OmniFocus for iPhone finally has reminders, but implementation is awful

Filed under: Software, Features, iPhone, iPod touch, App Review

Ken Case from The Omni Group has been twittering for awhile about the impending inclusion of alarm reminders for OmniFocus. The task management app's iPhone users have been pestering The Omni Group to implement reminders as push notifications, but OmniFocus refuses to do so. They say that reminders that rely on connectivity are not good enough, and they have instead chosen to implement reminders by exporting due dates and times into iCal. Once the time comes for a reminder, it pops up like a normal iCal appointment reminder. Well, OmniFocus 1.5.2 for iPhone was released, and now we get to see how this alternative reminder system works. If I had to choose a word to describe this implementation, that word would be "awful." Here's why:

• The Omni Group has taken great pains to point out that you do not need to be using the desktop version of OmniFocus to get use out of the iPhone version. But for users that only have the iPhone version and are not synchronizing it to either MobileMe (which has a yearly fee) or a WebDAV server (complicated for non-techies), they can't use this implementation of reminders. That's right; the way it works is that OmniFocus on the iPhone exports your reminders to your synchronization server, then points iCal on the iPhone to the server to import your reminders. That means that if you enter new due dates in OmniFocus for iPhone but don't happen to have connectivity, you won't get reminders. Wait, I thought it was implemented this way in the first place to guard against a lack of connectivity?

• Your OmniFocus reminders unnecessarily pollute your iPhone calendar with reminders. This is a visual problem when you need to glance at your calendars and see what actual appointments are coming up. On the iPhone you can either look at one specific calendar, or all calendars, so if like me you need to regularly stay on top of more than one calendar, you're forced to look at your OmniFocus reminders as well. Oh, and even when you complete them in OmniFocus and resync, they don't go away in your calendar.
  

• Since your OmniFocus reminders are actually just fake appointments, there is no way to audibly differentiate them from appointment reminders. They sound and look exactly the same. Remember the Milk, for example, uses push notifications on its iPhone app, and you can set the notification sound to a number of different options. That way you know that you're being reminded of a task rather than an appointment.

• Reminders are set based on Due time, rather than Available time, and in terms of flexibility you can set the reminder to be 5 to 60 minutes before the task is due. By the time a task is actually due, isn't it too late to be reminded about it?

• Finally, if you're a user of OmniFocus for the Mac, your reminders are not created on your iPhone until you think to launch OmniFocus on the iPhone and synchronize it. That means that if you work all day in OmniFocus on your Mac (like I do), then drive home and start doing other stuff and don't happen to open OmniFocus on your iPhone, you won't receive any reminders for tasks that you might have set for that night, or until you actually open and sync OmniFocus on your iPhone.

So, what would I rather see? Push notifications, like the many other OmniFocus for iPhone users out there that have been providing their feedback to The Omni Group.

As mentioned, Remember the Milk has implemented push notifications, and the ability to change the notification sound isn't the only trick it has up its sleeve. The Remember the Milk icon on my iPhone's screen shows how many due tasks I have that day, and the number changes almost instantly when I make changes on the web version. To see how many currently available and due tasks I have in OmniFocus, I again have to launch the app and wait for it to synchronize.

While I love OmniFocus and I think The Omni Group does amazing work, this implementation of reminders for the iPhone version of OmniFocus is just full of an amazing amount of fail. It's a hacky workaround that still doesn't ensure that a lack of connectivity won't adversely affect the user's ability to receive reminder notifications. Omni folks, this is just meant to be tough love -- I wouldn't be saying all of this if I didn't truly care about OmniFocus.

OmniFocus for iPhone finally has reminders, but implementation is awful originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 23 Jul 2009 00:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

OmniFocus for iPhone finally has reminders, but implementation is awful originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 23 Jul 2009 00:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Quick App: Comics iPhone Comic Store and Reader

Comics [$0.99 - iTunes link] serves as both an iPhone formatted comic book store and reader. (Think iTunes but for comics). comiXology was kind enough to give us a preview of the app, which will be officially announced tomorrow at the San Diego Comic Con, home of all things good and geeky in the ‘verse.

First, Comics costs $0.99 because it uses in-app purchases to allow you to buy paid content (more comics). Apple says “free apps stay free”, so anything using in-app purchase has to be a paid app. Hence, the minimal price. On to the app.

There are multiple ways to find comics, featured, free, top 25, and browse/search. Lots of information and a few preview images are provided for each, along with a link to buy print versions, which opens a WebView to Amazon.com with an option to move it into Safari.

A good amount of free comics available — I went immediately for Robert Kirkman’s excellent Invincible. You need to set up an account before you can download comics, but it’s fairly quick (it does ask your birthdate, presumably for age-based ratings reasons). Once you’ve set up your account, you can download away. It took me 25 seconds over Rogers 3G to get a comic. Not bad.

A tutorial walks you through the “guided” mode of comics reading, and then away you go. It took me a second to get used to the animated way in which Comics takes you through panels, but it works well. You can turn to landscape when wanted, or disable rotation if it bothers you.

Of course, there’s no Marvel (think Wolverine, Hulk, Iron Man) or DC (Batman, Superman) titles to be found, and for that I blame the same kind of slow thinking that long plagued music and still plagues other media to some extent.

It does give the independents a little room to shine, however.

Note: The developers are currently reporting problems with in-app purchases and the iTunes servers behind them, but say they’re working with Apple to resolve them. In the mean time, the free comics are all working just fine.

If you’re a comics fan, and you give Comics a try, let us know how you like it!

Tons of screen caps after the break!

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Quick App: Comics iPhone Comic Store and Reader

Security official suspended, turned over to authorities in apparent connection to Foxconn employee’s suicide

We suspect there's more than a few chapters left in the story of 25-year old Foxconn factory worker who died in an apparent suicide this month, following the disappearance of a prototype next-generation iPhone. The latest newsbit, this time care of Bloomberg, is that a security official for Hon Hai, a company with 72 percent stake in Foxconn, has been suspended and turned over to Chinese government authorities, with the suspicion / implication here that there's a direct correlation between this and the suicide. Though unconfirmed at this point, reports circulating say the worker had been harassed by company security prior to his death. Yahoo! Tech has all those details, and the official investigation is ongoing. We'd like to say there'll be conclusive answers in this case sometime in the near future, but we're not getting our hopes up.

Read - Hon Hai Suspends Official After iPhone Worker Suicide
Read - China suicide puts spotlight on secretive Apple culture

Filed under: Cellphones

Security official suspended, turned over to authorities in apparent connection to Foxconn employee's suicide originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Jul 2009 22:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Public Radio app updated and renamed

Filed under: iPhone, App Store, iPod touch, App Review

The much beloved Public Radio Tuner has been updated, and now sports a new name. Public Radio Player [App Store] is your easy way to get to most of the NPR stations in the country.

This new version, which remains free, also allows you to find archived shows, like Car Talk, Speaking of Pets, Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me, Fresh Air, and many others. This allows on-demand service of your favorite Public Radio programs.

You also can get a station's current schedule when you start to stream. Some stations don't support it, but if the metadata is there you'll see it in the app.

A couple of things to note at this point: Since the app has been renamed it may not appear when you check for updates at the App Store. However, when you run the older Public Radio Tuner, it will advise you of the new app and download it, leaving your older app in place. The new app won't have your favorites, so those will have to be added in manually.

There is a search function so you can find what you want by station name, call letters, frequency, city, region or category.

I find the new version a bit sluggish, and this is reflected by many other users comments. It's a bit slow to respond on either Wi-Fi or the 3G network.

Some of the stations appear in the list without their location, so it looks like the database should be cleaned up a bit. The app also has to my eye a rather sickly green color. Not a favorite of mine, and I think many people won't be wild about it. Note: The App Store page shows different, better colors (my view) but you can't get them on the release version.

Finally, I had some problems installing this app. On first run it said 'loading' and spun a gear for more than 10 minutes. I bailed out, re-booted my iPhone and it came up fine. If you see something similar, try re-starting your device and see if it solves it.

I love the new features in this app, but it has some rough edges. Luckily it doesn't write over the original version, so you can retain your favorites. I'd like to see a quick update and bug fix for this app, but as it is, it improves on the original feature set and should make Public Radio fans happy.

Here are some screen shots:

Public Radio app updated and renamed originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 22 Jul 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Public Radio app updated and renamed originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 22 Jul 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Review: Contact Tool for iPhone

This app for searching through your mobile address book combines an advanced search mechanism along with a set of filters to provide a solid alternative to the built-in Contacts offering.

iPhone Live! Tonight 8pm EDT/5pm PDT

iPhone Live! comes to you tonight (Wednesday, July 22 ) at 8pm EDT/5pm PDT.

As always, pre-show will start about 10 min. before if you want to drop by early and reserve a space in our all new, all roomier chat room. See you then!

Join in via http://www.tipb.com/live

Chat with you soon!

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

iPhone Live! Tonight 8pm EDT/5pm PDT

Smartphone Experts SidePouch for iPhone 3GS, iPhone 3G

Smartphone Experts SidePouch for iPhone 3G is available from The iPhone Blog Store for $14.95. If you are looking for an attractive side pouch at a very affordable price, check out this case! Let’s see how it measure up after the break!

Design

The SPE Side Pouch Case is made of genuine leather and  slips into a protected felt-like pouch. The outer flap closes via a magnetic closure and the case has a single clip to attach to your belt. The clip is metal but it has leather wrapped around it to give a consistent feel, but it is still a solid clip underneath.

Daily Use

I have used a wide variety of cases, but I still like the hip/side or holster-style cases the most. I like this style because they all have some sort of clip to attach to you belt or hip. Sometimes I have to wear scrubs (they don’t have a belt or loops) and this case in particular was comfortable, lightweight and stayed on my hip during a full day’s work in scrubs. That may seem like a silly statement, but some clips don’t have the same level of resistance in their clip. The SPE side pouch case does! I also found the magnetic closure to work well too.  Some cases have a button here that can make closing the pouch tightly difficult. This case has a full magnetic closure, so it is a simple matter of flipping the cover closed and it is done. Again, opening is just as easy; just flip it open.

The felt-like interior of the case is soft to the touch and does not scratch the iPhone at all; the parts of the iPhone that touch the case are fully protected. The edges are exposed to give you access to the miscellaneous iPhone ports such as speaker and the headphone jack.

A really nice option for this case is the multiple colors it comes in. I am reviewing the Cocoa Brandy color, but I am also partial to the Cream Brandy color too.

Conclusion

The case is fantastic and work well for its purpose. It is secure on the belt, lightweight and attractive. If there was an issue with this case, it would have to be the long-term viability of it . Not that the case is of poor quality, it is that this type of case (with me anyway) seems to get a lot of abuse hitting objects while on my hip such as the corner of a desk, carrying items, etc. However, at the excellent price point of $14.95, you really can’t go wrong. Most cases of this caliber are $30 dollars!

Pros:

• Attractive with multiple colors
• Lightweight
• Solid belt clip
• Great price!

Cons:

• Rigidity over time might be an issue

TiPb’s Rating

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Smartphone Experts SidePouch for iPhone 3GS, iPhone 3G

Warning: Major Flaw with Push Notification Fix for Jailbroken iPhones

Apple Legal Reportedly Hinders Reporter’s Investigation of iPods Catching Fire

Amy Clancy of KIRO 7 TV in Seattle reports on her investigation of complaints of iPods overheating, smoldering and catching fire. The complaints, made to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, amount to over 800 pages of documentation covering...

O2 resolves internet access issue for iPhone in UK

O2 has restored internet connections and MMS services for the "vast majority" of its mobile phone customers, including the iPhone, after an outage affected hundreds of thousands of UK monthly contract users.

iPhone 101: Safe driving with iPhone

Filed under: Bluetooth, TUAW Tips, iPhone

Let's face it, the less distractions you have while driving the better, even if the government can't decide whether or not to tell you how dangerous phones + cars can be. Last week I was happy to see Penn Jillette (a magician whose work I've admired since I was too young to say the name of his current show) on Twitter proudly announce he was going to quit calling and texting in the car. Bravo!

Penn happens to sport an iPhone, and like any modern cell phone, it has "airplane mode." I'm going to show you how to set the iPhone to this "no call" mode, and explain why you probably don't have to while driving. Plus, if you absolutely must talk while driving I'll explain a helpful trick with the 3GS. You should never under any circumstances try to type while driving -- pull over, already.

To turn off your iPhone's cell radio, thus preventing distracting text messages, push messages and phone calls, go to Settings > Airplane Mode and turn the switch ON. Pretty easy, yes, I know. But unless you are going to use the iPhone's audio in your car (and there's like a zillion apps for that), you could just as easily turn off the ringer. The switch above the volume buttons on the left of the screen controls the mute for external sounds. When you arrive at your destination, check your phone for missed calls, etc.

If you have a 3GS, you can use the Apple headphones that came with it to activate Voice Control, giving you a relatively safe method of interacting with your iPhone while driving (except for a proper, Bluetooth speaker/mic or in-car solution, I guess). Plug in the headphones and put the headphone directly connected to the microphone in your ear. Press and hold the "middle" button (in-between the volume buttons) for about 3 seconds, until you hear the beeps. Voice Control is now on! You can control the iPod functions and make calls, but I recommend you try Voice Control before you start driving. Note that there are voice dialing apps for previous iPhones, but I feel having to see the screen to push even one button is an unacceptable distraction.

The New York Times and many other news outlets have reported on the unreleased government study showing that even talking on the phone increased the likelihood of having an accident -- whether you are hands-free calling or not. Driving and chatting with a disembodied voice can be distracting, apparently. So, again, the only truly safe thing to do is to switch off your cell radio entirely (Airplane mode). This won't allow you to play streaming radio stations, but it may save your life. Otherwise, use your willpower to ignore the chimes, rings and buzzes, and if you absolutely must talk or text, pull over.

iPhone 101: Safe driving with iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 22 Jul 2009 12:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

iPhone 101: Safe driving with iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 22 Jul 2009 12:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gone in a Flash: Apple pays for large amounts of flash memory

Apple has continued its significant investment in flash memory, with the company announcing Tuesday that it recently prepaid $500 million to Toshiba to secure long-term supply of NAND for its mobile devices, a very necessary component in its smartphones. The half-billion dollar investment came early on in the September quarter, so it was not officially revealed [...]

Huge 3G S sales cause an equally huge shortage in inventories

After selling 5.2 million iPhones in fiscal Q3, including a million units that sold in the first three days, Apple has announced being unable to make enough 3GSs to meet demand, based on Apple comments. Huge demand for the latest iPhone has helped restrict it to 18 launch countries out of the 80 where Apple currently [...]

Apple is patent crazy again; files new patent to improve GPS route estimates

A new patent application from Apple suggests the company could be working on proprietary global positioning system software that would calculate road trip times and recommend routes, based on real-time data collected from numerous users, and uploaded to a centralized server. In the recently revealed U.S. patent filing, Apple describes a system for obtaining drivers’ personal [...]

Review: Moments for iPhone

If you're looking for a well-designed, visual note app for the iPhone or iPod touch, the Stickies-like Moments will be right up your alley.

Rumor: Subsidized Apple iTablet Coming to Verizon this Year?

The Street (via MacRumors) is rumoring about the iTablet on Verizon:

An initial version of the long-anticipated Apple tablet will be subsidized by Verizon (VZ Quote), but Apple and Verizon “won’t be as tightly integrated” as Apple’s iPhone exclusivity deal with AT&T (T Quote), says one source familiar with the companies, who asked not to be named.

iTablet, or MediaPad, rumors for Verizon are nothing new of course. The Verizon subsidy would help reduce the initial sticker price of an $800 iTablet down to something more competitive with low cost netbooks, though with only a data plan and no voice, the subsidy wouldn’t be a large as the one AT&T provides to iPhone customers who promptly return ~$100 a month in service fees.

Since Verizon is CDMA and Apple is an international company, it’s hard to believe a GSM version of the iTablet — if such a beatie is really near release — isn’t in the works, or wasn’t completed first. So, hopefully, those not on Verizon, not eager for a CDMA data plan, or not in the US will have iTablet options as well.

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Rumor: Subsidized Apple iTablet Coming to Verizon this Year?

Apple to Release Subsidized Tablet Through Verizon Later This Year?

The Street's Scott Moritz reports that Apple is planning to release its long-rumored tablet computer "in time for the holidays" later this year. While Apple is reportedly still deciding on a sales model for the new device, Moritz's source reports th...

Navigon Offers Full-Featured iPhone GPS Navigation for a Single Upfront Fee

German GPS firm Navigon has finally released MobileNavigator North America [App Store, $69.99 through August 15th and $99.99 thereafter], one of the first full-featured turn-by-turn GPS navigation applications for the iPhone. While several subscript...

Daily Show Airs App Store Stinker: iFart Mobile vs. PullMyFinger

Done as only the Daily Show with Jon Stewart can do, it’s iFart Mobile vs. PullMyFinger in a battle of the iPhone Fart Apps.

You’ve been warned.

(Note: YouTube Daily Show clips have a way of disappearing, feel free to post updated links in the comments when/if you come across them)

[via WhenWillApple]

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Daily Show Airs App Store Stinker: iFart Mobile vs. PullMyFinger

Dear Apple: How About that Premium App Store?

Just prior to iPhone 3.0 there were rumors that Apple would introduce a Premium App Store which would let high quality apps in the $10 or $20+ range enjoy some breathing room away from the “race to the bottom” pressure of the current cheapy novelty app crowd. Why is this still a good idea? Well, AppCubby has run the numbers and it looks like $5 (down from $10) is the new ceiling for App Store apps:

With the average price in the App Store now at $1.39 for games and $2.58 for all apps, the App Store is killing the value perception of mobile software shoppers. Some would argue that this is just market economics at work, but I think there is a very strong case to be made for Apple being directly responsible for this trend. Whether they did so deliberately or inadvertently is still up for debate, but either way, the future of iPhone platform and of the entire mobile software industry hinges on the direction Apple takes with App Store 2.0. The downward spiral in app prices caused by the Top 100 list and Apple’s relatively hands off approach during the first year of the App Store has created completely unrealistic pricing expectations that may haunt the entire mobile software industry for years to come.

The logic is this: if developers can’t earn a fair living making great iPhone apps, they aren’t going to make great iPhone apps. (Think about it, would you work day and night if you couldn’t feed your family at the end of the week?)

Gizmodo adds in the gaming angle:

There’s no easy solution to this, which means that iPhone users shouldn’t expect much more complicated games than what’s already on there now. All the talk of the iPhone competing with the DS or the PSP in terms of quality may be moot if there’s nobody there to spend the effort developing that level of games.

We here at TiPb have long held that we don’t mind paying higher prices for higher quality apps. Why? Because we want them, we love them, and are happy to support them so we get more and better for years to come. The iPhone itself isn’t cheap and the idea that we can’t afford $10 (or more) for an amazing new game or innovative new app is just ludicrous.

Apple mentioned on their Q3 2009 conference call yesterday that they had room to improve on the App Store. A Premium App Store (or App Store Plus, or whatever name it goes by), perhaps combined with Craig Hockenberry’s idea of a premium developer membership, could be a great place to start.

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Dear Apple: How About that Premium App Store?