Finish for iPhone is a simple, handy task manager
Finish for iPhone (US$0.99) is a task-management app built by high school students Ryan Orbuch and Michael Hansen. The pair wanted a simple, mobile way to stay on top of their work. Finish is the result. After playing with it for a couple of days, I can say that it's well done. Finish looks good and uses gestures well. It's not as full-featured as some of its contemporaries, but worthwhile for those looking to corral simple tasks.
UI
Finish is a nice-looking app. Each task list is clearly identified by type (more on that later), and a number in the sidebar shows you how many you have in each list. It's all quite legible and the differentiation between lists is clear. Icons are suggestive of their function.
Use
Finish sorts tasks into three categories: short-term, mid-term or long-term. This is determined by the time between the current date and the tasks' due date. For example, a task due within two days is listed as a short-term task. Something due within the next three to seven days is a mid-term task and beyond that: long-term tasks. As days go by, tasks get re-assigned accordingly. For example, after four days, a mid-term task becomes short-term. That's pretty handy as deadlines draw nearer.
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To create a task, tap the "+" in the upper-right-hand corner and give your task a name. Finish warns you that long task names will be truncated in list view. Then hit Set Due Date and you're done.
List view shows one task per category. Tap any list to see its full contents. You can then swipe any task to reveal the options bar, which lets you mark it as done, star it as a favorite, share that task via Twitter or Facebook and finally, make changes.
Conclusion
Finish isn't the most feature-rich task manager. It doesn't sync across devices and tasks can't be grouped into projects, for example. But as a portable, running list of "What do I need to do?", Finish works very well. Check it out in the App Store now.
