Software I use, gadgets I love, and other things I recommend.
I get asked a lot about the things I use to build websites, stay productive, or buy to fool myself into thinking I’m being productive when I’m really just procrastinating. Here’s a big list of all of my favorite stuff.
Workstation
13” MacBook Pro, M1, 8GB RAM (2020)
I was using an Intel-based 13” MacBook Pro prior to this and the difference is night and day. I don't think you need a high spec for web dev, so I always buy the bottom model in the pro range to save £££!
Dell U2721DE Display (USB C Model)
I love DELL monitors and have been using them for years. I find it the best bang-for-buck and I love that one USB cable will connect the display, USB hub and charge the laptop. The 27" screen gives plenty of room for splitting between code and web page preview.
Logitech MX Keys Keyboard & MX Master Mouse
The MX Keys is a solid keyboard and a great companion for the macbook. Pair it with a MX Master mouse and it's perfect mix. They are both robust and the MagSpeed scroll on the mouse is great when you're bulk editing enless product spreadsheets!
Apple Magic Trackpad
Something about all the gestures makes me feel like a wizard with special powers. I'm a lefty, but I keep this for my right hand to make it faster to navigate between windows.
Beats Solo 3 Wireless Headphones
Great for listening to tunes whilst I work. Also, the in-built mic is great for video calls. (Thanks for that, COVID-19).
Development tools
Visual Studio Code
I used to swear by Sublime Text until I tried VS code, now I don't think I'd go back. It's just great and I don't have to keep tabbing around to get to the console or git. Although, I have installed a Sublime Text 3 colour theme!
MongoDB Compass
Brilliant desktop tool for viewing database structures. I love JSON style data structures.
TablePlus
See above but some times I have to work with MySQL databases. Great visual database editor.
Design
Figma
We started using Figma as design collaboration tool but now it's become my go-to vector creation tool and it also is great for rapid prototyping UX designs.
Affinity Photo
Because I can't justify paying monthly for Photoshop just so I can resize images for the web! Also, the full Affinity suite is a great alternative to Adobe.
Davinci Resolve
The most amazing video editor you'll find. The workflow is great and I love the audio mastering tools.
Productivity
Spark
I have lots of different email inboxes and Apple Mail can be a pain. Spark gives me a great way to segregate inboxes and keep everything organised and synced accross devices.
ClickUp
ClickUp is my go-to project management tool. It's the only one I've found that has an easy to use sprint management tool for agile software development.
Un-productivity
Playstation 4
I like a single player game with a good story. I've been a playstation fan since I bought my first PS one when I should have been studying at university. Instead I was playing 'Alone in the dark'. I wouldn't recommend buying one a month before your main university project deadline - not a good idea!
Testimonials
I have worked with lots of amazing people
“If anyone is looking for a website development and digital marketing agency I would highly recommend &beyond.”
“I used to run a web agency that did work for well known and established brands such as Twitter. Now as President of SmoothieBox, I choose to work with &beyond.”
“Thank you for the amazing support given for the project, we appreciate you and the team for making this happen. The collaboration has been awesome. Look forward to working together again very soon!”
“&beyond have been fantastic to work with. They are extremely organised, efficient communicators and produce a high quality or work. Looking forward to working with them on future development projects.”
“Really pleased with the outcome, the customer accounts are better than I expected and the new checkout page is helping bring in more subscribers. The team was amazing, they went above and beyond on every task and were there to support with any issues.”
“James and his team have excelled at building a solid foundation for our business to grow. We have a strong SEO foundation to build from, HubSpot fully integrated and an e-commerce funnel that converts”
“James took the time to understand our business, our flow, our sales process and our customers. They knocked the project out of the park.”
