ForumsGetting Things Done®Taska iPhone app is very good
Taska iPhone app is very good
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cjuzda |
I've been using this seriously since yesterday and I'm really impressed. I had installed it earlier but it crashed. They updated it and so far no crashes. There appear to be some very minor bugs that don't really impact use. They've done a great job with the "Action List" in terms of the ways you can get things to show up. Projects, like almost all apps are only 2 levels - projects and subtasks but they are still very well done. Even though they don't support auto sequential, they make it really easy to review projects and add Next Actions to the Action List. The developer has indicated they are looking at making subtasks sequential. Repeating and filtering are really well done. I haven't dug too deeply into all of the Toodledo syncing in terms of what syncs and exactly how well it performs in this area but for me, it is basically syncing what I need.
Note that I use Toodledo Pro primarily for entering a lot of tasks with notes to speed data entry but use the iPhone app for almost everything else. i.e. I use the iPhone app 90% of the time vs 10% for Toodledo Pro. Seriously, if you are looking for a really nice GTD app that has pretty much all the bases covered, this is a good one at an extremely reasonable price. And I've actually used the full versions of Toddledo, ToDo, 2Do plus a couple of other less capable programs and took a really good look at Things and Omnifocus. They all have weaknesses but I feel that Taska has actually gotten GTD right in the iPhone. It seems very close to Omnifocus without the ability to do sequential projects but is actually better in some respects plus it syncs with Toodledo of course Chris |
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cjuzda |
Just a note that I see the developers have temporarily removed it from itunes for some further work. The app did have a few bugs but not critical IMHO so hopefully these will be fixed when it is re released. My recommendation still stands - it is a really good GTD implementation, the best one in my opinion.
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Transisto |
Good findings, Look very nice,
I really like those with location integration, I haven't tried it but I'd rate it at 1.75x the toodledo app on visual, intuitive UI and ... usability (so well worth the 5$) This message was edited Apr 05, 2010. |
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cjuzda |
Thanks. They have released a new version and are also working on more changes. The new version fixes most of the bugs and UI annoyances. They've also released in iPad version that currently does not sync to Toodledo but according to their web site ( www.bitalpha.com ) it will be syncing soon. The developer is very responsive. It is defintitely worth the $ IMHO as it almost completely covers GTD methodology. One of the things I've asked them to fix is that although there is a "Next" list built into the app for Tasks you do not want to put in your custom lists but straight into your action list, for some reason you cannot assign Project sub tasks to the Next list, although you can assign them to the Action list easily enough. There is also at least one remaining sync bug that I'm aware of where sub tasks are not placed into the Project folder automatically. Anyway, of all the apps I've bought and paid for plus others that I've researched extensively, it is significantly better at GTD than the others, once again IMHO and I have no affiliation with them.
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PeterW |
Thanks again for posting info about this app.
Can you tell me what the distinction is between Next and Action lists? I thought they would be the same thing. EDIT: Another question... I just looked at the screenshots on the Bitalpha website. Does the app have list dividers by date? Toodledo just added this and Todo has always had them, and I find them absolutely necessary to make my brain digest what it's looking at! This message was edited Apr 06, 2010. |
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cjuzda |
Good question - That's one thing that doesn't work the way I'd like it to. Here's the existing process the way I understand it:
You enter your Task - If it's entered from the Home screen, it goes into Inbox by default or you can also go into the Inbox and enter it from there, either way it goes into the Inbox. You can fully edit all Task parameters including indicating if you want it to go into a custom list instead of the Inbox right away or just let it go into the Inbox with nothing else entered - It's up to you. This is one of my favourite features as it allows super fast Inbox entry. If you enter a Task from any of your custom lists, it goes directly into that list instead of the Inbox. If you enter it directly into the Action List, it goes straight into the Action List BUT it also goes into the Next List or you can just enter it directly into the Next List in which case it will not automatically go into the Action list and only show up in the Next List. In other words, if any Task is in the Action List, it must also be in one of the other lists so if it's not put in one of your custom lists but just entered directly into the Action List, it will also go into Next. Taska puts a Yellow highlight in the check box of any Task that's in the Action List so if you're going through your lists, you can instantly see which Tasks have already been assigned to the Action List as well, without even opening the Action List - this is very useful. One way to use the Next list to your advantage is to go through your Tasks and put the Tasks you intend to do Next in the Next list so you can assemble all your Next actions without having to put them all in your Action list. This can help keep the Action List manageable. The Action List is pretty neat. Currently it automatically puts all your Tasks with a due date of Today in the list but plus you can manually add any task you want to the Action List at any time. you can also easily set each Task to show up in the action list any number of days before the due date, so while Task does not currently support Start dates, if you have a Task due on the 15th that you need to start on the 10th, you can set the Task to move to your Action List 5 days before the due date. All of this sounds complicated but it really is quite intuitive. Now the problem with Next - for some reason, you cannot manually add Project sub tasks to the Next list, although you can add them directly to the Action List. What I would really like to see is the ability to optionally designate that Project tasks are sequential as in Life Balance, Omni Focus and Thinking Rock so that once a project task was completed, the next task in the sequence would be automatically added to the Next list. but either way, I like having the Next List in addition to the Action list as it makes the GTD process easier to manage. Currently Taska does not have date dividers and I don't find that an issue but I understand it could be for some users. Still a couple of bugs - the manual sorting isn't working for some reason but the developers are already halfway finished the next update and to me, this app follows GTD principles very closely and I really prefer it to the others. Note that I personally do not feel that any of these apps are substitutes for real technical project management applications and that they should be kept relatively simple in keeping with GTD. Hope this helps Posted by PeterW: Thanks again for posting info about this app.
Can you tell me what the distinction is between Next and Action lists? I thought they would be the same thing. EDIT: Another question... I just looked at the screenshots on the Bitalpha website. Does the app have list dividers by date? Toodledo just added this and Todo has always had them, and I find them absolutely necessary to make my brain digest what it's looking at! This message was edited Apr 07, 2010. |
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cjuzda |
I forgot to add that it also supports nested contexts, i.e. you can have parent contexts that contain multiple other contexts which a lot of people find useful for Home, Work, shopping, etc. Some other apps also offer this (Life Balance "Places").
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PeterW |
Many thanks for the detailed response. I may well try it out.
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cjuzda |
Just thought I'd post an update - this app just keeps getting better - there has been an update every week or 2. Projects and subtasks now sync with Toodledo Tasks and subtasks. There have been a lot of other smaller UI and performance improvements - Completed items drop to the bottom of the list(s), etc. For me, having bought 2Do, ToDo and Toodledo apps, this one is simply superior. As I said, I also like ToDo but Taska to me is much better and it simply blows away 2Do, which is pretty but not nearly as good for GTD. For $4.99, it's great value and as before I have no affiliation, but these guys really listen and respond. There is also an Ipad app but I have not tried it out as I don't have an iPad :(
Chris |
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Transisto |
You had me buy it within a minute after reading "there has been an update every week or 2"
Here's my first impressions. (20 min in) This one put the work-flow above everything else. Easy and to the point ! 2do, todo, and toodledo (web) seams to just throw in features but neglect getting the basics right. That can end-up into one giant and ugly task bookkeeping apps that might soon produce scholastic graph of compounded rate of folder size vs task completed. (yes toodledo web I'm looking at you) Taska truly honor the idea of GTD with quick entry, efficient consultation, Inbox, Next and clever use of context with localization data. There is a permanent button on the bottom for going straight to context. How often do you look-up something to Do but not by first considering context . ? 2do: does not implement context whatsoever. Appigo: has a step too much when using context. Toodledo (app): see every data field as nothing more than "c:\context\don't_give_a\sh1t, akin to how little Windows explorer care about how it display "C:\Program Files\Common Files\Apple\Mob...\SyncService\... Ps: Has sub-folders and allow for some flexibility. Dispatch / assign tasks This app can send and import task by email. And it work like a charm. If you have Taska installed, you can import the tasks into Taska by clicking the link behind every task. Toodledo want you to pay Pro for this but can't even deliver on it's app ! This message was edited Apr 30, 2010. |
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peter_st_angelo |
Am I missing something here, I purchased the Taska app thinking that when I sync the follwowing folders would be created 'Inbox, Action, Next Projects, Someday etc'. yet for some reason its just put all tasks from those folder into one ('No Folder') on Toodledo (web) -I would like to have some kind of similarity when working with the iPhone or the web. If I add these manually in Toodledo then they appear in Taska (which mean I have two of eveything).
Any help would be appreciated. |
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cjuzda |
Those "folders" (Lists in Taska)are already built into Taska as special lists that are integral to the App, so if you add them in Toodledo you are creating "Custom Lists" in Taska that will sync to the lists you had in Toodledo, that's why you end up with 2 lists - Taska's native lists and the custom lists. Hopefully Toodledo will add their own Inbox as has been requested many times instead of No Folder. If you just use the Custom Lists in Taska for Action, Inbox, etc and ignore the special versions of those lists in Taska, it will work i.e. your Tasks will not show up twice, they will only show in the Custom lists. However, the Action, Inbox, Next, lists have unique properties in Taska that any custom lists will not. Since I work much more out of the iPhone, this has never been a problem for me as I prefer working with Taska to Toodledo, mainly using TD for bulk adding of tasks and organizing, then running everything from Taska. I suggest you use the contact developer in Settings to suggest to them that if an Action Folder, etc. exists in Toodledo, they sync with the integral list in Taska instead of creating a Custom list for that Folder in Taska. That would be a bit tricky though since TD does not have those built in so if my TD folder is called "Action" and yours is called "Actions" or "Stuff to do Now" or whatever, how does Taska know this? They would likely need to set up a special sync page where you could specify what folder in TD you you wanted to sync the Action list, etc. with which would be a fair bit of work.
This message was edited May 03, 2010. |
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cjuzda |
I forgot to add that the other iphone apps that are used most, ToDo, 2Do, etc. don't have the equivalent of Taska's Action list anyway. The focus lists in those apps are just filtered lists that show items depending on due dates and priority or whether it has a Star or not whereas Taska allows you to build an Action list without worrying about any other Task properties as well as using the Due Date if you want. I'm not knocking the other apps, I liked ToDo a lot but Taska just handles GTD better and I prefer it by a significant margin to the others.
This message was edited May 03, 2010. |
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