ThinkingRock Forum

I've been trying TR for a few days and I'm absolutely in love with the tool. It's the only one I've tried that really satisfies my somewhat complicated needs. I work with 4 different computers (2 desktops and 2 laptops) and 2 different OSs: Windows and Linux. I needed a GTD system that could be used with all my computers and TR seemed to be it.

I was ready to pay the subscription because I felt I wanted to support a product that I'm likely to be using for a long time. Then I became painfully aware of one important flaw (which is shared by most of the other systems I tried): there doesn't seem to be support for synchronization with SmartPhones.

I realize there is an iPhone version in the works and I laud the developers for their foresight as this seems to be the platform of the future. The problem is, many of us don't really want or can afford to pay the premium prices for these devices. Not only is the device expensive but the data plans some telephone companies force you to contract in order to get an iPhone are prohibitive.

So I'm stuck with my HTC with Windows Mobile (which I got for free with my Vodafone calling plan). Having a wonderful system to organize your life on your computers but then having to carry printouts with just a subset of your projects or actions doesn't seem to be a really desirable solution. So, I'm back to square one in my New Year's resolution to get a single system (to rule them all) for my GTD implementation.

My question is, are there any plans to develop software for other platforms different from the iPhone? Please don't tell me I cannot be mobile with ThinkingRock unless I get an iPhone

Josep M.

We are planning to make it mobile on other platforms. We were thinking of the Blackberry and Nokia N810. Which mobile platform do you have?

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Claire
ThinkingRock Analyst and Tester

Hi Claire.

Thanks for your prompt response.

I have an HTC touch smartphone (http://tinyurl.com/5l57sy). Pretty popular in the part of the world where I live and one of the most inexpensive devices in this category. It runs on Windows Mobile 6.

If you develop your programs with Java, shouldn't they run in all platforms? I guess the main problem is to adapt the interface to the size of the screen, right? If that is the case, it shouldn't be so different to produce versions for the different mobile devices. Or am I totally wrong?

Anyway, thanks again for your response.

Josep M.

Java does not run on iPhone but a cut version of Java run on most other platforms. Yes, you are right, we will need to adapt the screens. At the moment we are developing a first phase mobile version: being able to enter thoughts, to select actions per context and mark actions to done.

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Claire
ThinkingRock Analyst and Tester

Hi Claire:

Doing a little research on this topic I found this:

http://www.vcharite.univ-mrs.fr/PP/yild ... index.html

Since it is OpenSource, perhaps you might use it as a basis. It is a neat little app for Windows based mobile devices and it does almost what most people would need in a TR app for mobile devices.

My problems with it are

a) that it doesn't synchronize automatically with your basic TR file. You have to manually import the text-csv file generated by TR. You have to choose which fields you want to save in the cvs every time and choose the same fields to import from the mobile device app. This makes the whole thing a rather slow and inconvenient process. I think an app of this kind should be able to synchronize from your default TR data file.

b) It displays projects, actions and whatever you define when you choose which fields to import. The most serious problem I find, though, is that when you import the notes attached to any given action, you can only see the first line of the notes. This is very inconvenient. Imagine you have an action which involves information about a street address or some sort of shopping list. Being able to see 'Visit X' or 'purchase X' but not being able to see the values of X if they are comprised in text that goes beyond the first line takes away a lot of the usefulness that this kind of app could have.

The implementation you have in mind for mobile devices would include notes?

Dear Joseph,

I am the developer of the TR PPC Companion. Since I was not expecting to export notes (given the size of the screen of my old smartphone), I have not included such a possibility, but it should be possible to give the user the option of opening a bigger box showing the rest of a field. I can try to develop such a possibility. The difficulty to directly synchronize with TR is a real pain, but I have not been able to find an easy solution to it.

My main actual problem is finding the necessary time to continue to develop this application, but I include your suggestion in the task list for this application. I should also take a closer look to the new import/export possibilities included in TR...

I must admit that I am also interested now by the iPhone applet, since I am switching to this platform after some years under WM.

Best wishes for 2009,

Murat

Hi Murat,

I should have imagined that you would participate in this forum.

First, let me thank you for your work on making TR available for Windows Mobile.

Now, having said that and reading your posting I'm more serious about trying to convince the ThinkingRock developers to develop an application for the Windows Mobile platform I'm saying this because you yourself are going to go for the iPhone .

It's not that I'm a big supporter of MS products. The problem is that Apple products are just too expensive. So it will take a little time for me to succumb and buy an iPhone. Also, the Android platform holds a lot of promise and will probably make it possible to create cool smartphones that have as many features as iPhones but are way cheaper.

Anyway, my posting was not meant as a criticism. I think your app is very useful. I was just making suggestions as to how it could be improved in case the people at ThinkingRock were considering taking your software as a model for what a PDA version for TR could do.

I (and probably other users) would certainly appreciate any improvement you make for your application. I'm starting to use TR daily and having the convenience of using it with the changes I suggested on my PDA would be very useful. But I think in the long run what makes more sense is to join efforts in creating an "official" TR app for Windows Mobile devices that is sort of similar in all platforms. I suggested that the TR developers could use your app as a starting point just in case some of the code could be reused. I'm not a programmer so I cannot judge whether it is easier to start from scratch or reuse some of the code.

I decided to get a ThinkinRock membership to support the project so I will probably be posting some more specific suggestions in the member forums.

Thanks again!

Josep M.

Hello guys,

I'm really glad for this topic, because I have a similar problem like Josef. I also have a windows mobile smartphone: HTC s740
http://www.htc.com/www/product/s740/overview.html

But there is a big difference to Josefs phone, it has no touchscreen. Microsoft calls phones without touchscreen "smartphone" (these phones are actually running on windows mobile 6.1 standard) and phones with touchscreen pocket pcs (actually running on windows mobile 6.1 professional). Sorry, I don't wanna be a know-it-all, but this makes a big difference.

Are you going to support these phones as well (windows smartphones)?

Like Josef I love your piece of software and I'm planning to become a paying member. But syncronisation with my phone is important for me and my phone is actually quite new (one month old) and I cannot afford to buy a new one...

Thank you for your help,
David

Hello,

is nobody here who could give me an answer to my question?

@Murat:
Do you think your PPC Companion (I looked at the screenshots on your website and I would love to use your programm) is also navigatable without a touchscreen (Basic4PPC is also running on windows mobile 6 standard)?
Or if not, do you think it is a big deal to change the user inteface to do so?
(I have some background in programming and of course will publish the result...)

Please give me an answer. Because if there is no change of portability I would try to develope a client for windows smartphones on my own.

Thank you,
David

Hey, if you do and you wind up creating a very good tool to make TR really portable on a Windows based smartphone, try to remember those of us who have touch screens

Of course I will!

I don't wanna make a tool just for me and I also want to support the community. But I think the most productive way would be one tool for both types of phones (with or without touchscreen).
And I hope that the new mobile client is also working without touchscreen.

OK. I'm not a programmer but if I can help you with anything...
It would be a good idea to talk with the TR developer team. Maybe this can be a joint venture. I'm sure they would be interested in having TR ported to Windows Mobile devices.

Dear David,

I am sorry but I have the impression that the subscription functionality does not seem to work on these forums (or I have done something stupid, maybe), so I have not been informed about the replies to this forum. I have just seen them now.
Unfortunately, my program can not really support smatphones as such. But the development platform that I use (Basic4PPC) does normally support this possibility. I am not at all sure that I can have the necessary time to create a smartphone version of the soft (especially because I do not own a smartphone myself) in a close future. But maybe someone else could buy a copy of B4PPC (it is not expensive at all) to make this development using my code (it should e quite easy, one would only change the intercation modes with the program -since we can not use the touch interface.

I would be happy if you could try to install the soft on your smartphone (if it accepts) and tell me if you can use the menus through the buttons of your phone.

Very cordially,

Murat

No problem Joseph,
All sugestions are definitely welcome. It is true that I am really short on time this year because I am living between two quite far cities. So, I cannot promise any development before the next summer. Hence my suggestion for someone else to continue the development (my code is fully open and available to anybody who is ready to try Basic4PPC).

Murat

Hello,

please excuse my late reply - I am student and my exams have started for this term so I am very busy at the moment...

@Josef:
That sounds great, thank you for your help. If you are not good at programming, probably you can help me define the most important things to integrate into the mobile client.
I think the joint venture with the TR-developers is a very good idea. It would be great to act in concert.

@Murat:
Thank you for the offer to use your code. I already tried to install your PocketPC companion on my windows smartphone. But I got a message that the software is not designed for my device and therefore it was not possible to install it.
I think I will buy Basic4PPC and try to make your app smartphone ready. Probably I would try to make more changes (for example the possibility to mark done actions on the mobile client and sync it with tr). Needles to say, I would publish the code and the programm in the forum.

But at first it would be great to know if there is a possibility to work together with the TR team (it is not a problem to me to become a paying member of the community if it is necessary).

Thank you very much for your help guys,
David