Even with an O well into its third generation , the iPhone and iPod touch—“smart ” as they may be — still have absolutely zero support for manage tasks out of the box . You acknowledge , project : those matter in iCal that we all have effective intentions of checking off . Would n’t it be great to sync those chore from iCal and keep pushing back their deadline while you ’re out and about ? Thanks to a fistful of iPhone apps , you could .
Hey look , I successfully avoided using the “ app for that ” cliché . Or did I ?
Mac apps like BusyCal and Today 2.0 have rejuvenate my interest in using Mac OS X ’s iCal ecosystem for managing tasks , so I run on the hunting to find iPhone apps that sync directly with iCal .
Now there are some large - strike task director , like Culture Code ’s Things and Omni Group ’s OmniFocus , that sync with iCal , but they require full - fledge desktop twin for that syncing . I want to puzzle with apps that work directly with iCal , and I base four : iTaskPro , iPronto To Do , ToDo , and 2Do . The one corporate bummer about every one of these apps , however , is that they all ask Wi - Fi syncing and the initiation of a ( free in most cases ) sync supporter on your Mac , or in one case , your PC .
The first app in this group is iTaskPro from Innovation Technology Inc. It does n’t look particularly well designed , but it supports multiple calendar ( though , in fact , all of these apps do ) , and you’re able to also attach voice , video , and school text preeminence to tasks . you could search and shred chore and not only sync with iCal on the Mac , but also with Outlook on Windows . Unfortunately , Innovation Technology is the only maker in this crowd that charge for its Wi - Fi sync supporter , and it ’s a whopping $ 30 for each helper . What ’s worse : that ’s a sale price , down from $ 40 . But if you want a cross - weapons platform , syncing iPhone chore manager , it see like iTaskPro is the only one , and the iPhone app will race you $ 2 for the privilege .
iPronto To Do from Merchon Cottrell seems to have a more refined , though generic iPhone interface , blow a quick entryway arena and various criteria by which to sort task . It can also back up your data point via FTP , which is nice if you do n’t wish solely about syncing with iCal . iPronto To Do costs $ 2 .
Todo from Appigo is more of a “ cock-a-hoop daddy ” of iPhone task management apps that can sync , because boy , can it synchronise . In plus to iCal , Todo can also sync with two web - based job managers : ToodledoandRemember The Milk(if you have a $ 25 / class Pro report ) , though it only syncs with one service at a clip . Todo also boasts livelihood for push apprisal ; project management via sub - project ; support for landscape painting orientation ; drag - and - drop sorting;GTDfeatures like contexts and ticket ; a polished , standard iPhone interface ; and mess of other features . It also lets you create task with “ actions , ” so you could attach a middleman name to call them right from Todo , or visit a URL with a basic , built - in browser app . A free lite adaptation is available , though it ’s unclear exactly what its limitations are . Todo cost $ 10 .
2Do from Guided Ways Technologies is the most interesting of the bunch , lark about a very unparalleled , flexible , and elegant interface . A plethora of preferences allows for customization of everything from calendar colors to the app ’s picture badge and which list is expose on launch . 2Do does push telling , “ Smart Calendars , ” task “ Actions ” ( constitute a call , jaw a URL or map , etc . ) , a clever landscape view with a 30 - day calendar and chore list , optical themes , and it will even let you protect individual calendar or the total app with a word . 2Do offers a free low-cal version , while the regular translation costs $ 6 .
While iPhone task managers that sync with iCal have yet to spread like flashlight or Sudoku clone , this handful of apps should be diverse enough for most aspirant productivity enthusiasts . A couple of them keep the lineament mark short , focused , and sweet , while the others target king users whose happiness rises in direct correlation coefficient to the routine of preferences and sliders they can flip . If you ’ve wanted to expend iCal to get things done , you at least have some options for taking your project with you , no matter where you may roll .
Updated 1/14/10 : Added illumination on pricing of iTaskPro familiar apps .
