Michael Doan » Technology

★ Dropbox Automator

Michael Doan — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 17:00:35 +0000

I love DropBox and use it everyday. So, I was excited to read about DropBox Automator (DBA) which lets you perform an automated action on a file when that file is saved to your Dropbox. For example, save a photo to a folder in DropBox and have DBA automatically upload the photo to Facebook.

See the list of available actions here.

★ My Mobile Work Station

Michael Doan — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 03:00:12 +0000

Here’s a photo of everything that I really need to get work done while on the road or when I want to leave my notebook computer at the office:

I can do almost everything I need to do with an iPad, an iPhone, and Apple’s wireless keyboard. This basic set up will take care of 99% of my email. Things get a little more complicated if an email contains PDFs or Microsoft Office documents, but there are way to handles those too.

For minor edits to Microsoft Excel and Word, I can get by using QuickOffice. Most of my work involves reviewing, so I don’t need to use Excel or Word heavily so QuickOffice does the job

Emails with PDF attachments are easy to handle with GoodReader. When reviewing large PDFs, like Form 10-K filings, GoodReader is must. Also, GoodReder allows me to mark up the PDF and email back to my client or staff.

If I really need to access my notebook to use a PC-only application, like Prosystems Engagement, I use TeamVeiwer HD which lets me remote into my notebook. To do this, TeamViewer needs to be installed on the PC as well.

★ TurboScan to Evernote

Michael Doan — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 02:45:54 +0000

When I reviewed TurboScan for iPhone, I noted that I can email the scanned document to Evernote.

What I recently discovered is that I can tap the “Open PDF in…” button and select the Evernote option. TurboScan will launch Evernote for iPhone and add the note for me. This is a better way to add a document than emailing to Evernote because I don’t have to worry if the email was actually delivered¹.

TurboScan is getting heavy use from me (at least once a day). It’s really a great app.

I use to email, then log into Evernote, wait for it to synch and verified that the document made it to Evernote. I would then delete it from TurboScan. Inevitably, I would fall behind in checking and get confused as to what has and has not been emailed to Evernote. ↩

★ TextGrabber – OCR in Your Pocket

Michael Doan — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 03:52:39 +0000

TextGrabber is a mobile scanner for iPhone that has optical character recognition (OCR). Using the app’s camera, take a photo of text and the app will convert it to text that can be copied, emailed, or pushed to other apps. It can even translate the text to another language.

I find myself using this app occasionally when I want to copy text from Kindle for iPhone, which does not allow text to be copied, to another app. I also sometimes use it to OCR text from a scanned PDF or photo of a document.

It’s a handy little app. Below are screenshots of TextGrabber OCRing text from Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Self-Reliance.

A screenshot of the text from Kindle for iPhone:

Select the text to be OCRed:

The result:

★ OmniFocus and Siri, Hitched

Michael Doan — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 00:06:33 +0000

If you are an OmniFocus for iPhone user and have an iPhone 4S, you will be happy to know that you can now add new tasks using Siri (watch the videos).

You’ll need to update OmniFocus through the app store (verions 1.13). Set up is easy, just flip the switch to on under Settings > Capture > iCloud Reminders.

★ Square’s Cardcase

Michael Doan — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 21:25:41 +0000

There are two things I hate to carrying everyday: keys and wallet.

Every merchant needs to to use Square’s payment system so I can use their new Cardcase app to pay. Then, I can finally ditch the wallet (almost – driver’s license!).

★ Apple’s “the Crazy Ones” Commercial Narrated by Steve Jobs

Michael Doan — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 23:03:24 +0000

★ The Time Is Right to Buy an iPhone

Michael Doan — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 22:28:25 +0000

The iPhone is one of the best tool on my accountant’s tool belt. Since picking up the fist generation iPhone back in 2007, there isn’t a day that goes by where my trusty iPhone has helped me through the work day.

Yesterday Apple announced the release if it’s lastest iPhone, the 4S. For those of us who have the iPhone 4, it may be a hard decision to jump on the upgrade bandwagon to the 4S, especially if we have to pay full retail due to contract timing.

But, for those of you who have been holding off purchasing an iPhone or a smartphone, Apple didn’t leave you a way out given that you can buy last year’s model, iPhone 4 for a mere $99. Furthermore, the iPhone 3GS is free win a new contract (AT&T only).

If you are going to work a smartphone into your workflow, the iPhone is the better choice than Android. Aside from the better user experience, the number of quality apps available on iPhone is light years ahead of Android.

If you are not completely sold then go for the free iPhone. You really don’t have anything to lose.