The big connection…

I have blogged about Toodledo in the past, I think it is a great web based To Do application. Problem is that it is a web app.

I love the application THINGS, by cultured code: http://www.culturedcode.com/things/. [updated] Although this is an alpha product, and the complete feature list has yet to be announces, the problems I have with THINGS right now is that it is not usable on the iPhone, and doesn’t sync with .Mac, so I can’t have to do management across multiple computers. Perhaps these features will be implement in the BETA or final release, but as far as an alpha product, it is simple, clean, intuitive, and just plain-old good looking.

Since the iPhone lacks simple to do management, I have been constantly searching for something that works on the iPhone. Well today, I went back to Toodledo, and they now have an iPhone optimized web page (www.toodledo.com/slim/), along with many other features, that have pulled a lot of my loose end communications outlets together…

1) Simple iPhone Page:
I know the safari browser makes mobile browsing easy from the palm of your hand, but sometimes, it is a little cumbersome trying to zoom and swipe around a long list of links, like a to do manager. So, a simplified touch friendly page makes this to do manager tops on my list again. It even has a nice looking web clip icon (crucial for staying on my iPhone’s home screen).

2) New Views:
No longer is toodledo relegated to a long list of tasks, now you can view them by folder, due date, tags, your hot list, goals, and recently complete.

3) Connections:
This is where it all comes together. Connections. Since my last visit to Toodledo, they have expanded this area immensely.

TWITTER:
You can now add and view tasks via Twitter. I just started using Twitter, but can see how using this to add TO DOs could be useful.

JOTT:
You can now add tasks via Jott. I love Jott. Driving along, need to remember to do something, call the 800# and speak. In the past, I have had my jotts just emailed to me, now I can have them added to my Toodledo list.

iCAL & GOOGLE CALENDAR:
No matter what calendar you use, you can now have your tasks appear on your calendar. iCal can then sync back to the iPhone for viewing of tasks due each day.

FIREFOX:
FireFox Add-ons are new to me. But now I can have the Toodledo list as a side bar, and also add a link for a quick-add to my To Do list. Surf a page, remember something to do, add it. Easy.

RSS:
Just another way to view your list of tasks

SMS/EMAIL REMINDERS:
Now you can get reminders sent a specific times prior to your deadlines.

All of these features allow you to add/modify and check off tasks from many different applications and communication services.

Now there is never an excuse to not get something done, or at least know it needs to be done.

Check it out.

Twitter

So I started using Twitter.

I listen to a lot of podcasts, mostly tech podcasts, I am a geek, remember? And most of the tech-geeks on these podcasts talk about Twitter. So, I had an account set up from ages ago, I thought I’d give it a try.

Right now, I am twittering, or is it tweeting, to 2 people. Some random person I don’t know, and George Nemeth from Brewed Fresh Daily (Hi, George!). So I am basically tweeting to them.

I am following three people: George, Andy Ihnatko from the Chicago Sun Times, and Merlin Mann from 43folders.com.

Twitter, for those who don’t know, is an easy channel to push out information about what you are doing at the moment. There is no back-and-forth that SMS or IM allows. This is just a vehicle for putting out info like: “@the coffee shop having the best mocha ever”; or “sitting on my couch watching Lost”; etc…

You follow other Twitterers (or Twits? Tweets?), and other people follow you.

When you post that you just saw George Clooney at Starbucks, it is posted to the feed. When a fellow tweeter posts that they just bought a new iPhone, you see it on the feed.

I think if you get a good group of interesting people together who use the service regularly, it can be an interesting way of communication, without the, well, communication.

If you want to give Twitter a try, visit http://www.twitter.com. You can find me at http://www.twitter.com/alphabet/