Author: Melissa Lashley

Keeping track of items throughout all aspects of life can be an overwhelming task. Whether those items be groceries that need to be picked up, bills that need to be paid, or gift ideas for those special people in your life, Remember the Milk can help you stay on top of it all.

If you already use Remember the Milk online then the transition to the Android app is incredibly easy.  However, it will require a Pro account ($25/year) if you don’t already have one. Once you have a Pro account all you need to do is download the app from the Android Market and the first time you run the app it will sync up with your online tasks.  Just like that, you’re ready to be organized on the go.

Adding locations, new lists, searching tasks and creating new smart lists are all functions available in the app.  It seems you can do anything on the app that you would do through web. Some are easier to figure out how to do than others, but once you learn how to access the features you need regularly, navigating the app is a breeze.

There are three main reasons to invest in the Pro account so you can use the app to sync with the web. The first reason is widgets.  A widget (there are a couple of sizes to choose from) can be placed on one of your home screens for easy tracking of list items.  I like to have my personal tasks and shopping lists handy.  When you tap on a widget it opens directly to that list so you don’t have to filter for the lists you use the most often.

Another advantage to having the Pro account is distinguished reminders.  By distinguished I mean it isn’t tied into your SMS or Twitter notifications (RTM provides reminder services through both of these methods). It does look like a calendar reminder, but that is more immediate than using socially oriented media that we sometimes ignore for important reminders.

The the most compelling reason to invest in a Pro account is the “nearby” feature.  This is where the locations work their magic.  If you have locations associated with your list items (like your grocery or shopping list items) you can set Remember the Milk to notify you when you are close to that location if you have an outstanding task. This does use GPS and so it can be a battery drain if used all of the time, but is perfect for making sure nothing is forgotten when you go out on a Saturday morning errand run.

With all of the choices of different smartphone platforms out there why would I choose Android?  All of the platforms offer access to applications that the user can choose to install, and they all provide access to email and internet. What sets Android apart from the pack?  The answer lies in Android’s flexibility, its integration with Google apps and ease of use.

Flexibility

It has taken me a long time to acknowledge my control freak tendencies, but now I embrace them.  I am a control freak and I am not ashamed that I like to have things my way.  As an open platform, Android allows that to happen.

A developer can put any app on the Android market.  There is no extensive review process to determine if the application provides direct or indirect access to something Google deems inappropriate.  They let the developer choose what they want to develop and the user install what they want to install and that makes the control freak in me very happy.  I want the only app choice limitation to be a developer’s motivation to create what I want to install.

Another thing that I like is that I don’t have to go through the Android Market to install applications on my phone.  If you go into settings and select “Applications,” there is a check box that, when checked, will then allow the user to install an application outside the marketplace. I wanted to participate in Gowalla’s beta, so I simply went to their site, downloaded the application and installed it.  The only real instances I have seen where applications I have wanted haven’t been on the market has been when they were in beta form, but it is nice to have the option.

The other advantage of an open platform is that sometimes phone manufacturers decide to spruce the UI up a bit.  If I decide that I don’t like the appearance of Android I can take a look at some of the interfaces Motorola or HTC have cooked up and see if I like those better.  Once again, I’m given choices.

Android can also be placed on a number of different devices, so if you don’t like the look and feel of the Droid you can choose the Nexus One or any number of other phones.  And not only do you have the choice of hardware, you can also pick which network.  Every major carrier in the US has an Android phone available. So there is no danger of needing to break your contract if you decide to switch to an Android phone from another device.

I will admit that all of this flexibility can come with a downside.  For instance, there are some junky apps in the Android Marketplace that can make searching for a good app a challenge.  Also, different Android phones that are for sale right now can have different versions of Android on them and this can potentially impact which applications in the Market you are actually able to run.  That can add some frustration when you’re looking for that perfect app out there to make your life easier.

That’s where sites like AndroidGuys and AndroidGals come in.  We hope to inform you about what good apps are out there, where to find them and what their limitations might be.  For me, with the assistance of sites like these, the benefits of Android have far outweighed the consequences.

Google Integration

I am a pretty heavy user of Google products.  I use Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Docs, and so on.  My frustration with past smartphones (I had both a Windows Mobile phone and a Blackberry) was that the integration with Google products was pretty poor.  Android, another Google product, has made my life easier by developing a phone operating system that makes access to their online applications pretty darn smooth.

I now deal with my email and calendar information almost exclusively over my phone.  And while I still access Reader and Docs primarily at a pc, I open them fairly regularly from my phone as well.  I don’t have to hook my Droid up to my computer to sync things up, wirelessly or through USB.  Everything is always synced and ready to go when I need it.

Ease of Use

I do sometimes lament the fact that Android is considered the geek platform, though it really is.  But it’s the geek platform because of its flexibility, not because it’s hard to use.  Though I will admit that it isn’t quite as intuitive as the iPhone, it is still very easy to navigate through Android.  Once you realize that tapping and holding an item often opens shortcut menus you can get around in Android pretty quickly.  I have found it much easier to navigate my Droid than my previous Windows Mobile device and even easier than my Blackberry Storm.

All of these aspects of the Android operating system intrigued my inner control freak and compelled me to become an AndroidGal.  I’m excited to see how Android will progress and improve and what apps may hit the marketplace that will make staying connected on the go even easier.

While geo-location applications have become increasingly popular, there are those that still feel uncomfortable broadcasting their every movement to everyone around them.  Sometimes, you just don’t want everyone to know exactly where you are.

The new Google Buzz widget allows you to Buzz with the option of generalizing or hiding your location as well as making your Buzz private all from the Buzz screen. In fact, the screen you access from the widget has all the same options as the Buzz screen on the mobile web site giving you all the functionality with one touch convenience.

When I wanted to buzz from home but didn’t want to broadcast where my apartment was to the world I had the following options:

1. Use the city as the location (this was automatically designated as my location when I opened the screen)
2. Select my apartment complex (no thank you)
3. Select a nearby location (seemed silly)
4. Hide my location altogether.
5. Make my Buzz private so that only my friends can see.