GeeTasks
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GeeTasks

Our Review by Bonnie Eisenman on March 8th, 2010
Rating: starstarstarhalfstarblankstar :: SIMPLY USEFUL
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GeeTasks is a bare-bones to-do app that draws on the Google Tasks service. You won't find any frills here, but the ability to take my Google Tasks offline and have them waiting in my gmail inbox makes this simple app great for getting things done.

Developer: Memengo
Price: $2.99
Version Reviewed: 1.11

iPhone Integration Rating: starstarstarstarblankstar
User Interface Rating: starstarstarstarblankstar
Utility Rating Rating: starstarstarblankstarblankstar

Re-use / Replay Value Rating: starstarstarhalfstarblankstar

Overall Rating: starstarstarhalfstarblankstar

Procrastination is probably my biggest problem. I mean, it's easy for me to think about the things I've got to do...but actually doing them is another story. I've used a lot of different to-do apps to try and cure me of my laziness, but it's too easy to waste time organizing you list of to-do's instead of getting things done. GeeTasks takes a different approach, utilizing Google's bare-bones Tasks pane from gmail. What GeeTasks lacks in features, it makes up for with ease-of-use and simplicity.

If you're a gmail user, you may have seen the Tasks link that resides just under "Contacts" in the gmail interface. Clicking on this brings up the Tasks pop-up, which is a minimizable overlay that provides a simple to-do list. I've taken to using this instead of more complicated iPhone apps or websites, because I'm always in gmail. Having my to-do list constantly staring at me is the perfect way to stop procrastinating! That's what I tell myself, anyway. The only flaw with this method is that I can't take my Tasks offline, or even onto another platform.

GeeTasks fills that void. It's simple, and the service it provides isn't a huge one: it lets you download your gmail Tasks, as well as create new ones for later syncing. When you create a task, you can add notes, set a due date (which will be synced with Google Calendar), and place it in a pre-existing list from Google Tasks. The app also has a badge pop-up showing you how many tasks you have outstanding, and you can "purge" your list of completed items or sort it by date. The only feature "missing" is the ability to create a new list, which is a confusing ommission. It's not as though I like managing multiple lists (this is a simple app!), but it's a native feature to Tasks.

Of course, if by "missing" you mean "standard in other apps," then you'll find quite a few things gone. There are no tags, custom backgrounds, repeating tasks, or syncing with services like Outlook or iCal. But then, wasn't the whole point of this simplicity?

As for the user interface, it does a delightful job of getting out of your way while still providing functionality. While it doesn't quite have the look of a native app, GeeTasks still sports a clean, sensible aesthetic. Little touches like showing red checkboxes instead of green for unsynced tasks go a long way towards making it as user-friendly as possible. Landscape mode is also fully supported, which is another good feature.

So, is GeeTasks the to-do app for you? That depends. It's nothing fancy—indeed, few apps are quite as simple. It won't work if you're a power user. But if you're a person like me, who just needs to be bothered into getting her tasks done, the simplicity of GeeTasks will force you to stop procrastinating and simply get to it. After all, isn't that what we all need?

iPhone Screenshots

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GeeTasks, the Google Tasks app screenshot 1 GeeTasks, the Google Tasks app screenshot 2 GeeTasks, the Google Tasks app screenshot 3 GeeTasks, the Google Tasks app screenshot 4 GeeTasks, the Google Tasks app screenshot 5

iPad Screenshots

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GeeTasks, the Google Tasks app screenshot 6 GeeTasks, the Google Tasks app screenshot 7 GeeTasks, the Google Tasks app screenshot 8 GeeTasks, the Google Tasks app screenshot 9 GeeTasks, the Google Tasks app screenshot 10
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