Initial Release of Pimlical for Android

That problem has been fixed. If you go back to the download page you were asked to bookmark, you will see that update 4 is up. Each version smoothes out more issues. Right now it is working pretty nicely on my Nexus One. I think there are still some default calendar issues with HTC phones that use the PC Sync calendar, which I don't have.

You might want to use it in parallel with whatever your default it (that's what I'm doing). CESD is making improvements rapidly.

 

Hook, does the to-do list portion sync to any cloud service (like PI syncs to Toodledo)?

 

Not at this time. So far, CESD is sticking with Google and in fact is only syncing the Calendar. Tasks, at least in PimlicalA (Pimlical for Android), appear on the calendar, so in fact they are synced. There is no to-do list,per se. I don't know if this is how Datebk6 handled things or is just because Google hasn't published their task APIs, but it works perfectly for me because that is how I have always approached tasks-- as things I need to do that appear on my calendar so I remember to do them. I never have used to-do lists. This actually pushes me more towards using Pimlical rather than PI.

I also really love having floats. No one else can do floats. Actually, I don't think Google Calendar does floats, but what happens is that when the float advances in Pimlical, at the next sync, it "advances" in Google even though Google has no idea that it what it is doing. Brilliant!

I don't use Pimlical Desktop, by the way. I use Outlook and have no intention of changing, but I download Google to Outlook via Companion Link.

PimlicalA also does not have contacts although you can link any appointment/task to an Android contact.

Now that there have been about 3 slipstream updates, Pimlical is behaving very well on my Nexus One and I am really enjoying it. I will probably keep using Pocket Informant in parallel for awhile and see what happens with both as they become more full featured, but I am enjoying PimlicalA.

 

Thanks a lot, Hook. Thanks a whole lot.

I have to give this a try now... that ability alone, to attach any task or event and link it to a contact, is priceless to me.

Can you explain floats? Are we talking about the way it advances events?

Thanks, Hook!

 

Floats are essentially tasks that have no due date. The behavior is that the task "floats" to whatever the current day is until dismissed, to keep giving you a constant reminder that the task is on-going. So, every day, there it is on your agenda for the day. I have a number of things I want to do because they are important to me but have no due date because they are not work tasks and have to be done as time permits.

On attatching contacts, just because it takes a moment to figure it out: it is not an option on the task description. You create the task or appoitment. When you tap on a day, it first brings up a list of appointments and tasks. If you want to edit one, you do a short tap. However, if you long-press the item it brings up an options menu including the option to link a contact.

 

Thanks again, Hook. I'll have to keep checking the download page for updates more regularly, at least until CESD gets it up on the Android Market. I was having big problems with the fake event issue, but the updates did complete resolve it.

So I'm happy with Pimlical once again! Touch Calendar is another app I was using just prior to you telling me that Pimlical had already been released. Thankfully, it is more of just a front end for Google Calendar, so its easy to go back to it if any more issues pop up in Pimlical.

 

YES!!!! That is exactly what Datebk use to do... the event/task stayed "on" till I did it.

While it is not pure GTD, it was always what I preferred.

I am sold. For now.

 

I'm thrilled with this news! It sounds as though CESD is developing and enhancing PimlicalA just as he did DB6. This app alone swings the meter heavily in favor of Android for my next migration (although that's currently the only reasonable path for me anyway.)

With DB6, I found I used Floats heavily, possibly as much or more than standard tasks. With Float capability, I could probably learn to live without full integration of "standard" tasks, although I'd still very much prefer that.

This whole thing, whether many users realize it or not, is one of the best pieces of news for the Android platform I've seen. I've long held that CESD is one of the more brilliant developers around, and this reinforces that. The Android world should elevate him to some sort of "King" status!

 

Thought I would come back and comment. As of about two updates ago, PimlicalA is completely stable and reliable on my Nexus One and CESD is rapidly addressing any remaining problems. I am just incredibly impressed with this program and what it is capable of. I have the advantage of not being a Datebk6 user-- from what I can tell, it does not yet do everything that impressive program could do, but my expectations are lower. However, I have no doubt it eventually will.

I'm also, as I wrote in another forum, very impressed with CESD as a developer. Most Android apps are designed just like iPhone apps-- they just use whatever common UI widgets the SDK makes available. Not CESD-- he actually seems to realize there is a Linux box lurking under there. If he needs a widget and it isn't in the SDK, he builds it. I love having preferences that actually use values rather than radio button. It's all still finger friendly, but he flies in the face of the notion that you can't get real power out of finger friendly environments. He might even get some flak for that when this app gets to the Android market, but I recall people used to complain about the complexity of Datebk6 or Zlauncher. This probably isn't a mass-market app, but it has a good vertical audience I think.

Anyway, the upshot is, this is my calendar and task (reminders) app. I'm very calendar centric. I don't use to-do lists, I put tasks as reminders on my calendar and I really *really* love floats. Pocket Informant is no longer even in the running (though I will continue to watch as it expands its feature set)

 

Thanks for the update (and for the question about side-loading); good to have the info at hand, even if I'm not using Android yet.