iPhone Task Management App Review
Sep 1, 2009 Information, Technology
One of the most effective task management tools that I have had the opportunity to use was Lotus Organizer. I had used the tool for several years and IBM had stopped updates and new releases. Despite this, it was still a pretty powerful tool. It allowed you the ability to synchronize your data with the Palm OS which came in handy back in the day. I have since begun to do more and more work on a Mac rather than a PC.
I had decided to install a couple of task management applications on my iPhone to see which one would be the most useful. The two that I decided to try out are Appigo’s To Do and Cultures Code’s Things. Being a project manager there are a few things that I looked for in a task management application that some of the “lite” versions did not offer. For this reason, I decided to give them both a try. Which one did this PM end up picking? Both. Here’s why.
To Do Dashboard
Ideally it would have been nice to have the ability to manage all of my tasks with one handheld application and it may seem a little inefficient to some that I am using both quite frequently. Like Internet Service Providers, Cable Companies and other products, some are better than others in some areas. For this reason, I decided to stick with both.
Some of the similar features that both products contain include a “focus” feature that allows the notification badge to show you what tasks and/ or projects are coming due within a given duration. Both applications let you customize the notifications in reference to how far out you would like to be notified. Both allow you to categorize tasks by project. Both allow you to create recurring due dates for tasks that you may want to see again. Both have a task inbox to allow you to create tasks on the fly without categorizing them. Finally, both allow you to tag your tasks.
Appigo’s To Do is primarily an iPhone only application. Unlike Things, it does not have a desktop application that accompanies it. It’s ease of use and feature set are everything that you would need in a task management tool. I would venture to say that it is actually easier to enter tasks into your handheld than its counterparts. The user interface allows you to enter tasks in less time than it does in Things. Selecting tags, contexts and list make it faster to create a task. Also, the date picker interface is an actual calendar rather than a scroll bar, which is extremely helpful in speeding things up.
If you are looking for a robust task management application for your iPhone without the desktop counterpart, I highly recommend To Do. I use To Do because it is fast. If I do not have my laptop, it is a quicker and more efficient way of entering the tasks. Additionally, it integrates with Apppigo’s Notebook application, which allows you to link data across applications. I also like the presentation of completed items. It makes getting tasks done fun.
Things Dashboard
Cultured Code’s Things task management application for the iPhone is a bit more involved. It requires more steps to get the tasks into the phone without the desktop application. Some of the additional steps in creating a task make it take just a little bit longer to enter tasks. Its user interface is a bit more streamlined than that of To Do since it allows you the ability to do just a little bit less from the phone itself.
Why do I still use it? The desktop application that compliments the mobile counterpart is extremely powerful. When I do have my laptop, I will usually plow through adding tasks and doing the majority of the organization on the laptop. If you have the ability for constant use of the laptop application and rely on the iPhone application solely for status and/ or updates, then this would be the way to go. I cannot say enough about the application itself. It is truly amazing and you can preview it in action on the Cultured Code website. Additionally, the iPhone application syncs with the desktop application over the air, which is quite helpful.
One last determining factor that you may want to take into consideration is the price points. Things desktop application will run you about $49.95 and the iPhone counterpart another $9.99. Appigo’s To Do will run you $9.99. Both of which are excellent products and have received rave reviews. If you have any questions about any of the other features, please feel free to submit them in the comments below. I love both of the applications and use them everyday to help make task management more effective.
Tags: Project Management, review, task management, things, to do, tools
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