4 Austin CEOs share the apps they can't live without

by Colin Morris
October 13, 2015
A workflow is a personal thing, and it only gets more personal when you can carry it in your pocket. The details of your phone can say a lot about who you are and how you work, from unread notifications to how you organize your apps.
 
We asked four Austin tech CEOs which apps they rely on most to get them through the day, from news in the morning to fun at night.

Blake Garrett, Founder and CEO Aceable

 

What app(s) on your phone could you not live without?
 
I use the usual crowd of Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat to stay connected. To stay productive, I like Inbox, Todoist, Trello and Evernote. Amazon Prime now supports my dreams of never going to a CVS/Walgreens again, and TabbedOut is awesome for paying tabs and getting great drink deals in Austin.
 
What useful app(s) are on your phone that you wouldn't expect to see on someone else's?
 
I rely on Control to track our sales in Stripe. It’s awesome. I also keep Slack in my “up to date” folder to keeping in sync with my team.

 

CardStar is a pretty random app that stores the barcodes from your loyalty cards so you can ditch the little cards on your keychain. Finally, the Aceable logo and Aceable app folder keep me motivated.
 
What app(s) did you delete or refuse to download?
 
Boom Beach and Sniper 3D are gigantic time sucks, so I got rid of them. I tried moving Facebook off the home screen to use it less, but alas, I moved it back.
 
What app is your guilty pleasure?
 
Yahoo fantasy football and ESPN.
 

whurley, Founder & CEO Honest Dollar

 

What app(s) on your phone could you not live without?
 
Wallet. I use Apple Pay with Amex multiple times every day.
 
InBox. I love it. Yes, it takes some configuration, and yes, it has a few limitations. However, I have it working in combination with a number of filters in my Gmail account. This has been tremendously useful in managing the insane amount of email that comes into my Honest Dollar account on a daily basis. 
 
I also cannot say enough good things about Slack. It is fantastic, and if you're not using it to organize your company, you should. It even has a compliance option, which is a critical feature for a company like ours.

 

What useful app(s) are on your phone that you wouldn't expect to see on someone else's?
 
Duo Mobile & Authy are must-haves. Security is always top of mind. Everything at Honest Dollar requires multiple authentication paths (2 and 3 factor) including email, calendars, GitHub, etc. These apps make adding that functionality for your team super easy. 
 
I also like SmartNews. It's totally customizable, and I use it to get my news feed. I am evaluating Apple News, but haven't seen a reason to switch over just yet although I'm leaning that way.
 
What app(s) did you delete or refuse to download?
 
I will not download games. Period.
 
What app is your guilty pleasure?
 
YouTube is my guilty pleasure.

Alan Knitowski, Chairman, CEO & Co-Founder Phunware

 
What app(s) on your phone could you not live without?
 
Phunware Corporate Application – this covers everything within Phunware from A to Z, including all of our offices, employees, directories, marketing, sales collaterals, indoor mapping and navigation, calendar of events, etc.
 
What useful app(s) are on your phone that you wouldn't expect to see on someone else's?
 
I count on CNBC for market info, political developments, breaking news and other specific information tied to the markets and companies we work with, for and against.
 
What app is your guilty pleasure?
 
Facebook covers my personal network, including the intersections relevant for my better conducting my day job at Phunware. Or getting a distraction from it when needed.

Evan Baehr, Cofounder Able Lending

 
What app(s) on your phone could you not live without?
 
We use Slack for all internal communication at Able. I also use it for a nonprofit I'm involved in and my team working on my book. Then there’s Evernote and the usual suspects of social media: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
 
 
What useful app(s) are on your phone that you wouldn't expect to see on someone else's?
 
I use Buffer to schedule social media posts, and Pocket to keep track of online reading and save it for later when I’m on the go.

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