Dear friends of Astrid,
Over the past number of months we have been hard at work taking in your feedback and using it to help us improve Astrid. This has resulted in hundreds of hours of redesigning, developing, testing and improving Astrid (Android’s Simple Task Recording Dashboard) to make it both simpler to use and more customizable.
We are proud to announce that the result of all this hard work is nearly ready.
Before we share the latest and greatest version of Astrid with the world, we wanted to invite you, Astrid’s fans and supporters, to try out a pre-release version.
The first change in the latest version will be imperceptible at first. Astrid now facilitates add-ons that allow us to add additional features. Example add-ons that are in the works include alternative synchronization services, additional widget sizes and more styling. This has been facilitated with a complete reworking of Astrid’s guts. You might also notice considerable speed increases if you have large task lists and better synchronization if you use Remember The Milk.
The second big change is to the user interface. The goal is to make Astrid easier for new users while providing the features that you power users love. There is now a filters page, better search capabilities, and the create/edit task screen has been updated to make it faster to do the most common tasks. Finally the reminders now come with a bit more personality. We think you will learn to love all these changes, but we also know that for those who fell in love with the way Astrid was, it may take some time to appreciate the changes. Please give it a day or two at least before you ask us to change it all back!
Ok, enough talk. If you are ready to try out the latest version of Astrid you can download it at: http://bit.ly/astrid3rc
Three quick notes before you upgrade:
1) you may need to configure non-market apps to be installed on your phone
2) make a backup of your tasks before you upgrade (menu -> more -> export tasks)
3) if you use Remember The Milk, do a sync before you update.
After you try it out, there are three ways you can help us make Astrid even better.
1) Give us feedback
Let us know what you like, don’t like, wish was improved or want to add. You can do all of this and more by visiting our support site at the link below:
http://bit.ly/astrid-beta-feedback
2) Teach Astrid your language
If you are a non-English speaker, cool, so is Astrid! In fact Astrid speaks over 16 different languages. But there are so many new changes, that Astrid needs to be taught some new words and phrases. Instructions on how you can quickly and easily start helping Astrid learn your language are found here:
http://bit.ly/astrid-translations
3) Support Astrid by buying the Astrid Power-Pack
Two of us have quit our jobs and have spent thousands of dollars on development and customer support in order to help you become more productive. When the next version of Astrid comes out some of the power-user features like timers, backup and additional widget options will only be available through an add-on called the Astrid Power-Pack. Would you consider buying this even if you don’t regularly use timers and backup or are not even interested in additional widgets? We plan on keeping the price pretty low, at $3.99 or about the price of a large latte. While a latte might help you be more productive for a day, Astrid is designed to make you more productive for years! Please consider purchasing this and through your ratings, comments, tweets and “likes” letting the world know that you love Astrid. This would help us a ton.
Thanks again for all your support,
Jon Paris
31 Comments
Just downloaded and installed the new beta. Will the new widgets be available to test? I don’t see them listed currently.
Also, I have the EVO, and on the 4.3 inch screen the graphics seem pretty low-res.
Keep up the good work, I love Astrid!
Yeah, I will definitely pay for your power-pack. I use Astrid every day and it’s a great application and I think that you deserve it.
I only miss a little feature, but perhaps it’s yet integrated in the new version! Who knows? I’m gonna try it!
Thanks all for the support! The main goal of Astrid 3.0 was to get to feature parity with Astrid 2.x with the new faster, cooler interface and underlying infrastructure.
Now that we have done that we can more easily add additional features. The top two requested features are google tasks sync (coming
and bigger widgets. We plan to add both of these to the power pack they won’t be there at launch.
Just downloaded RC and will try it out ASAP and since Astrid makes my life way easier I will buy power pack as soon as it is available. Just please make sure it can also be purchased outside Market…
Well, I think that my request is no too difficult, but who knows… I would like to send information trought “Share” menu, f.i. from web-browser to Astrid.
Where is the place to strange behavior? My tasks are now duplicated in Remember The Milk…
Thank you
The new UI seems really awful compared to the 2.x version. The icons are all low res, and the buttons are different sizes. Also, when making my font size smaller, the checkboxes get cropped badly. I tried it for a day, but the new UI seemed so much less professional, that I uninstalled and went back to 2.x.
I love Astrid, but really don’t plan on upgrading. If you guys need need some UI help, let me know.
I would love to see some screen shots of the new widgets. I hope you will look to add a scrollable widget for tasks.
Also, it would be great to see an “in progress” option instead of just complete or not. Somethings require additional follow up (e.g. You call someone and leave a message, you should be able to mark as in progress)
Any chance that you’ll be adding location awareness to this? I’ve been using Remember the Milk because it lets you do this but RTM doesn’t let me delay the start time like Astrid so I constantly get alerts for my monthly events when I drive past the drug store. I might be able to do it with a combo of Tasker and Astrid but it would be easier if it were built in. Thanks.
Where to buy add on ‘power pack’? Those who don’t have access to pay apps have any alternative?
I am a new user. Just downloaded it to my EVO yesterday. I am on a Mac and a Things user, but was disappointed to find that they are not developing for Android. Looks like I need a new solution and Astrid comes highly rated. It looks great so far, but I would like to be able to sync with my computer. Google tasks coming soon is a great sign. I would definitely buy a power pack.
I just upgraded. I was a little irked by the new fee for features that used to be free but I paid it anyways because Astrid is my favorite android app. I do like the new interface though it will take a while to adapt.
i am feared to install the update, because previous market commenters are clear: the update to 3.0.0 will destroy my astrid workflow.
can you give up a heads up when you fix the issues and can assure us, that no tasks will be lost?
I downloaded the new version, and it erased all my tasks! Any way to get these back?
I have warned all my friends and collegues not to update to 3.0
This decision by the devs was a bad one. I would have gladly paid for a premium version, until you removed functionality from the free version to charge us $4 for the plugin to give all that functionality back.
You’re upgrade isn’t even an upgrade, it’s a new UI that wasn’t necessary to begin with.
Jon – you need to address the fury about the upgrade on the marketplace, and now. I’m sure you’ve seen the comments – your users feel that they’ve been tricked into upgrading, only to lose their tasks and have to buy the power pack to get them back.
Whether this is true or not (I haven’t upgraded as I can’t afford to lose my tasks right now), perception is everything on the internet, and your company is being perceived as holding your loyal users information hostage. It doesn’t get much worse as far as PR goes, especially given the touchy-feely collaborative nature of the company up till now.
I love Astrid and would gladly pay for the power pack, but you have to be as communicative as possible when unleashing stuff like this.
If you’re looking for examples, the Vignette devs do a superb job of communicating changes, the best I’ve seen on the marketplace.
All the best. I hope you guys ride this out.
I use your app since I started using Android more than a year ago sinse it is the best of it’s kind. I am a big supporter of developers, I don’t like software piracy and don’t use pirated software.
Today I upgraded Astrid and for my surprise I lost my task and to restore them I have to pay for a package. Since in my country I don’t have access to the paid Market what can I do now?
I don’t mind to use application with ads on them and I don’t like to be fouled with a new and greatest application that in the end gave me problems like v3.0.
Just bought the Astrid Power Pack since I can do it using PayPal. I will continue to use the 2.14.3 for now. Best of luck now with all the other Astrid users.
What is not cool is that the old version of Astrid, installed on my phone, just died along with all my Locale-tags! Widget is “unable to find”. Mabye a heads-up before you retract the app from my phone? My country doesn’t have access to paid Market and Astrid is not to be found in the free Market.
Just updated via the market, but didn’t realize that it would wipe my tasks. Please add a comment in the market description reminding people to back up tasks before upgrading!
I really like the app – it looks slick on my EVO. I like how you can customize and view by due date, category etc. I’d pay for some type of online sync capability (i.e. google perhaps). Keep up the good work and thanks for being so quick to respond to help emails!!
Great work Jon and team! This is the BEST task manager on the android. Just one feature i always tend to miss – the ability to manage goals in life as well along with tasks (like reducing weight, learning the guitar). Its unfortunate i need another app just for this. Maybe something you could consider in your future releases?
The price on the Power-Pack seems to be $4.99 and not $3.99?
We think we discovered and issue that was causing some users to lose tasks on update. This should bring them back. Let folks know it worked. http://bit.ly/astridrescue
Deeply sorry that the update went so bad for so many.
Yes on the android market it is 3.99 and we charge one more dollar on paypal.
Here is why we have done it that way.
Google doesn’t want us to sell things off the market. We therefore want to make a way for those who don’t have paid apps in their country to still be able to purchase the powerpack but to do so in a way that doesn’t compete with the Android market where it is available.
The best way we could think of doing this is through raising the price. If you want it for the 3.99 price please buy it from the Android Market.
BTW Locale (another great app) does the same thing. Visit http://244.am to see what we mean.
If the add on brings alternative sync like Toodledo I would pay $25 for it !!!
I strongly agree with the need for Toodledo sync. And yes, I would definitely pay for it.
Just updated to new version, although I can’t tell what version it is. I use Astrid primarily as a floating shopping list. Completing items as I buy them, and then Uncompleting them when I need more. Doesn’t work with new version. Twice as hard to find ‘Completed’ tasks, and when I do, I can’t read the screen to see what they are.
John,
Thanks for letting us know. We are working on adding advanced filtering that I believe will handle this use case. In fact this use case is something a number of users have mentioned and we are using this as one of the user stories we are keeping in front of us as we are working on this feature. Sorry it got missed in the last update. It should be added again shortly.
I enjoy the new version of Astrid (except for losing all my tasks from the previous version). The one problem I have is the snooze feature that now automatically assumes I want to snooze for an hour. I liked the old version that allowed me to set the time from 5 minutes up by starting at zero. I like a snooze feature that could be customized to each user so I could just press a snooze button and get my standard time but could also modify if I needed to. Thanks for considering this!
I believe the more accurate term is “Great leap Forward”
You know, what China tried in the 60′s when they murdered all their college graduates along with anyone who wore glasses because they might read books.
this is the worst thing to happen to me software wise since a corporate wide ‘modernization shift” attempted to replace 400 unix phone servers with NT machines running net buoy. (yes, the company folded)
Please please re publish astrid 2.x
Bombastinator,
We have always made Astrid 2.14 available at http://bit.ly/oldastrid
Sorry you haven’t liked 3.x Could you explain a bit what you don’t like about it?