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Good review. I tried several ToDo apps and picked Todo by Appigo (it's confusing that there are more than one apps with the same name). What makes it a superstar app is that it syncs with Toodledo, a powerful free web site that automatically syncs with iCal, PLUS it sends you a nice E-mail reminder every day showing your daily agenda. Pretty cool.

That reminds me: one of the big annoyances with the App Store is that you have to buy before you try. Sure, the cost of most apps is low enough that this isn't too painful, but I still find it annoying that I have to buy multiple applications that promise to do what I need, only to find that most of them don't. So while you might only pay $2 or $5 for the perfect one, you've spent maybe $20 getting there.

Adwiz said:

Todo looked pretty good. I didn't include it in this article because it was more of a GTD-type app and more complex. But it's worth looking at if your needs are more-advanced than what these can provide.

(And, yes, it's really confusing that there are multiple apps with the same name. If Apple's going to be a gatekeeper for apps, the company should force developers to use unique names.)

One app you should add to your list is SplashShopper. I've been using SplashData apps on the Palm for a few years now. SplashShopper offers a To Do list that will sync with a desktop app that they offer for Mac or Windows.

randyg said:

As I mentioned in the article, we're going to be covering "shopping" apps separately. And SplashShopper is definitely aimed at, well, shopping ;)

My apologies, this wasn't meant to point out any sort of shortcoming in your article. It was merely meant as information to anyone who might be reading the article and posts. I realize SplashShopper is FAR from a "basic" app, but it's possible that someone looking for a To Do app that syncs to the desktop might not be interested in reading an article about shopping apps.
Just a thought. Again, sorry, but I think this app should have been mentioned since you even brought up the whole syncing thing.

One terrific To-do app not mentioned here is "Things" by Cultured Code. I've been using it since the release of 2.0 and it has worked great.

I actually chose the free Zenbe. I love that I have an online account and can sync two (any number) phones with the one account.
That way, my wife and I can create shopping lists throughout the week and when one of us goes for a shop, we simply sync it up and we have a complete shopping list.
Very cool stuff.

What about OmniFocus? Or is that out of the "simple" category?

I have to admit that I spent the money on OmnFocus becuase it is the ONLY to-do list manager that is a true full-featured program, and the only one that fully syncs with my Desktop Do-Do's (where I have been using OmniFocus for a few years).
Thanks for reviewing the simple ToDo lists -- I couldn't find ANY of them that do what I need from a ToDo list -- and most importantly, sync (albeit with iDisk rather than through the iTunes sync conduit).

Here's a second for Zembe. Easy to use lists, and syncs wirelessly to their web based service.

tom2012 said:

Things is a more-advanced, GTD app. It will be reviewed separately.

heggaton said:

Zenbe Lists wasn't included because it's a bit more complex and an online-syncing app. (In addition, I'm a bit wary of Zenbe's terms of service. As of a few days ago, they gave Zenbe permission to read -- and use in any way they see fit -- your task information. I've heard they've since changed the ToS in response to feedback, but I haven't personally checked yet.)

Walt_Basil said:

Yep. It's probably the most-complex task/project-management app currently available. Chris (Breen) is currently looking at it.



Rest assured that these and other task/project-management apps will be getting reviews. For this article, we wanted to round up all the basic apps for people who just want an easy-to-use way to keep simple lists without having to sign up for online accounts or learn complex interfaces.

I still find unbelievable that Apple doesn't offer to sync it's own to do list from iCal.