Are you on your computer or phone a lot of the time? Ok, this is for you.

These may not be the flashiest, sexiest companies out there, but who cares? I beta test a whole lot of apps that never make it past week one in my workflow.

These are twelve exceptional startups - their applications - that I introduced into my workflow this year that have changed life for the better. And why.

1. Bit.ly (desktop) shortens links for sharing, tracking, learning - they also own j.mp - expect to see more of it in 2010

2. Chrome (desktop) slower than Safari but better than Safari. Minimalist design

3. Domain Typer (iPhone) because you think of your best domain names at a restaurant/in the shower

4. Highrise (desktop/iPhone reminders) contact manager/organizer. Set deadlines - it will send you a reminder to send that thank you note

5. Mint (destop/iPhone) your money. Where you spent it, when, organized in a classy/editable interface

6. Pandora (desktop/iPhone) the music genome project. New music based on the music you love. And a cool founder.

7. Simplenote (desktop/iPhone) blog posts, quick to do lists, inspirational bits? Capture them (in GTD-speak: bucket)

8. Squarespace (desktop/iPhone) this site is rockin' it with Squarespace. Takes the guess work out of blogging (bonus: gwenbell.com is featured in the Squarespace Example Gallery!)

9. TeuxDeux (desktop) oh hi, sexiest to do app I've ever seen. Would make sense this is a co-creation with SwissMiss

10. TripIt (desktop/iPhone) right. You forward your itinerary and it organizes it into manageable, usable structure. Mega win

11. Tungle (desktop/iPhone) eliminates much of the back and forth of scheduling

12. Tweetie 2 (iPhone) why did Tweetie 2 win a Time.com award for 2009 best app? It's basically the best app ever.

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Maggie just posted about a new startup, Blippy, which "lets you share information about your purchases online." You can get some invite action if you cruise over there pronto.

Here are your inspirational startups from the year - happy reading & blogging!