Your Nerdy Best Friend Presents‌
The Best Tech of 2014
About Beth Z Author Beth Ziesenis is Your Nerdy Best Friend. From her home base in San Diego, Beth Z reviews and recommends the best free and bargain tools and apps to make you more organized, efficient and awesome at work and home. Check Out the Blog: yournerdybestfriend.com Get the Latest Book: nerdy.bz/releaseyournerd Sign Up for the Newsletter: nerdy.bz/nerdwords
Newest Titles
2014 Yearbook Welcome to Beth Z’s list of favorite tools from 2014! Each year we take the best tech tools and topics from NerdWords, our Friday newsletter, and compile them into one easy-to-digest magazine.
Table of Contents: Productivity Design Travel Cool Security Photo + Video
productivity
www.yournerdybestfriend.com
Temporary Emails http://nerdy.bz/temporaryemail
I love HubSpot resources, but I get a little annoyed when they ask for tons of info before they share stuff. I know it’s their right and they gotta make a living somehow, but I have commitment issues. Here’s a short video on how I avoid sharing my email address using temporary email sites such as 10 Minute Mail.
Zoom.us http://nerdy.bz/zoom
If everyone in your online meeting promises to wear pants, videoconferencing can be a great way to communicate. You’ll find a lot of common features among the videoconferencing and screensharing tools, but Zoom is stepping up and standing out.
productivity
www.yournerdybestfriend.com
Gmail: The super-duper email tool http://nerdy.bz/gmail
Oh boy. What can I say about Gmail - or rather, what can’t I say about Gmail? In my humble opinion it’s my strongest tool in my google tool box. Here are five things to know about Gmail.
Limitless Chrome App http://nerdy.bz/limitless
Monitor your time online beautifully. I discovered and fell in love with Limitless, a Chrome app that monitors my web surfing in real time.
productivity
www.yournerdybestfriend.com
Adobe Voice http://nerdy.bz/adobevoice
Adobe just released a pretty cool video tool, Adobe Voice. The tool (just on iPad right now) lets you create quick slide-type videos with voiceover.
Hemingway App: Simple Writing Critiques http://nerdy.bz/hemingway
The online app called Hemingway lets you paste or write text on the page, and with one button click, the system analyzes your words and sentence structure to give you tips for clearer, more concise writing.
productivity
www.yournerdybestfriend.com
Office for iPad http://nerdy.bz/office
Microsoft released it’s long awaited versions of the most popular office apps for iPad: Word, Excel and Powerpoint.
Transcribe http://nerdy.bz/transcribe
The online site Transcribe by Wreally studios is a handy tool to help you with transcription. Just upload your MP3 and use the littel box to type your text.
design
www.yournerdybestfriend.com
99designs.com http://nerdy.bz/99designs
Design projects can cost upwards of $5,000, but design contests on 99designs start at a few hundred dollars. I ended up with 281 designs from dozens of talented designers!
Nerdy Design Favorites http://nerdy.bz/design
A list of the world’s coolest tools to make memorable greeting cards, videos and more. You’re sure to wow with this list.
design
www.yournerdybestfriend.com
Fiverr Tips and Tricks http://nerdy.bz/fiverr
When I need to get something done my first thought is always Fiverr. Fiverr is a marketplace of literally thousands of people who do all kinds of stuff - for $5. Help is on the way!
Quote Pic Maker http://nerdy.bz/quote
Ohhhh‌.Another instant quote maker! This one also lets you create instant Facebook and Twitter covers as well as the quote-type posters we all love for Pinterest.
design
www.yournerdybestfriend.com
Slidebean: Online presentation software http://nerdy.bz/slidebean
A clean, attractive presentation that is perfect for showcasing a product or telling a story.
FlipSnack http://nerdy.bz/flipsnack
FlipSnack is part of the SnackTools suite of products and lets you create your own flippable online magazine.
travel
www.yournerdybestfriend.com
4 trips to make the most of TripIt http://nerdy.bz/tripit
I’m a huge, huge, huge fan of Tripit, the travel tool that keeps your travel and reservations straight. Here are a handful of tools I’ve learned to make the most of TripIt.
Getting a Lyft http://nerdy.bz/lyft
These services offer cost-effective (and super cool) alternatives to the standard transportation experience.
just cool
www.yournerdybestfriend.com
Quick Send Money Services http://nerdy.bz/money
Square Cash is an app (and now an integration into Snapchat). It was by far the coolest and easiest of the money services. Sending took seconds, and receiving was apparently quite fun.
Postmates: Meals and More Delivered http://nerdy.bz/postmates
One of my favorite new companies is Postmates, a service that lets you order food and groceries with your mobile device. The concept is simple. Open the app, choose from the many restaurants or stores, request a delivery and track it’s progress.
just cool
www.yournerdybestfriend.com
Amazon Fresh http://nerdy.bz/amazonfresh
AmazonFresh is Amazon.com’s grocery and same-day delivery service. For $299 a year you get a Prime Fresh membership, which means you get the right to order stuff from AmazonFresh.
just cool
www.yournerdybestfriend.com
Hyperlapse from Instagram http://nerdy.bz/hyperlapse
Instagram just released a cool new app called Hyperlapse (iOS only right now) that lets you capture time-lapse video and share within seconds.
Augmented Reality Shopping http://nerdy.bz/shopping
Google’s Project Tango helps technology analyze its environment to give it context in time and space. You should really watch this video to see how Project Tango could change the way you shop forever.
just cool
www.yournerdybestfriend.com
Bawte: Illiminate Your Paper Owners Mauals http://nerdy.bz/bawte
Do you have a drawer with years of owner’s manuals and incomplete registration forms? Time to recycle them all with Bawte, a clever service that lets you scan the UPC code of your appliance and gadgets for easy access.
Noisli: Beautiful Background Music http://nerdy.bz/noisli
Noisli is a web app that warms your screen with a changing color palette and lets you choose background sounds you can truly work to. Effective for increasing productivity and decreasing distractions.
just cool
www.yournerdybestfriend.com
FitBit http://nerdy.bz/fitbit
Fitbit Force is a bracelet that monitors your activity and links to online mobile apps to help you keep track of your health. I wear mine 24 hours a day and I find it quite handy to keep my activity level top of mind.
security
www.yournerdybestfriend.com
How Net Neutrality Affects You http://nerdy.bz/net
This is a complicated issue and means that the free and open internet service we have always enjoyed may change forever.
Heartbleed: What you need to know http://nerdy.bz/heartbleed
What a mess. A security hole can allow hackers to sneak in and read the systems that hold your user names and passwords. Our knee-jerk reaction is to run around changing our passwords but that may not work.
security
www.yournerdybestfriend.com
LastPass Tips and Tricks http://nerdy.bz/lastpass
A sneak preview from my new book which provides specific tips, tricks, and details of my favorite tech tools. Here is a feature on LastPass, password security that will change the way you work.
Credit Cards: The changes are coming http://nerdy.bz/credit
In today’s world, threats to the security of your personal information and accounts are coming from every angle. In the next year or so, we’ll see widespread use of credit card technology called EMV chips that may keep our transactions safer.
photo + video
www.yournerdybestfriend.com
Eyejot: Video email in a flash http://nerdy.bz/eyejot
With thousands of emails drowning our inboxes every week, we need to do what we can to get people to notice our notes and get our messages across. Eyejot is video email that you can do from your computer or mobile device.
Animoto in Action http://nerdy.bz/animotovacay
Animoto is perfect for an instant vacation video!
photo + video
www.yournerdybestfriend.com
Animoto: Tips and Tricks http://nerdy.bz/animototips
Animoto is truly simple to use from both a mobile device or your computer. Here are a few of my best practices for making a professional-looking video in minutes.
Make Art from Your Mobile Device Photos http://nerdy.bz/mobileart I love apps that help uncover the creative genius within! Here are three of my favorite apps for making quick graphics from your mobile device photos.
photo + video
www.yournerdybestfriend.com
GrooveBook http://nerdy.bz/groovebook
GrooveBook is a way cool idea for both your personal photos and your organization’s next event - imagine snapping pictures all night long at your company’s reception then gifting the album to your boss. You’ll be a hero!