Nice little app, but really needs desktop sync feature
Clean little app. Doesn't try to do to much. However, having to sync through a website is no good. A lot of outliners are used to store very private info. Now, if it could pass OPML documents back and forth to Bonsai, then it would be perfect. At present you can email yourself an OPML file and load it into Bonsai, but if you want to get it back into CarbonFin the only way is to go through the website (AFAIK). Shame.
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Carbonfin outline
I'm in the process of reading GTD and needed a place to put the thoughts I needed to get out of my head. I tried RTM, but it was too complicated for this GTD beginner. Carbonfin's Outline app is almost perfect for my needs. A clean outlining program that allows me to quickly enter information, easily copy or move information around inside an outline and check off completed items. Carbonfin tells me they are considering the things I'd REALLY like to see added. When they add the ability to move items from one outline to another, add tags and have a search option for the tags, I will give it 5 stars.
For the price and my relief in finding such a simple and effective outline app, I was tempted to give it a 5, but I really would like to see the other improvements.
For the price and my relief in finding such a simple and effective outline app, I was tempted to give it a 5, but I really would like to see the other improvements.
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Well executed todo lists
Outliner is well executed and very simple and effective to use. Sure, it doesn't sync with a desktop application, but for a standalone task manger it is a pleasure to use.
I've downloaded many of the free todo applications and as with many of the other free (and some purchased) applications often times there are subtle things that make their use an imperfect experience. This isn't the case with Outliner - it does what it says and it does it well.
You can have lots of main tasks which can then br broken down into hierarchical sub tasks which can have notes, be either a task or not and tracking for completion and when the task was created. Subtasks will fill in part of their parent tasks indicator giving an idea of how complete a task is which is a nice feature.
It would be nice in the future to have a date by which tasks should be completed, but for a first version this is a fine example of what an iPhone app should be.
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Ok, but no real sync
Good stand alone outliner, easy to use, doesn't have a bunch of needless features. As others have noted, could be improved by including due dates, priority, etc. I converted from Palm when the 3G came out and this is the best replacement I could find for Bonsai, which was great on the Palm. This app claims to sync, but there is no synchronization involved. If you change on the iPhone, changes appear on the web site, but these are read only. I can export from Bonsai on my PC (OmniOutliner on Mac) but this just copies another version onto 'Outliner Online'. Then I can transfer to the iPhone, but I have two copies! I need to either edit in only one place or resolve edits by hand. I realize that two-way sync is non-trivial, but a bunch of Palm apps did this and did it well. I haven't found this to be case on the iPhone.
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Outliner
This is a nice application - it is extremely stable, syncs to the Carbonfin website like a dream, and DOESNT crash. It has the same limitations that other time management apps have (it cant set alerts) and it would be great to have a bit more colour in the interface, but I have to say thumbs up to Jeremy for where hes got with this so far. Looking forward to what future upgrades may bring!
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Okay, but could be a lot better
It is an okay outliner, but they need to streamline the interface further and use more iPhone standard conventions. For example, adding a new item should just be done inline. Also, you can't drag and drop items to reorganize them, you have to use another interface of selecting items and then hitting buttons. Same for trashing items, which doesn't use the standard red button and inline delete (and for a small detail- the delete button that does pop up should be red in color).
The online syncing is unimpressive, to say the least. Basically you can go online and have it download a text file or OPML file. Or you can import an OPML file there. This could have been done by emailing from within the app and having a forwarding address to email OPMLs to and from.
I ended up going with a text list in Evernote to keep track of my To-Dos, but I'd love to see this improve.
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Awsome App
Awsome App for the ipod/iphone use it a lot for my clients and others, the ability not being able to change the start/finish time and date is a downfall hopefully they will come out with a update for it that will allow this but no biggie at the moment
The most used app on my iPhone
I've been using Outliner for about a month now and it has made my iPhone even more valuable to me.
The app does exactly what the product description says it will and has never crashed.
I keep thinking of new uses for this clever little program... for instance the syncing feature has made keeping the rolls of my classes easy and the little completion icons let me know how far I am through my report writing.
Love it. Well worth the money.
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Expandable tree navigation
This expandable tree navigation style of a task list application is much quicker to locate relevant tasks as opposed to sideways scrolling screens which all the other task apps use. For this and the fact that it's easy to re-order tasks around I give this 5 stars.
I would like to see Outliner take on a couple of iPhone specific navigational features such as left swooping a task to reveal a red delete button like it does on iPhone Mail for example, and a feature that once a task is highlighted a further click would expand or go to the task properties similar to iPhone Calender.
I can't give any more than 5 stars since I've tried and paid for so many other task apps and this is the one I now use, but if I were writing this app I would include the above navigation features - good work CarbonFin
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Exactly what I was looking for
Well, I tried as hard as I could to use a free task management program. But the power of this program is what I really needed. I like a structured list and everything I tried couldnt do nested subtopics. That drove me crazy. That, however, wasnt what broke the camels back. When I tried to do some fancyness on my iphone I accidentally erased all my information on the free program I was using. What is great about this app is that if you want it can sync to an online free server to save your data anywhere OR if you want you can email it to yourself/anyone in an outliner format.
The $10 is actually a great price for something I am using several times a day. In fact the two most used programs on my iphone are this and the iPod program that came with it. I am finally organized! I love it when people ask me about the work I am doing and I can effortlessly bring up exactly where I am in my current project, even though it has many different parts and subsections. Kudos!
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