I really do not know why it is named this way but its kind of interesting. As those that is using remember the milk will know, you will need to pay for a $25 dollar Pro account to use their iPhone app with your account.

Fear not! A free solution is here! Milpon actually syncs offline with your remember the milk account, that is if you can stand the interface. I am still wondering why the interface looks this way.

When you install the app from the app store, Milpon will ask you to log into the Remember the milk account. You will need to authorize the app to tap into your account as part of the external API authentication.

Once you did that, Milpon will start syncing the tasks. this might take a while.

The list of tasks is presented like this. Really it looks damn strange!

I am not sure if you can set recurring tasks in this app but i think you are unable to do that. You get most of the indicators except location and ability to create new Smartlists. The syncing needs alot of work as well. its pretty slow in synching but all in all its free and if you are unwilling to splash out 25 bucks a year on a Pro plan this would do ok.

Introduction

This is part of a series where i talk about my GTD experience and  my setup.

Part 1 here talks about my plan and overview of my GTD system

Part 2 here talks about why i eventually chose iPod Touch 2G as my main to do list console

Part 3 here talks about why i choose Appigo ToDo for iPhone as my main task manager

Part 4 here talks about how to plan for big projects and smaller projects

Part 5 here talks about how to make use of Contexts, Tags to Execute your tasks

Part 6 here discuss about how you can review projects better using iThoughts mind mapping software

In today’s article i will share with  you guys the software to complete the iPod Touch picture which is Appigo ToDo list

Appigo ToDo

Before i got my iPod Touch, I have already decide which application to do list i would be using. This is after extensive research and comparison between Omnifocus,Things and other cheaper to do list.

Eventually these are the reasons that tilt me towards Appigo ToDo

1. Omnifocus backup and ubiquitous nature is only limited to desktop synchronization. Thats not good enough for me since my main computer is not a Mac but a Windows PC. I would much prefer that I can sync my to do list to a web application
2. Omnifocus cost 20 freaking bucks. When you look at the to do list application on the App Store it makes it hard to understand why it will cost 20 freaking bucks.
3. Things, although polished, have a big problem for me, no recurring task capability. you will always want an option where you can create a to do task that creates a “do 20 chin up for the week” task every saturday.
4. The reasons why i choose Appigo ToDo have alot to do with the Advantages listed next.

Projects and Sub-Tasks/Sub-Projects

One main difference about to do lists like these compared to outlook is that they are like mini project management applications. Most of our lives consist of small projects like

1. Enrolling your kid for the new year
2. Building your new personal computer
3. Taking over the new project
4. Secure the release of the set of documents

That’s what i normally require. Its either an Area of Responsibility or a Project to meet that area of responsibility.

Appigo ToDo allows you to have 2 levels of it. You can have Lists as your big project and Projects in your Lists as your sub projects.

The Lists are very clear. The first one is a list showing All your tasks in all your lists. The red tag shows the overdue ones and the gray tag shows the total. You can color tag each lists so that in your task it becomes easily distinguishable if you are the sort of visual person.

In your lists, you can denote one more level down which is your sub project. Very ideal for specifying mini projects. These sub projects are distinguishable by the tree icon.

One thing to note is that in these task view, you will only see the name of the sub project and not the tasks in your project. Some people will get annoyed by this and I can understand the technical limitation of it but i think it is a livable flaw. The grey tag shows the total number of tasks in the sub project and the red tag shows the number of sub tasks in the sub project that is due.

Note the due date listed below the task. For sub projects, you will see the most earliest due sub task’s due date. So in my “Building a iPhone app” project Sep 23 is the due date of my earliest due task.

Touching your sub project will bring you to your project view where you can add, update and delete your tasks.

[Read the rest of this entry...]

Introduction

For those new to this article, it is part of a series of articles where I share my GTD system.

Part 1 here talks about my plan and overview of my GTD system

Part 2 here talks about why i eventually chose iPod Touch 2G as my main to do list console

Part 3 here talks about why i choose Appigo ToDo for iPhone as my main task manager

Part 4 here talks about how to plan for big projects and smaller projects

Part 5 here talks about how to make use of Contexts, Tags to Execute your tasks

Part 6 here discuss about how you can review projects better using iThoughts mind mapping software

In this Part 2 of the series I will share about some of my past systems that i used to do organizing and planning as well as my default choice now.

My past systems

I tried quite a fair bit of systems before this since my school days years ago.

Microsoft Outlook

I have never know to use a to do list but find out Microsoft Office opens me to a software that almost every knows about in Microsoft Outlook. It was fashion as an email client, but it does provide a rather robust Calendar, Contact List and To Do list functionality.

Problem

I thought the first thing that i don’t like about it is how hard it is to clear off all the done tasks from the list! I never had problem with the Calendars and Contacts but that is one aspect that i cannot stand.

What got me off this system wasn’t that however. As a student then, it involves alot of moving to school and really i cannot sync my task management system when in school since during that time computer wasn’t that advance and not many schools have very fully functional computers.

PDAs – The Sony Clie and the Windows Mobile PDAs

As i approach university, i began to use my hard earned pocket money on PDAs. They were expensive then, but damn were they useful.  You can plan your time table and create reminders and read books on them.

I especially like my experience with the Palm based Sony Clie. Its very responsive and together with Agendus for palm it was enough for me then.

I subsequently sold off my palm when i decide to move over to Windows Mobile Platform. My options were to get a PDA and i promptly got a HP iPaq 2210. The windows mobile platform offers more software and functionality, but also more niggling problems such as memory leak, crashes and all. But with Pocket Informant, it turned out to be one of the best capturing and organizing platform. I got myself a second hand O2 Mini when i decide to try an integrated device.

Problem

However, it is during this period that i realise the flaws of the To-Do list. Even with a robust software like Pocket Informant, having a single layer task management system  without buckets or multiple lists just does not make sense, cause that is just so much you can put in categories until it overwhelms you.

It is also during this period that i realise i got alot of tasks note down but which one do i do first? Before GTD, I got to the point where i didn’t check on my list for some time and just got completely off the system

Web Based Remember the Milk Heaven

In the first years of my working life, I had a much earlier experience compared to my peers on cloud computing and one of the first software that caught my attention was Remember the Milk.

Remember the Milk is a web based To Do list software that is hosted on their private server. There are paid versions and free ones but really if you are using web based task management the free one will just suffice.

Its got to be one of the most extensive javascript application that i have ever seen. Everything occurs almost on one single page and it works because of the extensiveness of ajax scripting.

When i first saw it i was thinking why i will not use it. I wouldn’t be online most of the time, if i don’t have internet connection, does that mean i can’t plan and do stuff any more? Luckily, Remember the milk have incorporated Google Gears which allow offline viewing. (its really well done.)

I really feel this is the right system and i blog about it extensively here how i used to work with it. Do take a look at this article to find out more.

[Read the rest of this entry...]

Take a look at the video of the Archos 5 Internet tablet. Man this baby is damn thin. However, It won’t fit easy into your pocket. But armed with a 3G card, this Android platform should be a solid MID browser. Forget about those netbooks!

Positives

1. Android ( up and coming mobile os ecosystem)
2. 4.8 inch screen ( good size for viewing web pages)
3. 720p video over HDMI
4. 500GB harddisk (bombastic!)
5. Bluetooth
6. 3G (Tether over bluetooth?)
7. GPS

Negatives

1. No Phone function (not so much a negative really)
2. OMAP processor (my experience with it tells me it tends to be dissappointing)
3. Pricey (250 -440 dollars)

This would make a good life organizer really PROVIDED Android store really comes up with good life organizing apps. We already have Remember The Milk for android yesterday and Astrid. So the future for Android might not look so bad after all.

[View Videos on the Archos 5. Its really thin! >>]

The guys at Remember the Milk are really trying to become the kings of task management with their ubiquitous task management system. I blog about it before that i used to spend some time on remember the milk as my main task manager and its a pretty good application.

The good thing about it is that

• they make task collection and reviewing a ubiquitous experience. you can find it
  • on their cool web interface
  • on google gadgets
  • on gmail
  • print it out
  • iphone
  • mobile web browser

Now you can add Android to it! My experience with Android have been that many establish task management developers have not taken to this platform yet and Remember the Milk looks to be the first among them to establish a foothold on this platform.

Shortly after refining their web task input methodology, they announce that their Android platform will be available to those that are willing to pay $25 per year for the Pro Account.

Here’s taking a look at the features and announcement:

Stay in sync.

Yup, it’s got background sync. Background sync! (Sorry to make all you iPhone users jealous! Everything that you create in the app syncs back to RTM (and likewise everything from RTM syncs to your device). That’s tasks, notes, lists, Smart Lists, tags, locations… everything! You can even use the entire app offline without an Internet connection, then sync up later when you’re back online.

Get notified.

The app wants to help you stay on top of things; it will pop up your reminders in the notification bar so you’ll know instantly when tasks are due. Running around town? The app can (optionally) keep an eye on your location, and let you know when a location with tasks is nearby.

Organize your way.

Organize efficiently by list, Smart List, tag, or location and prioritize your tasks. Not sure what’s next? See at a glance how many tasks are due today, tomorrow, and this week. Don’t like the ordering? Choose to sort by priority, due date, or task name for each list.

Manage your tasks.

Add and edit tasks with ease: choose from a quick ‘Add task’ bar and a full add mode. All the fields you’ve come to know and love are supported (task name, list, priority, due date/time, repeat, time estimate, tags, location, and URL) and you can even customize the fields shown. So if you’re big on tagging, you can set that field to always display when adding tasks.

Get stuff done.

Need to complete or postpone multiple tasks? No problem, just check to select those tasks in the list. You can also long press on individual tasks in the list to perform quick actions, or alternatively head over to the task view screen and do it all from there. You’ll be adding tasks just so you can say you’ve completed them.

Add tasks the Smart way.

Use the ‘Add task’ bar to add tasks with our new Smart Add syntax (e.g., “Pick up the milk tomorrow”). Save time with add by context: tasks added to your today list will be due today, while tasks added to Smart Lists inherit their criteria. If your Smart List happens to show all your high priority tasks that are due today and located at the office, any tasks added to this Smart List will automatically inherit all these properties.

Note it.

Need to store additional info about a task? Write a note for quick reference. You can manage your existing notes too, and easily edit or delete them. Email addresses and links in your notes conveniently auto-link to the mail and browser apps. Phone numbers in notes also auto-link for handy one-touch calling.

See tasks located nearby.

This is why we love devices that can detect your location! See your nearby tasks and plan the best way to get things done. Add new locations easily by current location or street address. Remember that if you locate your tasks in the app (e.g., “pick up the milk” at the supermarket), you can view them on a map on the web.

Your own personal tasks search engine.

Not only can you search for tasks by name, you can use any of the advanced search operators. Want to find your high priority tasks located within one mile and tagged with ‘errand’? Done! Save your favourite searches as Smart Lists for quick access.

A handy widget.

No need to leave your Home screen to see what’s due today; this widget will let you know what’s due (and overdue!) so you know where to get started.

The little touches.

Want to quickly switch from the Today to the Tomorrow screen? Just swipe the screen! Prefer landscape mode? No problem, just flip your device. Anything to make managing your tasks (and life easier.

Thanks to…

A big thanks to the RTM users in the Pro Tester Program who helped us to test the app, giving us lots of feedback and reporting the occasional bug. Bob really appreciated your help with testing!

Ready to use RTM on your Android device?

Just search for “Remember The Milk” on the Android Market; you can also find a download link here. If you don’t have a Pro account yet, you’ll be able to try the app free for 15 days (login to the app to start your trial).

Folks who are new to the site will know that i used to use remember the milk as my main to-do list /task management platform. Well, the good thing about using remember the milk or rtm for short is that they have a group of enthusiastic developers that really focus on what they do best and tries their best to make things easier for us to get things done.

Today they added a few new things to their already very sophisticated web task management platform.

Smart Add

An awesome feature. They are going to let you enter the due date priority tags and location url in one single field. This is a definite improvement for power users.

^ adding due dates by invoking  ^

^ adding priorities by invoking !

^ add list and tags by invoking #

^ adding location by invoking @

^ adding repeating by invoking *

^ add time estimation by invoking =

so to summarize you get somthing like this:

Pretty neat! Thats why i fell in love with remember the milk in the first place!

Smart Add support  for Twitter, Gmail and Email

Add support for the new Smart Add syntax in different Remember The Milk interfaces. Aside from the web app, you can also use Smart Add when adding tasks in Remember The Milk for Gmail, and when adding via email and Twitter. It’s also available in the API for third-party developers.

Clicking of task cell selects and checks task

Speed Improvements!

One thing that really gets me off was the slow speed due to the freaking number of lines of javascript they use. Man i could have swear if they come up with a desktop client it will be much better.

All in all, its a great improvement for Remember the Milk fans, task management never seems so fun before!

[Remember the milk Smart Add Feature Post >>]