INTRODUCTION
The busy pace of our lives necessitates some level of organization. The one technique that is commonly used for personal organization is the use of lists. From grocery list to task list, lists help organize all sorts of activities in our busy days. The use of Post It notes is very popular way to capture lists, they are easy to use, however they are also easy to lose. The solution: create and manage lists on a computer. The challenge: an application that runs on multiple computing platform from PC to Smartphone so you always have access to your lists. Ilium Software has developed such an application, ListPro. It runs on Windows XP/Vista, Windows Mobile Professional (Pocket PC), Standard (Smartphone) and PalmOS. They have just released ListPro version 5.0. Let's see how well the Windows Mobile version of ListPro helps me organize my life!
WHAT'S HOT
ListPro version 5.0 includes the following new features:
- Rich text formatting in notes
- Images can be linked in notes
- Lists can be exported to RSS/XML format
- Lists can be exported to HTML format
- Active links in notes
- One click list publishing to Windows Mobile devices
- New list of templates
SETUP
There are two installation options. A Windows based installation application or a Windows Mobile .cab file.
The Windows Mobile Professional ListPro Windows installation application running on Vista.
The ListPro Windows Mobile installer. I selected to install ListPro on my T-Mobile Wing's Storage Card.
PRODUCT FEATURES
Ilium Software's ListPro 5.0 is a very simple yet powerful list management application.
The ListPro lists are stored in files which easily be transferred with ActiveSync or Mobile Device Center.
The lists are composed of items which can be ordered hierarchically.
There are four methods of creating lists: The Quick list function provides a simple method to create a two column list (Checkbox and Item). The List Wizard function provides a step by step process to create a list. The New Folder function provides the capability to group lists together in one file. The New File function creates a new list file.
The List Wizard allows you to choose the location of the new list within the file (root or folder) and which columns will be part of the list's item.
The List Wizard completes the creation with the naming of the list.
The list is populated by creating new items. This lists contains a check box and item description. Every list item contains a rich text note area capable of supporting image links and active http links.
The list item view options provides various settings to customize the display.
The lists properties include the addition or deletion of item columns and the ability to control the lists hierarchy.
There are certain list columns which can be cleared automatically. The list's color and font can also be altered.
The list items can also be associated with alarms.
The lists can contain column with numbers. These column can be summed to provide totals based on a predefined criteria.
So far you are thinking: the ListPro application offers the basic list management features you would expect from this class of application. What makes it different? Well, I have found three areas which makes ListPro stand out from the crowd. They are:
First, the ability to easily share lists with others who do not have access to ListPro. The export feature is especially powerful with options to create HTML and XML files.
The ListPro HTML output using Windows Mobile's Pocket Internet Explorer.
Second, the ListPro list exchange is an excellent repository providing access and a means to share many different types of lists.
And third, the ability to easily synchronize lists across the Windows XP/Vista, Windows Mobile, and PalmOS platforms. The simplicity of the application, along with these features make ListPro an outstanding list management tool.
