23 Mobile Things - #5 Notetaking

I've been meaning to try a to-do list app for ages, so I was happy to see Remember the Milk on this list.  We still use a Lotus Organizer list that I set up while on maternity leave nearly 20 years ago to track tasks like taking the car in for oil changes and fertilizing the lawn.  It has worked well, but it's not able to be shared and is only located on one of our PCs.  We print a to-do list each month and put it on the refrigerator, but it would be nice to have something we could share that also pushed reminders.

First, I had to use Password Safe to generate a password.  Since the passwords are shared on four devices, I was using Google Drive to sync.  Apparently Apple devices don't like Google Drive.  I spent several hours trying to get the system to work, then switched to Dropbox.  Unhappy me, but happy Apple devices!  Why can't we all play together nicely?

Finally, I was able to log in to Remember the Milk.  It seems great for reminders of things to do this week.  I also figured out how to add events far in the future that will repeat indefinitely.  However, I can't figure out how to view your whole to-do list all at once, and I don't see how you could enter something like "Do this during the month of October".  I could see I might easily enter to-do items multiple times with slightly different terms.  I also don't like the "handwriting". 

I don't think this could replace our Organizer list, but I could see myself using it to add a note at work to remind me to do something when I get home.  Currently, I use email for this purpose, but I suppose I might be able to retrain myself to use my phone notifications. I wonder if I could add a reminder for someone else.  THAT could be really useful. 

For work purposes, I use the Outlook task list to remind me of repeating tasks.  It's crucial.  I don't think an app could replace it. 

For notetaking on the iPad, I find Evernote quite helpful.  I've started taking notes at conferences using Evernote and it's nice to have them all available in one place when I want them.

23 Mobile Things #4 - Keeping Up

This is one time when being late to the table paid off.  I had to choose between Flipboard and Zite.  Having no initial preference based on description, I read a blog post by another person doing the 23 Things who had chosen Zite and disliked it, hence I picked Flipboard.

Based on her analysis of Zite, Flipboard is just as bad.  I really, really dislike the layout.  I currently follow about 30 RSS feeds using Feedly.  I used to use Google Reader, which I liked, but sadly, it met an untimely demise.  Feedly has served my purpose well since I began using it.  I find the interface intuitive and clean.  Flipboard is crowded, nonlinear, and to my mind, nonsensical.  It's just a mishmash.  I'm looking for information, not entertainment.  Ugh. And I really dislike the flipping.  Just ugh.

I appreciate this Thing, though.  At least I know that Feedly is still what I want for my RSS feeds.