Quick Look: To Do Lists 2, another task manager for the iPhone

There are a lot of Getting Things Done (GTD)-related applications on the App Store already, so what does To Do Lists 2 bring to the table? I received a promo code to check the app out, and have been playing with it for the last few weeks. TDL2 is nice and simple, and not a gigantic feature-laden program to distract you from actually getting things done. I’m not sold on it, though, and it’s not just because I’m really picky when it comes to this category of apps. To Do Lists 2  is certainly functional, but it lacks the polish and ease-of-use that would make me want to use it. Hit the jump for the details.

One really novel feature I found in TDL2 is the immediate separation of dated and undated tasks. Sometimes you just have things that you’d like to get done on Friday, and other times you’d just like to get them done “eventually”. TDL2 agrees with this way of thinking and supports it by separating the two types of lists entirely. Neat idea.

What isn’t handled as well is the actual management of tasks. The presentation here is pretty standard, but I found the act of actually swiping and completing a task rather unsatisfying. It doesn’t need to sound like popcorn or feature an elaborate animation, but all you are presented with in TDL2 is a checkmark that suddenly turns green upon completion of a task. I actually find it a little strange that this portion of the app is so simple, especially since the app features three different themes — something I haven’t found in any other GTD app I’ve played with.

Task management is alright, but could also still use some work. Editing a task, for example, simply takes too long: first you have to tap on the task, then tap on the star button at the bottom, then tap on the edit button that pops up. Most other apps allow you to edit a task in just one tap, and the one-tap bandwagon is not a bad one to be on.

Creating tasks is much simpler, and requires one quick tap on the plus sign along the bottom-left corner of the screen.

Once you are in a task, you can name it, set a date for it with the standard scroll wheel, or set a contact to call or e-mail. Another interesting feature is the ability to show a detailed or minimalist view of the tasks — it’s something other apps could pick up.

TDL2 keeps all of your tasks locally, but you can easily e-mail a list of tasks to yourself, or just back all of your task data to TDL2’s servers. Doing the latter takes mere minutes to set up, and then you have the choice between an automatic weekly sync or a manual one.

To Do Lists 2 is a funny little title. It’s not a sequel or follow-up to To Do List , so I’m not sure why the number two is appended to the end of the name. Developer Tapku has some novel approaches to the GTD system with the dated/non-dated lists and the inclusion of themes, but I’m afraid the core of the app just isn’t there yet. Creating tasks is easy, but managing them isn’t made fun or easy. That being said, I’d probably pass over TDL2 for now and look for other apps that have a more streamlined GTD interface.

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To Do Lists 2 is available for $0.99 on the App Store (link here).