On my quest for a new desktop RSS reader I came across Socialite.  Made RealMacSoftware, the same group who brought us RapidWeaver and LittleSnapper, Socialite is basically a social network aggregator that also incorporates an RSS feed reader.  What originally drew me to Socialite was the ability to combine all of my social network accounts in one place along with my Google Reader account.  I used it for a couple of weeks and really enjoyed it but, it being in beta, I found it to have some bugs that were too obtrusive to ignore.  So off I went again, looking for another solution to my problem.  I quickly stumbled upon Gruml which is now fast becoming my favorite desktop app.

What is Gruml?  it’s a desktop RSS reader for Mac.  You can sync Gruml with your Google Reader account and can do just about anything in Gruml that you can do in Google Reader.   So what makes Gruml one of the best desktop feed readers I’ve used?

Open Tabs in Background

One thing I really didn’t like about Socialite was that when I clicked on any link it would bring up my default browser (Chrome) and open a new tab.  While that’s a nice feature, many times I find myself opening multiple articles in a row to read so having to switch between applications every time I want to open a new link can be tedious.  With Gruml, if I click on the link to an article it opens a tab within Gruml but in the background so I can click on as many links to articles as I want, they open in tabs behind the default view and I can scroll through the tabs at my leisure.

Share to Any Social Network/Bookmarking Site

This has to be one of my favorite features of Gruml, it’s extremely easy to share articles to all of your most used social networks and bookmarking sites.  All I have to do is highlight the article hit command-I and it’s instantly shared to my Instapaper account.  Along with Instapaper you can share articles to networks like Facebook, Twitter, Digg, Diigo, StumbleUpon and more.  In total you can share articles to 14 different bookmarking sites and social networks.  

Works with Growl

Any desktop app that has the ability to integrate with Growl gets extra brownie points automatically.  I love Growl and the fact that I can get unobtrusive reminders that one of my feeds has been updated on my desktop is invaluable.  If you’re so inclined, you can pass on this feature by simply changing the settings in the preference pane.

Customizations Galore!

Speaking of the preference pane, let’s take a look at that.  While at first glance it may seem simple Gruml’s preferences allow for lots of customization.  You can customize how the title bar of the article preview looks, and the font and size of the text within the app (for example you can change the way the titles of the articles look within the unread articles list).  On top of that you can customize which default buttons you want on the toolbar and adjust the window pane view to your liking.  I a big fan of being able to adjust apps to work and look exactly the way I want and with Gruml’s preferences I’m able to do just that.

There are plenty of other great reasons to love Gruml but those you’ll have to discover for yourself.  If you’re looking for an effective method of managing and viewing your Google Reader items through your Mac desktop, look no further than Gruml.

Do you use Socialite or Gruml?  Which do you prefer?  What do you like about Gruml?  Let us know in the comments.

Selena Narayanasamy is extensively involved in all things technology, social media, blogging/writing, entrepreneurship and productivity related. When she’s not dabbling in any of the above mentioned things, you can find her drinking her life substance (coffee) and blogging on

Picture this. You’re at the office, working along happily on some documents. You figure that even though you haven’t finished writing, you can always work on it at home. You plan on attaching it to yourself in an email…

…but wait. If you’re anything like me, you probably forgot to send it to yourself. This poses a big problem- especially when it’s something that’s urgent for the next day.

So what has been saving my life these hectic workdays? A little somethin’ somethin’ called Dropbox. That’s why it’s the iPhone app of the week. So… what is Dropbox?

I discovered this a few weeks ago (even though it’s been around for a while) and it’s a file syncing system that you can use on both Windows and Mac OSX. The other sweet detail about this is that it also has mobile apps for Blackberry, iPhone, Android and the iPad. I can now be a workaholic from my iPhone and iPad. THANKS DROPBOX

The web interface, that syncs files with the app, is pretty sleek and simple. If you’re on the computer where you have Dropbox installed, you simply drag and drop a folder/file into it…and that’s that.

Now, when I start a document at work and stupidly forget to email it to myself, I can access Dropbox 80 billion different ways and completely save my butt.

So why does Dropbox increase your productivity? These are some awesome features that it has:

• Easy drag-n-drop feature for your computer application
• Offline access for the iPhone app
• Changes sync instantly
• Ability to work on the web app if you’re not on your personal computer

If you right click a folder in Dropbox, you’ll also notice that you have the ability to:

• Share file- even with non Dropbox users through public URL
• View previous versions of documents
• Share folders with other Dropbox users- it’ll appear in their own box

On a Mac, you even have an icon in the finder window because it treats it like its own personal drive. You’ll see in my screenshot that I actually have the iDisk icon for my Dropbox  icon. It’s actually not like that originally. If you want to do this (so it looks prettier) follow these steps. It’s pretty simple-

1. Right click Dropbox icon in your finder sidebar and hit “get info”
2. Right click your iDisk icon in the finder sidebar and hit “get info”
3. Click on the iDisk icon in the info window and hit Command C
4. Click on the icon for Dropbox in its info window and hit Command V

Voila! It’s not rocket science but it’s a neat tip that I figured I would share.

If you’re syncing with the iPhone app, you can access anything that you would normally be able to from your computer/web app, as well as “star” them so you can access them if your phone is offline. This comes in handy if you’re getting really awful reception and absolutely need to see a file.

They have a free version which allows you to hog 2GB of storage- as well as paid versions.

I highly recommend Dropbox because it’s made my life so much easier. Not to mention, saved my butt. THAT is why it’s iPhone app of the week!

So, without further ado, today’s piece of fabulous is: the armrest mousepad.  This is one of those “why didn’t I think of that?” products.  The armrest is exactly as the name describes, an armrest with a mousepad at the end of it.  With your mouse pad attached directly to your armrest on your work chair prevents you from having to reach to maneuver your mouse, and, I’m not an expert but I can only imagine it’s more ergonomic than using the mouse on the desktop in front of you.  For someone who’s on a computer as much as I am, I’m always interested in finding ways to remain comfortable while working for long stretches.  This armrest seems to be something that would be great for me (and anyone else who spends the majority of their day in front of their computers).  The armrest attaches to almost any office chair, you can even attach it to a desk if you like.  Throw in the removable and washable mousepad and for about $43 you’ve got yourself a great addition to a more comfortable, ergonomically designed work area.

Ric Dragon is an artist/painter, jazz drummer, and CEO and chief strategist for DragonSearch, a provider of internet marketing services to Loehmanns, Steuben, and many other clients.

Just last week my business partner, Don, was telling me that I needed to acquire the iPad. “Remember how the iPhone changed your relationship to Twitter? Well, the iPad is going to do the same for other things”. I knew that I had a vacation coming up, and that vacations in general can be the best time to get accustomed to new gadgetry. And, when Don talks with that certain conviction-in-the-voice, I know to listen, and heh, who really needs to have their arm twisted to get a new gadget?  So, I got one.

Before I left for vacation, I chatted with Jim Edelstein from 33Oxclove, a neighboring company that produces all of the websites for a major New York museum.  As part of his job, Jim spends an incredible amount of time in meetings with museum curators, vendors, and employees.  You might even say he is a professional note taker.  Jim suggested that I get an app called “Note Taker HD” along with a stylus.  He demonstrated how simple it is to take notes, and send them to others at the end of a meeting.

The stylus actually ended up being difficult to purchase – they aren’t to be found at your local Best Buy, and I didn’t have time for an overnight shipment. Fortunately, there was an Apple store in Holyoke, a town we’d be driving through on the way to Cape Cod.  I purchased a Pogo Sketch Stylus for just about $15.  Any cool points I might have gotten were offset by the fact that the only available color that day was pink – entertaining my son to no end.   While all three of the apps I discuss can be used without a stylus, with it, they are the proverbial “killer apps”.

Autodesk Sketchbook Pro

The first app I downloaded, though, was Autodesk’s Sketchbook Pro, a drawing program.  As an artist of over 30 years, the Sketchbook Pro/iPad/Stylus combination is the first piece of technology that has really gotten me excited.  It’s one thing to sit at a desktop with a drawing tablet, another to be able to sit on a park bench and draw.   This is the cat’s pajamas, the bee’s knees, and the best thing since sliced bread.  Oh, and did I tell you, I really like it.

The majority of functions I’d consider to be de rigueur in any graphics program: different brush tips, color selectors, and of course, the ability to erase.  But Sketchbook Pro also has layers, allowing you to build up different parts of an image, and maintain the ability to go back. The only change I would request on this app is that the user be able to switch more easily between drawing and erasing.

A side note: My vacation is being a houseparent at a summer camp my son is attending for string quartet musicians. I can tell you from past experience, drawing at concerts is not usually embraced by musicians – at least not when they can hear that pencil scratching away.  The stylus on the iPad is perfectly silent.

iThoughts HD

I love mind mapping.  I have filled many a whiteboard up with mind maps.  I think there is an element of “media determinism” about it – that is, the media invokes a way of thinking that nothing else quite does.  In mind mapping, you start with a central idea. From there, you stub out associated ideas – and do the same with those “sub ideas”, repeating until you run out of associations.

I could use the Sketchbook Pro tool to draw mind maps, but a real mind mapping tool does something a little different.  That’s why I find iThoughts HD to be so useful. First, it’s easy to move elements around.  There is also a built-in hierarchy of elements, while sometimes limiting, helps me to clarify my thinking.  Also, with this app, you can collapse entire nodes, and focus on other nodes.

The ability to change colors adds a dimension that can be used for a variety of concepts – such as urgency.

Note Taker HD

This is the app about which Jim was telling me and one that he uses daily.  Since I’m away from the office, I haven’t had a chance to field-test this in an actual meeting.  I am, along with most people I know, a consummate note-taker.  With me, it’s the activity of writing notes that helps me, somehow placing those thoughts in a different part of my brain.  On the other hand, it could be nice to reference notes – something I often have a great deal of difficulty doing.  Note Taker HD has a few extra features… notably, an edit screen where you can see the overall sheet of notes (thus rather small), while writing into a close-up view area.  If you work in the close-up view, you can just click “advance” to the next section of the note.

For me, the iPhone really was a game changer vis-à-vis social media.  Tweeting from the desktop was never going to make sense for me – I’m always too wrapped up in other activities.  With the iPhone, it became something I could do in those little moments in-between. Add the camera to that, and you’ve got a veritable social media device.  The iPad lacks a camera, keeping it from being a social-media-killer- device– but with apps like the ones I describe above; it should prove to be a work horse nevertheless.  My problem now is I’m burdened with several devices.  Perhaps I’ll pull out the mind map app and figure this out.

What are your favorite iPad apps?  Do you use these apps, what’s your experience with them?  Let us know in the comments.

1.  Expose: Expose is not a new feature but it is definitely a very useful feature.  How many times have you found yourself with a bunch of windows open on your desktop and looking for one specific window?  Well, for me, that happens a lot, enter Expose.  This nifty little feature allows you to quickly view all of your open windows on your desktop at the same time.  There are a few ways of activating Expose, you can set a hot corner (see below) to activate it or you can just use the dedicated expose key on your MacBook Pro (near the function keys), if you’re a keyboard person, you can always set your computer to activate expose when pressing specified keys at the same time. Once you’ve used Expose to find your missing window, all you have to do is click on the window you want and it will magically bring it to the front.  This is by far one of my most used features on my Mac and it will be yours too if you like to have lots of windows open simultaneously.

2.  Hot Corners:

Most Mac users are aware of the “hot corners” feature however most users I know hardly ever use it.  Hot corners refers to setting the computer to do a specific action when the mouse cursor is moved to a corner of the screen.  For example, if you want to start your screen saver or put your computer to sleep you can just move your cursor to the designated corner.  You can set these hot corners to do a number of actions.  For example, I have my hot corners set up as follows:

Upper Left corner - show all spaces (all spaces you have set up are displayed in expose)

Upper Right corner – show all windows (shows all open and minimized windows in expose)

Lower Right corner - show desktop (pushes all windows to the corners to create a clean desktop)

Lower Left Corner - Dashboard (brings up the dashboard)

Some might argue, “there are keyboard shortcuts I can use, why would I want to set up hot corners?”  and yes, if you’re a keyboard shortcut person then hot corners may not be as useful for you but I’m a trackpad user myself so when scrolling around and controlling my computer it’s faster for me to move the cursor into a corner than to find specific keys on the keyboard to press.

3.  Spaces:

Much like hot corners and expose, Spaces gets used a lot on my computer.  Being a full time grad student, working full time and being Founder and Editor in Chief of Geekulous requires me to use multiple applications simultaneously.  I’m also a bit of a neat freak, so you can imagine when I have multiple application windows open at once, I don’t like them cluttering up my desktop. Spaces allows me to feed my insatiable need for neatness, essentially it allows me to have multiple desktops.  In the system preferences pane you can designate as many spaces as you like.  Consider each ‘space’ as a new desktop.  Typically I like to have specific apps open on each space.  For example, I have a blogging space that has all of my blogging software and websites open.  On another space I may have all of my media applications open.  To jump between spaces all I have to do is hit a few keys (I have mine set to Command + the space #).  Another nice feature of Spaces is that you can designate specific apps to open in specific spaces, for example if I have one of my spaces designated as a media space I may set all of my media applications (iTunes, VLC, Quicktime, FinalCut, etc.) to open within that space.  Once set up, if I open Tunes I’ll be taken to my media space and iTunes will open.  Spaces, it’s a beautiful thing, check it out.

4.  Timed Sleep:

I am an internet addict, I love getting lost on the web, jumping from site to site, and discovering new content.  As you all know (since you’ve found this site through web browsing) getting on the internet can make time fly, you get on the computer at 1:00pm and 3 hours later you’re still on the computer looking at sites.  My computer is the last thing I see when I go to sleep and the first thing I see when I wake up.  My usual morning ritual includes waking up to my iPhone, waking up my computer, checking email and reading the lates
t headlines in my feed aggregator (Feedly).  Naturally, curled up in my warm bed, just waking up and surfing the net is more appealing than getting ready for work and oftentimes I find myself spending entirely too much time on the computer in the morning.  Enter – the timed sleep function.  Mac’s have this nifty little feature hidden in the power settings in system preferences.  You can set you computer to go to sleep at a specific time.  A perfect way for me to force myself out off the computer and out of bed.  I have my computer is set to go to sleep 20 minutes after I wake up (for example, I usually wake up at 6:00, my computer is set to go to sleep at 6:20) and voila! I have mastered morning procrastination!

5.  Spotlight:

Have you ever found yourself forgetting where you saved that important document, searching through all of your folders?  What about trying to look for a document with a forgotten file name?  Well then Spotlight is the feature for you.  There’s a little magnifying glass in the upper right corner of all macs that can help you find what you’re looking for.  Click on that magnifying glass (or press Command+Space) and enter the file name or portion of the document you’re looking for.  Spotlight will search your entire computer for files, webpages or applications with similar names or content.  Not only does Spotlight help you find lost files, it will also define a word for you (enter the word in spotlight and you’ll receive a definition from the built in dictionary), and help you find and open an application quickly.  For example, I use spotlight frequently to open my Keychain app.  I just press command+space, and enter ‘ke’, press enter and my keychain comes up.  Simple as pie!

6.  Quicklook:

Along the same lines as Spotlight, quicklook allows you to preview a file before opening it.  Quicklook can come in handy when you’re searching for a file but don’t want to waste your time opening multiple windows.  Have multiple versions of a paper you’re working on?  No problem, all you have to do is highlight the file and press space, the Quicklook window will pop up, you can scroll through the entire document and even make it full screen.  It gets better, Quicklook isn’t just for documents, it’s for all file types, meaning if you want to preview that picture before you launch iPhoto, watch that movie before you launch iTunes go ahead, just highlight the file name in your finder and press the space bar and voila! You’re getting a quick look at the file.  This feature can really cut your work time down if you know how to use it, and now you do so go ahead, try it!

So there you have it, 6 simple but extremely useful built in features that will help increase your productivity.  What are your favorite built in features?  Let us know in the comments.