Lukas Gregor I am one of those who would pat Jonathan Ivo on the back for iOS 7, the new look of the system suits me perfectly. And the joy of getting to know the "seven" was enhanced by the simultaneous launch of the new version of the GTD application OmniFocus.
At The Omni Group, they were not lazy and embodied the spirit of iOS 7 in a tool that is supposed to take care of sorting projects and tasks. While their version for the iPad received a very positive reception after the launch, also because of the controls and graphics, the version for the Mac is mostly reviled and the little sister intended for the iPhone kind of stood aside. She was not ugly, nor pretty, confusing, nor downright intuitive. I "led her by the hand" especially when it came to putting items in the clipboard (or possible cleaning). But that changed with the arrival of version 2.0.
On the one hand, iOS 7 is associated with screams about colors and overpaying, but the fact that their use is so cleanly grasped that it corresponds beautifully with the vision of simplicity that Apple has been coining for several years, somehow disappears among the clamor. And I'm glad Omni Group probably understood what iOS 7 is all about, because their new release proves it.
How about the features
Okay, before I continue my praise, I admit that with the launch of OmniFocus 2, the developers could have also focused on improving the app itself, its features. For example Perspectives, which represent one of the pillars of the application, you cannot create directly from your mobile even now. You have to have the desktop version, and in addition, viewing through projects is still not supported, but through contexts. It's hard to describe to the uninitiated, in any case, more than one OmniFocus user misses the fact that the view through the perspectives on mobile devices is simply not quite the same as on the Mac.
Synchronization it's also not completely fine-tuned. It works, it's faster (thank goodness), but while other apps sync and update without bothering you, OmniFocus (probably proud to have synced through its own service from the Omni Group) blacks out the screen for a while to show the "database rebuild" process.
On the contrary, you will have a much better feeling as soon as you type something into the search bar. You can view it by dragging the screen down, so you can get to it from anywhere (yikes!), it searches not only among the items waiting to be checked off, but also among those that you have already dealt with (well, finally).
The home screen has an easy to reach option Additional, because you can associate a location with the contexts, so when you click the button, the application will show or list the tasks that are "closest" to you.
And for improvements. Entering items into the clipboard is more convenient. In the lower right-hand corner, there is an ever-present button to create a new item and send it to the clipboard, only to find yourself back where you were. The button doesn't bother, it doesn't get in the way. And when typing in the clipboard, the Omni Group came up except for the button Save even more Save +, thanks to which you insert new tasks into the inbox much faster. It's practical and I'm glad for it.
Otherwise, everything remains the same, the ability to filter messages, sorting, the ability to star selected perspectives and get them to the title screen, set notification methods or whether the icon on the icon will show you the number of completed, close and important tasks, or only some of these (I can do with the flagged ones).
Interface
The news-non-news in features alone wouldn't be enough to make OmniFocus 2 any fuss, and certainly not to specifically pay for. But appearance can already motivate you. If you need to work with a tool that also looks good, then OmniFocus 2 is a clear improvement.
The title screen is simplified to the most basic, Forecast (great feature!) has its own top floor, which makes sense to me. And I like that the name of the project, the perspective or the given context will have gray circles - how many tasks, so many circles. And if a task can already be called "due soon", the wheel turns yellow. Graphically and simply, the application shows you how you are doing.
A wheel instead of a square is also found for individual items, tap on it to check it. The wheel changes color depending on whether it is before or after the due date (watch out for the red!).
orthel
Well, maybe you're not that excited about iOS 7, then I wouldn't even recommend OmniFocus 2. If only because you have to pay extra for it. Don't pay extra, pay! You are buying the app again. The original one has already disappeared from the App Store and if you donated eighteen euros to the Omni Group, you can now break the piggy bank again. No, I'm not saying it's completely fair, but a lot of teams and companies do. You are practically paying for the ability to use the application on iOS 7 and be sure that it will receive updates.
What's not ideal right now is going from the iPhone version to the iPad and Mac version. Each looks completely different, we just have to wait until Omni Group visually unifies them (and before we pay full price for the remaining ones).
[app url=”https://itunes.apple.com/cz/app/omnifocus-2-for-iphone/id690305341?mt=8″]
Thanks for the article Luke
well, if I hadn't invested in Things Mac, iPad and iPhone then I would have gone to OmniFocus. They are moving forward, Things are still somehow standing still.
But it is a great pity. I remember the times when Things and OF were rivals, two kings, I myself jumped between them a bit and cheered for Things. But the development has been so slow to zero over the years that I have said goodbye to them.
And what replacement did you choose?
Jojo, I remember very well the time when we waited perhaps more than a year for synchronization between devices. Until then, it's still "manually via wi-fi" Well, they hings are "essentially perfect", they try to be simple but at least have subfolders and have the option to have the task be in the project and in places at the same time... I somehow still don't understand why it doesn't work. On the other hand, OF is very complex, but those who really want their system will find exactly what they need.
Otherwise, if you don't need a Porsche and an Octavia is enough, be sure to try Wunderlist, it's free for all platforms, including synchronization. For such a dehumidifying chew is more than enough.
For project management, try Asana again, they only have a desktop client for the web, but they have an iPhone app, both again free for a smaller team.
At one time I was also on Things, but I had to combine them with another task list, as Things could not (and cannot) have reminders, i.e. notifications at a specific time. Finally, I found the perfect application that solves my GTD requirements and also allows use as a reminder. It's called 2Do, it has a client for Mac, iPhone and iPad. The version for iOS 7 is a bit outdated in terms of appearance (skeuomorphism), but the developers are already working on a version for iOS 7. And the development is also moving forward, version 1.5 for Mac should appear in a few weeks.
OF is too complex for me, 2Do is a kind of GTD for medium difficulty, moreover, you can adapt it to your own image.
Yeah, I feel the same way about this app. I did not regret EUR. I recommend. If only they would follow this path in the applications for iPad and Mac. I'm in beta testing of OmniFocus 2 for Mac and it was very slow and eventually went to sleep completely. Perhaps this means that when it wakes up again, it will go the way of OmniFocus 2 for iPhone.
Version 2 for Mac is actually suspended now, I think because of the change in the iPhone version (if I'm not mistaken, they'll give priority to the iPad version as well) and also because of changes in other applications (now OmniGraffle 6 for Mac is out, it will change for iPad, OmniOutliner for iOS and Mac...). At OmniGroup, they are still working and improving, so it's more about waiting, but changes will come.
I'm sorry, the 7 mic is disgusting. is there any design pack to make it look like 6?
If I'm not mistaken, there is nothing like that in the regular system (no hack). If you don't like the look of iOS7, then don't buy OmniFocus 2, because it is based on it significantly. But the older version is no longer available for purchase, so if you haven't bought it yet, you won't.
35€/ipad, 16€iphone?! That's a knapsack. mad at me or not, but I personally have no idea what this app is. I am quite tempted though, thanks to reading this review and comments. Would you be so kind as to write to me what all OF can do? It seems to me that everything is written here for the already experienced. I would need something reliable for calendar, notes and tasks in one. And I don't know if OF is the right one. Until now I have been using the great Pocket Informant Pro 3 but with IOS7 I lost a year of my valuable calendar notes and can't get it back to my iPhone/iPod. And my confidence in the backup and synchro of this otherwise great program is tatam. Thanks for the responses ;)