Suggestions for tool(s) to meet my requirements (offline use and Android)?

[jvoloudakis]

Hi everyone,

I'm a longtime lurker here, and appreciate all the great advice. I recently started a new job and I'm using that as an opportunity to try and integrate GTD more fully into my daily workflow. I have spent a good amount of time researching alternative tools that meet my platforms of choice and my requirements for access to data, and I'm really not coming up with great options. I was hoping someone might have some thoughts.

In terms of platforms, I have an android phone (T-Mobile is the only carrier that works in my house, so no iPhone option for me) and a choice of a PC or Mac laptop, though I prefer the Mac.

In terms of my usage, I am a consulting executive, and am often on the road (6-10 flights per week isn't uncommon), so I need something that will give me access to my data when no Internet is available, such as on an airplane, or in a backwoods town with no cellular data service. Sitting on a plane is a great time to go through and process my inbox uninterrupted. Given that requirement, web-centric tools like ToodleDo won't cut it for me, unless there is a way to sync them to an offline client that I haven't found. Likewise, given my steady travel and the frequency of my visits to client sites where I can't easily get network access for my PC, I'd prefer to have something that syncs to my phone rather than just using a desktop client.

My ideal setup would be OmniFocus and it's iPhone app. Since I can't get an iPhone and since there is annoyingly no Android client that can sync with OmniFocus, I need something else. I guess I could get an iPad or a Touch to use this way, but I already have a Macbook Air, so the marginal usefulness of the iPad is limited, and since I have the Android, I don't really need the Touch.

So far, I've seen the following options:
1) Continue using OmniFocus on my MacBook, and give up on the ability to sync to my phone until someone comes up with a way to connect OF and Android. I could also use a secondary inbox through an Android tool to capture when I'm not in front of my laptop, though manually entering them later into OF sounds like a pain.

2) Use a tool like Evernote, which while not designed for GTD, seems to be able to support it. It has a desktop client, an Android client, and both work offline. Is anyone using this as their primary tool?

3) Try and hack something together like a combination of Outlook, ToodleDo, and an Android App that can sync to that.

4) Try a lesser known tool like Koi which currently has both Windows and Mac desktop clients, says it is built to support GTD, and claims on their website that an Android app is 'weeks away'. Does anyone else have any experience with this one?


Any and all advice appreciated.

-John

[johnaohman]

I suggest this only with one word of caution. It syncs with ToodleDo, items reside on the phone independently, and sync well.

the word of caution is related to your travel. if you cross time zones, tasks created in Got to Do from different time zones have difficulty with the correct due date when you return to your home time zone.

[jvoloudakis]

Thanks. I'll take a closer look at that option. There are actually 4-5 android programs I've found, including Got to Do, DueToday, and the beta of Pocket Informant, that work this way. I was hoping to find an offline tool for the PC/Mac as well, as it's a lot easier to sit down and process on a full-sized screen, but since it doesn't look like there are a lot of choices, this may be the way to go.

I appreciate the feedback.

-John

[TesTeq]

You may also try Todo.txt Touch by Gina Trapani. It stores all your lists in the Dropbox text file.

[bishblaize]

May or may not suit you, but this is what I have.

Onenote on desktop in the office, and on the laptop. Notebooks are synced via dropbox so they all stay up to date. I can work on the laptop without internet access, then when I do get a connection it syncs it silently. If I handwrite it and think I'll ever need it again I scan it on, or snap it with my phone, then stick the image in OneNote. If Im working on a file, say a report, that goes in OneNote too.

For my Android I use MobileNoter, which is a really excellent OneNote app. It reads off line and can sync via the internet if you like. the android is a version behind the iphone app so its read only for now, but that should change shortly. That said I wouldnt do data inputting via my phone, its just good to have my lists and files available. I can, for example, read a report I was working on.

This suits my needs - everything available via phone, laptop or desktop. Syncs when online but continues to work offline. Automatically backs up all my stuff, both online and on my other computers.

You are however committed to a Microsoft working environment.

[davemerrill]

Unfortunately, the the developer of Got to Do said recently that he no longer has the time to work on it. Existing purchased apps should continue to work, but it will be withdrawn from the Android Market shortly. Personally, I'd also be worried that future changes to ToodleDo or to android itself may cause problems.

He's looking for some way that the program can continue (open source, collaboration with ToodleDo, etc), but as of now that looks to me like an awful big unknown to bank on, especially if you're not already committed to it.

Details here:
http://gottodoapp.wordpress.com/

FIWI, I ran into this post looking for something similar this morning, and ActionComplete looks pretty good to me, though I haven't actually tried it yet. I don't have the need for offline laptop use though; figure I'll either have net, or work on my droid. If cost is a factor, be aware that both the web and android versions have paid upgrades that you may or may not need.

Dave