TaskPaper for iPhone First Look!

I am more than a bit excited to be able to be one of the first to bring you a preview of TaskPaper for the iPhone, a new task/list manager for the iPhone.

A little over a year ago, my good friend Michael Mistretta lamented the fact that there was no task/list app for the iPhone that was a simple as pen and paper or, even, the built in Notes.app on the iPhone. At the time he ended his post with this request:

Now, for my notebook-style lists app: I’ll take a paper-UI, swipe to strikethrough, double-tap to highlight iPhone app with a side order of fries and a large Sprite to go.

Well, very soon, Jesse Grosjean of Hog Bay Software will deliver just that (except without the Fries and Sprite feature – though that may be in a future version).

I have been a big fan of TaskPaper for Mac for quite some time. It was one of the first items I posted to Minimal Mac and there is good reason, as task/list applications go it is as basic as it gets without removing crucial functionality – thus leaving an elegant and well balanced solution (plus, the documents are simply marked up plain text files. Viva la .txt!). The iPhone version, out now, is no different – all the features you need, none you don’t…

• Intuitive, with subtle guidance to help you only where you need it? Check!

• Make lists quickly without tapping buttons or leaving the keyboard? Check!

• Swipe to strikethrough completed items? Check!

• Double tap to edit? Check!

• Landscape support? Check!

• Highlight and manipulate multiple items? Check!

• Archiving of completed items? Check!

• Ability to focus on single projects and tags? Check!

Oh, and did I mention…

• Over the air syncing, emailing of documents, superfast seraching, TextExpander support, password protection? Check! Check! Check! Check! And Check!

What is also nice is that it does not lock you into any single usage type. You can use it for any list you can think of – Groceries, Wishlists, etc. The features that make it great at task management (Projects, Tagging) are also easy to ignore and not use on a per list basis.

I have been using the beta version as my full time task and list manager for about a month now and it has evolved nicely and is rock solid. This, in my opinion, is a must have item and I put it right on up there with Simplenote as my favorite and most used application on my iPhone.