for Android
Listing it!: Best Productivity App to Make Checklists
Listing it! is convenient and flexible, with powerful import and export features, while being quick and easy to use. You can create standard lists for your groceries or packing for an overnight trip, for example, then quickly check off what you’ve already finished and move on to what you still need to do.
Create reusable checklists.
Hierarchies with many layers.
Simple text import and export.
No cloud sync.
You can import and export lists using simple text files, meaning you can easily back up lists or create them using a spreadsheet.
Download Listing it! for Android
WiFi File Transfer: Import and Export Android Files
WiFi File Transfer allows you to access all the files and folders on your Android device via a web browser. It works best with Google Chrome, allowing whole folders to be transferred.
Transfer files between Android and PC.
Transfer multiple files and folders.
Shortcuts to photos, videos and music.
Free version limited to 5 MB per file.
Download WiFi File Transfer for Android
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