Apple News, Analysis and Podcasts

Making lists is a daily task in this modern era. It is one of the reason why post-it notes became so popular. The smartphone has completely changed the way we think, create, save, share and access lists where ever we go.

Apple release an app called Reminders with iOS 5 this fall. This one application will cause many applications in the App Store to become obsolete, as Apple has brought it's ease of use and refinement to the to-do list genre.

I have tried many ways to create to-do lists on my iPhone over the years, from using text files on Dropbox to using a free application called Wunderlist. While there are many to-do applications in the App Store, most either don't sync with other devices or charge a fee to sync. Dropbox text files and Wunderlist are free and can sync to almost any device. Yet each one of these solutions I have tried comes with drawbacks. Text files in the Dropbox folder are very flexible, but are slow to add or delete items in a list. Wunderlist, which was the best solution before iCloud, does not interact with any calendars.

iCloud's Reminders has replaced all other todo list making applications on my iPhone. It has a number of advantages that include:

1. Syncing: iCloud and Reminder syncing is free with any Mac OS X Lion Computer or iOS 5 device. Being able to sync lists across devices allows users to edit and read those lists anywhere at anytime. This is a requirement for any to-do list application.
2. iCal Integration: iCloud Reminders syncs with iCal on the Mac leaving one less application to keep running and use on a constant basis. Being able to see and edit both calendar and to-do lists at the same pushes Reminders to the top of the list.
3. Location Alerts: Date and location alerts make reminders stand out. Location alerts could really change the to-do list game.
4. Hide Completed Tasks: Ability to hide past complete tasks after a set number of days and delete them after another set number of days is another nice feature of the iCal iOS Reminder combination.

There are a few features I would like to see Apple add to Reminders. One would be the option to make a task reoccurring. This would allows users to create tasks to appear in the task list on a regular basis. Another feature would be to allow users to add a Reminder item from the lock screen making it even easier use.

Apple has created a to-do list application that is easy to use, works well with other applications and provides some new powerful tools to improve how to make lists today. With free iCloud syncing, Apple has rendered useless a whole genre of applications from the App Store. Those developers will need to ether come up with other ideas or wade into the murky waters of Android or Windows Phone OS.

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