by As our iPhones have matured, so have our apps. What used to be a sea of simple utilities with very mobile mindsets has evolved into a rich landscape of powerful tools, which continue to amaze us with what can be accomplished on a 4-inch screen. Zippy is the sort of app that shows us just how far our devices have come. As a basic to-do manager, it does its job well enough for a recommendation, but developer Amit Wadhawan embraces the power and modernism of iOS 7 to pump a little pizzazz into the stale concept and put it over the top.
There’s nothing particularly special about Zippy’s task management, but it certainly stacks up to similar apps we’ve used, starting with its colorful interface and clean task screen. Pressing the coral-colored plus symbol brings up a blurred overlay creation screen that lets you describe your task and set a due date. To-do tasks are automatically arranged in chronological order, but a system of filterable tags helps with organization and prevents important events from getting lost in large lists. Items can be deleted or completed with a swipe, and if you need a little more time to get something done, a snooze button will delay due dates for up to a day. The navigation is fast and fairly foolproof, but we wish there were few features for power users — like the addition of notes or location-aware alerts.
But where other apps stop after something is done, Zippy takes it to another level. As you create, discard, and finish your tasks, the app builds a dynamic infographic that tracks and charts your habits, highlighting good trends and bad habits and helping to make your life run more efficiently. Each of the seven graphs focuses on a different element of your tasks, creating a snapshot of what you’re doing and when you’re doing it. It’s all a bit generic — for example, you can’t exclude routine tasks or separate by tags — but that won’t stop you from marveling at its capabilities.
The bottom line. Zippy makes your mundane tasks look anything but routine.
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