Two iPhone apps that sync with iCal

I’m getting questions about iPhone apps that sync with iCal tasks, so I thought I’d link them here. Second Gear’s Today 2.0 and BusyCal have rejuvenated my interest in managing tasks with Mac OS X’s ecosystem, so here are the two iPhone apps I’ve begun trying.

ToDo from Appigo. It has Push Notifications, a dose of useful GTD-ness with contexts and a today list, lots of filtering options, and can sync with not just iCal, but Remember The Milk or Toodledo as well. It’s fairly feature-packed without feeling overloaded. You can search and add tasks with natural language via a quick-add bar.

However, ToDo has some initial drawbacks. First, it can only sync with one of the three aforementioned options, i.e., you have to change sync services in settings, and your previous choice and credentials are blown away. Second, syncing with iCal requires WiFi and a free helper app to be installed on your Mac. By extension, you must be on the same network as your Mac, and it must be running, in order to sync. This isn’t a deal-breaker for me, but I know that in an age of MobileMe and Evernote, where more and more syncs OTA, being restricted to local WiFi can feel like a crutch.

One potentially useful side effect of ToDo’s ability to sync with multiple services (albeit one-at-a-time) is that it might serve as a great third party for getting all of your tasks either in or out of iCal, Remember The Milk, or Toodledo. I haven’t tried it yet, but: most of my tasks are in Remember The Milk right now. I’ve synced them all to ToDo, and soon I’ll try syncing them into iCal. Much more useful than some exported XML file, I’ll tell you whut.

I’m also trying 2Do from Guided Ways. I’ll say it now: 2Do is much more interesting. The UI is clever and engaging, and 2Do is also packed with features and preferences without feeling confusing or overloaded. Most of the typical task management features are here: Push Notifications, multiple calendars, and you can focus on a calendar or other group of tasks.

Besides the interesting UI, 2Do can also act as a springboard for actually doing things. For example, you can add an Action to each todo to make a call, SMS, email, visit a link or map, or search for a phrase with Google. When it comes time to do the task, you can tap the action area to, well, take action. Tapping a call action can call one of your contacts or a phone number you type in manually. If your contact has more than one number, you can pick which one to call. 2Do also has a built-in browser, so tapping any kind of web link will keep you in the app and on track.

2Do offers a ton of preferences for controlling everything from theme, to Push Notification sounds, to how quickly completed tasks are removed, to which screen or list you see on launch. You can even password protect the entire app or individual calendars.

I’m honestly having a hard time finding drawbacks in my initial tinkering, though I can imagine the unique UI may be a turnoff for some. You also cannot sync with anything but iCal on a Mac right now, though Guided Ways is taking a poll on which services to add next. Also: syncing with a Mac once again requires a local WiFi network and your Mac running a free helper app.

Both ToDo and 2Do offer free, feature-restricted versions, so you can at least get a taste without sticking your wallet out too far. I might review these two, and any other iPhone apps that sync with iCal, for Macworld if they want the story.