The Mac app syncs with the iOS version, which is where this app really shines. DEVONthink Pro Office – If you have a huge amount of information to keep track of, DEVONthink is hard to beat. You can capture research, documents, email, and web clipping to one place, and DEVONthink’s artificial intelligence can help you file and find the.
OmniFocus 3 adds power and flexibility — while also making it easier to get started and easier to work the way you want to work.
We’ve replaced contexts with tags, made scheduling and notifications more flexible, updated the design, added automation and collaboration features — and even created a web app, since not everybody always has their Mac, iPhone, or iPad available.
In future posts we’ll go into more details with each of these — but, for now, we’ll quickly highlight a few upcoming features. Note that not all of the below will appear in the initial 3.0 release (though tags will).
Tags
We’ve replaced contexts with tags. Tasks and projects can have multiple tags instead of just a single context.
Consider the case where you want to talk to Alice at work when your energy level is high. (Since Alice imparts a lot of useful information quickly!) Instead of applying a #work context to that action, you would tag it with #work, #Alice, and #high-energy.
You’ll be able to view every task and project with a specific tag, re-order items within that list, and sync that order across devices. You’ll also be able to create custom perspectives that show this tag or that tag, or this tag and another tag but not this other tag.
Like contexts, tags can be nested: you might have a #people tag with #Alice and #Joe as child tags. Tags do everything contexts do — and more. And they’re a thing people are used to. Even the Finder has tags these days!
Automation
While the Mac version has always had strong AppleScript support, we know our users need something powerful that works on Macs and on iOS.
To that end we’re adding JavaScript support — the same Omni Automation system that already appears in OmniGraffle and OmniOutliner — that will allow you to write scripts that work on both Macs and iOS and across Omni apps.
You’ll be able to create reports, run powerful filters, create projects and tasks based on templates, and plenty more. You’ll be able to do things we haven’t even thought of — which is the point of automation.
Collaboration
With OmniFocus’s new collaboration features, I could send you a task with all its data, and you could accept, which links this task across our databases.
While the task is linked, both of us will see updates to that task, including status updates. One of us may add sub-tasks, and one of us might not. One of us might move it to a different project. The task remains linked.
This lets you keep using OmniFocus for your personal task management, while still allowing for flexibility and for the sharing that you need.
OmniFocus for the Web
We’ve heard from plenty of people that they’re in front of a Windows machine at work — or that they, for whatever reason, sometimes have access to a browser but not to OmniFocus.
OmniFocus for the web will allow people to view their projects and tasks, edit them, complete them, and make new ones. It will be simplified compared to the Mac or iOS app — it won’t include custom perspectives and similar features. But we believe it will handle most of what people need when they’re away from their Mac or iOS device.
More…
The above is light on detail and skips a number of important features, but we promise to write more posts to fill you in on everything. And there will be delicious screenshots. :)
But, for now, you can read the second half of the Omni Roadmap 2018 blog post, where it concentrates on OmniFocus 3, and you can listen to Ken Case talk about OmniFocus 3 on The Omni Show.
You’re also welcome to ask questions via Slack, Twitter, Micro.blog, the forums, or by contacting support.
This post originally appeared on the American Express OPEN Forum, where Mashable regularly contributes articles about leveraging social media and technology in small business.
More and more individuals are making the switch from PC to Mac. Even in the business world, more employees are requesting the option to work on a Mac, and plenty of businesses are full-Mac shops. For small businesses especially, the ease of use, ability to run Windows if you need it, and added security (spyware, malware and viruses just don’t exist on the Mac the same way they do on Windows-based PCs) can make a compelling argument for running Mac OS X.
And while the Mac might be best associated with creative work, there are plenty of great business and productivity apps available for the platform too. Here are five applications that can help boost your business productivity.
OmniFocus
There are lots of good all-around task management applications for Mac OS X, but OmniFocus is one of the best for the small business owner. Building heavily on David Allen’s “Getting Things Done” book and methodology, OmniFocus makes it easy to capture and define tasks from practically any application so that you can keep things organized and focused. You can automatically sync with iCal and sync your OmniFocus database between Macs or your iPhone or iPod touch. The companion iPhone app makes it easy to keep track and add new items to your inbox while you’re on the go.
Cost: $79.99
TextExpander
If you find yourself typing many of the same words or phrases every day, you need to look at getting a text expansion program. Programs like TextExpander (my favorite) work by automatically inserting predefined text after you hit a set of keys. For instance, if I want to write “With best regards” I can just type “wbr” instead. You can see how New York Times columnist David Pogue uses text expansions in his workflow here.
Cost: $29.99
Evernote
Evernote isn’t a Mac-specific tool, it’s a service you can use on the Mac, PC, from the web and on a ton of mobile devices. Evernote lets you capture content from almost any place, organize it and then access it later from any device. It’s a great add-on to any professional’s workflow. [Free; premium option is $5 a month/$45 a year]
BusyCal
BusyCal describes itself as iCal Pro and that’s exactly what it is. Using an interface that is similar to Apple’s own iCal, BusyCal lets you seamlessly share enhanced calendars across your local network and sync with Google Calendar. Need to make a change to a group calendar? Do it on BusyCal and it will be instantly updated everywhere. You can also embed graphics, to-do lists and sticky notes. It syncs with Google Calendar without limiting you to 5 shared calendars, which is a nice touch.
Cost: $40 per computer, 20% discount when buying multiple copies
Omnifocus Productivity App Mac Ios
Bento
Bento is from FileMaker and is designed as their personal database tool. It’s also a powerful, easy to use tool for small businesses that want to create attractive and robust databases. Using Bento you can use pre-defined templates or create your own to link together different documents, photos, videos and contacts. You can use Bento with your existing spreadsheets for beta data-entry, searching and to add related-data fields. The latest version of Bento also lets you share with up to 5 other users.
Cost: $49/$99 for Family Pack (5 licenses)
Omnifocus For Windows
More Mac resources from Mashable:
- Mac Gift Guide: 10 Buying Ideas for Apple Fans - HOW TO: Create a Mac Theme for Windows 7 - Top 10 iPhone Apps as Judged by Mashable Readers - APPLE TABLET: Ultimate Gallery of Concept Designs and Prototypes - 10 iPhone Apps to Avoid Work Disasters - 20 Creative Apps For Your iPhone