I recently had the priveledge to review a product from Unwired Software (San Diego, CA) called InfoShare List Manager. This is a piece of software for your Pocket PC smartphone. I don't normally review software for phones but this is a very sweet program that really deserves your attention.
This program can do only one thing but in that one thing does many amazing things within that.
List Manager is a program that allows you to build lists of things, like the dreaded "honey-do-list". Boring? Yes. But theres more.
The first thing you do is download the application for your desktop from Unwired Software and install it. The install is very easy and quick. Make sure you know whether your smartphone is PocketPC compatible.
The next thing it will do is ask for user information. Name and mobile number. Why the mobile number you ask? Well, just hang on and we'll get to that. The mobile phone number must match the number of your smartphone or PocketPC phone.
So your done. The List Manager will automatically discover your phone and update it with the software and lists. Yeah I know you haven't created a list but that is what it does.
Anyway enough tech talk. Why is this so great. Notice it automatically synchronizes with you smartphone. That is the whole key to this piece of software.
Now just to let you know I was contacted by Unwired Software to do this review but I have been totally objective and I am not going to butter up the software just to make it look good.
Since we know that List Manager automatically synchs with your phone what can we do with that? Well, say you forgot to put something on your grocery list or "to-do" list for the day or week for that matter. Lets say apples just to pick something out of the air. Well someone at home realizes that you forgot to put apples on your list. All that person at home has to do is log-in to List Manager and edit the list by adding apples to it. It's that simple.
This is where the InfoShare system software takes over. It automatically synchs with your smartphone. Wherever you are. Isn't that cool? This is one of the coolest things that I've seen in a while. It also works in the reverse and updates to several smartphones and PC's as needed.
Now I know, I know. I wasn't going to butter up the software,..., and I'm not. There are some things that I would like to see improved.
The software is compatible with any PocketPC based smartphone and the Palm treo smartphones. There is no BlackBerry version.
I know that BlackBerry is not the biggest smartphone out there but it is still used and I think a complete piece of software to make people's lives easier should run on just about anything. I would love to see a BlackBerry version in the future. I asked Unwired Software if they would ever release a BlackBerry version. They replied with that not being the plan at the moment.
They have some testimonials about their product on their website and I encourge you to check them out. I would also like to comment that I am still ongoing with my review and will have an update in the future.
Now I asked a few questions about List Manager and Unwired Software from Darren Conway from Unwired Software. If you would like to read the full questions and answers I will post them in the comments section as to save frontpage space.
If you have had experience with List Manager please email us at technobabble001@gmail.com and if you haev questions about the software itself please check out Unwired Software's website by clicking on the title.
About Unwired Software. [taken from the Unwired Software website]
Unwired Software, Inc. is a fast-growing, privately-held, San Diego-based software company that is dedicated to delivering high quality software solutions that allow people to integrate their mobile devices completely into their lives.
Image in this review was taken from the Unwire Software website and was not intended to infringe on any copyright or mis-use of any type.
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HERE ARE THE Q&A FROM THE EMAIL INTERVIEW. THIS INTERVIEW WAS WITH DARREN CONWAY FROM UNWIRED SOFTWARE.
Does the InfoShare List Manager automatically update in real-time when using a pocket pc enabled cell phone?
Yes - when a change is made on the desktop or on the mobile device, the changes are synchronized between the desktops and mobile devices of the user's choice.
Is Unwired Software working on versions of InfoShare List Manager that will run on Palm OS and Blackberry handhelds?
Currently this is not in the plan. We do run on the Treo.
What do you think is a great use for the software?
There are many different uses - for example, these customer spotlights were included in our past couple newsletters:
Engineer uses InfoShare List Manager at the office
I have been using InfoShare List Manager at my office for about two months. I started out using it individually, but soon realized how useful the program could be for the rest of my team, which has members who live in several different states.
One of the list templates that I use the most is the Project Task List template. It contains all the fields I need, such as task status, priority, owner, task description, and due date.
One of my current project task lists has about twenty-five tasks assigned to a team of five. When I create tasks, I use List Manager on my office desktop to enter the items, and once I’m ready to distribute the tasks, I use the "Notify Mobile Devices" feature to send the tasks to the rest of the team with just one mouse click. Since we use List Manager’s option to “automatically sync when notified”, nothing more needs to be done – once I send notifications to the mobile devices, each device automatically syncs and the tasks are transmitted to everyone. Two of the other engineers actually work in different states, and whether they are on the road or in their home offices, they get the latest updates just as fast as the engineers in the offices next to mine!
In the few weeks since I introduced InfoShare List Manager to the team and implemented it into our daily routine, it has become a tool that has increased our efficiency in responding to tasks and projects - and it’s easy and fun to use.
Working dad saves time with List Manager
I didn't realize when I started using List Manager how much it would change the way I did things. Now I can't imagine living without it. Between the efficiency increase I've achieved at work, and the personal time I've gained at home, I save at least 2 hours a week. Plus, I keep my work team more focused on the important things we have to accomplish.
I love the Work Task List. I think of new work tasks all the time - when I'm at the airport, at the office, out on an errand, anywhere. I can add tasks, assign team members, set priorities, due dates, and more. Upon their next sync, everyone on my team receives the updated list. They can add, view, edit, or check off completed tasks. They are also notified when I change tasks, so I never forget to tell them. It's like my phone has become a project manager, tracking and reporting the status of each team member's tasks.
Being a busy single dad, my most useful personal list is my grocery list. I am constantly thinking of items I need from the store. Now, I have all my items in one place rather than having multiple lists in different locations. When I stop by the store, I'm guaranteed to have my list with me (it's on my phone). I sort the list by "aisle" and my shopping is much more efficient - no more running back to aisles I've already visited because I forgot something when I was there the first time. Because I'm more organized, I only go to the store about once per week now - I used to have to make multiple weekly trips.
Here are the lists I permanently keep: Grocery, Costco, Miscellaneous to Buy, Personal To-Do, Work Task List, and Business Expenses. I also occasionally create temporary lists.
InfoShare List Manager has really helped me get my life organized. I am so much more efficient, and I get so much more done during the day - I get to enjoy more time on the most important part of my life - my wonderful 3-year old!
What gave Unwired Software the idea to create InfoShare List Manager?
The basic idea behind InfoShare List Manager is the fact that you can access your business critical and personal data anywhere anytime - wirelessly. List Manager is the first in a line of Unwired products that will address the issue of "How do I get the latest information on my device now, regardless of where I am, whether i'm at the beach, the office, at home, abroad...or anywhere?" Information synchronization is a huge issue, especially when you're dealing with multiple desktop computers and multiple mobile devices. Our technology solves that problem, with no servers and no 'extra parts.' All you need is an Internet connection!
What market is Unwired Software aiming for?
All Windows Mobile device users - both business and personal. There really are no boundaries for the usefulness of the applications that Unwired Software has committed to produce.
What do you want the podcast listeners and the web-site readers to know about the product? What is the greatest and coolest feature of List Manager.
Synchronized data:
You can access your personal and business-critical data anywhere, anytime, on any desktop or Windows Mobile device - 100% OTA (Over-The-Air). No one else does it like we do.
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