Our Verdict
Back when the original iPhone was free , in June 2007 , one of the most frequent complaints was that it did n’t include a programme for keeping caterpillar tread of tasks and to - dos . We observe this omission ourselves in our clause on features we ’d wish to see .
We ’re still waiting for iCal ’s to - do lists to find their way onto the iPhone . But the proficient news is that with the spillage of the iPhone 2.0 software program and theApp Store , third - company vendors can ( partially ) take that void . And a quick stroll through thelist of productiveness apps in the App Storeshows you howmanydevelopers have stepped up to the crustal plate : earlier this week I find 13 to - do - list programs ; five more - forward-looking labor managers design around theGetting Things Done ( GTD ) systemor aimed at complex undertaking direction ; seven apps focused on keeping shopping inclination ; and a handful of apps , such as Jott ( ) , that use phonation recordings and other unique approaches to help you remember the unnumbered tasks you take to complete in your interfering living .
I decide to focus on the first chemical group — canonical list managers — as I suspect that most iPhone proprietor will be more than satisfied by a unproblematic app for trailing lists of to dos . ( We ’ll be covering the other type of apps in future review . ) Specifically , I looked atChores , Dobot Todos , Lists , Lists(yes , two apps with the exact same name),My Lists , myTo - Dos with email , Tanjas Checklist , Tasks , andTo Do .
Tanjas Checklists’ templates (left) and items (right)
As I did with Sudoku , I choose a few of the good options to cover here . None of them offer all the features I ’d like to see in a simple to - do - list app , but each has unique attribute that merit your atttention .
List limitations
Before I get to my impressions , I should point out a couple major caution that apply to most to - do and chore - direction programs available for the iPhone . First , none take advantage ofLeopard ’s Calendar Store engineering science , which mean none sync directly with your to - do lists on your Mac — in iCal or in Mail . And although some we ’ll be covering later do synchronise with online services , none of those services sync directly with OS X. In other quarrel , there are presently no to - do - inclination apps that can synchronise with your survive to - do lists in iCal or Mail .
Second , unless a particular app is a client for an online service and can back up your labor online , or has a Mac OS X version that can synchronize with the iPhone , all your to - do data is stored on the iPhone , within the app itself . So if you ever erase the app from the phone , your to - do lists are delete , as well . ( Similarly , if your speech sound ever has a problem that requires you to touch on it , and iTunes is ineffective to restore your data point from its computer backup — something that ’s go on to me legion time — that data is operate for good . )
Chores 1.0
TapeShow’s$5Chores — which get its name from the app ’s term for project — render an attractive interface for keep multiple , unproblematic to - do lists . The main screenland display the name of each list along with the total number of task and the number of make out chore in each . You add new lists by tapping on the positive ( + ) button and then typing the name of the point ; similarly , you add a unexampled job to a tilt by pink the Add Chore button while viewing that tilt . Both completed and pending tasks are exhibit ; to get disembarrass of a complete project you expend the iPhone ’s familiar swipe - delete action mechanism .
While using chore , I liked the small touch that make it more effective . For instance , when creating a Modern list , rather of tap an OK push button to confirm your action , you get selection to Add This List And Return Home or Add This List And Create Chore . likewise , when create a task , you get choice to add the undertaking and like a shot create another or to lend the task and come back to the principal screen . you’re able to also assign a new task to any leaning , not just to the list you ’re currently browsing . ( Although I wish Chores defaulted to the current tilt , rather than to the first tilt alphabetically ; too often I accidentally assigned new tasks to the ill-timed leaning . )
On the other hand , despite these useful comfort station , job lacks many features found in the other task - tracking apps hide here . For example , you ca n’t admit promissory note with tasks , e - mail chore or tilt , or move a task from one list to another . Chores also does n’t support schedule or priorities ( although you could manually reorder items within a list ) . And despite have fewer features , it ’s more expensive than the three apps below .
What keep Chores on my list , in improver to its attractive interface , is that the developer promises a Mac OS X version of Chores in August ; according to TapeShow , the iPhone and OS tenner version will synchronize your lists , filling a major hole in the iPhone ’s to - do - list functionality ( and likely earning task a high rating ) .
Dobot Todos 0.1
The good of the free to - do apps for iPhone , Aria Haghighi’sDobot Todosfeatures a sheer - as - schoolbook interface , but one with a respectable number of useful features . bug the positive ( + ) buttons to make a new list and to create fresh chore within lean . you could assign a antecedency ( Low , Medium , or High , represented by one , two , or three horizontal legal community , as show in the screenshot here ) and a due date to each chore , as well as admit a musical note with details about the project . When viewing a leaning , you could sort by antecedency , due appointment , or creation date , and you could opt to regard all tasks , just unfinished chore , or just those tasks due today . You cancel a task permanently by swiping .
On the other hired hand , a few standard to - do - list feature article are leave out . For example , you ca n’t rename a listing once it ’s make , nor can you move task between lists . You also ca n’t e - post a job or a leaning . ultimately , Dobot Todos ’ feature of speech expect quite a bit of tapping and typewrite to apply .
My Lists 0.1
Paze Inc. ’s$2My Listsis the most visually appealing of the basic list apps I tested , and include the clearest instructions ( in the form of pre - configure listing of selective information that appear the first meter you launch the program ) . Like the other apps , you make Modern leaning using the monetary standard plus ( + ) button , but I care that My Lists provides a larger , well-situated - to - tap clit for adding item within lists . Both completed and pending tasks are displayed in inclination , though you could delete entries permanently using swipe - delete or Edit style .
Each undertaking you create can include a text note , and My Lists is the only app here that lets you email lists — including task notes — to yourself or other the great unwashed . you could manually reorder listing and task within each list ; however , you ca n’t move tasks between lists , and you ca n’t docket labor .
A feature I really liked is the ability to add one of 18 coloring material icons to a inclination by knock on the list ’s information arrow rather than on the list name . I found that when I had many lists , these icons made it easier to promptly obtain a particular one ; for example , as you may see in the screenshot above , my Groceries list has a grocery - cart icon .
Tanjas Checklist 1.0
Volker Funke’s$2Tanjas Checklist — which , confusingly , appear asChecklistson the iPhone ’s dwelling house screen door — has a few unequalled feature article that make it the best choice if you tend to re - use lists . The first is Items , a tilt of all tasks ( or , for shopping , products ) you ’ve ever included in a tilt ; the Items list comes pre - fill with a good number of sample point . The second is Templates , which are predefined lists of tasks / items ; two templates , Business Trip and Supermarket , are include as neophyte , but you’re able to edit these and produce your own .
When you create a fresh inclination , you may choose a guide to use as a starting point ; if you do , your list is mechanically filled with the Items from that template . For example , whenever my sept travel to Costco , we buy eggs , tortillas , wampum , and several other staples ; I produce a Costco template that I use when making our shopping list . you may summate point to , or absent them from , a template - started list as needed .
The Items feature of speech come into play when you add item to a list . Instead of a textual matter field , Checklists displays this Items filmdom ; beg an existing item to add it to the current listing . If you want to sum a task / item not shown , you tap on the positive ( + ) button to make a new Item ; this item is add to the current tilt , but is also tot to item for future use . The Items feature film is utile for chore / items you stop up using oftentimes , since you have to typewrite them only once ; in the future , you just choose them from the Items screen . On the other hand , the Items feature is a bit of a hassle for one - clock time or infrequent tasks , as it need an extra stone’s throw and then leave those labor in your Items leaning . ( you could edit them if they tap you . )
Tanjas Checklists ’ templet ( left ) and items ( right )
Another unique feature is that Checklists lets you add sublists — ring category — within lists ; each main list can have an unlimited telephone number of hierarchically nested categories . I also wish that each list in the main screen show , via a pie - chart image , what dimension of the list ’s undertaking have been completed .
Finally , checklists offers a few useful interface - customization choice . For example , you’re able to prefer separate text and background knowledge colors for lean , template , and particular . I eventually gave each a different color scheme so it was clear when I was looking at a leaning and when I was look at a template . Also , by nonpayment , tasks , Templates , and item are class by name and group by missive , but you may turn off this display selection if you prefer to order list and undertaking manually . Unfortunately , these options are n’t site within the Checklists app itself . They ’re instead found in the iPhone ’s options app — a horrible port decisiveness which means that each time you need to tweak your background you have to quit Checklists , launching options , make the change , drop by the wayside options , and then launch Checklists . ( Imagine repeating this process many times as you try out with various options . )
Tanjas Checklists’ templates (left) and items (right)
Checklists does n’t back schedules or task note , nor can you e - mail tasks or lists or move tasks between lists .
What to do?
After testing these apps ( and the others that did n’t make the the cutting — Lists , Lists , myTo - Dos with vitamin E - mail , Tasks , and To Do ) , I was disappointed to discover that there was n’t a single program that admit all the “ essential ” features of a basic to - do - list app without summate several additional layer of GTD or project - management complexity . Which think of that if you ’re looking for a dewy-eyed task handler , you ’ll have to settle for yourself which features are the most authoritative . I found myself using My Lists for traditional to - do undertaking trailing , and Tanjas Checklist for shopping lists , although if you want to be able to schedule tasks — or if you ’re just looking for a free option — Dobot Todos is the way to go .
