ForumsThird-Party ApplicationsPocket Informant vs 2do


Pocket Informant vs 2do
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andychadz

Posted: Sep 12, 2016
Score: 0 Reference
Hi all

I just wished to see what your opinions were with regards using the iPhone / iPad apps for Pocket Informant and 2do and how they compare?

I see both have good reviews but can't decide which to get!

After a first look, Pocket Informant seems more calendar focused and 2do more task focused. What I mean is that it looks as if every task requires a date in Pocket Informant whereas 2do doesn't - is this correct?

Similarly, 2do seems not quite as strong as Pocket Informant in planning your calendar and seeing upcoming tasks / events are coming up in the next week / month for example but is very good as sorting things into GTD style context groups of actions e.g. @home tasks?

Ideally I would like something which can offer both an easy way to see upcoming tasks / events in a calendar style view but also allow me to make lists of tasks with a GTD style of contexts that may or may not have a definite date. I therefore was not sure if both of these programs cater towards either of these ways of working well.

Thanks a lot for any suggestions on this!
Olivir2015

Posted: Sep 12, 2016
Score: 0 Reference
Hi, I try to help you a bit. In Informant (former Pocket Informant), you absolutely don't have to set up any date for a task. It's just the defaults are set that way, but you can change it in settings. I am not using GTD method, but as far as I know, contexts are perfectly usable in Informant. Furthermore, there are Smart Filters in Informant, which neatly corresponds (more or less) to Saved Searches in Toodledo...

This message was edited Sep 12, 2016.
andychadz

Posted: Sep 15, 2016
Score: 0 Reference
Hi Olivir2015, thanks for your advice. Will check out both I think and see which works better for my style of working.
Dave

Posted: Sep 16, 2016
Score: 0 Reference
I own both 2DO and Pocket Informant and I have always stuck with Pocket Informant. I use GTD system and PI is great for what you are looking for, context lists and dated tasks. You have more options and ability to customize with PI rather than 2do. I keep simplifying my system by taking away features I am not using, and PI is great for that. Let me know if you have any other questions, maybe I can answer. Oh last thing, the makers of PI have been blogging that they are going to launch a new version soon with big changes. Looking forward to it.
Ummagumma

Posted: Sep 22, 2016
Score: 0 Reference
PI is a calendar that also has a very powerful task management with strong Toodledo integration. This allows you to see your tasks in calendar views on start or due days, you can also set up powerful filters based on saved criteria. E.g. I want to see on today view my meetings and the tasks that are (a) due today (b) starting today (c) overdue (d) starred, in that order. It also has a Task view which is basically a full blown task manager,

2do is a task manager with very basic calendar functionality.

I've stuck with PI for years, always trying something new and always coming back.
geraldooka

Posted: Nov 21, 2016
Score: 0 Reference
For a different perspective. I recently stopped using PI (I used in on OSX and IOS) because it seemed buggy on my MacBook Pro, causing crashes and hangups. I ended up using the default Toodledo app for a while (web on the desktop and the IOS apps). Besides the technical issues I was having I found PI simply overkill. I didn't need:

calendar; iCal is great
notes; Apple Notes is great

The problem with the default Toodledo apps I suspect is obvious I simply found them not fun to use so I resisted using them they got the job done but the experience was cumbersome and slow.

I had previously owned 2Do and thought I would give it another go to my very pleasant surprise it GREAT! Does everything I need as a task manager. It seems to offer much more power (buried under a pleasant and simple interface) but as a GTD follower I really only need it to manage lists and it does that really well. The other feature I use is the Smartlists which allow me to create views that group related tasks based on a key word I insert into the title line. One can use the built in functions for Project and sublists and they will sync to Toodledo properly but keeping the system as simple as possible allows one to move their data to any system very easily and not be "held hostage" by any one system (useful when a company goes out of business.)
Ummagumma

Posted: Nov 22, 2016
Score: 0 Reference
The problem with using a separate calendar / task manager is that on really busy days, you tend to forget to look things up. PI and other similar software organizes it in a way that suits your workflow.

This message was edited Nov 22, 2016.
Ummagumma

Posted: Jan 13, 2017
Score: 1 Reference
So, the great new version of PI switched to a $25 per year subscription model. Thanks, but no thanks.

2Do is very capable on the iPad (even with it's basic calendaring - basic is all I need) but looks like the iPhone version does not have a calendar view at all ? Can someone confirm that ? My phone is due for a refresh in 2 weeks and I will likely get an iPhone.

So far every other app I tried has some quirks:

PlanBe - overall a pleasant calendar app, supports task start dates, no support for starred tasks or subtasks

ActionAgenda - supports stars, supports entering task start dates but doesn't seem to do anything with them in task views, no support for Toodledo subtasks

Any recommendations ?
Ummagumma

Posted: Jun 24, 2017
Score: 1 Reference
So, I felt the need to come back and update this post.

Now that iPhone 2Do has it's own basic Calendar, I've been using it for about 3 weeks now as my only calendar and task manager.

I tried it first with Toodledo, then Reminders, then went back to Toodledo.

2Do and Toodledo work together like nothing else out there. I'd say 2Do + Toodledo web, even without the calendar module, is a better match than Toodledo app + Toodledo web. The developer just seems to think like I do... everything makes sense. Toodledo has the same task managing concept, but I find their mobile app hard to use.

For checking the today's tasks and appointments with a quick glance, I use the combination of Apple Calendar widget and 2Do widget with a smart view defined.

The biggest issue I ran into is that the background sync is very unreliable - it may update in 10 minutes, or 3 hours, or a day. So opening 2Do and manually refreshing is still needed, I can't just add a task in Toodledo web and expect it to appear on my 2Do Today widget immediately. To be fair, I don't believe Informant widget updated in real time, either.

Not sure if reminders set up in Toodledo web are syncing to 2Do, either.

I don't use attachments, rather prefer to paste links to Google Drive.

Otherwise, it's the perfect Toodledo client. A lot of it's functionality could probably be replicated in Informant, but Informant has a very cluttered interface (mainly due to it primarily being a Calendar) and a labor intensive way of creating custom filters.


This message was edited Jun 24, 2017.
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