Flow comes out of Beta and announces pricing
The folks at http://www.getflow.com/ sent an email announcing they are out of Beta. I test drove Flow for awhile and came right back to Nirvana. While a valiant effort, the subtle nuances of a clean/usable GUI don't measure up in Flow. Nirvana seems to have a real knack for elegant design.
Flow is selling for $9.99/mo or $99/year. I think that prices them out of contention. Price point should be $20-$60 per year.... my 2c.
Keep up the great work Nirvana!
Jeff
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32 Posted by dafyren on 06 Sep, 2011 07:54 PM
(I mean doit.im and not Flow)
33 Posted by Geert on 06 Sep, 2011 09:19 PM
Dafyren,
True, it does look (a lot !) like they got their inspiration from Nirvana, but there are little touches in the UI that irk me.
E.g. you have to click two times to edit a task - once to choose the task, and once to edit it (or you have to move all the way to the right of your screen).
When you pick a deadline for a task, you have to click the date AND the 'OK' button. If you decide you don't want to add the deadline now, it's not easy to get read of the calendar box. You have to click here and there hoping that the box disappears. Etc.
I know these are details, but to me, these little things make or break the flow of your work, and Nirvana does these things just right, with a minimum of clicks and key strokes. Doit.im doesn't, IMO.
34 Posted by Proximo on 06 Sep, 2011 10:22 PM
Here is my take on Doit.im Beta.
It looks great. Why? Because it looks like Nirvana and Things.
I LOVE the Google Calendar integration.
It has task reminders by pop-up or by email, very nice
The iPhone app is fantastic. No matter where you are, you can click on the plug icon and enter a new task quickly.
As some pointed out. It does not currently have a UNL which means you see all project task in the Next List. I reported this as a feature request.
It does not have a quick way to mark something for Today like the Star icon. I reported this as a feature request.
You can't add contacts on the fly. I reported this as a feature request.
The filters are not working correctly when looking at them in "Default" mode such as in the Next list. I reported this bug.
Although it's rough around the edges, it's packed with lots of features, laid out for GTD and the mobile apps work great.
As for the Desktop app. I see no reason why anyone would want to install a Desktop app. Just use the Web Application. It's faster and looks perfectly fine. This gives you a GTD system that can be accessed anywhere with a browser, which is what I love about Nirvana.
It seems like the Doit.im team are making HUGE strides in the right direction and they are making changes quickly. I noticed some really cool coding tricks in their Web Application, so I know they are using HTML 5.
They have lots of sorting options for looking at your list and they also have Smart List that allow you to create custom views of your stuff.
I also like that I can hide the list easily, so I removed the Tomorrow list, because I don't like it.
Right now, it's missing a few things that would prevent it from running as smoothly as I would like, but the feature request are in and I will keep an eye out for the updates. So far, Doit.im seems to have lots of potential and they don't have far to go.
Still love Nirvana and it will stay my GTD service of choice. BUT, there is a new kid in the block that has done some major changes and has my attention.
P.S.
One thing that I noticed is that Doit.im is set up with the GTD list the way I like, but it allows you to quickly switch to a Context view like SmartyTask. So it caters to both styles very quickly.
Also, there is a difference between "Context" and "Tags". They are two different things, so if you use "Tags" for your Areas, it works perfectly in the same way Nirvana does.
35 Posted by Mike on 07 Sep, 2011 02:04 AM
Has anyone reviewed the TOS and Privacy Policy for doit.im? It seems a bit lacking, IMO. Here are the two main things that jumped out at me:
Is anyone else concerned with this, or am I wearing a tin-foil hat?
36 Posted by Alex on 07 Sep, 2011 03:09 AM
@Proximo: I meant web app, not desktop app. Either way, I have found it slow as molasses (even with just a few tasks) - both their old and their beta versions. But, yeah, I do like all the features they've added (and, of course, the GUI looks like Nirvana, which looks like Things). One thing that's much better in Doit.IM is the interface for entering tasks. Brutally simple and quick. Nirvana could well take a look at that.
37 Posted by AJS on 07 Sep, 2011 09:40 AM
Mike:
I have no idea about Doit.im TOS or whether they share information with partners. I guess as they are providing the service for free and have no plans on charging for it they may well have some form of sponsorship with third parties similar to Springpad and the like. I can't say it is a major worry for me, although it would be if I was paying for it.
On the speed issue, it's not as fast as Nirvana but I can't say I've noticed it's particularly slow. I was using Gqueues and that isn't any faster in all honesty. Doit.im is clearly still a work in progress but what has impressed me is that they are making improvements quickly and intelligently. It's already a pretty good all round package even in Beta. What I like is that they are getting the basics right at both Web and mobile app level and then putting bells and whistles on later.
A couple of things Nirvana do better:
Star a task to move it into today quickly. Nice but it's not a massive chore to drag it into the Today folder instead
Areas of Focus: this is missing in Doit.im but I must confess I never really use this anyway. I quite often want to add tasks for work when I'm at home so I like to have just one area anyway. Putting separate categories just adds an extra level of complexity for me and creates another place to look for tasks. Contexts does this job nicely for me and it's done well in Doit.im.
38 Posted by Mark S on 07 Sep, 2011 01:31 PM
https://i.doit.im/terms
I had a good look at their terms yesterday and meant to post my concerns too.
The section I've copied below concerns me a little and I think would make people think very carefully about the type of project they are managing with this service.
=== 4. DOIT.IM PRIVACY POLICY
Registration Data and certain other information about you are subject to our applicable privacy policy. You understand that through your use of the Doit.im Services you consent to the collection and use (as set forth in the applicable privacy policy) of this information, including the transfer of this information to PRC and/or other countries for storage, processing and use by Doit.im.
Can't seem to find the Applicable Privacy Policy anywhere on the site and I'm not sure I want to consent to my data being shared with the PRC government?
39 Posted by david-drake on 07 Sep, 2011 02:05 PM
Hi Proximo,
Thanks for the nice review on Doit.im. I have installed the Android app and am working with it and the web app. I must say, I am very impressed so far. Yes, still some rough edges, but like you, I REALLY like the Google calendar integration. I am still using Nirvana as my primary GTD app, but..... there is a serious new kid on the block...
-David
40 Posted by Alex on 07 Sep, 2011 03:28 PM
Weird - nobody else finds Doit.im really slow? I mean I have 2-3 tasks total, I'll click "Context" or some other tab and the refresh symbol (the curved arrows) just spin and spin for like 20-30 seconds before the GUI fills in all the appropriate information. Other actions are faster but still laggy (like 2-3 seconds). I have a very fast, computer and connection. What browsers are you guys testing it on?
41 Posted by david-drake on 07 Sep, 2011 03:43 PM
It is slower than Nirvana, but then again, every web app I have tested is slower. However, I do not experience a2-30 second delay by any means. I am accessing it via the latest, official version of Google Chrome.
-David
42 Posted by AJS on 07 Sep, 2011 03:53 PM
Alex,
I'm using Google Chrome 14.0.835.157 beta-m. All my tasks are loaded on it and it loads within a second for the most part. I have come across the odd occasion where it seems to get stuck and I have to switch to a different folder then back, but I just put that down to it being a beta. It was far worse a few months ago, they seem to be making rapid progress on a few fronts. No doubt Nirvana is a much more polished web app at this time though. For me personally having a fully functional native app is a decent trade off for a slightly less expansive web app. If a web app was all I needed then I would never look any further than Nirvana.
43 Posted by Karl Jolly on 07 Sep, 2011 04:29 PM
Just a thought but shouldn't you guys be having this conversation on a Doit forum?
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device
44 Posted by Alex on 07 Sep, 2011 04:45 PM
@Karl: You might have a point. Not only are we the wrong forum but also the wrong thread. I blame Proximo! ;-)
That being said, it's a little faster this morning. So the server might get overloaded occasionally (I am also on latest Google chrome). Quirks abound - I am also not about to abandon the reliability and speediness of N2 but certainly will keep an eye on this too...
45 Posted by schollguin on 07 Sep, 2011 05:13 PM
I just took a new look at Doit...my old account was still active. The new Beta seems very much improved, but that's probably because (as Proximo pointed out) it looks more like Nirvana and Things now. :-)
But, no sub-projects, and no way to group projects (i.e. Project Folders), so no use in me leaving Nirvana even though we still don't have sub projects here....hint hint. ;-) Like a native mobile app for some, sub-projects is my "jump-off" point, so hopefully we get it soon and I can stop bothering to look elsewhere every month.
46 Posted by Proximo on 07 Sep, 2011 10:34 PM
@Karl
The post was about Flow initially but then some people mentioned that Doit.im as an alternative. From there, it grows like a Wildfire. :-)
The reason people discuss other GTD services on the Nirvana forums are.
We love Nirvana and like to remind the developers about things we like about other apps although deep inside we love Nirvana more.
We respect each others opinions about GTD software and like to get different perspectives.
The Nirvana Developers get Jealous and start to kick things into high gear.
The Nirvana forums are very friendly and open minded.
Did I mention that we like to motivate the Nirvana Development team with these type of post?
With that said. Doit.im is rough around the edges but promising. I am still very happy with Nirvana and it's still my one and only GTD Web App.
@Alex. Make sure you use the Web App only. It's much faster than the desktop application. (Wow, what a different world we live in today)
@AJS. You need to use Tags for Areas. Context and Tags are two different things in Doit.im. When you create your Areas with Tags, they appear at the top of the UI as a way to filter everything based on the Area you want.
@Mark. If you use Facebook, Twitter or Google+, all your information already belongs to the world. I use all 3, so I am really in bad shape. :-)
47 Posted by AJS on 07 Sep, 2011 11:33 PM
Hi guys,
sorry if mentioning Doit,im has offended anyone, but one of Nirvana's strengths has always been their open discussion which is why I think people gravitate here. There's a marked contrast with other competitors such as GID, where the developer doesn't like public discussion and asks for private response. I think that might explain why they have a fantastic looking, feature packed web app which falls down on the way things are set out and lack of intuitive implementation. I'm a paying customer btw, but their lack of enthusiasm for open feedback means I probably won't be renewing.
I believe the Nirvana developers know their market and have developed their web app to suit that market so they don't really need to fear anyone as no competitor comes close to matching their product as a web app alone. I pitched in because someone asked what were our thoughts about Doit.im, and as there are people here who have been clamouring for native mobile apps I gave my opinion.If it's ok to discuss competitor weaknesses then why not learn from their strengths?
@Proximo
I haven't really made much use of tags yet in Doit, mostly I just use tags for certain people, but that's an excellent idea. I think maybe the guys at Nirvana could look at implementing it that way as well, it's far more intuitive.
48 Posted by Alex on 08 Sep, 2011 02:20 AM
@Proximo. I was using the Web app. In my experience Doit.im's web app is pretty laggy and often gets stuck for long loops (>30 secs). By comparison Nirvana web app is so fast I don't even think of it as web app anymore...
What I would like is Nirvana's web app and Doit.im's Android app...
49 Posted by Proximo on 09 Sep, 2011 03:59 AM
Alex,
I know one day, Nirvana will go live, many features will be implemented and a native iOS and Android app will be in place.
All we can do until that time get's here is to continue getting things done, share our ideas and drink a lot to get our minds off it. :-)
50 Posted by david-drake on 09 Sep, 2011 12:46 PM
Here, here! I will drink to that.... :)