{"id":65247,"date":"2014-04-25T18:23:01","date_gmt":"2014-04-25T16:23:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/onsoftware.en.softonic.com\/?p=65247"},"modified":"2025-07-02T00:43:55","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T07:43:55","slug":"softonic-editors-what-apps-do-you-prefer-to-use-on-a-desktop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/softonic-editors-what-apps-do-you-prefer-to-use-on-a-desktop\/","title":{"rendered":"Softonic editors: what apps do you prefer to use on a PC?"},"content":{"rendered":"

What have we learned so far in our series, Ask the Softonic Editors<\/strong>? Well, we’re addicted to our mobile devices, big fans of Wunderlist<\/a> and Instagram<\/a>, and still haven’t really gotten over the demise of Google Reader<\/strong>. This week, I’ve decided to force us all to concentrate on desktop by asking what apps are better if you use them on PC<\/strong> or Mac. I know we’ve got photographers and DJs among our numbers, and I was interested to know if there was any other areas where the portability and accessibility of a mobile app just wasn’t a major selling point.<\/p>\n

Niamh Lynch, editor<\/h3>\n

This one is easy – writing<\/strong>. When I’m not working in Softonic, I write and translate at home, and if I’m not on my trusty Macbook, I just can’t get comfortable for any length of time. There are some really nice-looking writing apps out there, like Montage<\/a> and Celtx<\/a>, but they seem aimed at writers of fiction or screenplays, not one-off articles and translations. Since I need to get work to clients, I work in Google Drive<\/strong><\/a>. I can access it from anywhere, and writing in the browser gives me easy access to my translation tools and references. Obviously, you can get Google Drive for mobile, and I do use it, but the important thing is the keyboard and mouse<\/strong>, and that’s best on a desktop.<\/p>\n

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Jon Riggall, news editor<\/h3>\n

I DJ with Traktor<\/a><\/strong>, which has a very good iPad version<\/a>, but it\u2019s not quite as good as the full version (nor do iPads have enough storage for all my music). I also prefer using Photoshop<\/a><\/strong> on a laptop or desktop \u2013 the most important thing is screen size. An HD monitor is still easier to work with than a tablet-sized retina display, for example, and there are still times when a mouse gives you just that much more accuracy that\u2019s lost as soon as you stick your finger on a screen. Although both of these apps have tablet\/mobile versions, the full desktop versions are more complete<\/strong>, and offer more control.<\/p>\n

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James Thornton, editor<\/h3>\n

I\u2019ve not used a PC at home for several years, as all my entertainment, and communication needs are catered to by my phone\/tablet\/PS4\/Chromecast<\/strong>. The only thing that occasionally drags me back to my dusty old Dell is to use office apps<\/strong>. But as Microsoft Office 365 for Mobile<\/a> continues to improve, even word processing and accounting is now comfortable on a tablet with a Bluetooth keyboard. My advice: burn your computer and be free!<\/p>\n

Lewis Leong, news editor<\/h3>\n

Our phones handle most of our day-to-day tasks but there\u2019s still many uses for using a desktop computer. Video editing<\/strong>, playing games<\/strong>, and even writing<\/strong> are more enjoyable using my PC with multiple monitors. Multitasking<\/strong> with a mobile device is difficult and writing the news every day would be impossible without a computer. Photo editing is also much better on a PC, since photo editing software like Lightroom<\/a> and Photoshop<\/strong> is much more advanced than the versions available on mobile.<\/p>\n

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Chris Park, editor<\/h3>\n

There\u2019s only one type of app that I only use on my PC and that\u2019s photo editing apps<\/strong>. I use a mix of Adobe Photoshop<\/a> and Paint.net<\/a> to manipulate photos when posting to my website, and that\u2019s just not as easily done through a mobile device. Even though there are apps that can edit photos, they\u2019re too clumsy to complete the tasks I need\u00a0accurately and quickly<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Suzie Blaszkiewicz, editor<\/h3>\n

As unoriginal as it sounds, I actually prefer to use Facebook<\/a> on desktop. I mainly use Facebook on my phone via the separate messenger app<\/a>, but if I want to check my Newsfeed or Timeline, I find it a lot easier and quicker on desktop than on mobile, especially with an older iPhone model. I\u2019ll use the mobile app to check notifications, but I don\u2019t spend much time on Facebook\u2019s mobile app scrolling through the Newsfeed <\/strong>or checking in on what my friends are up to\u2013 I save that for the desktop version.<\/p>\n

Nick Mead, editor<\/h3>\n

Any app that involves watching video<\/strong>, I always choose to use on PC over a mobile. I really don\u2019t like watching videos on a small screen, and I generally find playback on mobile devices using 3G<\/strong> painful. This obviously means that I rarely use the YouTube<\/a> app for Android, but I wouldn\u2019t even dream of using SopCast<\/a> on a mobile device, for example. I also rarely edit documents on a mobile device. I much prefer Word<\/a> and a trusty plastic keyboard.<\/p>\n

And there you have it. Interesting! Although I was expecting the photo editing answers, I didn’t realize that mobile favorite Facebook would enter into the mix. Lewis’s comment about multitasking<\/strong> is a relevant one. Even though for many of us, mobile devices are the epitomy of multitasking (check Twitter while listening to music on the subway – don’t mind if I do), when it comes to actual task-based mutitasking, the PC often wins out, offering winning physical speed and accuracy over portability and fancy features.<\/p>\n

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