The Lifelong Learner :: Do what you can, with what you have, where you are -Roosevelt ::

I try to do this every year. I compile a list of products that I cannot live without. These are products I use every day. My favorites.

Kindle
It’s not only a Kindle reader, it’s the Kindle books I can read on my Droid X, on my Mac, at work, on the train. It’s everywhere and I love it.

Droid X
I got it this year as I switched jobs and we no longer have a Blackberry. I love it. I love the 4.3” screen. Love how fast it is. Camera could be better, some other things could be better as well, but I got it for the screen size and it delivers.

Intellij Idea 9
This is the first year I started using it as my IDE. And it became my #1 IDE. Not without issues. Not without some frustration. But it sucks the least. I hope it’s a mainstay in my development world.

Chrome
It’s fast. It’s simple. It has extensions. Do I need more from a browser? I still use Firefox, and FF is still OK, but Chrome is better.

Windows 7
I switched, in 2009 I believe, to Ubuntu Linux. Just before the end of 2010 I switched back to Win7. It’s more polished. It’s better as a desktop. There are issues that annoyed me on Linux: can’t watch Netflix, no iTunes, Kindle, and other things. Windows 7 is a very good operating system. Better than Windows XP, I think.

TweetDeck
If you’re into Twitter and Facebook and want to minimize the time you spend on them, TweetDeck is for you. That’s why I use. I can now also use it on my Droid. Love it.

Google Reader
I used to rely more on Bloglines. But they announced “out of business” message (supposedly somebody else acquired them). I wanted to separate my dev-related feeds with my personal ones, so that’s why I used both. Now I only use the Reader, with 2 accounts setup. Not the greatest, but I can’t find anything better.

Netflix
No longer renting movies. Just streaming them. I have my bluray setup with Netflix. The sooner the “big guys” realize Netflix is for real and that people stopped buying DVDs, the better for them. I pay for Netflix and no longer buy DVDs — I don’t think that will change.

Picasa
It’s the best picture manager that I know of. Simple, intuitive, fast. Do I need more? Plus, it’s available on a Mac.

WordPress
If you want a blogging platform, WordPress is the best. I love it. (Though manual updates annoy me.)

What are your products you can’t live without?