Invite people to do things for you with TaskRabbit!  You can share a virtual task that can be done from anywhere (e.g. transcribing a lecture, researching travel or editing photos) or, if you are in one of the cities where TaskRabbit is available, you can have people do things in person (picking up groceries, dropping off donations or assembling IKEA furniture).  To try TaskRabbit, simply choose “Outsource it!” for the “Who” in the task details, and you can then describe the task and set a bid price. The Astrid team uses this all the time and we love it!

In addition to connection to TaskRabbit, Astrid 4.0 also allows you to discover products and services that might help you get things off your to-do list.  In the task edit screen, simply click on the “Ideas” tab to get suggestions specific to the task.  Try it and see what you find.

At Astrid, we are dedicated to making great software that makes it fun to get stuff done.  We are excited that today there are are a few more ways to help you become happier, healthier and more productive! Right now these options are available on Android only, but we plan on bringing them to iPhone soon.

Download Astrid 4.0 Release Candidate

(Last Updated: February 22, 2012 – 3:10 a.m. PST)

Don’t like it? Go here:
Previous Astrid Versions

We have been designing Astrid 4.0 with the following goals:

1) To Make it Easier to Use
Through extensive user testing, surveys and our personal use we have seen (sometimes with gut-wrenching pain) many aspects of Astrid that are downright confusing. Astrid 4.0 addresses many of these concerns without compromising on power-user features.

2) To Make it Beautiful
While Astrid is without a doubt the most powerful, reliable, and widely loved to-do list for Android, it hasn’t always been deemed the most attractive. This new look represents a completely new design which makes us proud.  We also took care to pay attention to the new Android User Interface Guidelines so this is entirely Android.

3) To Keep it Fast and Reliable
A slow productivity application is oxymoronic. Astrid sync with both Google Tasks and Astrid.com is now much faster and more reliable. List views should scroll faster with much of the extra details removed. This also contributes to Astrid’s beauty. We know some of you will miss this so you can add these details back if you want!

4) To make it work on Android Tablets!
Need we say more? Check out the 3 column layout on tablets (all in a single version of Astrid that adapts to the device it is on).

Astrid 4.0 has a long way to go before we release it on the Android Market, but we wanted to get your input on what you like and don’t. You can report bugs by sending email to android-bugs@astrid.com, or give us feedback here in the comments.

Warmly,
Jon Paris and the Astrid Team

Download Astrid 4.0 (Last Updated: February 22, 2012 – 3:10 a.m. PST)

Don’t like it? Go here: Previous Astrid Versions

In the category of…

Food & Cooking, compliments of Delicious Living

10 Low Calorie Dinners

Life Improvement (it’s not too late to start those resolutions!)

20 Easy Resolutions You Can Feel Good About

9 Ways to Save Time and Money in 2012

7 Ways to Appear More Refreshed

Safety

16 Things To Do to Prepare For an Emergency

Relationships

Fostering Compassion: 5 Minutes a Day

Checklist for Being a Good Friend

Activities

10 Family-Friendly Activities for Children

And stay tuned for a few Valentine’s Day ideas!

1) Better new user experience. As the most powerful to-do list on Android we knew we needed to do a better job educating new users. While we understand that those of you who are reading this blog probably aren’t new, we wanted you to know that you can more confidently share Astrid with friends and they should have an easier time learning how to use the application.

2) Astrid understands what you want! Astrid has always understood, and now does a better job figuring out what you want from your task title. For example, if you add a task with the title “Call mom tomorrow morning top priority”  then Astrid will make sure you will get a reminder tomorrow morning and the priority will be “!!!” We think Power Pack users who record tasks by voice will find this particularly useful.

3) Quickly add tasks to lists. You could always add lists to a task with #list_name but there was a problem if you used spaces in list names. In this release candidate you can add list names with spaces by using parentheses #(my cool list name) would add the task to a list titled “my cool list name”.

4) Faster sync with Astrid.com.  Astrid.com sync now has a faster, more efficient algorithm for keeping your lists up-to-date. We will shortly use the same algorithm with Google Tasks sync but thought we would get this version out.

5) Simpler date/time  picker.  We have consolidated repeat settings and add to calendar function on the same screen where you set the date and time the task is due. Now the entire “when” row does the same thing.  We also move the “hide until”/”show in my list” setting to the additional reminders section. It was confusing to 100% of the new users we tested.  It is still there for you power users who enjoy hiding tasks from yourself!

6) Cuter Astrid.  The new improved Astrid will now appear on both the free 2×2 widget and the premium 4×4 widget. We hope you will also enjoy Astrid’s lovely face when your lists are empty.

As always your feedback is welcomed! Now go do something great!

Download the release candidate here

1. What are some of the things you want to get done this week?
-clean email inbox
-buy yoga mat
-schedule dentist appointment

For each item create a task by typing it in the text field at the bottom of the screen. There you have it, a dead simple task list. That’s enough for some folks, but if you’d like to go deeper…tap on one of your tasks to access more criteria. You can set the due date (“when”), and priority (“importance”) of the task and you can even decide to  assign it to someone else (“who”).

“Lists” allows you to organize your tasks. Create lists that make sense to you. “Health” might be a good for exercise and well-being related activities. You might also want to separate tasks that are personal and tasks that are professional, by making a separate “work” list.

In the Android environment, “Active Task List” and “Lists View” are the two main screens that you can toggle between by tapping the little icon in upper left corner of the screen.

Perhaps there are lists where you want to keep track of things, but you don’t want to see them in your Active Task List all the time…like grocery items, movies to watch, etc. For those things just add an underscore to the list title, “_Good Books”. Long press on the list to rename it.  You can still get to these items from List View, but they won’t be thrown in the mix with your other tasks.

Astrid will remind you to get these things done with playful notifications.

2. Who do you want to help you with these things?
There may be some items on your agenda that you’d like to enlist help for. Perhaps you want your spouse to help with a “House Work Projects” list. From Lists View, tap on the list, then on the little gray sharing bar, then add your husband’s email address. He’ll get an email, or an Astrid alert anytime you add a task to this list.

Coming soon…How can you take things to the next level?
-set up sync with Astrid.com
-create repeating tasks
-integrate tasks with your calendar
-shortcuts and widgets
-”show task…”

At Astrid, we know that even the most productive among us need a little break now and then. So, this holiday season, we worked with Angry Birds and Chrome to help you better spend these 5 free minutes between your meetings.In the Astrid app available in the Chrome Web Store, we have hidden a part of the  code that can help you unlock one of the seasonal levels on the Angry Birds app for Chrome. Hint: Assign a task to a friend or loved one to get Astrid’s part of the code. To get the rest of the code visit the Chrome app of Earbits, Elfster, and Hipmunk.

Whether or not you are excited about Angry Birds, you should definitely try Astrid’s app — it’s hands down the best way to experience Astrid on the web. It provides task reminders through your browser even when Astrid.com isn’t open. If you’re like me, there are times your phone is silenced, in another room, or out of battery. In these times, the app notifications in Chrome could be the difference between getting and forgetting an important reminder or notification from your spouse or friend about a shared list.

Don’t have Chrome yet? Install it with Astrid, Angry Birds and a few other apps built in.

Here’s a bit more about the four apps you need to unlock the level:

Elfster
Gift Giving Simplified. Easy Secret Santa Organizer, Shared Wishlists, and Trending Gifts. Find Your Inner Elf!

Earbits
Earbits Online Radio has great music with no commercials or ads. Discover new bands and share with your friends.

In the upcoming 3.9 release you’ll notice the edit page is much simpler (see below).

Task edit pages left to right: old, new, new expanded

The goal was to simplify and speed it up while preserving functionality.

A couple highlights:

• Tapping on a task immediately takes you to this edit page. This removes one tap every time your edit!
• By default, you see What / Who / When. “More” will display additional options.
• Power users can choose to show everything without pressing “More” by choosing “beast mode” in the settings (final name still being decided
• You can tap the calendar icon or “When” to quickly set the due date.