Dropkick Makes Task List Management Easy On iPhone and Mac
Dropkick (Free) by Reuss New Media is a simple task list manager for your iPhone and Mac.
There are plenty of task managers out there, but for some, there are just unnecessary features in a lot of them. What if you manage everything better in just simple lists? How about adding in OTA syncing for these lists? Well, Dropkick is a minimalistic, simple solution.
When you open Dropkick, you'll first want to create an account with the service for the syncing to the desktop app (Mac only), which can be found in the Settings option. You can also adjust the font size and add a home screen badge to show you how many remaining tasks you have ahead of you. This is also where you can do an in-app purchase for unlimited tasks for $1.99, since the free app only allows for 10 tasks at a time to try it out. At least there are no ads.
Now, the organization in Dropkick is pretty simple. On the main screen, you'll create different lists with the + button to organize your various tasks into. These can be simple lists or something like "projects," where you can add multiple steps to complete a project (think of a GTD system in a less complicated fashion).
Within these lists, you simply add tasks by tapping that + button. From this screen, you can just enter your task details. If you decide to put it into a different list, you can also select it from the List selection below the task information. Tasks will simply appear in the list by the order you created them. They can be rearranged if needed by the Edit button.
If you complete a task, check it off as completed and it will disappear from the "Incomplete" view and get moved into the "Completed" view, along with a timestamp of when you checked it off. This works great as an archive system, in case you need to double check of when something was completed. Swipe to delete works in both the Incomplete an Completed views, so you can easily just get rid of a task completely if desired (or use the Edit button to do a batch delete).
What's great about Dropkick is that after any change made to a list or task, the app will sync immediately so you don't need to worry about forgetting to sync. This way, your tasks are always updated into the cloud and always with you.
The Mac app is also fairly simple and easy to use. Lists will be presented in the left pane, and tasks will show up in the right pane. You can create new lists and tasks by using the + buttons in the corresponding panes, view Incomplete/Completed, refresh manually, and have all changes synced immediately. The Mac app also features the same "handles" that you can grab on iOS to manually rearrange the order of tasks.
Dropkick is overall fairly simple and intuitive, and perfect for those looking for minimal ways of handling tasks. GTD systems are powerful, but are not for everyone. Simple list management is enough for the average user. Add cloud syncing and it's even better.
The only thing I hope to see in future updates is a way to add a due date to tasks, and have a reminder or alarm. Currently, there is no way to make something due a certain day or time. Additionally, there can't be notes attached to a task, which some people may need. Landscape mode would also be nice for those that prefer it, since it is currently missing. These are the only things missing from this otherwise great simple and clean task list manager.
If you're still in the market for a good option for organizing your tasks, then give Dropkick a spin. It's free for your first 10 tasks, and is only $1.99 to unlock unlimited tasks. The Mac app runs $4.99.
