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Previewing Things, Alpha Task Manager for Mac
Posted by Gina Trapani at 7:00 AM on January 3, 2008
Mac OS X only: New task manager Things, now in alpha testing, is a promising new option for Mac users looking to get organised on the desktop. Structurally, Things categorises tasks in a very Getting THINGS Done way (get it?), with an inbox, projects, and "next" (or Next Actions) view, as well as support for contacts to whom you may delegate tasks and tags (which you can use for context.) After the jump, check out some screenshots of the alpha version of Things.
Each of your "Things" is actually a task, to which you can assign tags, a due date, and notes. File a task in any area listed on the sidebar: Today, Next actions, the Inbox, a project, an area of responsibility or to any contact.
Quickly get stuff off your mind and into Things using the Quick Entry form.
File multiple actions under a given project, which can also get a due date and tags.
Switch between views in Things on the sidebar. As you select various views or tasks inside Things, the applicable tags get displayed on the top bar. You can drag and drop any task to an area in the sidebar; search from the built-in entry box on the bottom right of the window, and when you mark tasks as complete they show up in the Logbook, where you can see everything you've gotten done. The part I really like about Things is that it doesn't lock up your data in an unrecognisable format: a plain text XML file can be read by any other app that understands it.
At first blush Things is convincingly slicker and sleeker than iGTD. The alpha version is still very early, and it's a free download for Mac when you opt in to test it on their front page. The final release, however, will not be free.
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
There are currently no AU comments for this post.
prophetsearcher
Posted 2:16 PM 2/1/08
personally, I'm psyched for the release of iGTD2. While Things is definitely better looking, my guess is that iGTD2 has better brains, is far more functional and customizable, and has a strong track record.
fortunately, i've jumped off the omnifocus bandwagon, so that's one less app to consider.
prophetsearcher
Phil
Posted 3:16 PM 2/1/08
iGTD and Omnifocus are quite a bit more powerful, but they both require a fair amount of twiddling to use this powerful. THINGS is very simple to use, and requires a lot less twiddling.
Of course THINGS is lacking many features at this moment, such as iCal integration. Other than that I'm finding it a joy to use.
Phil
cavalierex
Posted 2:43 PM 2/1/08
Why don't people make stuff like this for Windows?
cavalierex
Fyodor
Posted 4:33 PM 2/1/08
I also like it better than OmniFocus for my purposes. If you sign up for the preview, you get access to the wiki which lists a bunch of planned features.
Fyodor
DudeAsInCool
Posted 4:27 PM 2/1/08
I use a program called Hot Plan. Hot Plan allows you to create categories of To Do lists. Each entry has a completion bar, so you can witness your progress. It's simple and that is why I like it.
DudeAsInCool
ericshmerick
Posted 3:55 PM 2/1/08
I've been alpha testing Things for over a month. I love it. I also tried OmniFocus, but their app is difficult to use for some reason. Plus, it is very expensive. Yes, it's 1/2 off now, but still too costly for me. I understand that Things will be in the $30-$40 range.
Pricing aside, I just prefer the overall look and feel of Things. It's a shame they are so late to market. OmniFocus has gobbled up many, many customers b/c of their 1/2 off promo and early release. Oh well, I can wait for Things. Hopefully it gets the attention OmniFocus is getting as it's a more than worthy competitor.
ericshmerick
jeromy
Posted 7:10 PM 2/1/08
@prophetsearcher: iGTD2 alpha build #3 is available. I haven't checked it out yet, but just incase you're interested.
[www.igtd.pl]
jeromy
geekgrrl77
Posted 7:56 PM 2/1/08
Wow. Just wow.
I've been searching for a program like this forever. It took me minutes to load all my tasks in there and sort them just brilliantly-- every bit of my dissertation, my personal to dos, and deadlines. I've tried others (omnifocus, igtd) and I never liked them enough to use them.
Usually my grad student budget prefers all freeware/open source software, but this might be something I actually buy!
geekgrrl77
theorist
Posted 2:43 AM 3/1/08
I've tried a lot of GTD and to-do apps. Even though THINGS is in the early stages, I'm totally loving it. It's got what the others don't (IMO): good looks, very intuitive, very flexible.
theorist
prophetsearcher
Posted 6:23 AM 3/1/08
@jeromy:
thanks! i'm still holding out for a bit; i'm a little too busy these days to be alpha testing (which of course is why im commenting on lh instead of working; man, do i need a task manager!). hopefully, the releases will continue to get more and more steady.
prophetsearcher
Nxqd3051990
Posted 5:19 AM 3/1/08
I don't know while MAC app is so cool like this. I wish I had a Mac ( maybe in future ^^ )
Nxqd3051990
TFL
Posted 7:26 AM 3/1/08
This does look rather nice. I have used iGTD but since the latest re-vamp I suddenly found it a bit 'off-target' for my use. I will certainly give this a go when it's ready for general release.
TFL
Fyodor
Posted 8:13 AM 3/1/08
I normally don't mess around with alphas, but this seems quite stable.
Fyodor
craigallott
Posted 9:22 AM 7/1/08
Can't wait for the full version. Have tried iGTD in the past but couldn' get on with it but this suits very basic GTD needs very well.
craigallott