Open Loops

Google Quietly Rolls Out Templates in Google Docs

Today, Google quietly rolled out a new feature for their Google Docs Applications:  Templates!  It's so new that it isn't even listed on the new features page at this time.  When one opens their Google Docs account and chooses to start a new document, a new "From Template..." command is present.  Clicking on it reveals a quite extensive list of templates available for use:  Calendars, Budgets, Business Cards, Letterheads, Scrapbook Albums, and Credit Card Payoff Calculators abound in this list of 308 templates, which is a much more comprehensive list than Zoho offers.  The quality of these templates appears to be quiet good as well. 

Unfortunately, I can find no way to create and save a document as a template.  It appears to be a use-only feature at this time.

Google Releases New Calendar Component

Google released its new calendar.  This was something that I've been waiting on for a few months after hearing rumors of it.  For years I've used a variety of calendar programs for work and personal uses.  Between Outlook, Yahoo!, and, most recently, EssentialPIM.  I was very interested in Google's offering, due to Google's reputation for innovation.  I have to say, I was very disappointed.

Of the features it offers, most have been available to Yahoo! members for years.  Shared calendars, reminders, and guest invitation to meetings offer nothing new.  The two nice features, however, are the speed of entry and the ease of changing days and times of appointments.  One can write the appointment right on the calendar page, with no details of course, and it is posted immediately without having to use an additional dialogue box.  To add details, make the appointment repeating, or to invite guests, one has to use the dialogue box.  If the appointment needs to be changed, it can be done by clicking and dragging.  Other than these enhancements -- and they are nice -- the calendar is found lacking.

There is no notes section.  There is no To Do list component.  Other than a very small text link at the top that takes one to Gmail, there are no other components that are integrated to make this a truly useful PIM the way that Yahoo! has theirs configured.  If one needs contact information, one has to go to Gmail and use the contacts section there.  As a PIM, it just feels disjointed.

To sum it up, the speed of entry and ease of changing times and days of appointments are a step in the right direction.  Past that, the new Google calendar is no better than any other web-based calendar and falls short of being a useful PIM.

Tags: GTD, Time Management, Productivity

Product Review: EssentialPIM

In a previous post on the increasing role of jump drives on productivity, -- aka memory sticks or flash drives -- several portable programs were listed.  This is the first product review from that list.  The first program to be reviewed, naturally, is EssentialPIM, an information manager that resembles a stripped-down Outlook.

Installation

Installation was extremely simple.  Like all portable applications, it was a matter of unzipping/installing the program into a folder on the jump drive.  Some portable programs make their own folder on the drive, but one must be created for EssentialPIM.  If you purchase the Pro version, a registration key, in the form of a file, is emailed to the customer.  Simply drop the file into the main Essential PIM folder with the rest of the files and the program recognizes it.  The program immediately recognizes if other information managers are present on the computer and offers to import their data into EssentialPIM.  That being done, the installation is complete.

Tour

• EPIM Today - This component is similar to Outlook Today.  So similar, one could easily become confused that it was Outlook that was being viewed.  The giveaway is the fact that EPIM does not have an email program. 
• Schedule - The calendar component, again, resembles Outlook's calendar.  The main difference is that colors, when applied to appointments, are gradients rather than solid and the appointment dialog is extremely stripped down, leaving only the essentials.  Entering appointments is the same as in Outlook.
• To Do - Entering To Do's -- or Next Actions for those GTDers out there -- is very straightforward.  Call up the dialog box and fill in the fields.  One nice improvement in the paid "Pro" version is that Next Actions can be listed in a tree-hierarchy.  One thing that I've begun doing is listing my major objectives as To Do's and putting projects and their Next Actions inside the objectives.  This way I can see when my daily actions are truly linked to an important goal that I've set and I'm not looking busy but not moving toward my goals.
• Notes - A minimalistic notes system, more similar to Yahoo!'s notes.  One can, however, add photos, links, and format the text.  Again, call up the dialog box and write your note.
• Contacts - The ubiquitous contact list that allows one to save personal and business contact information, notes, and a picture.

The one feature from Outlook that I miss is the ability to simply type a Next Action into a field on the list view.  On EPIM, one must always call up the dialogue box.

The "Pro" -- read paid -- edition allows multiple users to access the database, the linking of actual documents to contacts, appointments, and tasks, assigning tasks to others for tracking, advanced back-up features, sending items using the user's default email program, editing categories of events and tasks, and synchronization with a PocketPC or Smartphone.

Although it lacks an email component and the collaboration components of Outlook, for sheer portability, EPIM fits my needs just fine.  I'm always near my computer at work or at home and they are always on, so I simply got tired of carrying my Palm around.  Since I carry my jump drive everywhere anyway, the addition of EPIM lightened my load in what I carry during the day.

The cost of the Pro version was excessive, in my view.  At $39 for the portable version and $29 for the standard version, I feel they are overpriced.  I needed the features found in the paid version and GTDers will need it to be able to customize their categories for their different contexts.  For most people, however, the free version will suffice nicely.

A Sneak Peek at the New Yahoo! Email Beta!

Yahoo! has been working on a new beta version of their standard email service.  Currently, it is in beta testing to shake the bugs out of it before unleashing it to the general Yahoo! membership.  At first glance, it looks to be a force that other email providers will have to reckon with.  I’m not sure they will be successful, as the beta is simply awesome.

Although I’ve always been a Yahoo! fan, I have not loved their email.  It sported a clunky interface that required too many clicks to get to what was necessary.  I resorted to subscribing to a Yahoo! Mail Plus account to be able to get POP access and I have been using a third-party email client — Thunderbird, to be specific — to access my email.  Although I love Thunderbird, I will no longer have the need for it with the new beta.

Cool New Tool for Note-Taking on the Move

In my pursuit of my Private Pilot’s Certificate, I’ve had to purchase a few accessories.  One accessory, a kneeboard that I found, turned out to have an even greater value to me for use in the car than in the aircraft.

Pilot’s Pal Kneeboard

A kneeboard is a small clipboard that has a strap attached to each side of it.  Pilots use it to take notes and do calculations while they are flying.  The clipboard sits on top of one’s thigh and the elastic strap goes around the thigh and attaches the clipboard securely to the leg.  For comfort, the clipboard has a molded attachment to the back that makes it fit around the leg more comfortably and makes it more stable.  Essentially, you wind up with a small desk strapped to your leg.  It is surprisingly stable and provides a sturdy writing surface in the car.  It even has a pen clip to keep your pen secure as well.

I try to remain productive in the car and will sometimes take a few notes while I’m travelling.  This kneeboard lets me do that without fumbling with loose slips of paper or a loose clipboard sliding all over the front seat.  I don’t even have to look down.

Make your notes when the vehicle is stopped at a red light, parked, or when you are the passenger (it really helps in a crowded car).  It is very dangerous to take notes while driving.

Pilot's Pal Kneeboard - Sporty's Pilot Shop
http://www.sportys.com/acb/showdeti.cfm?&did=19&product_id=991

Yawn-Hoo 360 or Yahoo Cares?

After much behind the scene whispering and strategic peeks that were allowed to influential individuals, Yahoo! 360 was released today.  I wondered why the release was by invitation only but upon the gates being opened, the answer was obvious.  When the base group of beta testers began to invite friends and those friends then began to invite people, the groups began to grow quickly.  One can imagine the cascading effect caused membership to grow very quickly.  I received my first invitation within just a few hours.  I was more interested in this as another strong blogging tool with a few extras thrown in on the side to make it interesting.

Product Review: Agendus Pro v9.0

A few weeks back, I switched from using my Palm Tungsten-C as my GTD tool back to a paper-based methodology.  I’ve been very happy, but then, something happened.  I was checking my email and found an email announcing the newest edition of Iambic’s Agendus Professional v9.0.  The tag line was, “Your Palm Reborn!”  Curious, I opened the email and temptation set in.

I’ve always been a fan of Agendus as a strong GTD tool.  It had everything I wanted, but the other issues with the palm enticed me to lay it down as an organizer (I still used it as a note-taking tool, phone log, etc.).  But now, with all the improvements, I’m tempted to go back.