iOS App Lists Navigating the iPhone and iPad App Universe: Reviews, Lists, and Insights
One of the most popular iPhone productivity apps available on the App Store, Things, was just named Apple’s “App of the Week” for Thanksgiving 2014. We decided to take this incredibly feature-rich to-do app for a test drive.
“Include the fun or interesting things that you’d love to do, too. If you only add your obligations, looking over your to-dos will become a chore.” – Getting Started with Things
As you can probably imagine, being involved in the wonderful world of apps requires a tremendous amount of organization. It’s no surprise that I have more apps in my Productivity folder on my iPhone than any other category. This is primarily because I can never seem to find the right app for what I need.
Therefore, I was incredibly happy to see that Things would be the latest featured app on the App Store. I’ve wanted to give it a try for the longest time, but I never wanted to take the $9.99 risk of having it be yet another app I wouldn’t use. Needless to say, I salivated at the thought that I could finally give it a shot.
Initially, I was incredibly pleased with how clean the home screen of Things looks. It almost feels like a very old app that hasn’t changed much over time.
When it comes to productivity, organization and ease-of-use is key. Within a couple of minutes, I already had multiple to-do items and projects set up.
The only gripe I had about setting up to-dos is the fact that you can’t assign specific times to items, only dates. This is very disappointing, as it means users will likely have to keep using their calendar app of choice for that. Given how expensive Things normally is, I’d expect it to replace tons of other productivity apps.
Something that’s always bothered me about productivity apps is they never seem to cater to people who want to keep track of stuff on-the-fly. I’m the type of person who frequently gets random ideas at inopportune times, so I need a way to jot them down quickly and worry about organizing them later. Things supports this with its “Inbox” feature, which allows users to quickly create to-do items without having to sort them.
Things also features an “Area of Responsibility” section, which allows users to categorize projects and to do’s by subject. In order to set up areas, you’ll have to go to Settings -> Manage Areas.
Not only is Things a powerful to do list app, but it also supports project tracking. I was a little disappointed to see that the app doesn’t support the inclusion of to-dos in projects (but you can create project notes), so users might have to resort to a different app for serious project management.
If you happen to get stuck or confused, Things includes a link to a lengthy tutorial that will guide you through every aspect of the app. This can be found under Settings -> Getting Started.
It’s worth mentioning that Things is also available for iPad and Mac. The iPad version is also currently free (regularly $19.99) and the Mac version is 30% off.
Overall, Things is definitely a fantastic to-do manager for iPhone, iPad, and Mac. I’ve tried quite a few productivity apps over the years, and this one is definitely one of the best I’ve used. It’s perfect for people who just want a quick way to keep track of tasks they have to do, long-term goals, and projects.
Things requires iOS 6.0 or later and is compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. This app is optimized for iPhone 5.
