Any.DO: a nice todo list | Hacker News Reader

Any.DO: a nice todo list

any.do

52 pointstilt59 comments

Open articleView on HN

Another, generic looking, Todo app?? That you mostly can't even use because it is "Coming Soon".

(Why is this at the top of HN? There has to be a network of biased people upvoting this...)

For the most part I agree with HN's decision to not let us down vote stories. But stories like this make me reconsider.

I, also, would like to know why a TODO app which is not even available is topping HN.

It's available on android, iOS version coming soon (as well as the web version)

Omer -

Topping HN is a nice marketing (and ego) boost, but also means you're being judged by the highest standards. Even if Any.DO is ready for prime-time, it doesn't feel like it, as the feedback shows.

And that's too bad, because I'm sure the next iteration will be a blast. I hope you'll still be able to engage the HN community next time around. Good luck!

And somehow the app is 'featured' on the Android Market - when you visit it from the phone that is.

You do know that Eric Schmidt is one of the investors, right?

Not sure what to make of this app/company -- the pitch is very generic and doesn't really differentiate the app from any of the zillions of to-do apps and systems, some of which are also very slick and minimalist. The company is a year old, has raised $1M, and has 11 people. The app is Android-only right now, so I can't try it out.

> has raised $1M, and has 11 people.

If anyone doubts that we're in a bubble, ruminate on the above numbers for a second.

* There are a bazillion to-do lists apps, of varying colors and prettiness and integration with calendars.

* The barriers to entry are zero. Maybe less than zero, since you can raise money to do this sort of thing.

* The pitch has to be something like "The total available market is equal to the number of cell phones. Just imagine the revenue from 1% of that TAM!"

I have met with the founder of AnyDO, and I personally heard their pitch.

I don't know if it is public yet, so I will refrain from repeating it here.

But I can say that a TODO app is only the beginning/stepping stone. They did not raise their money based on a TODO task list.

s/TODO/GTD/g will not change the above conclusion.

hey all,

My name is Omer Perchik and I'm one of the co-founders of Any.DO. As mentioned above, Any.DO is not yet another to do list, it's more, much more.

You all are invited to checkout my interview with Robert Scoble to get a hint of what technology we're building on the back-end : https://plus.google.com/111091089527727420853/posts/4sSNuhy8...

Considering their about page was taken from somewhere else as well, not sure how much originality they are capable of achieving.

http://www.any.do/about

If you're looking for something to try out, check out Wunderlist. It works on Mac OS X, Windows, Linux, iOS, and Android. Syncs among all the platforms. The website features a nice overview (http://www.6wunderkinder.com/wunderlist/).

My wife is a bit of a to-do list snob, and she likes the way it works for her.

Best of all, no waiting for a beta.

I got the same feeling. What differentiates Any.DO from Astrid, Google Tasks, Remember the Milk, org-mode, Taskwarrior or any of the thousands of other to-do applications/systems out there?

Our view on where we will take the app :)

I guess I don't understand how people use task lists. For me, it's a simple list in my text editor that is always open. I use it to free my mind of the next 5-10 things I want to do, typically during the current and following day.

To me it wouldn't make sense at all to be able to synchronize with my friends or to add tags and other kinds of metadata. That would be extreme over-engineering for my purposes.

I am curious: if you use these complex features of a task list, how exactly do you use it and what does your daily routine look like?

My TODO list was an OmniOutliner document because I need something that looks like a flexible list than a plain text (so I could edit edit without ever worrying about its structure), but has a free edit capability of text file (because I always outline my thought that way), they roughly looks like this:

    Fix backup script
    - rm then cp is lame, other ways?
      - rsync -az --del?
      - unison?
    - Also deposit few more budget to Tarsnap

...and the list keep expanding once I think up of something. For something that I have no idea of what to do about it, it'd remain a single-level item. No other GTD/TODO list capable of doing this or presented this in a way I like (I don't need projects, category, etc., don't think for me, just give me a nestable list, dammit!)

That said, once I realized OmniFocus is basically OmniOutliner optimized for GTD, I switched to it and could say it's the best $79 I've spent in a long time. With OmniOutliner, my usage is almost the same except with a slightly optimized interface and ability to sync across devices and some geolocation goodness.

Sync: not so much with friends but with myself - I have one todo list on the phone, the iPad, and the computer. Tags: I want to do art stuff. What's in the art tag? I'm going to the grocery store, what's in the grocery tag? (which pops up when I get to the store) and while I'm out what do I need to get for current projects?

I used to have a text file but I really found that only worked for stuff that happens at the computer.

I think this demonstrates why no one has really "won" the todo list, people use them a variety of ways. I agree that some are over-engineered; those that require you to categorize, color-code, set a due date, but I have no evidence that those types aren't popular with some people. Without having used Any.DO, it appears to strike a decent balance between features and simplicity.

i think it boils down to using what works for you. some people still use pen and paper and carry a list with them..

to me the main feature of such programs is synchronization.. while i may not remember to wear the pants with my pen and paper i will always be next to some internet device that can quickly retrieve such lists. And all the better if said lists are contextual. for now i am still on rememberthemilk.com one thing that is missing from there, is sublists.

i'd like a better way of listing steps for each task. i.e. expand something like "Find a cat sitter" and see a list of sources i need to check and be able to check them off, w/out cluttering the main list window.

if i could find that (something exactly like RTM but with nice sub-tasks) i'd be a happy camper

I use Springpad for the simple fact that it synchronizes across all my computers/devices and lets me categorize my task a little better (work mode vs home mode). Springpad also benefits from other non-task related features though which is why I use it over more specific task list apps.

1 million for this!? Why the hell am I working for other people? VC's fund fucking to-do lists?

There's more than the eye can see...

Maybe have a video for those of us without Android phones? I'd be interested in seeing what you do differently from everyone else (if you do things differently)

I had the same question. I found: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMa1w2TX1f8

It's interesting that it looks like a Windows Metro app. I wonder if that was a conscious decision on their part? Is the Metro look and feel resonating with people? Sales of Windows phones doesn't seem to suggest it is.

Ok so I downloaded their app and tried it out. As for a todo list is simple, clean and really pretty. I mean REALLY pretty. Animations and slickness all over the place. Its gorgeous. For an android app its A+ quality.

As a todo app, its good enough in that for an individual its what most people would need but it doesn't compare with some of the more advanced todo lists out there.

and yet a pretty interface and catchy name may be the key to success...if this market hadn't already been oversaturated

Around the time of their funding, the hype around Any.DO in the Tel-Aviv startup scene was that they are working on cutting-edge technology to enable human interaction with mobile devices.

Probably something along the lines of Siri.

If that's really where they're going, or will it stop at a generic to-do app, only time will tell.

You are more than welcome to come and visit our offices and see for yourself .

feel free to ping me to omer at any dot do :)

Creating a todo list is a cute first application for a starting developer.

Good luck trying to make money off of it.

I've tried a bunch of "TODO" apps and promptly uninstalled them because they often require more work to update and maintain than some of the tasks on my list.

Any.DO is different, I haven't uninstalled it and I seem to be using it.

Which ones have you tried and uninstalled?

I use GoTasks (https://market.android.com/details?id=com.mile.android.gotas...) synced with Google Tasks. My requirements were: (1) Ability to drag to sort the tasks manually. (2) Ability to sync the tasks with a cloud. (3) Ability to edit those tasks on my PC (for this I use the full-screen shortcut https://mail.google.com/tasks/canvas).

I couldn't be happier.

I don't get it - How is it different from the gazillion other apps/webapps ? And the stuff ain't even ready to download.

Very weak sell to make me even sign up.

Does anyone else just freaking enter their todo list/scratch pad into a gmail message? I can't be the only one e-mailing stuff to myself.

Maybe one day I'll download a todo app (or write one myself).

I do but I don't email it to myself, just leave in the drafts.

Can't try the app but that's a really slick homepage, just saying.

EDIT: Although if you have a small width (half screen, 540px) you can scroll sideways and break it on firefox.

What is with the sudden appearance of a number of todo/agile/gtd apps? Trello, Assana, Do.com and a few other who's names escape me.

I don't think this is anything sudden. There are a hundred more each year.

Is there any kind of web/desktop interface?

Yes, but you have to get in line behind 11K other people for the beta. :(

Still don't get it. Why should I wait in a 11k people line to get my things done........

from the same developers "Taskos To Do List", their previous Android app, is IMHO much better: same functions, a more useful widget and the app is much lighter.

yet another todo list. how is this one better than wunderlist?

Well, I tried to download it. It wants to be able to send SMS, read system logs, know my location, and access account authentication tokens...

...for a todo list.

Yeah, no.

It's a _todo list_ AND it's _spyware_.

http://www.hulu.com/watch/61320/saturday-night-live-shimmer-...

You check out the explanations for the requested permissions at our FAQ page: http://www.any.do/faq

May I suggest offering a "I don't want to share tasks or analyze crash logs, I'll take my chances" version of the app for us tinfoil hat people who just want a nice todo list app and don't care about being "social"?

I like asana.

This is NOT another TODO app. They use NLP and other algorithms to do cool things.

Such as?

Very descriptive.

Nlp?

This better make a good case for why I should stop using Do It Tomorrow (http://tomorrow.do/). To-do management needs to be a tool to get real tasks done, not to make managing those tasks take the spotlight. The site has me worried about the latter being the case.

I've tried out a bunch of them. And NirvanaHQ beats the competition hands down. https://www.nirvanahq.com/ What's so great about NHQ is the combination of long-term 'projects' with short term to-do lists, and being able to seamlessly manage both your grocery shopping list and that new programming language learning project.

I put it to you that you're a shill.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com