[bjack56]

Who uses both?
I've finally decided to add the first third party app. to my month-old 8830. I'm a standalone user, nobody to delegate to or email about tasks, just getting busier (and older) and would like a little "help" in remembering all the little things I need to do and thoughts that spring up out of nowhere throughout the day.
I've started the 7 day trial with both programs yesterday, and so far don't see the advantage to having both. My first impression is that Idea matrix will handle all that Todo matrix does, (barring the second/third alert and more delegation options) of course I'm new to these programs and am likely not seeing many things.

So, long story long, would anyone using both matrix's (matrii?) mind sharing when/why you'd use Todo over Idea (or vice-versa)? I don't mind purchasing both, but then it's two places to look to try and discover what I've forgotten I'm doing!

Any replies appreciated!

[geggyta516]

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry8800/4.2.1 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/102)

Currently, idea is much slower than todo because as you build an idea base with unlimited size notes it naturally gets slower. Todo has a note field size limit which keeps it running fast in the heat of battle.

[ShelW]

Well, I know you asked for input from people using both ToDoMatrix and IdeaMatrix, so I hope you won't mind my input.

I went with only IdeaMatrix for the same reasons you described above... I just didn't see the advantage of ToDoMatrix, if I already have IdeaMatrix, esp. at $60.

That being said, IdeaMatrix is one of my most used programs, I really love it!

I often go online and use RexDesktop to input large amounts of data from the web, that I want on my Pearl.

LOVE the Indy Search feature! Allows you to QUICKLY find any notes you've previously entered, even if you don't remember where they were stored.

Also, if you enter a ToDo with reminder, the reminder allows you to dismiss it or snooze and set a new time for you to be reminded again... don't really see any advantage of a seperate ToDo app, this one works fine.

Also, ToDoMatrix has a limit on how much data can be stored in any one ToDo item (not sure how much it is, and it's being increased in the soon to be released update, but still, it IS limited)

As far as I know, IdeaMatrix has no such limit.

Try 'em both out, but more then likely, IdeaMatrix can easily handle your ToDo's....

[bjack56]

Originally Posted by ShelW

Well, I know you asked for input from people using both ToDoMatrix and IdeaMatrix, so I hope you won't mind my input.

I went with only IdeaMatrix for the same reasons you described above... I just didn't see the advantage of ToDoMatrix, if I already have IdeaMatrix, esp. at $60.

That being said, IdeaMatrix is one of my most used programs, I really love it!

I often go online and use RexDesktop to input large amounts of data from the web, that I want on my Pearl.

LOVE the Indy Search feature! Allows you to QUICKLY find any notes you've previously entered, even if you don't remember where they were stored.

Also, if you enter a ToDo with reminder, the reminder allows you to dismiss it or snooze and set a new time for you to be reminded again... don't really see any advantage of a seperate ToDo app, this one works fine.

Also, ToDoMatrix has a limit on how much data can be stored in any one ToDo item (not sure how much it is, and it's being increased in the soon to be released update, but still, it IS limited)

As far as I know, IdeaMatrix has no such limit.

Try 'em both out, but more then likely, IdeaMatrix can easily handle your ToDo's....

Yeah, that's sort of where my head was too. Strange thing..I downloaded both trials last night (Sept 12, approx. 10:30 pm local time) this morning, (roughly six hours later) both programs stopped letting me in saying the trial had expired. There's an option of requesting a trial extension, so that's what I did. Looks like I need to pick one if that's what I'm going to do and see.
I guess I can always pick the other one up at a later date!

[DaBlackberryBoy]

I primarily use todoMatrix as I am task oriented, but I do agree with the points above. If they (rex wireless) would add a few more of the things like categories, statuses and whatnot, I would probably use ideaMatrix, solely because you can hold more in the notes. But with the 7D release coming up, they are upping the size of some key fields in todoMatrix and adding some key features.

[mgerbasio]

If I was buying one, I'd go for ideaMatrix. I use both but having unlimited notes easily filed is a big help. One of my complaints with iM, as noted above, is speed and rexwireless is addressing this issue. RW had a package where you'd get a discount for buying both. I originally went with iM and like it so much bought tM a week or two later and they were good about giving me the discount.
Using tM is good but not for long notes, the fields are way to small. It's going to be interesting to see how they get it to work with OL tasks.

Regards-Michael G.

[bjack56]

Thanks to all that replied!
I decided to purchase Ideamatrix and see how it goes..it's only been one full day, and I'm already not totally sure if I could do without it! What a great addition to the Blackberry.

Thanks again!

[robchow]

Is ideaMatrix able to handle the GTD?

Here is how I would do it on ideaMatrix.
Drawers are projects.
Folders are context (@office, @lab, etc).
In the folders are action items.

Is this the best way? Or should I go with todoMatrix?

Thanks

[DaBlackberryBoy]

Originally Posted by robchow

Is ideaMatrix able to handle the GTD?

Here is how I would do it on ideaMatrix.
Drawers are projects.
Folders are context (@office, @lab, etc).
In the folders are action items.

Is this the best way? Or should I go with todoMatrix?

Thanks

ideaMatrix would do you good if that is the structure that you want to use.

Although, with the plethra of enhancements that have been added to todoMatrix as of Monday of this week, you may want to research that out. You should read the white paper on their homepage about the 7D release and see if it is for you. REXwireless: BlackBerry Software Applications

Hope this helps my friend!

[mgerbasio]

Originally Posted by robchow

Is ideaMatrix able to handle the GTD?

Here is how I would do it on ideaMatrix.
Drawers are projects.
Folders are context (@office, @lab, etc).
In the folders are action items.

Is this the best way? Or should I go with todoMatrix?

Thanks

The best way? Go with todoMatrix. You get the ability to delegate tasks and have the status and priority of a task; I think the latter two are important. You can also mark tasks as done, not delete them, and have them not display in your folder. That is just a few things I think you'll lose not using todoMatrix, as mentioned above, the just added a lot of new features.

Regards-Michael G.

[bjack56]

Originally Posted by DaBlackberryBoy

ideaMatrix would do you good if that is the structure that you want to use.

Although, with the plethra of enhancements that have been added to todoMatrix as of Monday of this week, you may want to research that out. You should read the white paper on their homepage about the 7D release and see if it is for you. REXwireless: BlackBerry Software Applications

Hope this helps my friend!

Absolutely, DaBlackberryBoy.. ToDoMatrix-especially with the new updates- is very robust.
I decided to go for both programs and find they work together very well. Longer range plans and random thoughts go into IdeaMatrix, and when or if they need to be acted on, they get copied over to ToDoMatrix to be implemented. Works great!

[bigberry]

I use both, but i use ideamatrix more, however with the upgrades to todomatrix that could change.

[Alex Alexzander]

I also own both, and we may actually be a lot alike. The company I work for is clueless when it comes to groupware. They even use POP3 email from some lame host. I went out and bought my Blackberry, the software I run on it, and I pay for sharepoint and Exchange services as well as Blackberry BES services from a hosted Exchange provider. I put well over $200 a month into my phone / email / Sharepoint, and like you I needed a way to keep up with my clients. I was getting to a point where things were being forgotten, and clients were reminding me I owe them something. That just can't happen.

I purchased ToDoMatrix first. It seemed like the perfect app, and after about 1 day of just transferring todo items from Outlook Exchange, I was getting very attached to it. I realized how many actual things I had to get back to clients on as I started organizing the Matrix. In that first day I got a rude awaking as to how badly I was handling this before. I had to go through emails, look for information and get that data together so it could even be entered into ToDoMatrix. As a side note, I also use Ascendo DataVault like a database now, to hold a lot of customer information as a result of seeing a Todo and waiting access to more variant types of information normally stored in emails randomly. That's another topic.

Once I had a basic folder structure created, and my ToDos entered, I still found how much my old ways were worthless. As I was in a meeting, and on the telephone, I found myself making better notes, and setting multiple alarms and since then, I have been much more on top of things. My stress has been lowered too, mainly because I feel like I can easily find information I need now. Something happens in face to face meetings, or telephone calls. Our attention is stretched between our personal computer and our conversation and at that very moment, we are not at our best. I'll bet before you even make a call you will like to gather as much information about the topic, and have it right where you can get at it because during the call, it's that pressure of a quick reply that changes our focus and makes it harder to respond to questions you didn't expect to have to deal with. And then you ask if you can get back to the client. I personally hate that. I want to have the answer right then and there. I feel it builds a world of confidence if I have immediate access to what I need. An effective Todo program helps with this. You know what your action items are. You can see them all the time, so you remember what needs to be done.

So about a week goes by, and I start to think about IdeaMatrix. I download that trial. That very day I was starting to work on a marketing folder. I was very loosely considering what kinds of information I wanted in the folder. These were not Todo items. They are really just random ideas. But random ideas have a way of getting confusing. Especially when my ideas started to branch into other ideas on other topics. Once the brain is working, it's not limited to what it wants to work on. I think that was what got me to purchase IdeaMatrix. I started to define multiple marketing projects. I started to organize my thoughts on a more simplified way to quote my clients. And I started to think about these concepts in random order. I started to even write notes on the content of many of the ideas as well.

As I built my ideas completely in IdeaMatrix, I started to refine the ideas. Delete some of the notes I thought didn't actually work well. and I copied some ideas into others, and refined more and more. Needles to say, I got pretty into this. I think the IdeaMatrix product is great for brainstorming whenever, and wherever you are. Especially because of the tree view. You really start to organize things when you see it this way. At least I do.

But why have both?

The best answer to this is because I don't want all those random ideas, both growing and shrinking, to look like items I need to get back to clients about. ToDoMatrix lets me see what is really happening. I know I have xyz amount of open ended items I need to address with clients by looking at ToDoMatrix. If I had to sift though all my raw concepts in addition to my Todo items I'd be wasting time, and even more likely to introduce the old problems I am trying to escape. That old problem is having to sift through many kinds of data, and decide each time what has to be acted upon. That's not efficient. By using ToDoMatrix ONLY for real items you need to deal with for the sake of a client, you organize yourself better. You look at the tree, and know immediately that you have unfinished business with a star client. The 7D release of ToDoMatrix is perfect. Honestly, I think this is perhaps one of the best, if not the best application for the Blackberry. But IdeaMatrix is very good at what it does. I can't stress this enough. I have so much to do in a day, that forget where I was on a particular task. IdeaMatrix is the ability to organize random thoughts. Pickup where you left off on choices you made. Evolve your ideas. And it let's you keep sight of what the big picture is for the project.

I had 4 basic items I wanted in my marketing folder. And after the ideas were all realized, data started to pump into ToDoMatrix when it became a task that my printer would then be involved with.

So when it's just me, it's an idea. It belongs in IdeaMatrix. When it starts to involve others, and I am working them into my workflow then I need to be reminded to wait for someone else to handle their part it becomes a Todo. When the ball is my court, and then someone else's, and then mine again, it's a Todo.

I started out believing the default apps were just fine on the Blackberry. The Email, the Calendar, and the Address book are still perhaps the most used. But ToDoMatrix, IdeaMatrix, Grid Magic, Ascendo DataVault, Ascendo Money, Jive Talk, WorldMate Professional are all being relied on too.

My advice is, organize yourself. Once in a while I am blown away all over again with a new application for the Blackberry. There are lot's of items of information that a Blackberry is very good at delivering. ToDoMatrix is one of the very best. And IdeaMatrix is great too. It just really depends on you. I wear 4, perhaps 5 hats at my job. My title, and my pay don't reflect this, but my sanity actually depends on this little Blackberry and the software I have come to rely on so much.

-Alex