[AOTW] App Of The Week: Clear

• Laurent Ho
• 12 years ago

Last week I talk about Day One, an app that is simple enough to help me manage daily journal and notes. However I’m never quite satisfied with information organized around me so I’m constantly on the lookout for stuff that keep me updated and productive, and it has to be quick and easy.

A week ago I read up on this app Clear, supposedly highly anticipated according to an article I read on some tech site. It wasn’t even on the app store when I read about it so I was like searching for it every other day until it finally surfaced. So what’s the deal about it? Honestly, nothing much and that’s why it makes it amazing. Having use so many apps and software over the years, my attention span require to determine if an app stays or get trashed is probably 10 seconds or less so first impressions are vitally important. Here’s why I think Clear works:

• Keeping it REALLY simple – Clear is clear(pardon the pun) about one thing: making sure you access and use its todo list in a snap. No other unnecessaries. You don’t need to enter the date or time just to remind yourself to call your mum. Clear keeps it easy peasy.
• Speed – Click/drag, write and save. Swipe to mark done or delete. Creating tasks fast in Clear is the no.1 reason why I use it so often.
• Multiple Lists – The only additional feature that has to be mandatory. Having different todo lists make it easy to categorize e.g. Business, Personal, etc.
• Icon Notification – The number of tasks uncompleted gets tag to the icon, a nagging but nonetheless useful reminder.

Now you might find some negative reviews about Clear while you are checking it out on iTunes. Sure, a lot of folks are looking for productivity apps jam-packed with lots of features but if you are looking for simple alternative to manage your daily tasks, this app just might be perfect for you. That said, I initially wanted to comment on the lack of syncing feature to e.g. iCloud but honestly after using for a while I do not think it is necessary anymore. My phone is always with me and there’s no reason for me to turn on my laptop or desktop just to simply check my todo list. Furthermore my todo list tasks shouldn’t stay on my phone for more than 3 days, anything longer than that it should go into my calendar(which syncs everywhere).

For a mere US$0.99, I like to think Clear is a well-designed app that has made my life a little more organized.