APP SPECIAL ...............WORK SMARTER WITH WEB APPS

WORK SMARTER WITH WEB APPS   Believe it or not, but there are some superb productivity tools on the internet that you probably didn't know you needed. Savio D'Souza and Ashutosh Desai tell you about `free' web apps that will help you save time at work, streamline basic tasks, collaborate better with colleagues, and even create professional multimedia presentations in a jiffy... TAKE FIVE Do you spend too much time checking your Gmail, Twitter feed and Facebook page every morning? Take Five is a tool that allows you to create a `self-destructing' browser tab. Go to the website, specify the number of minutes for your browsing  activity , and click on the `Set the timer' button. Take Five opens a new time-bound tab. Here you can read your e-mails, watch YouTube videos or whatever else you choose.When your time is up, the browser window closes, letting you get back to the work at hand. Take Five is also an ideal tool for those times when you want to give yourself a short break between work. http:www.takeafive.com HEMINGWAY APP If you have to regularly write official letters, e-mails, project reports, or even  if you are in the business of writing, then you need to ensure that your copy  is simple to read and easy to understand. Well, Hemingway App to the rescue. This web resource is named after Ernest Hemingway who is known for his minimalist writing style that got straight to the point.  Type in the space provided on the website or paste the text you have written. The service marks adverbs, passive voice, wordy sentences, and dull,  complicated words. Follow the suggestions onscreen and see it do wonders  for the readability of your copy  .http:www.hemingwayapp.com HACK CHAT If you're working with a team that's spread over a large physical distance, you can try using Hack Chat for an impromptu conference. Creating a chat  room does not require any sign-in, registration, or the download of any software.All you need to do is type https:hack.chat?your-channel in your  browser, where `your-channel' is the name you want to give to your room. Then share the link with your colleagues so that they can join. Hack Chat works wonderfully for private discussions between as many users as you choose ­ and is ideal for group discussions and quick daily planning meets.hack.chat APPEAR Hack Chat is good for no-nonsense text chats. But if you need to host a quick video conference with colleagues, then try Appear. Just open a web browser (Chrome, , or Safari) on a device that has a webcam or front camera, create a chat room by entering a name into the provided box and invite users to  this room. There is no need to register, the connection is secure and you  can have up to eight chatters in a group at no cost at all.appear.in FILE PIZZA Need to share a huge file immediately with someone? Try File Pizza. Just upload a file to this website ­ no registration required ­ and File Pizza will generate a shortened URL. Copy this web link and share it  with friends and colleagues. Recipients get access to the file as long as the sender's browser tab remains open. Chrome allows uploads of up to 500MB while Firefox does not pose any restrictions on file size. The documents are not saved on File Pizza's servers and data transfers are carried out over a secure connection. All those using the same link can see the number of connected peers. As soon as the original browser tab is closed, nobody will be able to download the file again.File.Pizza SWAY Sway lets you create interactive reports and presentations, which you can directly share on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, and even embed  into websites. You will, however, require a Microsoft account to sign in. Browse through Sway's tutorial and examples on the site and you will be  able to create interactive presentations in no time, complete with videos  from your YouTube account, posts from Twitter, images from Flickr, PicHit and more. Sway also suggests searches to help you find images, videos, et al that you can then drag and drop right into your creation. Create a narrative, add the multimedia you want and Sway's built-in design engine does the rest. If you're not satisfied with the first design it pops out,  hit its “Remix!“ button for more alternatives. The best part: When your presentation is played back, Sway recognizes the device, whether tablet, phone or desktop, and adjusts the layout accordingly . sway.com TEAMREPORTER If you manage a team, you will probably need to prepare daily progress reports. But group huddles and meetings for status updates can be time consuming. Teamreporter automates this chore with e-mail reminders. The free plan lets you create a team of up to four members. After you register with the service, you can set three questions for each member  of your team (for instance, “What did you accomplish today?, What will you do tomorrow?, What obstacles are slowing your progress?“). Your team's answers are then sent back to you by e-mail at a time you specify . Now, all you have to do is collate the replies into a status report. It's as simple as that. Over time, you can also visit the website to see all the  status reports listed one below the other. http:www.teamreporterapp.com GLURU Gluru is a service that gives you a daily summary of scheduled events,  meetings and e-mails that need your attention. Just sign in with your Google  account and Gluru will create an index of your e-mails, calendar events, and most recently accessed files in your Google Drive account. The more you use Gluru, the smarter it gets in recognizing important events and correspondence for you. The result is a “daily digest“ which lists e-mails that need to be dealt with on that day . A search bar lets you do a keyword search to look for files and events stored in Google Drive and Calendar. Click on the lightning bolt symbol and  Gluru will list the e-mails and documents you have been working on recently .  Double click on them and Gluru will open the e-mail or document in a new tab. It can also connect to your Box, OneDrive and Evernote accounts to give you an all-round view of important notes and files that may need your attention. What's more, there's an Android app that lets you access all of this data on the  smartphone.gluru.co NEED TO MEET Here's a hassle-free way to setting up a meeting with a group of people without making phone calls or e-mailing everybody individually .  In Need to Meet, enter meeting details like agenda, duration, location, and mark your available dates and time. Add the e-mail addresses of the folk you want to meet and send the request. Recipients do not need to register for this service. They just need to visit the calendar you created and select the times that work for them. You can view your calendar to see the common time  slots chosen by everybody and accordingly fix on the final time. You can create multiple events for free without registering with Need to Meet, but you get greater control over your calendars if you set up an account. And if you are coordinating with people from different time zones, the service will automatically adjust the meeting timings to their local time. http:www.needtomeet.com TOI 24OCT15