Written Android App Review
Move over project management Android apps and to do lists – MyLifeOrganized is a lean, mean, task oriented machine. Currently in Beta for the Android OS, MyLifeOrganized (MLO) is ready to put the competition to shame. Its comprehensive project management applications are excellent for collaborating with coworkers on projects, keeping a household to do list, or even managing your cleaning routines. There are likely 101 ways this app can be used.
MyLifeOrganized
Design
MLO Android app at first glance seems incredibly complex. While this may be a turn-off for some, to me it is enticing and makes seemingly boring tasks interesting and fun. Be advised though, if you do not have at least some geekling undertones, this app will likely scare you, overwhelm you, or have you screaming and throwing the phone against the wall. In other words, this app is not for the faint of heart. However, for those who are obsessed with technology, finding better, more efficient ways to do both menial and complex tasks, and have a passion for task management, organizing and lists, this app is definitely for you.
The layout is incredibly clean with soft colors transitioning from green to blue across the home screen. My initial impression was that this app is a serious workhorse. I was not disappointed. The hierarchical lists are well designed in that they are both aesthetically pleasing (even on a small screen) and easy to read. Tasks can be “starred” giving them greater importance or listed by location, context (similar to a category) or project. There are a number of ways to filter data and see what most needs to get done.
Templates
Like any good organizer, MLO has templates to choose from to get users started. I was expecting to find generic templates but was pleasantly surprised to see they had templates for the most popular productivity programs. I almost fell over when I saw they not only had a GTD® (Getting Things Done®) template, but also had Franklin Covey, Do It Tomorrow and for all you FlyLady fans out there… yes, they even have a pre-built Control Journal.
The Control Journal was the most intriguing for me as I have tried countless times to design an effective electronic Control Journal with little success. My lifestyle, being the geek I am, makes using a paper control journal highly inconvenient and impractical. However, it is also impractical to be tied to a computer if I need to be up and doing things. Thanks to MLO, I now have a 100% portable method of organizing my personal life, work life and even household duties. Ahhhh, life is good.
MyLifeOrganized App
As if all this wasn’t enough, I soon discovered that this app was just one piece of a larger project. Sure MLO for Android can be used as a standalone, but what fun would that be? As amazing as the Android application is, if I can make the experience even better, why wouldn’t I? It turns out this all started as a PC program which has now expanded into the mobile world. Thus the reason this app is in Beta. I decided to download the PC application as well and found out there were even MORE options and even MORE features. My favorite find on the PC app was the ability to make PocketMods – a small planner that can fit in your pocket made out of a single piece of paper. Brilliant. Better yet, thePocketMod is customizable using the data in MLO. I’m in heaven. But I digress.
As it turns out, for a small (yes, small) fee, I can have MLO on multiple devices and my desktop and keep them all synchronized thanks to cloud computing. Other ways to sync are being worked on, such as USB and WiFi syncing. So let’s say I update something on my phone – I simply hit the sync icon in the upper right hand corner when I’m done making changes. Then later I use my tablet to make some more changes and sync again. That night I sync my desktop, make more updates after checking things off on my PocketMod and print out a new one for tomorrow. Seamless, portable, efficient.
Value
For now, the MLO Android App is in the Beta stage and is therefore free. However, it appears it will be a paid app once it is out of Beta. They offer a free (and limited) PC version on their website (mylifeorganized.net) so perhaps they will continue to have a free version once they are out of Beta. This remains to be seen though. The PC version starts at $45.95 for the standard version and $59.95 for the pro version. Cloud syncing is as low as $1.08/month if you get a 24 month subscription (just $25.95 for two years!). However, considering the benefits of this application, these fees are bargains. I imagine I will be purchasing the PC version once my 45-day free Pro trial is up. Thanks MLO – you’re just what I’ve been looking for.
Android Apps Review Details: MyLifeOrganized Android app is free. This app requires Android 1.6 and up. You may download MyLifeOrganized from the Android Market.
This Android app review, as well as the other Android app reviews for droid phones and droid tablets on this site, are brought to you by AndroidAppsReview.com.
