Review: SBSH MyList v2.0

Posted by: tjchan on Jun 12 2007

SBSH has recently released MyList 2.0, an enhanced version of HandyList. Looking nothing like the original, MyList is practically a totally brand new application. Most people that use PDAs have the need for some sort of checklist other than the simple lists such as a task list that comes bundled with their operating system (OS). MyList allows for the creation of any type of list and the user to create their own templates for lists. Read past the jump and join us as we give SBSH’s newest creation, MyList 2.0, a go in the review labs of Just Another Mobile Monday!

 

 

 

Installation and Registration:

Just install and run the ActiveSync installer. CAB files are available as well, but they are specific to which Windows Mobile OS you use. Registering is easy as well. Just tap the giant ’Menu’ soft button and select ’Options…’. Then on the options screen hit the giant ’Menu’ soft button again and select ’Registration’. Enter your information that SBSH provided you and your set to go!

Using MyList:

Upon launching the program, you will be presented with the ’Lists Manager’ main screen. From here you’ll notice an address bar which lets you know where on the device (or storage card) all the lists currently show are located. By click on this address bar, you can select another location. Notice that the organization hierarchy of MyList uses a tree type view where different levels are shown and can be hid or expanded by tapping the plus or minus boxes which are next to the little drawer icons. These little drawer icons are categories. Categories can be created, modified, or deleted to provide a better organization of your lists. Lists can be opened simply by tapping on them once. If you tap and hold a list, options to create a new list (in that same category), open, rename, or delete a list become available. Tapping on the ’New’ soft button allows you to create a new category or a new list. The ’Menu’ soft button allows you to access the options screen, import information from a CSV file, as well as everything else that can be done when you tap and hold a list. You can also use one hand to navigate and open an existing list by using the directional pad on your device. Sweet! The only complaint I have is moving lists between catagories. I could not figure out how to do that inside the program and instead I just went to file explorer to manually move the list to the proper folder.

 

 

Creating a new list:

Creating a new list is simple and easy. After selecting that you want to create a new list, you’ll be brought to the new lists screen where you get to name your list and select which template you want to make the new list with. You can also select there on the spot to create a new template. We’ll discuss template creation later when we come to the template manager.

Out of the box, MyList 2 gives you a number of useful ready to use templates that include - packing, shopping, a simple list, dated assignments, goals, and a simple check list.

As you can see here, I’ve created 2 additional list templates including my own custom shopping list as well as a Bible study. In this example, my List will be called ’Salvation Doctrine’. The actual list will not be created until we tap ’Selected template’. Upon which it will take you to List View with your new list ready to go.

 

 

 

Working on the list in List View:

This is the list view. What you see is a custom template that I made which involves only 2 fields of type string. Strings are a data type (constraint placed on data that limits what can be put in) that holds all text - including numbers, letters, and symbols. The 2 fields in this case are ’Summary’ and ’Verse’. The soft button for ’Menu’ under List View have different options then when we were in the ’Lists Manager’ view. Under this menu, you can choose to create, edit, or remove a list item, highlight an item, automatically change column widths, export to CSV, or Save. It is important to remember to save your changes! If you select cancel, changes will not be saved and if this was a new list, the entire list would be dropped. If you were to close out with the ’ok’ button, it’s the same as selecting save. Another example is this grocery list. By clicking on ’Items’ the list will be sorted alphabetically or reverse alphabetically. This applies to numbers too and the list can be sorted by numeric quantity. As you can see here, the one handed operation for the grocery list is just pure greatness - just use the d-pad to scroll down and hit the middle select button to check things off the list! In the creation of a list entry, you’ll see the templated form and you’ll be able to enter your values. For values such as units, a drop down box with some commonly used units are available as you can see in the picture above. I wish it some U.S. units rather than just metric units - as I’m looking for a "gallon" of milk.

Options Menu:

The options menu is pretty simple. ’General’ allows you to select where fonts and sizes as well as telling MyList where the icons are located. ’Colors’ allow you to change colors of text and backgrounds thereby created a much more colorful list. But the most important option of all is ’Templates’ which brings you to the Templates Manager.

Templates Manager:

Here we can create, edit, and delete list templates. MyList makes it easy to choose fields from a variety of field type: date, time, priority, string, boolean (yes or no), number, checkbox and more. Do some of these data types sound weird to you? Well, don’t fear, you can always just use check boxes and strings as those are the easiest to use. But it’s simple to use the other data types as well as many have default values such as high, medium, and low for the "Priority" fieldtype. So it’s very easy to create and modify new templates.

Conclusion:

Wow, what can I say? I’m happy with this product. It may not be on the same level as Ilium’s ListPro yet (which offers a desktop counterpart), but it’s well on it’s way to being quite the competitor being able to do most of what I want with it. I was really hoping that they would add multilevel lists where even lists items can be grouped in a tree type style. From a pricing perspective, it also costs considerably less than many other solutions out there. SBSH has always been a company with excellent support and they update their products frequently. Because of this, I know that this program will evolve and become better and better. Last time I talked with SBSH, I heard that plans for a desktop counterpart is already in the making - so I’m eagerly awaiting for any more news of that development.

Currently there is a promotion going on and you can get $2.00 off the regular price. This is an automatic discount and will be available until June 16, 2007 at the JAMM Store.

Name: MyList
Version: 2.0
Platform: WM 2003 / WM5 / WM6 Pocket PC
Developer: SBSH
Available From: JAMM Store
Price: $14.95
Trial: Yes - 12 Days
Devices Used for Review: Dell Axim X51v

Technorati Tags: Review, SBSH, MyList 2, Just Another Mobile Monday, JAMM

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