My top software

WORKING as an IT consultant has its advantages, as it means I often get to see the latest, jaw-dropping software products before most other people.', 'With that in mind, here are my tips for the technologies you should check out to boost your efficiency and enjoyment, whether you''re at work or at home.

My first tip is Microsoft Live Mesh. This amazing tool lets you keep files and folders synchronised across multiple platforms (PC, Mac and Windows Smartphone at the moment).

This means that if you have it installed on your home PC and work PC, your documents will be maintained in both locations – a fantastic time and stress saver.

Another great feature of Live Mesh is the remote desktop functionality, which allows you to connect from one machine to another through your ''mesh'' (without having to mess about with VPNs or firewalls). This is brilliant if you have forgotten something on your home machine whilst at work.

My second tip is iDrive. I love this tool, which is essentially an online backup device. You get 2GB for free or 150GB for around £30. The backup and restore speeds are pretty good, and the ''continues backup'' mode is a life saver.

All this might not sound so impressive but, believe me, the first time you recover a file you deleted by accident you''ll realise it''s worth every penny of the £30 you splashed out on it.

Google Reader is the third piece of software I love. If you regularly find yourself visiting a blog or news website to see if it’s been updated, have a quick look to see if it has the word ''RSS'' on it anywhere. If it does, you can subscribe to updates using Google Reader, which allows you to browse new content on hundreds of sites in no time. The best thing is it has a mobile version – perfect for reading up on areas of interest during train journeys.

Fourth is Spotify, which streams music from the internet for free (and legally). Spotify’s massive library contains most of the music you''d ever want to listen to, and has some really nice features like the ability to create and share playlists. A mobile version will be available soon.

Finally is Evernote: a fantastic tool to help you organise your notes. This software is very clever – if you give it a picture it will scan it, and you can then search for text inside the picture later on (great for business cards). You can install it on your PC and phone, so you can search your notes from anywhere. Now there''s no excuse to be unorganised.