The iPhone and its underlying OS have evolved into an exceptionally great platform for fantastic applications that are being released through the App Store. With the release of 2.x firmware, Apple opened the gates to thousands of developers who flooded the space with different applications, some of which are written so well that they deserve every penny they’re priced at and need to be brought out of the crowd. I’m going to bring one such application to light in this article.
The iPhone has always been a gadget much more than just a phone. People have been using it as their mini-computer and it has enabled them to carry out all kinds of tasks on it. I have a bunch of tasks that need to be taken care of every day and I do not begin my day without a to-do list. Presently, the iPhone App Store has a plethora of task management applications. Some of them are simple, down to earth apps such as to-do lists, while others add a little more complexity (with advanced features) to them such as GTD apps.
Both sets of applications have separate usages. GTD apps are more suited for complex tasks such as project management. Yes, task management can be done on GTD apps too, but nothing beats the simplicity of To-Do lists. And the one app that does it ‘just right’ is Appigo’s ToDo (iTunes link).
From the developer’s website:
Todo is a powerful tool that makes task management simple and fun. Use Todo by itself or synchronize your tasks to the web or your desktop using a popular online todo list like Toodledo or Remember The Milk (Pro account required for RTM). Todo helps you focus on what matters most and allows you to integrate the Getting Things Done (GTD) methodology or your own.
Let me run you through a review of the ToDo app. The app makes managing your tasks child’s play.
When you first launch the application after installation, you are presented with with a simple and clean layout that lists out three default tasks. Items are classified as Today and Future. There are labels to denote which list the tasks belong to, and they can easily be deleted by swiping across them, just as you would an email or SMS on your iPhone. Clicking on the task allows you to read more and/or edit it.
You can quickly add a task by hitting the quick add button on the top right of the screen, just to the left of the add button (+). You are presented with a small textbox at the top where you can enter the name of your task and hit the save button to add it to the list. This is usually helpful when the task is small such as, for instance, fixing the tubelight.
The button on the right is to add a task the usual way, which gives you multiple choices. Here, you can type in the name of the task, the type of task, notes, a due-date for the task, set it to repeat, etc. You can specify which list you want to add to and set the priority of the task. Once you hit the Save button, the task is added to the list.
If you’re wondering what lists are, they are simply the categories for classifying your tasks. By default, ToDo gives you three lists. ‘Inbox’, for all the general tasks; ‘Home’, for your household tasks; and ‘Work’, well, for work. You can add more lists by hitting the plus sign at the top right of the screen. Hitting All will list out all the tasks that you have added.
ToDo intelligently also gives you a counter of the number of tasks in each list, so it becomes easy to keep an eye on the tasks.
When you’ve completed a task, marking it as Done on ToDo is pretty simple. Just hit the small circle on the left of each task. The task grays out and becomes slightly dim and is then moved under the ‘Completed’ heading. You may notice that it has a specific strike out style applied to it.
Don’t like the strikeout style applied to it? Do not worry, ToDo provides a bunch of different StrikeOut styles built into the app, which you can use to mark your completed tasks. The list includes simple strikeouts, blends, scribble, squiggles, tyre marks, tiger paws, daisies, footprints, and even fish and fish hooks. You can, of course, only select one of these at a time.
Type of Task:
One of the interesting features of ToDo is that you can select the type of task you want to add. Most of my tasks include either calling someone or emailing them. ToDo lets you select the task you want to do and then gives you the option to select a contact from your Address Book. When you need to complete you task, simply touch the task and it will connect a call or open up Mail, depending upon the task type selected. There is also the option of visiting a website.
In this screenshot, I have added three tasks. The first task involves calling up our Editor and is nicely depicted with a small phone icon. The three horizontal bars next to it denote the priority the task has been assigned. Similarly, the star in the second task is to visit the site and in the third task, the envelope denotes that the task is the Email type. The tasks are arranged according to the priority assigned to them.
ToDo also provides you with synchronisation options. ToDo can synchronize your tasks with two popular online services, namely RememberTheMilk and ToodleDo.
Appigo’s ToDo app is available via the App Store for $9.99 and is currently at version 1.2.
