apps

Editor’s note: The following review is part of Macworld’s GemFest 2012 series. Every weekday from mid June through mid August, the Macworld staff will use the Mac Gems blog to briefly cover a favorite free or low-cost program. Visit the Mac Gems homepage for a list of past Mac Gems.

Believe it or not, you can get a lot of work done on your smartphone. With the right collection of apps, you could knock out most of your workload on your way to the office. These apps will help you manage meetings, sign contracts, keep track of your expenses, and perhaps even depart early.

Why read the paper when you can get news crafted especially for you? Thanks to your smartphone, you can keep up with current events no matter where you are. Here are the apps that let you consume news your way--giving you more of what you care about, and less of what you don’t.

Computers and smartphones can store and sift through reams of data. With a bit of help, you can harness that power to manage the information you need, whether it's something hidden away in an obscure email message, a search engine result, or a tidbit that you haven't written down at all. The nine services and applications below can help you become more productive and make better use of the technology you already own. Each offers a free version, too. Thanks to these knowledge managers, your next project may be easier to finish than you might think.

It's easy enough to navigate your Mac without any add-ons. You can maneuver around through folders to find what you're after, and use the Spotlight menu to search for files and launch apps more quickly. Power users tend to prefer third-party utilities like LaunchBar ( Macworld rated 5 out of 5 mice ) or Alfred ( Macworld rated 4.5 out of 5 mice ). These are keyboard-driven apps that make quick work of common actions for tech savvy users.