Posts Tagged Tasks

Ever since I got my first handheld device (hello, Palm Pilot) I’ve been trying out different methods of keeping myself organized. It all boils down to choosing one platform to manage your To Do list, whether it’s Microsoft Outlook, Remember the Milk, or Google Tasks.

Since switching to Android, I’ve wanted to try using Google Tasks but I could never quite commit to making the switch since I couldn’t find an app that I felt comfortable using daily. Until now. Tasks N Todos by Handy Apps, Inc. won me over with simplicity and elegance.

The User Interface

Simple UI’s make for a more enjoyable user experience. One of the great things about Android is that it gives every developer the freedom to build their app however they want, but it also has its cons. This double-edged sword called openness leads to inconsistent user interfaces between different apps. Handy Apps, Inc. took a cue from Cupertino and created an elegant and simple to use app that is a joy to use.

My Task Lists

When opening Tasks N Todos you are presented with your task lists. Each list is like a category of tasks. This is a great way to keep tasks organized into appropriate buckets. You can drag and reorder the lists however you want, and creating a new list is as easy as typing a name in the field at the bottom of the screen and clicking the + sign.

All Tasks

The top list is All Tasks, which always displays all tasks from all lists. Each task is shown with a checkbox to the left, title and description in the middle, and the due date on the right. The checkbox allows you to mark the task complete. By default, the tasks are sorted by due date, but a menu click later brings up a variety of sorting options.

Syncing

Tasks N Todos can be used as a standalone todo list manager, but the real power is syncing to the cloud with Google Tasks. This gives you access to your todo lists from any Android device as well as any device with a browser that can access Google Tasks. Sure, Google Tasks isn’t nearly as feature rich as some of its competitors (come on, Google…let’s see some task love) but its ubiquity makes it arguably the most useful, at least for Android users.

Tablet support

I downloaded Tasks N Todos on my Evo 3D (see screenshots above) and decided I liked it enough to install on my Motorola Xoom Wi-Fi tablet. Wow, was I pleasantly surprised.

With full support for Android 3.x (Honeycomb) and Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich), Tasks N Todos instantly becomes the frontrunner for my task management. Since I usually take notes on my Xoom during meetings, it becomes a great tool for adding new tasks and organizing my work at a glance.

The tablet support makes great use of the larger screen and typing notes within a task is much easier on a tablet than on a phone.

Widgets

There are a few different widget sizes to choose from, including Honeycomb/ICS specific resizable widgets. The widgets are scrollable and configurable to show any task list you want.

Features

The description in the Android Market lists the following features:

• Full synchronization support with Google Tasks using official Google Tasks API
• Setup task reminder notifications for one-time as well as repeating tasks
• Tasks can be set to repeat automatically with flexible recurrence schedule
• Send urgent tasks to the top of the list with one quick action
• Filter and sort your task and to-do lists in anyway you want
• Drag and drop your task/to-do lists to reorder them any way you like
• Calendar-style date picker with quick date pickers for Today, Tomorrow and Next Week.
• Navigate between task lists easily using swiping gestures.
• Task management made easy with quick action menus
• Even faster access with homescreen widgets with quick shortcuts to add or view tasks
• Backup/restore data to SD card
• Fully optimized for both Android tablets and smartphones
• Sync your task lists on your tablet with the following non-tablet optimized todo apps via Google Tasks: Astrid, Any Do, Taskos todo list, Checkmark, Google Tasks Organizer and gTasks.

Versions

The version I am reviewing is the free, ad supported Tasks N Todos – ToDo List Mgr. Handy Apps, Inc. also sells Tasks N Todos Pro for $4.99. The Pro version adds the following features:

• Backup and restore your tasks to and from your SD card
• Adjust the ‘Look Ahead’ to choose when a repeating task will be populated
• Choose a custom ringtone for reminders’ notifications
• Add Photos to your tasks
• Add Location to your tasks

Conclusion

For an app to make me switch todo list platforms, it has to be good. Tasks N Todos is simple, easy to use, and elegant in presentation. If you want to stay organized and synced up on all your devices, I highly recommend Tasks N Todos. Download the free version from the market link or QR code below.

Android Market