Rumors hit the Internet that Microsoft might be in talks to acquire the popular “to-do” app Wunderlist, a new report in The Wall Street Journal, indicates Microsoft has purchased the company behind the app, the German-based 6Wunderkinder, for between $100 and $200 million.
Neither company officially confirmed this deal, but is seems that the Wunderlist team will remain in its home office in Berlin, Germany to continue working on the app.
This is the latest acquisition by Microsoft for a mobile productivity app company. It bought the e-mail client Acompli in late 2014 and put its technology into the latest versions of its Outlook mobile apps. Microsoft also acquired Sunrise Calendar in early 2015.
So why Wunderlsit- well its maybe the least intimidating Task Manager
Wunderlist Features
Lists: One of the easiest things to grasp is that you get to set up lists, and put things in those lists.
Even I can do that in Wunderlist without any guidance so it is easy to use. Set up lists and put stuff in the list, and tick things off when done
Hashtags: You have multiple lists, and an item on one list that is related to items in other lists. Hashtags in Wunderlist lets show items that may exist in one or more of your lists together in one place.
Collaboration: One of the advantages of a digital list over a paper one is the ability to share it with others. With the simplicity of Wunderlist, once you invite someone to share a list with you, they won’t need you to give them a long explanation of how to use it. Share, add items, tick things off, add comments, assign tasks, attach files, and you have a system that will allow you to work together without sending emails like “Can you do this?” or “Here’s that file”
Platforms: One of the reasons why productivity tools fail is that no one wants to use won’t use a system if it isn’t handy – i.e. wherever you are. It’s great to have your lists available in a browser, or on whatever device you’re using with Wunderlist.
Email : The whole point of using these productivity tools is to get out of email. It’s more than that. It’s about separating tasks and resources so you’re not digging through piles of emails to find that attachment someone sent or what the deadline was for the report you have to write. It’s about working from your own clearly prioritised plan, rather than letting your inbox dictate your day and your priorities. Wunderlist also has some email notification options that you can use to work efficiently without getting sucked back in to a sea of email.
Wunderlist is good for:
• People on the go, with multi-platform availability.
• Non techy people, with one of the simplest interfaces I’ve seen.
• GTD enthusiasts, with things like hashtags to manage contexts.
• Small teams, for sharing and commenting functionality.
Wunderlist may do well in every day use
• Shopping lists
• ‘Read later’ lists, if you don’t use something like Pocket
• Idea lists, like blog posts about productivity…
Comparisons with other task list tools
Wunderlist vs Todoist
Todoist is good for managing tasks. The tree structure in Todoist gives visibility of high level tasks and their breakdown into sub-tasks all at once. Wunderlist supports sub-tasks, but you can only see those when you have the main task within the list selected.
Todoist labels are equivalent to hashtags, and you have to upgrade to premium Todoist to use these whereas hashtags in Wunderlist are available in the free version.
In general, Todoist can be a bit more intimidating for someone new to such tools
Wunderlist vs Trello
Items on a Wunderlist list are a bit simpler than cards on a Trello list. It means they have less functionality, so this could be a positive or a negative .
View and group multiple lists and their items in one screen on Trello, using boards. Wunderlist can only view one list at a time, even though it’s still possible to use drag & drop to move things between lists.
Trello has the edge when it comes to an intuitive visual representation but if you don’t need that ‘big picture’ view, then Wunderlist is O.K..
Wunderlist vs iOS Reminders
Wunderlist offers the simplicity that you get when using the native list app on iOS but adds extra functionality . When you use hashtags, attachments, comments or sub tasks then it’s worth installing the Wunderlist app.
An advantage of Reminders is Siri integration. Press a button and speak makes adding something to a list the simplest process possible ensures you actually use a list rather than scribbling on sticky notes. If you’re struggling to get into that habit of a technology-based solution, this could be what makes it stick
Integrations: So many apps and systems so how will; a new onework with what we already have. Here are a couple of useful Wunderlist integrations:
• Dropbox for your file storage.
• Calendar view of tasks or other items with due dates.
• IFTTT recipes that integrate Wunderlist with other systems, although Wunderlist isn’t actually supported you can do lots through email commands.
For such a simple and easy to use product, Wunderlist has lots of functionality and it’s great for people who are trying to get in the habit of using an app to improve their productivity and they find the other options intimidating.
