The iPad and changes in perspective
Hi everybody,
I want to share some thoughts about the arrival of the iPad and how it forces me to see things differently regarding my use of Life Balance.
First, some background. I am a scientist who work at a government office. I am a passionate person who has many interests (or TLI: family and friends, my personal growth, environment, sports, technology, tai chi, music, photography, etc.). It is difficult for me to accept the simple fact that I cannot do everything that I want. So I need some prioritization of my tasks.
I came to Life Balance on the Newton after reading Covey's book "First Things First". Afterward, I have explored and adopted a lot of suggestions from GTD.
I am using a Mac and an iPhone. I love the iPhone version of Life Balance, but like some, I have been a little frustrated by the lack of progress in the desktop version. In my opinion, the user interface of the desktop version needs changes in order to be modernized and to facilitate interoperability. I have used applescript to glue applications together, but it is only a partial solution. It is difficult for me since the Mac version of Life Balance is my "main" database.
So I have explored other options, in particular OmniFocus. I like the Mac version (and the fact that it is available in my language, which is French), but on the iPhone, it is incomplete. It works quite well for me on my Mac. On the iPhone, however, I have felt more than uncomfortable. It is impossible for me to manage my goals, projects, and tasks on the go (while commuting, for example).
And then came two things. First, I no longer have the liberty to use my personal Mac at work, so I have to switch (to my dislike) to Windows. And second, the launch of the iPad from Apple. This device is very appealing for me. So, an idea started to pop up in my mind: what if I use Life Balance on the iPad as my main database? Using Life Balance on Windows at work is not an option because I refuse to let private data on their machines. But, how things would be to use Life Balance on the iPad (which is lighter than my MacBook - my shoulders will be happy!) in conjunction with other tools like the upcoming iWork, OmniOutliner, and Papers (to manage and read scientific articles)? That seems to be a very nice perspective! So I have decided to order an iPad as soon as it will be available.
We don't know if the Llamas have plans to ship a specific version of Life Balance for the iPad. But I know that an upgrade from the iPhone version would be more attractive to me than the actual desktop version.
I just wanted to share this and start a discussion on Life Balance and the iPad.
Good night everybody!
Martin
iPad is pretty interesting...
We do like the idea of Life Balance on the iPad. We think it may be a good form factor for Life Balance, leverage work that we've already done with the iPhone, and give us a bit of elbow room on the screen that is sometimes a little tight on the iPhone.
Of course, nobody has one yet, and we are under non-disclosure for developer tools and info.
So..... not much to say about that, except that I appreciate you letting us know that you are excited about the idea of Apple's tablet. Good to know.
Best wishes,
--Catherine--*
iPhone sync via USB?
I do not have WiFi so the ONLY other alternative would be USB syncing.
Any plans, thoughts of such?
Appreciate your thoughts.
Thank you.
iPad
I have already communicated my thoughts about updating Mac Desktop and a new iPad application via email; so, I won't repeat it here.
However, the short answers to above are
Yes & as soon as possible would be preferred!
Ken
iPad
iPad will not have USB, so do get wifi if you get an iPad. Of course the iPad cannot do much anyway without wifi.
iPad and iPhone Versions
I do not quite share the original authors enthusiasm about the iPhone version. After using a couple other solutions on Windows (some of which were blatant rip-offs of Lifebalance) I still like the Windows UI. Even if I agree that it is a bit yester-year and some integration features are missing (importing tasks from email servers, drag/drop from desktop email apps, open APIs for integration, Google Calendar (or other iCal) integration etc. pp.).
But that is niggles for a post elsewhere. What I really do not agree with is that the iPhone version should be better. I used LifeBalance on my Palm handehelds for years. And I do like that version loads better than the iPhone version. There are just *way* too many screens involved that make navigating the iPhone app a pain for me.
For example there are two screens hanging off every task. One for the details and one for the sub-tasks. And then the details have tons of other sub screens as well even for the simplest of items. That is all much too complicated and I loose overview.
Why can't I just edit the title of the task in place? Multiple lines? Why, when I tap it one can open a multi-line text edit field that pushes down the rest of the page a bit. Not a big deal but *much* more intuitive. Same holds for the notes field.
Why can't the sub-tasks not just be listed at the bottom of the task? Just scroll down to see all sub tasks would be so much less confusing than a separate page that only lists the subtasks but not the parent any more, so you loose all context and all access to settings of the parent. Just imaging you do enter a couple sub-tasks and as you do it you realize you can only do them in sequence. How do you change the setting to make them come up in sequence only? You need to exit the screen dive into another view of the same parent task, then dive into the time section, and there hidden is the checkbox. That is just horrible as far as ergonomics go.
Soooo, sorry for the long rant. But I do think the iPhone version of LifeBalance has lots of room for improvement. From the small (line distance between tasks and font size are too big and not configurable) to the big as above.
And to tie it all into the discussion about the iPad: Yes, I will buy and iPad as soon as it becomes available in the UK. And I will really really want LifeBalance on the device in a proper edition. But please think long and hard how such a version should look like as the iPad does give other options and is used in a different way to the iPhone. Just look at the iPad versions of the email app and calendar. They are different for a reason and so should be an iPad version of LifeBalance. Happy to spend my money again if it delivers.