[Update] Ken Case comments below, addressing some of the concerns listed here. It looks like a future version of OmniFocus on the Mac will be able to directly update the OmniFocus reminders on the server, removing at least one of my complaints.

Ken Case from The Omni Group has been twittering for awhile about the impending inclusion of alarm reminders for OmniFocus. The task management app's iPhone users have been pestering The Omni Group to implement reminders as push notifications, but OmniFocus refuses to do so. They say that reminders that rely on connectivity are not good enough, and they have instead chosen to implement reminders by exporting due dates and times into iCal. Once the time comes for a reminder, it pops up like a normal iCal appointment reminder.

Well, OmniFocus 1.5.2 for iPhone was released, and now we get to see how this alternative reminder system works. If I had to choose a word to describe this implementation, that word would be "awful." Here's why:

• The Omni Group has taken great pains to point out that you do not need to be using the desktop version of OmniFocus to get use out of the iPhone version. But for users that only have the iPhone version and are not synchronizing it to either MobileMe (which has a yearly fee) or a WebDAV server (complicated for non-techies), they can't use this implementation of reminders. That's right; the way it works is that OmniFocus on the iPhone exports your reminders to your synchronization server, then points iCal on the iPhone to the server to import your reminders. That means that if you enter new due dates in OmniFocus for iPhone but don't happen to have connectivity, you won't get reminders. Wait, I thought it was implemented this way in the first place to guard against a lack of connectivity?

• Your OmniFocus reminders unnecessarily pollute your iPhone calendar with reminders. This is a visual problem when you need to glance at your calendars and see what actual appointments are coming up. On the iPhone you can either look at one specific calendar, or all calendars, so if like me you need to regularly stay on top of more than one calendar, you're forced to look at your OmniFocus reminders as well. Oh, and even when you complete them in OmniFocus and resync, they don't go away in your calendar. [Update] Stephen points out in the comments that this works as expected, and upon further testing I have to agree. Maybe I was being a bit too impatient.
  

• Since your OmniFocus reminders are actually just fake appointments, there is no way to audibly differentiate them from appointment reminders. They sound and look exactly the same. Remember the Milk, for example, uses push notifications on its iPhone app, and you can set the notification sound to a number of different options. That way you know that you're being reminded of a task rather than an appointment.

• Reminders are set based on Due time, rather than Available time, and in terms of flexibility you can set the reminder to be 5 to 60 minutes before the task is due. By the time a task is actually due, isn't it too late to be reminded about it?

• Finally, if you're a user of OmniFocus for the Mac, your reminders are not created on your iPhone until you think to launch OmniFocus on the iPhone and synchronize it. That means that if you work all day in OmniFocus on your Mac (like I do), then drive home and start doing other stuff and don't happen to open OmniFocus on your iPhone, you won't receive any reminders for tasks that you might have set for that night, or until you actually open and sync OmniFocus on your iPhone.

So, what would I rather see? Push notifications, like the many other OmniFocus for iPhone users out there that have been providing their feedback to The Omni Group.

As mentioned, Remember the Milk has implemented push notifications, and the ability to change the notification sound isn't the only trick it has up its sleeve. The Remember the Milk icon on my iPhone's screen shows how many due tasks I have that day, and the number changes almost instantly when I make changes on the web version. To see how many currently available and due tasks I have in OmniFocus, I again have to launch the app and wait for it to synchronize.

While I love OmniFocus and I think The Omni Group does amazing work, this implementation of reminders for the iPhone version of OmniFocus is just full of an amazing amount of fail. It's a hacky workaround that still doesn't ensure that a lack of connectivity won't adversely affect the user's ability to receive reminder notifications. Omni folks, this is just meant to be tough love -- I wouldn't be saying all of this if I didn't truly care about OmniFocus.

The Omni Group just released OmniFocus 1.6, and it's a big, big update. Current users are going to be pleased, even if they don't bother to page through the extensive list of new features and fixes in the release notes. I've never said anything to the contrary, but this is proof that Omni is listening carefully to users and working hard to evolve with user demands while still maintaining their original vision.

For the uninitiated, OmniFocus is one of the top contenders for your task manager dollar. Among the commercial options -- along with Things and up-and-comer, The Hit List -- OmniFocus is considered to be the powerhouse, at least as far as features. It's been a bit too much power for a number of people looking for simplicity in both form and function, but for those who need the extra power, it's a solid choice.

When I say "extra power", I'm talking about advanced sorting based on just about any criteria, saved filter sets called "Perspectives," AppleScript support, integration with Mail, iCal sync, iPhone sync (with separately purchased iPhone version) and some advanced capabilities to help you determine your "next action" with less input than some of the others. Things and The Hit List are still contending for my ultimate love, but I've used OmniFocus extensively and can honestly say that the only reason I tend to drift away from it is complexity -- both in the UI and in general functionality.

As I mentioned, the 1.6 release notes are extensive, and the vast majority of the entries are of very similar importance, making "highlights" hard to do. There are changes and additions to the filtering options, a new "Flagged" collation type for Context view, a prodigious number of bug fixes and enhancements to existing functionality, UI improvements, AppleScript fixes and improvements ... seriously, it's a long list. If you're a current user, you should be notified of the update within the application (check your update settings in Preferences), and new users can download a free demo. OmniFocus will hit your pocketbook for $79.95US ... competitive in the GTD arena and fitting for the punch it packs.

The Omni Group has announced that OmniGraffle 5 is final and available for download and purchase. OmniGraffle is a brilliant template-based diagramming application that makes it a snap to draw up a flow-chart or schematic. As we noted when the first beta of version 5 was released, the latest OmniGraffle adds many important new features including support for Visio formats, a new layout engine, support for Bézier lines and shapes and much more.

OmniGraffle comes in two versions, a standard version for $99.95 and a Professional version for $199.95 with an extended feature set (e.g. greater Visio support, subgraphs and more). Upgrades from previous versions are $39.95 (Standard) and $139.95 (Pro), with other options available for family pack licenses.

Update: To upgrade from a previous Pro version to version 5 Pro it's $74.95; it's $139.95 to upgrade to version 5 Pro from any previous version of Standard.

OmniFocus 1.0 represents a long-awaited addition to the GTD offerings on the Mac. It's a GTD-compatible task manager that has been in beta (or vaportrail, as they call it) for a while now and has gained an active community of users. Today's release puts Omni ahead of several other developers, which may help make up the minds of the more impatient GTDers who have been watching the options grow more varied and the spread of features get more convoluted.

Omni nailed a few things in this application, including a very powerful means of managing how tasks are viewed (focuses), recurring tasks and OS X integration that includes Spotlight indexing of tasks. The interface is unfamiliar to new users, but relatively intuitive. And, unlike some of the other up-and-comers, Omni made GTD standards a high priority. Whether that is a selling point depends entirely on the individual user's taste.

OmniFocus has updated almost every day since I got my invitation to the beta some months back. If you like applications that have a quick and responsive development team, you'll enjoy the development pace. It's retailing at $79.95 now that the pre-order discount is finished. Visit the website for more information.

In the first interview of this new mini-series, Brent Simmons of NewsGator / NetNewsWire shared some of his thoughts on Apple's delay of Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard in light of the iPhone. For this second installment, Wil Shipley of Delicious Monster / Delicious Library steps up to the plate on feeling like a new programmer again, a reason to be happy that Leopard was delayed and why the iPhone's release is a great time to work at Delicious Monster. Wil has a great perspective on Apple and their products, and - as anyone who reads his Call Me Fishmeal blog will know - an entertaining way with words. Read on for Wil's responses to my questions after the jump.

OmniOutliner is arguably the Photoshop of the note-taking industry; it's endowed with a plethora of powerful abilities that are wrapped in a well-designed experience, and it wears many hats for its many users. It only makes sense, then, for the Omni crew to team up with ScreenCastsOnline to produce a series of free tutorial videos that demonstrate some of OmniOutliner and OmniOutliner Pro's key features. If you've ever needed a crash course on everything you can do with this powerful app, these videos range in topics from a basic introduction, levels and styles, columns in notes, embedding files and exactly what's so special about the Pro version.

As one would expect from a website that makes a living out of producing screencasts, these tutorials are very well produced and a great resource for users both old and new.

You've seen the screenshots, and you've even seen it in beta. Now, and for the first time ever, OmniPlan - the project management app from the makers of OmniOutliner and OmniAnythingElse - has gone officially official. The ultra-hip 'beta' moniker has been put to rest in the back yard in favor of a final 1.0 app, complete a non-expiring demo (though limited to 20 items in a doc), a $149.95 price tag and a $60 'Competitive Upgrade Rebate' for anyone switching from a valid copy of PMX, FastTrack Scheduler, Merlin, and ConceptDraw. Now there's a way to make a splash.

Ethan J. A. Schoonover, author of kGTD, has exhaled enthusiastically on his blog about the Omni Group's recently announced teased OmniFocus. Apparently, the Omni ninjas actually brought Schoonover out to their Seattle headquarters (along with Merlin Mann of the ever-productive 43folders) earlier this year for some good ol' fashioned brainstormin' and idea wranglin', and from the sounds of things, he's pretty excited about what's in store. Ethan had nothing but good things to say about his experience and the Omni folk, and explains that this natural and evolutionary collaboration with the Omni Group couldn't have happened at a better time, as his next logical step was to turn kGTD into a full-blown Cocoa app anyway (as opposed to the series of bolt-on, awkwardly installed AppleScripts it is now).

Ethan refrained from offering any salvation from the dark, torturous and detail-less dungeon the Omni Group has already enslaved us in, but check out his Hold breath. Exhale. Focus blog post for some more bits and pieces about his experience, and some inspiring (though still incredibly vague) details of what's in store for OmniFocus.

The Omni Group has hinted at new products and teased us with a handy tool and toy. While 3rd party solutions have existed to turn their OmniOutliner Pro into a mean, lean Getting Things Done machine, the Omni Group has finally spilled the quintessential bean in a recent blog post and confirmed that a true-blue GTD app is in the works, and its name is OmniFocus.

However, I say the Omni gang spilled one bean - and one bean only - because they have twisted the cruel rumor knife ever so slightly by withholding any other details. No features, no clues, no ETA or price range. Not even a blurry icon. Cursed Omni Group! For now, it seems, you have forced us to suffer in your dungeon of anticipation! Our only salvation is your humbling generosity - some day - offering the warm sunlight of more details. Oh despair - thy name is OmniFocus!

It's a sad, sad day when the Mac world gets all giddy over some third-party application that does something somehow for whatever reason -- but we're not really sure what -- though it has a yellowish icon and is supposedly eagerly requested by a bunch of people and is, after all, by the same company that brought you OmniWeb, OmniGraffle, OmniOutliner, and OmniDazzle (you know, that other product we were all giddy about).

And despite the vague (viz: non-existent) description and the lack of hints as to its purpose, I am excited to hear about the new mystery app the fine folks at The Omni Group are cooking up. All they'll tell us is that it's repeatedly requested, the pic shown here is a blurred image of it, and it is not a replacement for Mail and is not a word processor.

So why spread non-information, you ask? Well, because if you correctly guess what it is (in the blog post's comments) you'll get a super-secret sneak peak at the future OmniWhatever. And then you could slip us a note as to what it is.

I mean, not like we're condoning you breaking the trust of The Omni Group and leaking information regarding OmniSecret. That would just be wrong -- and if you do, frankly, I'm not sure we could be friends anymore. We love those guys.

But yeah. You know how to reach us.

The program everyone seems to love to poke fun at has come out of beta. Version 1.0 changes the default positioning of the window, and not much else. OmniDazzle is available as a free demo. Licenses go for $14.95.

I had a chance to sit down with Tim Wood, project lead for OmniDazzle.

After weeks of ambiguous hints and torturous teasing, The Omni Group has unveiled their newest product, and it definitely isn't a Sweedish meatball maker. Introducing: OmniDazzle, a "set of fun and useful enhancements that help you track the location of your mouse pointer and provide options for highlighting certain areas of your screen". Basically, it's like one of those mouse-trailing toys tools with some actually useful goodness baked in. For example, OmniDazzle can place a spotlight on your mouse, dimming the background and helping you or your audience focus on what's important. It offers other interesting tools for pinpointing your mouse and even drawing on screen for those times when crayons just won't do. In fact, there's a lot of quirky (and handy) stuff OmniDazzle is capable of, so why not check it out while it's in beta?

The Omni Group has begun hinting at a new product on their blog by offering clues on their blog as to what it is not. In posts like A trickling of inklings, they have let us know things like the product's sub-$20 price, that it is not a replacement for Mail and that it has nothing to do with the iPod. They also have plainly stated that they have other new products and updates for existing products planned for 2006. This should be good news for those of you who (like me) are fans of their excellent offerings like OmniGiraffe OmniGraffle and OmniOutliner. Here's hoping they don't keep us in suspense for too long.

Earlier this month, the Omni Group offered a sneak peek of their upcoming 5.5 release of OmniWeb, their feature-rich web browser that pre-dated Netscape by a year. If the preview piqued your interest, you might be interested in their public beta. While this new release doesn't pack in a boatload of up-front whiz-bang features, they have implemented some great back-end stuff like using a more recent version of WebKit than Safari, a Site Inspector (also known as a DOM Inspector) and allowing site-specific CSS rules that update in real time.

John Hicks of hickdesign has a few more details of what's new and upcoming in the final 5.5 release, and if you want to get in on the public beta, you'll have to register in the Omni Group's forums in order to see the forum thread with details on how to download your own copy.

Omni has let slip some tidbits about the forthcoming (in private beta) version of Omniweb (5.5 for those keeping track). This version will using Apple's Webkit, feature some Aperture influenced menus, and a host of other things. It'll be Universal as well, as fear not Intel Mac users.

[via Daring Fireball]