Online version of Life Balance

Submitted by TinaM on Thu, 09/17/2009 - 15:37

Discussion

Are there plans to develop an online version of Life Balance?

I used Life Balance all the time, every day, many times a day for years. I had it installed on two machines at home, another at work and on my Palm. I used the Palm primarily for syncing among computers. All that synching was a real pain - error prone on both my part and LifeBalance's. I eventually gave up as all that old hardware failed with age. I didn't want to spend money buying multiple new Life Balance licenses plus a portable device just to have the same old sync issues.
Now I use Todoist, which doesn't have the polish and richness of LifeBalance, but does have the indispensable attribute of being available from all my computers. I really wish there were an online LifeBalance. Will there be one soon? When? If not, can you recommend something comparable online? I've tried several program, but none have been pleasing.

Thank you, and congratulations on a product that still has my attention even though I haven't used it for a couple years.

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Thanks for letting us know that.

Submitted by cewhite on Fri, 09/18/2009 - 13:38.

Thanks for letting us know that you are interested in some kind of a web version of Life Balance.

We have been exploring that idea for some time, and it certainly looks promising, even if there is still a lot of work to do yet.

I will certainly take your message as a request and support for that idea.

Best wishes, and thanks again!

--Catherine--*

Two more cents

Submitted by HansBKK on Sun, 10/11/2009 - 10:14.

But please don't take this too far. I'm a very enthusiastic supporter of Evernote, but with their v3 changes, they've gotten things to the point where you HAVE to sign up for their online storage (and sync'ing) service.

I've remained on the (now unsupported) v2 specifically because it's MY data and I don't want to be forced into putting it on someone's server, due both to privacy and availability concerns.

Coming back from Franklin-Covey online

Submitted by benong on Fri, 11/20/2009 - 22:34.

I had been using Life Balance for years on my old Palm during college. Upon graduation I ditched the Palm and started using the Desktop
Windows version of LM exclusively. I got out of the habit of using it at work and became frustrated that I had to have 2 licenses for home and office. So, I started looking for an online solution. I tried several applications, Franklin-Covey Planplus online, Nozbe, and Remember the Milk.

Time and time again I found I dearly missed Life Balance. I'm an idiot about filling my to-do list to the max, and I need Mommy LM to tell me what to do!

So, here I am back again. I love this product and it has saved my life many a time. I would love to see an online version. Hell, I'd even pay a monthly fee for it. Considering, Palm is more than likely not going to make a viable comeback and my wife won't let me buy an iphone, I would love to see and online version. (As an educator the grammar of this post scares me, but what the hell I'm a science teacher not an editor.)

I strongly support this

Submitted by NoPlan on Tue, 01/19/2010 - 09:14.

I strongly support this request. Once a heavy LB user, I had several licences (windows, Palm, iPhone. However, as LB is only able to sync with iPhone within the same wireless network, I am not able anymore to sync my work computer to iPhone (no wireless at work). My dream would be an integration of LB with Toodledo. This online todo planner is at the moment my appreciated daily helper and I pay for it a yearly fee. Its flexibility is great, however, the automated priorisation of the task is a big miss. I have to postpone manually to much only because of lack of this feature.
However, the great flexibility to access on every computer through a web browser, on my iPhone via Todo app is just great and once used to the online working, I would not change back! So please go this extra mile!

Good Idea!

Submitted by GoGo97 on Tue, 02/09/2010 - 20:41.

Two thumbs up for exploring an online version! For many of the same reasons others have already mentioned. This'd be a great addition.

Some additional thoughts

Submitted by Jaharmi on Mon, 08/02/2010 - 16:37.

I also advocate for an online version of Life Balance. I am also concerned about the ongoing cost of paying for both iOS and desktop versions of the software to have synchronized and backed up data in both places — dealing with sync issues is frustrating. I’m cautious about the security and privacy implications of on-line task management.

Here are some thoughts:

All computers/devices can sync to one central always-on service (“Over The Air” or through any Internet connection, wired or wireless).
Desktop and mobile versions of Life Balance should both be able to use the same service.
Data in transit to/from the service is encrypted with TLS with strong encryption, and the certificate chain prevents spoofing of the service
Service provides live updates to each connected computer/device, possibly through push connections, without requiring a manual sync/update action by the user
Data stored at rest is encrypted with strong encryption (AES 128 minimum, 256 preferred to meet organizational security guidelines)
Data encryption for stored data makes it completely inaccessible to those without the user’s login information, and thus private to the user. Even Llamagraphics staff could not access the data.
Advanced users could optionally choose their own encryption key
Data is optionally stored with a service like DropBox, which provides many of these features already and supports an API (1Password has done this for desktop and mobile).
Web interface to access (read-only) the data from any modern browser
Optionally, edit the data through the Web interface
Support for the OpenID standard for logins for the Web interface. This brings the ability to use one-time passwords or other security features, depending on the OpenID provider, and improves login security. BitLocker.org is an example of a site that does this.
Security and privacy of the service should be auditable and audited regularly.
Ability to securely and uniquely identify a connected computer or mobile device, perhaps through client-side TLS certificates assigned during the initial setup process, to prevent spoofing of the client connection during sync. Don't allow any sync clients that don't have the right credentials.
Ability to remotely wipe the data from a connected computer or device if it is no longer needed, the next time the Life Balance application connects. Can correct for lost/stolen devices that still have the software installed and the right login credentials.
Global and individual conflict resolution. (Rather not have to click individually in Life Balance to resolve every single sync conflict, if I always want one client to win.)
Tasteful ad-supported/free introductory version, possibly with optional ongoing subscription fee to sustain the service, based on the features wanted. (Perhaps I just want sync between clients and don't want the full Web interface, and I want to save costs because I always intend to keep my client software upgraded. Or I only want the mobile and Web clients, with data sync, and no longer need the desktop client. Let me mix and match.)

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