I admit I was skeptical about using Google services different from GMail. I could not understand using GCalendar when I already have a smartphone with a calendar app, and a dedicated sync app on the PC. Things changed when I abandoned my Palm OS device and I started a different job, obliging me to use different PCs.

With the new usage scenario I couldn’t install my sync software on every PC I use, and having a 27/7 connection both on PCs and on my smartphone, a cloud based way to manage my personal information was making sense.

Luckily enough the email, contact and calendar applications on my Windows Mobile 6.5 device are well integrated with Google services, thanks to the Microsoft Direct Push feature of WM 6.5 and Google support for Microsoft Exchange.

However, the task application is not supported by Google and I was starting to abandon my task-centric way of organizing things, until I recently found GogTasks.

Introduction

The app started as a commercial software, but due to restrictions from Microsoft on allowing Marketplace apps to use unsupported third-party APIs, i.e. Goggle’s ones, the developer decided to release it for free.

While the newest version is “GogTasks for Windows Mobile 2.2″, I will consider here a previous version, i.e. “GogTasks for Windows Mobile 1.1″, as the higher version seems to suffer of a redirection problem preventing it to work in some cases. In any case, you can download both versions from here.

As always, before going through the steps detailed below, remember to make a backup of your data before proceeding, just in case.

Once accepted the license agreement you will have a new icon in your program list with the classical checked task graphics.

Configuring GogTasks

At the first launch of GogTasks you will have to configure it to access your Google account selecting the “Authenticate” button.

GogTasks Settings

Configure your Google account 

Checking the “Autosync on startup” option you will have the tasks synced between GTasks and your Windows Mobile device when you launch the app. Regrettably there is no option to sync tasks automatically and you have to make this manually. The “Wipe tasks on device” button will delete all tasks on your smartphone, to allow you to import your existing Google tasks on a clean device, so be careful.

The “Check boxes to the…” option will allow you to choose where to put the tasks check boxes. Actually GogTasks also provides a user interface for administrating the tasks with a UI is designed to allow finger control instead of the use of a stylus.

Touch friendly tasks management

Thus, once finished the configuration, you will be able to use the clean and touch friendly interface provided by GogTasks to view and manage your tasks.

In the upper part you will find a pop up menu with the list of the tasks categories (the same you would find on your GTasks, of course), while the tasks will be shown in the center of the window.

At the bottom you will find, from left to right:

• a pencil or asterisk icon to edit an existing or to insert a new task, respectively;
• a set of arrows to indent and move your tasks;
• a button to show the menu.

The main window shows the tasks (left) and has a pop up menu with categories (right)

GogTasks menu

The menu will allow you to:

• exit the program;
• sync the tasks and exit the app;
• sync tasks without closing GogTasks;
• open the settings window (the one where you configure your Google account);
• add a new task;
• delete an existing task.

To edit an existing task is enough to highlight it and select the pencil button at the bottom left.

The fields you can enter are the task object, its due date (if any) and some notes. These are quite basic settings for a task, but together with the option to indent and order them, are the only things allowed in GTasks.

One month experience

In the last month I have been using GogTasks regularly with PCs and HTC Touch Pro2, and things have worked smoothly, with no problems due to duplicate or disappeared tasks.

I am regularly using Pocket Informant and I use tasks alarms, something which is not allowed by GTasks and GogTasks, but I have had no conflicts or problems between the two programs. For your information the tasks managed by GogTasks have never been more than 50.

You can set or edit the task object, its due date and some notes

Conclusion

Apart for some sync failures on startup, which oblige me to sync manually twice, and some ghosts tasks appearing in the list (this is due by the way GTasks allows you to enter new tasks, though) I have no real complain with GogTasks.

We are talking about a free app, which allows you to bless your Windows Mobile device with Google tasks syncing and a simple, touch friendly tasks management interface. Sure, autosync would be very welcome, but this is not a deal breaker, in my opinion. I prefer to have to push the “Sync” menu item twice a day rather than to copy and paste all new or modified tasks.

You can follow the official GogTasks thread at XDA, and visit the developer site. Remember we reviewed version 1.1, but a newer version is already available and could fit you better.

Pros

• Free
• Does what it says
• Simple
• Touch friendly interface to manage tasks is really handy if you don’t have a dedicated app

Cons

• Sometime you have to sync twice
• No autosync feature
• Google could change things and render this software useless

Link: GogTasks

XDA Thread: GogTasks at XDA