AwayFind

Get more quality time out of your vacations, let alone weekends at home, with this app.

» What it does: It alleviates the need to check your email continually by letting you filter which topics and people you need to hear from when you’re away. Assign the priority email addresses or keywords and AwayFind will send you an SMS text to your smartphone when they arrive.

» Cost: Free for 30 days, $5-$49.99 a month after that

» Available for: Android and iPhone, iPad and iPod touch (requires iOS 6.1 or later)

» What’s hot: It really works and it works fast. I got the app so that I could increase my freedom. I signed up on a Friday and forgot all about it. Then important work emails arrived on Sunday, and AwayFind sent me an immediate text. I was jolted from my family-focused weekend and reminded that my business was launching a product this week and I still had work to attend to. I became an instant fan. You can even fine-tune what time of day you’d like to be notified.

» What’s not: The cost. The company has been around awhile and has tried free service. But the pricing plans, in place since November, don’t allow for a vacationer’s short-term needs. $60 a year is a lot for what it is, and that’s just with one personal email account. Also note: It supports several email providers that use IMAP but does not support Yahoo or Hotmail.

» Worth it: Yes, if you and your business can afford it. It works great and the setup was quick and easy, but do I really want to pay that much? I’ll wait until the end of the free trial to know for sure. However, you get two months free if you pay upfront for the year.

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Jen Leo, Los Angeles Times