:: OMNIPOTENTOmniFocus 2.0 for iPhone, redesigned for iOS 7 has been released and it's damn sexy. As a user who depends on OmniFocus it's great to see it updated to match the new iOS release so quickly.
OmniFocus for iPad update for iOS 7 is in progress but don't expect to see it anytime too soon. Development focus has now switched back to the update to OmniFocus 2.0 for Mac desktop. The iPad version development will continue after that.
The OmniGroup is now all in on iOS 7 and all future iOS updates will only be for iOS 7. I expect we'll see many developers heading that way soon.
In addition to OmniFocus 2.0, The OmniGroup has also released OmniPlan 2.0 for iPad. This iOS 7 update brings many updates and new features.
Also released was OmniOutliner 2.0 for iPads running iOS 7. Also a beautiful update.
It should be noted that these are not upgrades to the current versions but whole new apps. Since the App Store does not provide a method for upgrade pricing, these are full price apps. We'll be digging into all three of these releases over the coming days and look forward to bringing you full reviews soon.
:: EFFECTIVE 
The App Hall of Fame (the original App Hall of Fame, not the Apple knock off) is an independent initiative launched by 148Apps that includes selection committee members from over 40 web and print publications.
Our goal is to archive the very best mobile apps by honoring only 12 applications per month. To be eligible, applications must be available for download from the App Store for at least 6 months. Applications are nominated and voted on monthly by the selection committee with the applications that get the most votes being inducted into the hall of fame.
We want you to join in on the celebration. We'll be giving away copies of the newly inducted applications to subscribers of our mailing list later this week. Subscribe now for a chance to win.
We are very proud to announce the November inductees into the App Hall of Fame:
:: ON STEROIDS :: ON STEROIDS :: Read Review »
OmniFocus is a powerhouse of a task manager. Providing great organization tools if you have lots of things going all the time like I seem to. The ability to quickly capture thoughts, ideas, and tasks and then organize them, track them, and now review them while on the go is invaluable.
This release of OmniFocus is a hybrid of sorts. Bringing more of the features of the desktop to the app than what we have with the iPhone version, while still focusing on what you need to help you get things done while mobile. The iPad version is focused on helping you capture information with it's quick entry system, define that information once you have it, and then, of course, get it done.
Two big additions to the iPad version are the Forecast and Review features. Forecast lets you see, with a quick touch, exactly what you need to be doing and where you need to be today. You can also take a look ahead and see what's coming later in the week. The Review feature is great for being able to do a quick check-in on all of your projects, figure out where they are going, and then update their status. Think of it as a quick-fire rapid card deck of your projects with you tapping yes or no on each one as they flip into view.
One of the things that sets OmniFocus apart from it's competitors is the rock-solid syncing. Now with the addition of the iPad version you have three-way sync from your desktop, to your mobile phone, and to your iPad. You can keep all three in sync all the time, even when traveling.
OmniFocus for the iPad is available now, in the App Store, for $39.99. Some will consider this expensive, I consider it a huge value for all of the time it saves me.
To take a look at a quick into movie for OmniFocus for the iPad, take a look on the OmniGroup server or hit the jump for more screenshots from the app.
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:: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED :: Read Review »Q (Jeff Scott - 148Apps): Tell us a little about how the decision was made to start bringing your applications to the iPad.
A (Ken Case - OmniGroup): When we started hearing rumors about Apple doing a tablet, we thought that could be interesting. We didn't know if it was going to be Mac OS X based or iPhone OS based. The touch part made us lean toward the iPhone OS, the larger screen size had us leaning toward Mac OS X. Didn't really know what to expect. So we decided to just be ready to evaluate it when it comes out. And when we saw the introduction and particularly when we saw the Keynote demonstration we knew yeah, this is a place we can put some real apps. So we made a decision that day and started working that week to bring some of our apps to the iPad. From the time we saw the announcement to the time we had to submit the apps for launch day there were lots of 18 hour days. One interesting way to measure how the apps were progressing was how long we went between code commits. There was a period there where the longest we went, between code check-ins, was 37 minutes. It was a lot of hard work obviously, but a lot of fun. It's not often you get a chance to do something like this for a new platform.
Q: One of the most interesting aspects of the release of OmniGraffle for the iPad was that you utilized the device to the edge of it's capabilities without ever seeing a device.
A: We were pretty worried about that. The QA team particularly. Apple did some testing and we asked them how well it works. They could tell us that it launched and that it worked, but they had no time to do any real testing of the performance.
Q: Let's talk a little bit about OmniFocus for the iPad. As far as I'm concerned you can't get it done quick enough!
The plan had been to submit the final version to Apple around June 18th, but some things got in the way. It will still be submitted soon.
I wasn't expecting the pixel doubled iPhone apps to look as as bad as it turned out. I was hoping that they would have done what they are doing on the iPhone 4 and pixel double the artwork but scaled the text. Perhaps once iOS4 comes to the iPad they will clean up some of the edges. Certainly going forward, everybody who is developing now for the iOS is expecting a whole range of screen resolutions which should make it easier for Apple in the future.
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We got a little more information from Ken about future plans for OmniPlan and OmniOutliner for the iPad. But those plans are all still really early and we'll get back in touch as those get closer.
For now they are going full steam ahead on OmniFocus for the iPad -- and I can't wait for it. OmniFocus 1.7 for the iPhone/iPod Touch was just released with iOS4 updates to support local notification, some background processing, and instant application resume.
OmniFocus is a Getting Things Done style organization tool created by The Omni Group and one of the first applications reviewed here on 148Apps. Their iPad version is my single most anticipated iPad application. I use the iPhone version extensively and when it arrives on the iPad, I see myself using the iPad even more than I already do. The iPad will finally become the perfect travel computer for me.
Ken Case, the head honcho of The Omni Group, developers of OmniFocus release a quick four second sneak peek movie of OmniFocus for the iPad this morning. So far it's looking pretty good. Though with a four second video it's hard to tell for sure. Here are a couple stills from the video to give you an idea of what's to come:
According to Ken, they will be submitting OmniFocus to Apple for approval sometime the week after WWDC. So, we could be less than 3 weeks from release. We'll hold judgement on the app until we get a good chance to take a look at it ourselves. There are already lots of users concerned that the UI doesn't look finished, but it's kind of hard to tell from a four second video.
We're going to try to track down Ken Case next week at WWDC and pry some more details out of him. We'll let you know how that goes!
