More and more web designers are working on the go, the fast paced modern lifestyle means they might need to send a client some wireframes whilst they’re out and about. Or perhaps they need to access a file when they’re not working at their main development machine. When you consider that even fully employed designers and developers are encourage to bring their own device to work (BYOD) and in a recent survey as many as 82% of surveyed companies in 2013 allow some or all workers to use employee-owned devices.
This means the use of apps to carry out day to day tasks is on the increase. The once impossible task of working on the go or accessing files from a range of devices is now easier than ever on a smartphone and we have hand-picked some of the best mobile apps for those who are in the industry. These five modern apps for web designers will enable you to do real work while on the go.
Top Apps for Web Designers
1. Typecast
Typecast is a browser based app that has been developed to help out web professionals in typography designs on websites. It provides access to over 23,000 web fonts from Fonts.com, Fontdeck, Typekit and Google Fonts that you can try out for a site “sneak preview” before its actual implementation on your live web pages. It includes an awesome feature that lets you run some side-by-side comparison of different fonts by using multiple grids for viewing.
2. TouchQode
TouchQode enables users to view and also edit source codes on Android-based devices. TouchQode is a mobile code editor featuring autocomplete, syntax highlighting and other features present in desktop IDE. It supports Ruby, Java, JavaScript, C#, C++, Python, PHP and HTML. TouchQode comes integrated with an FTP and SFTP client and is a popular substitute for vim or emacs.
3. Dropbox
Dropbox is a free service that allows you to carry your images, data files, as well as videos anywhere. Once you set up Dropbox to your computer, every file you saved to your Dropbox will simultaneously get synchronized to all your computers and your mobile devices. With this tidy little app, you can take everything that is important to your work while on travel. Dropbox is available as a free download to iOS, Android and Blackberry users. So if you need to send your client a copy of a logo because he deleted it accidentally and you’re on holiday, you can!
4. WordPress Mobile
Whether it’s a blog or a company website on WordPress platform, this mobile app enables you to perform virtually anything that you can do on a regular WordPress dashboard. You may make changes on the backend, share a post and or reply to comments while on the go. WordPress Mobile is available for both Android and iOS devices. This is extremely useful for those who are out and about often and may run their own blog as a hobby or passive income. Replying to comments can be one of the biggest time consumers so this app makes it extremely easy.
5. Adobe Kuler
Adobe Kuler may be the last app on the list but that doesn’t mean it’s any less useful. This wonderful app is a color palette generator that can generate color themes or concepts using photos taken with your iPhone or iPad camera. You may also use the colors from images you find on the internet or pictures saved on your phone. Adobe Kuler offers 3 ways to adjust the color it generates; pre-set color styles, a color wheel and RGB sliders. Once the iPhone 5S get’s a dual flash camera as reported in this blog post the ability to pick out individual and richer colors should be even more enhanced. This app is ideal for web designers who are hoping to find color theme ideas for a new website. Adobe Kuler is a free download for iOS devices.
Are you involved in design, development or even just a blogger? Which apps do you find invaluable either as live savers or just a boost to your productivity?
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