REXwireless clearly missed the mark on time estimates for the release of the ToDoMatrix TAS version. Just in case the terminology doesn't ring a bell, TAS stands for Task Applet Sync. This is the version that synchronizes with the native BlackBerry tasks applet, which in turn uses existing BlackBerry data conduits to sync with PC programs such as Microsoft Outlook, Lotus Notes, and Groupwise. Other third parties also interface to the BlackBerry tasks applet such as PocketMac and Missing Sync for the Mac, and onboard applications that strive to offer a "today" view. We had thought TAS would be out early this summer but it is more than four months late.
While we won't belabor the dozens of reasons TAS is tardy, it will suffice to say that we struggled unexpectedly on a number of fronts. Noteworthy surprises included issues with BlackBerry OS 4.3 and 4.5, changes to support high-resolution devices like the BlackBerry Bold, a complete rewrite of our database upgrade logic to make the upgrade painless, and significant improvements to the REXwireless database engine to better accommodate the stresses of staying in sync. We can say with certainty that Murphy's Law is alive and well in 2008.
We are releasing our private / smaller scale Beta release of ToDoMatrix TAS next week to about 100 users. Depending on how that goes, we hope that we can offer a public Release Candidate version of ToDoMatrix TAS before the end of the month. A word of caution - Beta and Release Candidates are not the final release of a software application and pose greater than average risks. If you are not willing to accept those risks, please wait until the full release of TAS.
The ToDoMatrix TAS release includes some significant changes that many customers have been hoping for. While there are over thirty enhancements, the top ten highlights include:
1. Onboard task applet synchronization with the BlackBerry tasks applet (TAS) which facilitates synchronization with Microsoft Outlook (tasks), Lotus Notes, Novell Groupwise, PocketMac and so forth.
2. Multi-language support for English, French, German, and Spanish languages
3. Multi-language REXdesktop
4. Cross-injection between ToDoMatrix and IdeaMatrix
5. Large task record support without the current 512 character limit
6. HTML email injection support for 4.5 OS
7. REXconnect BlackBerry application integration support and menu awareness
8. Filtering enhancements to include "OR" filter logic, and filter subgroup support
9. The ability to dynamically add folders from injection dialogs
10. Hot keys on the ToDoMatrix alert dialog
One area that we have been asked about is how ToDoMatrix TAS will work with Outlook, and in particular categories in Outlook. The core of the issue is that Outlook supports multiple categories per item, while ToDoMatrix is a one folder per item system, with four additional dimensions that are user definable for alternate grouping. After a lot of conversations with various customers, we found that there simply was no solution that came close to accommodating the majority of people. People use Outlook in many different ways. Categories and folders are really apples and oranges and they don't mix well. In the end, this first version of TAS is adding ToDoMatrix specific information as user readable / user editable tags at the end of the Outlook task notes and there is no link between categories and folders. We will let it run as is for some number of months, monitor and discuss with a focus group of users, and then decide if version two of TAS needs adjustments on this Outlook-category front.
Note that REXwireless does not have testing environments for Lotus Notes and Groupwise. We are keenly interested in how well the TAS version will work in these environments and plan to fine tune our features for these environments, as needed, in TAS version two.
TAS Beta:
If you are interested in participating in the Beta, please including the following in an email to our support center:
a. Number of years and months as an "active" ToDoMatrix user?
b. Which desktop application do you sync with?
c. Do you sync via USB wire or wirelessly?
d. Your experience level with beta software testing
e. Your preferred user language (English, French, German, Spanish)
f. A copy paste of your BlackBerry Options / About screen
Regards,
--the REXguys--
ToDoMatrix Professional by REXwireless Software