What Happened to TASKS in Mobile Computing?

[KCandSunshine13]

I've had a BlackBerry since the days of 7100i. I'm looking to upgrade from my present Bold 9930. My company uses Windows in the PCs and Microsoft Office for productivity - including Outlook. We have an exchange server. This allows us access to all of the information necessary to perform our jobs when out of the office: Calendar / Contacts / Notes / Tasks. I read somewhere that in the US alone, more than 60% of companies with an exchange server use Outlook. So, why did the mobile computing world decide that no one needs Outlook Tasks (To Do Lists) to sync with mobile devices any longer?

I tried Evernote (The Secret Weapon) but could not figure out how to set reminder/alarms for deadlines. I'm trying One Note which looks to be pretty powerful with all that can be entered. However, there is no One Note for my BlackBerry so I'm using just the desktop app now which is odd because when I create a Task in Outlook but I must then click the "One Note" button to send it to the One Note app so I'm adding another step in the process - which is fine as long as whatever I create in One Note also goes to Outlook Tasks on the desktop AND I get reminder/alarms for deadlines.

Am I missing something? If I buy a 928, how does One Note sync with Outlook (Exchange) Tasks? Is it a 2-way street? I've copied my Outlook Notes to One Note so those with be there when the phone is set up. However, I really need Task (To Do List) with reminders/alarms that sync, e.g. - [] Feed the dog early / Alarm: Today 5:30PM. How and what are similar Windows Phone 8 / Outlook (Exchange) users handling this issue? Thanks for the feedback.

 

[o0Nighthawk0o]

My company uses Exchange and I have a Nokia Lumia 920. I don't use tasks but decided to set one just to test it.

In email and accounts touch your exchange account. In content to sync make sure tasks is checked. Set up a task through outlook and save it. It should show up on the calendar on your phone and a reminder alert should go off at whatever time you set in the task in outlook.

It works on my phone.

Edit to add:

I did some more 'playing'. I can set up tasks and to-do lists in Outlook and on my phone. Change due dates, set reminders, add notes, delete and mark as done on both and all the changes sync both directions. Kinda cool. I'm going to have to play with this and/or use it more.

 

[foxbat121]

Tasks, aka To-Do list now, is there in WP. You can sync it with your exchange server or Outlook.com/Hotmail/Live Mail. It will show up just fine on your phone in To-Do page of the calendar app. It is a two way sync too. What's the big fuss about it? Are you sure you are not confused WP with Android where tasks are not a natively supported sync item.

 

[KCandSunshine13]

Tasks, aka To-Do list now, is there in WP. You can sync it with your exchange server or Outlook.com/Hotmail/Live Mail. It will show up just fine on your phone in To-Do page of the calendar app. It is a two way sync too. What's the big fuss about it? Are you sure you are not confused WP with Android where tasks are not a natively supported sync item.

Thanks for the info. This is great news! I guess I've been reading way too many forums posts about sync issues. I'm glad to know that To Do on the phone syncs with Tasks in Outlook when one has Exchange.

 

[sketchy9]

But the problem is that tasks are not visible on a live tile. What's the point? The information I care about should be presented to me when I turn on my phone (e.g. number of tasks due today).

-R

 

[o0Nighthawk0o]

But the problem is that tasks are not visible on a live tile. What's the point? The information I care about should be presented to me when I turn on my phone (e.g. number of tasks due today).

-R

while the task won't show up on the calendar live tile you can still just tap the tile and see what is going on that day.

Or, when you set up the task you can set the reminder up to go off first thing in the morning on the day it's due. If you set the reminder for multiple tasks to the same time the reminder will go off for all the tasks. The reminder window will show how many tasks. Just flick through them to see each task. Much better than a live tile I think.

 

[sketchy9]

while the task won't show up on the calendar live tile you can still just tap the tile and see what is going on that day.

Or, when you set up the task you can set the reminder up to go off first thing in the morning on the day it's due. If you set the reminder for multiple tasks to the same time the reminder will go off for all the tasks. The reminder window will show how many tasks. Just flick through them to see each task. Much better than a live tile I think.

That's a nice trick but I'd still like a proper, separate app. In my typical task usage, I use start dates and due dates extensively. I don't want to see the task before its start date, and there's often a few days between when the task is started and when it's due. I'd like to see reminder (i.e. live tile count) of active tasks every day (and every time I look at my phone) until I complete them. It's a pretty sad state of affairs in the task world on WP7/8. Almost no apps even recognize start date as a data field, those that do can't hide inactive tasks, and Exchange server sync is abysmal. That's why MS should have included a tasks app in the OS. 3rd party developers are just not getting it done.

Some days I really miss WM 6.5, which, for all its faults, at least had a rock solid PIM experience (email, contacts, calendar, tasks).

-R

 

[jfa1]

yep I loved pocket informant on winmo 6.5 and the integration into franklin covey's software as well. Those wre the days. I wish P{I would get involved wWP8 and MS would open up the API

 

[KCandSunshine13]

That's a nice trick but I'd still like a proper, separate app. In my typical task usage, I use start dates and due dates extensively. I don't want to see the task before its start date, and there's often a few days between when the task is started and when it's due. I'd like to see reminder (i.e. live tile count) of active tasks every day (and every time I look at my phone) until I complete them. It's a pretty sad state of affairs in the task world on WP7/8. Almost no apps even recognize start date as a data field, those that do can't hide inactive tasks, and Exchange server sync is abysmal. That's why MS should have included a tasks app in the OS. 3rd party developers are just not getting it done.

Some days I really miss WM 6.5, which, for all its faults, at least had a rock solid PIM experience (email, contacts, calendar, tasks).

-R

What he said!!