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Mobile productivity: Apps that Jason Cipriani can't work without

It's mind boggling how an app on our smartphone or tablet can make our lives easier. Here are five iOS apps that get me through each day.
Written by Jason Cipriani, Contributing Writer
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(Image: Matthew Miller/ZDNet)

[Editor's note: We asked our writers and editors to name the iOS or Android productivity tools they can't live without.]

Wading through countless apps in Apple's App Store, searching for the app to make my life easier feels like a full-time job some days. There are far too many apps competing for our attention, making it hard for developers to earn a living and for us, as users, to settle on one app for a given task.

However, for the past couple of years, I have relied heavily upon five apps to help organize my life and cut down on repetitive tasks. Here they are, in no particular order.

1Password

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(Screenshot: Jason Cipriani/ZDNet)

It seems a week doesn't go by without some sort of website breach or leak of user credentials. As someone who used to use the same password across all services, I eventually came to my senses and began using 1Password to create, store, and manage all of my passwords.

I can confidently say I have no clue what my password is for nearly every site or service I use.

Download 1Password from the App Store.

Fantastical 2

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(Screenshot: Jason Cipriani/ZDNet)

We all lead busy lives and have busy schedules, making a calendar that's easy to use a must-have app. For that task, I rely on Fantastical 2.

It combines Apple's separate Calendar and Reminders apps into a single thread of tasks and appointments, making it easy to quickly glance at my agenda and know what I need to get done and where I need to be.

Download Fantastical 2 from the App Store. (iPhone | iPad)

Workflow

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(Screenshot: Jason Cipriani/ZDNet)

I use Workflow every single day. Whether it's a workflow that looks at my calendar to find free time when scheduling a conference call or combining three screenshots into one image (the screenshot above was created with a couple of taps in Workflow), Workflow cuts down on the amount of time I spend doing repetitive tasks on my iPhone or iPad.

Download Workflow from the App Store.

Deliveries

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(Screenshot: Jason Cipriani/ZDNet)

As a tech reviewer located in the middle of Colorado, I send or receive shipments on an almost daily basis. Instead of trying to monitor tracking numbers one at a time, or through the shipping carrier's website, I use Deliveries. With iCloud sync built right in, I can add a delivery to the app on my iPhone and view it on my Mac a couple minutes later.

Download Deliveries from the App Store.

Reeder

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(Screenshot: Jason Cipriani/ZDNet)

I may be one of the last RSS feed users, but I'm OK with that. If I'm not checking Twitter for breaking news, I'm scouring my Reeder feed (fed by Feedbin.com) for news and stories.

Download Reeder from the App Store.

Bonus: Untappd

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(Screenshot: Jason Cipriani/ZDNet)

I started brewing beer at home three years ago as a hobby. That hobby quickly turned into a passion for drinking new brews and learning as much as I could about the art (trust me, it's an art) of making delicious beer.

The only problem is, it's hard to remember what I've tried and what I thought about it. Thus, Untappd is an app that may or may not directly link to my productivity (I'm still researching), and I've included it here as a bonus app.

Download Untappd from the App Store.

Previously: Apps David Gewirtz can't work without

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