hints & tips // 2008.10.02 08:02:08 [hh]

"OmniFocus", Mac und iPhone werden zum perfekten "Personal Asistant"

"OmniFocus 1.1 Sneaky Peak" (derzeit erhältlich als Public-Alpha-Version), MobileMe und "OmniFocus for iPhone 1.0.3" zusammen werden zu einem starken Team. Alle Projekte, Kontexte und Aufgaben werden dann zwischen Mac und "iPhone" synchronisiert. Screen2.0 zeigt eine ziemlich gute Lösung für einen "Personal Assistant".

Folgende Schritte sind notwendig:

1. Me.com Account anlegen und konfigurieren.
2. OmniFocus for iPhone im "App Store" kaufen.
3. "OmniFocus 1.1 Sneaky Peak" von der OmniGroup Web-Site herunterladen.
4. Beide Versionen zum Sharing via "MobileMe" konfigurieren.
5. Jeweils manuell "Synchronize" drücken, um die Daten zwischen iPhone und Mac via WebDAV auszutauschen.

That's it.

Alle Fragen und Antworten der OmniGroup (in englisch)

OmniFocus for iPhone: When's it coming?
The app store has now launched. You can get OmniFocus for iPhone by visiting the iPhone App Store.

What does it cost?
OmniFocus for iPhone is $19.99.

Is there a discount if I buy OmniFocus for Mac and OmniFocus for iPhone?
OmniFocus for Mac and OmniFocus for iPhone are separate products, with lots of independent work going into each one. We're generally quite happy to offer bundle pricing for products purchased through our own online store, but there's no way to do that when selling through the App Store. We've tried to make sure that each product is priced reasonably as its own independent product, and we hope you'll agree that both products become even more valuable when you use them together.

Will OmniFocus work with iPod touch?
Certainly! OmniFocus works the same way on iPod touch as it does on iPhone, except for the things that are impossible there: taking a photo, recording audio, and using the cell network or GPS to find your geographic location. OmniFocus on iPod touch can still try to find your location using Wi-Fi, though.
Does it work on both the original iPhone and iPhone 3G?
Yep, both generations of iPhone work perfectly fine. Of course, synchronization over the 3G network will be much faster, and GPS can help OmniFocus find your location more accurately.

If I have more than one iPhone or iPod touch, how many copies of OmniFocus for iPhone do I need?
Just one; similar to music or iPod game purchases, one license covers any device you personally use and control, up to a limit of five devices. Note that this is determined by the App Store Terms and Conditions.

Do I need OmniFocus for Mac?
OmniFocus can work perfectly fine on your mobile device all by itself. You can create a fully usable database, and then enter, edit, and complete items. Of course, doing really involved editing of large amounts of data is easier on the desktop, but by no means do you need it. If you only have OmniFocus for iPhone or for Mac, at any time you can get the other one and start synchronizing between the two.

What features of OmniFocus for Mac aren't available in OmniFocus for iPhone? Are those features coming later?
As of OmniFocus for iPhone version 1.0.1

• At the moment you can create hierarchy (folders and subcontexts) on iPhone, but you can't move items inside of other items once you've created them. You can, of course, move them around on the Mac side. We have already developed an interface for this and it is coming in a future version of OmniFocus for iPhone.
• Filtering (and by extension Perspectives and review intervals) would be pretty awkward on the phone. Maybe we could do it someday, but it would take quite an interface overhaul.
• There isn't yet an interface for setting up repeating items on iPhone. But if you set up some repeating items on your Mac, they will still iterate properly when you complete them on your iPhone.
• OmniFocus for iPhone can't focus on a particular folder or project while in Contexts mode. You'll see all of your matching actions regardless of where they live in your database.
• Groups work fine on iPhone, but you can't create new groups there.

When can I get the final version of OmniFocus 1.1 for Mac?
We're working as hard as we can on it, but we don't want to release it before we're sure it's ready. We deeply appreciate the indispensable feedback we're getting from people in the Sneaky Peek program; when we are confident that OmniFocus 1.1 is ready for public consumption, we'll release it. Sorry, but we really can't be any more specific than that.

Do I have to pay for future updates?
The App Store policy and the longstanding Omni Group policy agree: minor updates should be free. Of course, if there is a major overhaul of the application with lots of shiny new features, we may release it as a new product, and that would cost money. But bug fixes, minor features, and miscellaneous polishing come at no cost.

Do I have to pay for OmniFocus 1.1 for Mac if I already own version 1.0?
Version 1.1, like all minor updates from the Omni Group, is free.

Why don't you have sync over the USB cable, or timed alerts, or color-coded badges on the app icon, or rich text, or [other obviously useful but absent feature]?
These are all limitations of the iPhone platform, not design choices. The platform is still very young, and we're already thrilled with what we can do, but if Apple wants to open up these features to us, we will be more than happy to take advantage of them.

Is OmniFocus going to support Push notifications?
We aren't sure yet if or how we will do anything with the Push features in MobileMe. If you have any good ideas of how you'd like it to work for OmniFocus, please let us know.

Is there any way to take a screenshot on the iPhone?
Yep; while holding down the Home button, briefly press the Power button on the top of the device. Your screen will flash white - this means that the screenshot was added to your photo roll. You can now use the camera application to email it to OmniFocus-iPhone@omnigroup.com and we'll see exactly what you're seeing.

I don't have a Mac. Will OmniFocus play well with my Windows PC?
iTunes on Windows does back up the data on your iPhone when you plug it in, which might save you in case something untoward happens. But if that's not enough reassurance for you, it might be worth synchronizing with MobileMe or a WebDAV server, if only to have a live copy of your database that lives somewhere other than on your crash-susceptible and stealable mobile device.

Can I merge the documents on my phone and Desktop later?
If you have two separate databases that started out on different devices, they can't be automatically merged together. So if you already have an OmniFocus database on your Mac, and you start using OmniFocus for iPhone (or vice versa), you should set up synchronization right away.
If you already have two separate databases, you can copy and paste from one to the other to manually merge them.

1. Back up your database in OmniFocus for Mac.
2. Set up syncing for OmniFocus for iPhone if you haven't already.
3. Sync OmniFocus for iPhone, choosing to keep the local database.
4. Set up syncing for OmniFocus for Mac if you haven't already.
5. Sync OmniFocus for Mac, choosing to keep the server database. Your two devices should now be in sync, now you just need to copy your tasks across.
6. In the Finder, double-click on the backup you made earlier to open it. Now you should have both OmniFocus databases side-by-side.
7. Drag or copy and paste anything you want to keep from your backup document.

Do I have to use Apple's MobileMe service to sync OmniFocus for iPhone version with the desktop version?
The short answer is "No, but MobileMe is definitely the easiest way to do it." OmniFocus for iPhone uses a technology called WebDAV to sync data; read on to find out how you can set it up.

I have an existing document. How do I set up syncing?

• To sync with OmniFocus for iPhone, you'll need access to an iDisk or a WebDAV server. Check the Synchronizing Between Macs and Mobile Devices section of OmniFocus Help for step-by-step instructions.
• If you don't have access to either of those services, it may be worth subscribing to one; good hosting with WebDAV support can be quite affordable. Failing that, you could set up WebDAV on your Mac for synchronizing over your local wireless network. A web search for "enabling WebDAV on Mac OS X" should put you on the right track
• For advanced users, it is also possible to set up WebDAV on your Mac for synchronizing over your local wireless network. One of our gallant users has written step-by-step instructions on how to do this very thing: HOWTO Setup WebDAV on Mac OS X Leopard for syncing OmniFocus to iPhone

WebDAV? What's that? It sounds charming and sophisticated.

WebDAV is a common type of server for sharing files on the web. Basically, it's a way to read and write files on a web server but it is sophisticated and often complicated to set up. Many web hosting services support WebDAV; check with your hosting provider to find out whether you can set up your own WebDAV space.
Due to the nature and differences between each WebDAV server, we are unable to troubleshoot individual WebDAV issues but we are working on making local syncing easier.

Can I set up WebDAV on my own Mac and just sync to that, instead of synchronizing over the internet?
One of our gallant users has written step-by-step instructions on how to do this very thing, but beware: it's not for the faint of heart! HOWTO Setup WebDAV on Mac OS X Leopard for syncing OmniFocus to iPhone

Can I use a different MobileMe account than the one set up in my System Preferences?
Sure! At the moment this is something of a workaround. In the WebDAV preference pane, enter this location, replacing the username and path with your own: https://idisk.me.com/username/Documents/

What's the value of synchronization if I only ever use OmniFocus on one device? Can I back up my data if I don't have OmniFocus for Mac?
Syncing with WebDAV provides you with one more place that your data is backed up. iTunes backs up your data once a week (or when you manually request it), and you'll need to restore the entire phone, not just OmniFocus, to get your data back. But OmniFocus can sync with WebDAV automatically every time you make changes, so your backup will be current.

How often does OmniFocus for iPhone sync? Do I have to sync it manually every time?
OmniFocus for iPhone automatically syncs one minute after you make a change, to make sure that the MobileMe (or WebDAV) server has an up-to-date copy of your database. OmniFocus for Mac does the same, plus both will sync every hour in case another device made some changes recently, if not running and the hour has elapsed, it will sync on launch. Whenever you like, you can manually make a sync happen, as well.


Weitere Informationen: www.omnigroup.com/ applications/ omnifocus

 

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