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OF iPhone 4.0 Wishlist Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
What I would love to see after 4.0 is released:

1) Sync using "Task Completion", so when closing an app, it completely syncs the database.

2) Reminders with "Local Notifications", replaces the current iCal method.

3) Proximity context reminders, with "Background Location", eg. you get to work, a popup with a quick summery of tasks that you have pending at this context location.

4) Support for "Fast App Switching".

5) Mirror Project in the Calendar, eg. "Vacation Prep" could also spawn an entry in your iCal with a link back to OmniFocus.
 
Here's a passionate vote for number 3, location-based alerts where I define the trigger distance for each! I've been wanting this since the day I bought OF. This will put the power of the iphone to work for me, and compensate for my forgetfulness.

Omni, please also take note that Apple's standard little alert is too easy to miss when iphone is in my pocket!

-D
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by miggs97 View Post
What I would love to see after 4.0 is released:

1) Sync using "Task Completion", so when closing an app, it completely syncs the database.

2) Reminders with "Local Notifications", replaces the current iCal method.

3) Proximity context reminders, with "Background Location", eg. you get to work, a popup with a quick summery of tasks that you have pending at this context location.

4) Support for "Fast App Switching".

5) Mirror Project in the Calendar, eg. "Vacation Prep" could also spawn an entry in your iCal with a link back to OmniFocus.
I would really like to see all these features omnigroup please :-)
 
I think that numbers 2 and 4 are pretty much a given. It's my understanding that "Fast App Switching" is pretty much an inherent result of updating the app to use the iPhone OS 4 SDK, and "Local Notifications" is something that Omni has been wishing they had for a very long time -- the kludgy subscribed-calendar workaround was specifically required because they couldn't get local notifications, and Omni has said numerous times on these forums that when and if a local notification service became available they'd use that instead.

"Task Completion" doesn't seem like too complicated an idea either, and would probably be a good fit for just about anybody.

While it seems like a cool idea on the surface, proximity reminders seem like they could be very complicated to implement properly in an app like OmniFocus...
  • Firstly, what distance should you need to be within in order to trigger a proximity alarm? While I suppose it could be user-configurable, the vagaries of location services on the iPhone OS platform would mean that too small of a number may never trigger a proximity alert, and too large of a number may trigger false alerts.
  • The problem may be exacerbated even further by the way OS 4 will handle background location -- it sounds like by default it will only re-check location when you actually change cell towers, which means that if you're walking around a neighbourhood it may never re-check to figure out that you've come in proximity of a target location.
  • Alternatively, even if a full always-updating background location mode is available in the SDK, it would be hell on your battery life.
  • Further, it may not work on non-iPhone devices like the iPod touch or iPad at all if it's tied to cellular tower monitoring.
IMHO, unreliable alerts would be worse than no alerts at all because you'd fall out of the habit of checking the app and instead rely on notifications that you might not receive consistently.

The fifth item isn't actually all that hard to accomplish right now using the subscribed calendar method, except that it doesn't happen natively on the device (it requires an Internet connection), and it's kind of an all-or-nothing deal rather than being project-specific. I could see the use for this feature for some users, but regardless, this is something that Omni could have easily implemented in the Mac version a long time ago and doesn't really require the new iPhone OS 4 features unless you're only using OF on the iPhone -- if OF on the Mac updated iCal on the Mac the information would sync up easily enough through the normal conduits.
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by miggs97 View Post
What I would love to see after 4.0 is released:

1) Sync using "Task Completion", so when closing an app, it completely syncs the database.

2) Reminders with "Local Notifications", replaces the current iCal method.

3) Proximity context reminders, with "Background Location", eg. you get to work, a popup with a quick summery of tasks that you have pending at this context location.

4) Support for "Fast App Switching".

5) Mirror Project in the Calendar, eg. "Vacation Prep" could also spawn an entry in your iCal with a link back to OmniFocus.
I like these but would add:

6. Ability to email an action to a person. Email would contain the text of the action along with date information and context. Would also be nice if it were to also include the action as an attachment such that the recipient could click on it and add it to their OF either on Mac or iPhone (similar to how caldav appts are emailed around).

J.
 
While it seems like a cool idea on the surface, proximity reminders seem like they could be very complicated to implement properly in an app like OmniFocus...
  • Firstly, what distance should you need to be within in order to trigger a proximity alarm? While I suppose it could be user-configurable, the vagaries of location services on the iPhone OS platform would mean that too small of a number may never trigger a proximity alert, and too large of a number may trigger false alerts.
  • The problem may be exacerbated even further by the way OS 4 will handle background location -- it sounds like by default it will only re-check location when you actually change cell towers, which means that if you're walking around a neighbourhood it may never re-check to figure out that you've come in proximity of a target location.
  • Alternatively, even if a full always-updating background location mode is available in the SDK, it would be hell on your battery life.
  • Further, it may not work on non-iPhone devices like the iPod touch or iPad at all if it's tied to cellular tower monitoring.
IMHO, unreliable alerts would be worse than no alerts at all because you'd fall out of the habit of checking the app and instead rely on notifications that you might not receive consistently.
------------
I think people who have seen google maps track them as a "blue dot" as they walk down the street will struggle with the concept that this is hard to organise. I know i do. I mean I hear what you are saying but I really don't like it! This is very bad news. Hopefully no one really thinks people wil be driving or walking Down a street with an ipad for directions!! I suppose a passenger could have one in their lap but gps for ipad doesn't seem relevant. ?

Last edited by Casper TFG; 2010-04-26 at 03:43 PM..
 
Check out this iphone app: "pin an action"
It's got some issues, but the concept is cool. Something like this with OS4 background location services (and the user sets preference for which type, trading off battery for accuracy) would be just what this aging brain needs!
 
Apparently, apps will be given access to calendars... maybe we could finally have events added for due dates? :)
 
Due date on iCal + due time on iCal = alarm?

Please god!
 
I imagine that something like that would be coming, although it should no longer be necessary to use the calendar to accomplish this as the new "Local Notifications" feature should allow OF itself to provide push notifications.

If you're using a WebDAV server for syncing, you can already have OF publish your due dates to a calendar that you can then subscribe to both on your iPhone and in iCal, so it's not really necessary to have direct access to the calendar to accomplish this unless you simply don't have a server to store a published calendar on.
 
 


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