Eric

Teams

Teams is a workforce driven chat app. It comes with Microsoft 365 and allows you to chat both in and outside of your organization. It allows for file uploads, SharePoint integration, screen sharing. You can set up custom backgrounds, do video chats, and set up meetings. Overall, it’s a great app that you can use free with a Microsoft account, even if it’s not a paid account. Download it today and boost your productivity and communication.

Fifth Edition Character Sheet

Fifth Edition Character Sheet is an app written by Walter Kammerer that allows you to create characters for the 5^th Edition of Dungeons and Dragons. It’s an excellent little app for creating, leveling, and tracking information for your character. It’s free to use but unlocks the ability to level up and upload to Google Drive when paid. It’s only a few dollars, and the ability to develop a character up past level one is super handy. It automatically posts your characters abilities and feats to a fully editable notes page, where you can track your gold, items, experience, and other assorted notes on your character. I can’t suggest this app enough for someone who plays D&D 5e.

Survival Manual

Survival Manual is what it sounds like. It’s a compendium of information on how to survive in various situations and environments. It has tons of information and pictures of edible plants, how to make traps, the best ways to make shelter, and how to find medicinal herbs. It is well sorted into categories, such as Power, Planning, Kits, Basic Medicine, Shelter, Water, Fire, and Food. It has information on poisonous plants and animals, and how to survive different climates, such as Tropical, Desert, Cold, and at Sea. It also has links to various tools and kits that would help you in a survival situation. I keep it on my phone as an offline reference for if anything ever happens that I need that information. It doesn’t take up much space on your phone, and could one day save your life.

Last Pass 

When it comes to passwords my steel trap (my head) gets a bit rusty and I need a reminder now and then. Luckily that is where a password manager comes into play. After having what feels like millions of online accounts and each having to have a unique password it gets a bit challenging to quickly login. That is where LastPass or your password manager of choice comes in. Having a password manager has helped me out a lot. I was never horrible with passwords but LastPass helps take that edge off. Now, I do also associate my accounts with a 2FA device such as a YubiKey but, having the ability to quickly pull up my passwords is a lifesaver.

NewsBlurr

It has been a while but I started using RSS feeds for my news with Google Reader but, since it was killed I had to find an alternative and that is where NewsBlurr saves the day. It allows me to read most blog and websites I usually read in one single pane of glass. I also can organize my feed by folders and by tags. For articles I want to read late, it allows me to save to a separate folder. Also, I have a social feature to share articles and comments with friends. I like to stay current on news and tech which NewsBlurr allows me to do quickly either from my phone, tablet, or computer.

Libby / Hoopla

Last app I use on my cellphone regularly is for listening to audiobooks. Having a long commute to work and frequently exercising in the morning I get tired of just listening to music. With apps such as Libby (by Overdrive) and Hoopla. I am able to easily by using my local library card rent an audiobook on my phone. Sometimes with the latest and greatest books I have to wait to get a copy but overall, it has been a pleasant experience. I am also a fan of being able to speed up the audio.