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: