What’s On My Laptop, Desktop, Smartphone, And Tablet In 2017?

Instead of unifying my experience across devices (ie, iMac, iPad, iPhone), I’ve decided to take the opposite approach and adopt all the major platforms – Windows, MacOS, iOS, and Android. In doing so, I’ll remain proficient across the major operating systems and keep up with their respective developments and trends. Here’s a rundown of what’s on my devices.

The Desktop – Zeratul

In comparison to last year, the obvious difference is that I’ve transitioned from MacOS to Windows on my workstation, Zeratul. Why? Better gaming options, better utilization of the hardware I assembled, and to remain adept with the most widely used personal computer operating system. Excluding the programs bundled with Windows 10 Professional, here are some of the apps I use daily:

• Atom (web programming)
• FileZilla (FTP)
• GIMP (image editing)
• Microsoft Office (office suite)
• Steam and Origin (gaming hubs)
• Chrome (web browser)
• VLC (video playback)
• SyncToy (file synchronization)
• 7-Zip (archive utility)
• Spotify and iTunes (music hubs)
• Plex Media Server (media hub)
• TightVNC (VNC server/client)

The Laptop – Artanis

Things are pretty much the same with my 11″ MacBook Air 2015. It’s currently running Mac OS Sierra 10.12.6 with the following non-Apple applications:

• Boom 3D (audio optimizer)
• CleanMyMac (optimization utility)
• Coda 2 (programming IDE)
• Flume (Instagram client)
• Google Chrome (web browser)
• Living Earth Desktop (wallpaper)
• Magnet (window utility)
• JPEGmini Pro and ImageOptim (image optimization)
• Microsoft Office (office suite)
• Monolingual (optimization utility)
• Screens (VNC client)
• Transmit (FTP client)
• Tweetbot (Twitter client)
• VLC (video playback)

The Tablet – Apple iPad Pro

The iPad Pro has been a joy for multimedia consumption, and since I purchased the Apple Pencil, the generation of content. I love doodling notes and diagrams to share, and I owe it to the seamless functionality of iOS to make this process as easy as possible. Here are some of the non-iOS apps I use:

• GoodNotes (note-taking application)
• PDF Expert (PDF reader)
• Spotify (music app)
• WhatsPad (WhatsApp client)
• WordPress (WordPress client)
• Pushbullet (cross-platform synchronization)
• AnyConnect (VPN client)
• VLC (video playback)
• iMovie (video editor)

The Smartphone – Google Pixel

Easily the device I use the most often is my Pixel smartphone. I usually purchase a smartphone yearly, so I’m looking forward to the new Pixel 2 later this year. I’m currently running developer preview 4 of Android O on this device, and absolutely loving it. Here are some of the non-core-Android apps I run:

• BlueMail (combined mail app)
• Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn (social media)
• Google Photos (photo repository)
• Robinhood (stock exchange)
• QuickPic (photo gallery)
• PhotoScan (photo scanner)
• Figure 1 (medical images)
• CamScanner (document scanner)
• VNC Viewer (VNC client)
• Solid Explorer (file explorer)
• SwiftKey (virtual keyboard)
• SolCalendar (calendar)
• MightyText (SMS sync to Chrome)
• PushBullet (cross-platform sync)

What are your favorite applications for your devices?