iPIM Review

iPIM wants to be the one stop app for everything to do with organizing one's life. It does so pretty well, too, although some sluggish performance did begin to irritate as I tried to browse around what's on offer.

The app combines personal needs with business needs, as well as some useful safety functions. Each section is clearly laid out so it's pretty obvious where to go for which task. The Emergency Data section, for instance, offers a place to put important contact numbers, details of allergies and next of kin information in case of an emergency. As a wary sort of person, it was also the first section I completed.

More conventional sections co-exist with the memos and reminder section providing somewhere to enter all kinds of quick notes. Text, drawings, checklists, photos, audio and video are all catered for, no doubt appealing to numerous different situations. Many occasions are suited better to snapping a quick photo than typing in details.

Alongside that are shopping list features, and a place to keep track of expenses. It might make for depressing reading at certain points in the month but it's handy to know what's going in and out of one's bank account. iPIM goes one step further in functionality by offering somewhere to input credit card and bank account details. Appropriately, PIN protection is required to use the section but it's not essential to set up for all parts of the app.

Other useful functionality is included such as the ability to create custom templates and print directly from the app. Universal support gives multiple iOS device owners an extra reason to stump up the $2.99 asking price. It all comes together to form a pretty ideal management tool.

That is until speed becomes an issue. On my iPhone 4, it was a little sluggish to navigate around and I fear that the more data added, the slower it'll become. I've also seen more attractive apps, as iPIM does lack the professional sheen that other similar apps offer.

iPIM is a mere step away from being essential, but to outright recommend it to all, I'd like to see it speed up a tad. A productivity tool shouldn't make its users waste any time in navigating. Sort out the speed issues, however, and iPIM will be ideal for all.