task

There's something to be said for a simple, straightforward note-taking app that borrows from the familiar: sticky notes. BugMe! is one such app.

If the name rings a bell, you probably owned a PalmPilot at some point. That's where the app originated, and call me nostalgic, but I'm happy to see it reborn for the iPhone.

Admittedly, the App Store is already replete with sticky note-inspired task managers, so what sets BugMe! apart? In a word: simplicity.

Instead of packing the app with features, developer Electric Pocket kept the interface about as straightforward as they come. Tap &… Read more

I miss my PalmPilot. Not so much the way it kept breaking every 12 months, but the effortless way it synchronized my to-do lists with Outlook.

Ever since trading my Palm-powered Centro for my iPhone, I've lived without a decent task-management solution. That's because, for better or worse, I'm entrenched in Outlook, and the iPhone can't sync with the program's task list (eye roll).

For a while there I was reasonably happy with Chapura's KeyTasks, a decent enough task manager that delivered the "missing sync" between iPhone and Outlook. But wouldn't … Read more

CyberMatrix Timesheets Standard is a basic program that allows employees to keep track of time spent on specific projects. Although it has some appealing features, functional problems undermine its usefulness.

The program's interface is plain, and the creators didn't go to any great lengths to make it attractive or intuitive. Still, it's not terribly difficult to figure out. You add your employee and client information, and when each employee logs in, he or she can record the time spent on specific clients' projects. Projects are listed on drop-down menus within the timesheet. The program allows up to … Read more

There are a lot of video file converters out there, and most of them are quite similar, letting users convert videos between different file formats. Unfortunately, the only thing that sets Free Convert MP4 to AVI FLV MPEG WMV MOV Converter apart from the competition is that it doesn't work very well.

We had high hopes when we first opened the program. The interface is clean and intuitive, with large graphical buttons. We were excited to see that the program also includes a YouTube downloader, and we decided to try that first. We were disappointed to find that no … Read more

OmniFocus is a high-powered, flexible, feature-filled task-management app that's based on the widely used Getting Things Done (GTD) productivity method, but it's designed to accommodate a variety of work styles. OmniFocus uses a GTD-esque approach ("Capture, Organize, and Do") to handle actions, projects, and contexts. You work in a relatively clean, two-pane interface, with folders and projects in the sidebar and grouped actions in the main outline (where you add, edit, and check off actions).

Within this interface, it's easy to set up versatile contexts for your actions, distinguish between sequential and parallel actions within … Read more

Things is a powerful, easy-to-use task-management app that can help you enter, organize, and act on items in your to-do list. Based on the popular Getting Things Done productivity method, Things gives you an elegant, streamlined interface--a classic, Mac-style multipane setup that doesn't require a lot of additional windows for its work flow.

Its clean interface even dispenses with columns, and you can use the app's flexible tag system for priority, task duration, or any sort of categorization that works for you. You can quickly enter new tasks from anywhere, using a system-wide shortcut, and you can include … Read more

Reliable Task Timer is an extremely basic program that allows users to track the time spent on specific tasks in a CSV spreadsheet. Although the program works, we've seen similar applications that offer many more features.

Reliable Task Timer's interface is extremely plain, consisting of a single screen with four labeled steps. Users first select a destination and file name for the CSV spreadsheet, enter a title and description for the task to be tracked, and then click Start Timer. When users have completed the task, clicking Stop Timer records the entry on the spreadsheet. Or at least … Read more

AnVir Task Manager Free offers users a one-stop shop for managing your system's running processes and applications. Though it more than delivers the information it promises, it could really benefit from a more streamlined interface.

Users will need to spend some time taking in AnVir's user interface, because at first glance it's overwhelming. It uses tabs to distinguish system categories, such as start-up, applications, processes, and services. Command buttons at the top of the window give you the ability to kill processes, block processes, free memory, and select a parent process. The bottom of the window details … Read more

Multi Project Planner offers a vast array of tools to manage complex projects. It has all that you need to oversee any project, but its overwhelming options may hold some back.

The program's interface is clean and useful but a bit disorienting from the start because of an embarrassment of riches: Multi Project Planner offers so many details that its commands are difficult to memorize. Even the tutorials are confusingly dense with instructions and examples. In the end, Multi Project Planner produces readable, multicolored charts showcasing every aspect of a project, from daily responsibilities of individuals to total man … Read more