{rw_text}Giveaway of the day for October 8, 2009 is:

LeaderTask 6.6.2

Version reviewed:

v6.6.2

System Requirements:

Windows Me/2000/XP/2003 Server/Vista

Software description as per GOTD:

LeaderTask is a business organizer for a modern person. LeaderTask has a smart system for managing projects, tasks, contacts, events.Want to complete more? Get tired less? Earn more? And permanently improve the quality of life, work hard less and contemplate peacefully more? LeaderTask will help you with that! LeaderTask = Scheduler + Personal Information Manager + Calendar + Address Book + Organizer!

Set your goals. Achieve them. Enjoy the time you’ve just saved. Work more effectively and have more free time than ever with LeaderTask! Forget the traditional task organizers. They are good if you live to work. They are great if you just want to plan things and be reminded. Have a life! Try the new generation organizer that helps you plan your work so efficiently that you have more free time than ever. More family time for you with LeaderTask!

This organizer will help you get rid of various time killers, see a clear life perspective, have a detailed view of tasks so you will set higher goals and achieve them. Make plans and stick to them. Think and find solutions. Measure and manage any resources in your life.

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{for=”Ease of Use” value=”7″}Once you get to understand the program it is pretty easy to use. But initially, the learning curve is noticeable and it can be overwhelming.
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{for=”Performance” value=”10″}Works well.
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{for=”Usefulness” value=”9″}Usually I give PIMs a 10 because in today’s busy world most of us can use them. But the extended features and interconnectedness of LeaderTask actually work against it in this category – some of us would do just fine with a simple to do list and calender.
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{for=”Arbitrary Equalizer” value=”9″}This category reflects an arbitrary number that does not specifically stand for anything. Rather this number is used to reflect my overall rating/verdict of the program in which I considered all the features and free alternatives.
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LeaderTask is regularly given out on GOTD (I have lost count how many times). When it was given out on 1/23/09 as v6.1.3 I wrote a really extensive review. If you want very detailed info on LeaderTask (including explanations of my “The Bad” list), please read that review. Here I will post a changelog of v6.1.3 -> v6.6.2 (today’s giveaway is v6.6.2), free alternatives, and final verdict.

NOTE: The developer of LeaderTask only recently started making good changelogs so you may notice there is a gap between some changelogs of earlier versions.

NOTE2: v6.6.2 has no Vista/Win7 compatibility issues like v6.1.3 did.

LeaderTask 6.6

– Added
– – “Open Note” from the task context menu
– – “Long” double-click on the column comment, opens the panel notes
– – In the trial version – the number of remaining days in the “About”
– – Updated Czech, Spanish, Ukrainian languages

– Fix
– – On new day does not pop up reminders about overdue tasks
– – In the calendar does not work button “Attach a file”
– – In the calendar, select any task, press F2 and then click on another task – selected already 2 tasks
– – If you move the tasks on the calendar (day view) using Ctrl + Up to top the list when you reach the upper grades and passing under it lost sight of the move tasks
– – Does not work a wheel when you drag task
– – And some other bugs fixed

LeaderTask 6.5.9

– Added
– – Extended to work with URL links in notes, links to the tasks (Settings – Advanced)
– – Added option “Open task properties on double click” (Settings – Advanced)
– – Added option “Open task properties on Enter” (Settings – Advanced)
– – In the notes pane displays the parent task
– – Global search tasks by name or text in note (F3)

– Fix
– – Some bugs fixed

LeaderTask 6.5.8

– Added
– – Creating links to files in ? notes by Drag-n-drop if pressed alt button
– – Tooltip on the comment icon of the task (need to be shown a comment column)

– Fix
– – Ability to set a negative period in your working hours
– – Error if you close via the icon in the tray with an open window contacts
– – Incorrect work with the option automatically open an nate on and off automatically to save note
– – If you switch to a new note, it retains the settings the previous paragraph, even if it was empty
– – There is no confirmation when deleting groups of contacts
– – There is no confirmation when deleting a note from the contact

LeaderTask 6.5.7

– Fix
– – Slow work version LeaderTask 6.5.6
– – Replace the main icon
– – Not true dialed the phone number in Skype if hold: space or – or ( or )
– – View – Toolbars – disables unnecessary, since restarting the program again, all enabled

LeaderTask 6.5.6

– Added
– – Ability to set status – Note
– – Set the status from the context menu of the task
– – Ability to set contact / project / category from the toolbar button “Add tag”
– – Ability to set a reminder from the toolbar button “Remind”
– – Ability to set a task repeat from the toolbar button “Repeat”
– – Ability to attach a file to the task from the toolbar button “Add File”
– – Undo / Redo function to change the status of tasks

– Fix
– – Wrong save the working day before 24:00
– – Do not print the list of tasks if the note is open
– – Reset settings of panels / columns, etc.
– – Reset the formatting from the current note, if you change the font settings

LeaderTask 6.5.4

– Tasks & Notes
– – New option – autosave notes
– – New option – autoload notes
– – Task comment is loaded into the notes panel
– – Opening panel of notes by double-clicking on a task or note

– The notes panel
– – Added viewing properties task / notes – contacts, projects, date, etc.
– – If you do not add file – a file list does not appear
– – Set types to the file list – left / right / top / bottom / button
– – Added the “Retry”
– – Added the ability to “undo” for more than one editing
– – Added the “Bulleted list”
– – Added the “Numbered List”

LeaderTask 6.5.2

– Added
– – Copying tasks in the calendar by mouse (mouse move + Ctrl)
– – Move “Up”, “Down” from the context menu of communications
– – Display the structure of the tree by dots included in the Options – Additional

– Corrected
– – Wrong show communication if the title have char “&” or “<” or “>”
– – At the column “phones” in contacts is displayed only one phone

– Other
– – Updated languages (Belarusian, German, Ukrainian, Spanish)

LeaderTask 6.5.1

– Properties contact
– – Added the ability to install / remove the group from the properties of the contact
– – Fields of the contact “wife”, “Children”, “Nickname” merged into one “Details”
– – Added the column “Details” in the contact group
– – Added “interactivity” and contextual menu for photos contact
– – Fields of the contact telephone numbers, web pages, email, fax, ICQ combined into one “Communication”
– – By telephone or other means of communication can now add any notes (mobile, suburban, etc.)
– Added
– – “Show only working hours” of the time scale
– – In the Properties dialog to close the problem from any location on the Ctrl + Enter

LeaderTask 6.4.6

+ Grouping Contacts by section
+ Comment on the Task in RTF format
+ Improved the properties of repetitive tasks
+ Sync with PDA

LeaderTask 6.4

– Synchronization with LeaderTask PDA
– Properties of tasks
– – Contacts / Category / Projects are links that return the appropriate contact / category / project
– – Call a contact or send a letter directly from the properties of the task
– – The parent task in the properties of the problem is written entirely
– Corrected
– – Buttons to raise / lower the priority of confusion in places

LeaderTask 6.3

– Storing files inside LeaderTask (container file)
– Links
– – Update Properties dialog box links
– – Display icons link to tree, depending on its type
– – “Link” in the tree of tasks is shown as a reference – to the blue underlined text, you can click. Emphasis removed from the priority.
– – The ability to throw the mouse files in a tree of tasks (with Ctrl caught creating copies of LeaderTask)
– Other
– – Updated languages – Romanian, Swedish, Turkish, Portuguese, Spanish

This review was conducted on a laptop running Windows 7 Professional 32-bit. The specs of the laptop are as follows: 3GB of RAM, a Radeon HD 2600 512MB graphics card, and an Intel T8300 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo processor.

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Rainlendar

Rainlendar is an alternative to the schedule/task feature of this program.

Rainlendar is an excellent, excellent tool that helps you keep track of your events and tasks. With Rainlendar, you can:

• Create a “To Do” list, and an “Events” list.
• Set Rainlender to remind you of your task or event X amount of time before it happens (days, hours, minutes depending on what you choose.
• Set priorities to each tasks (high, medium, low, none) to help prioritize yourself.
• Once a task is completed, you can make it go away by Right clicking the task -> Completed.
• Set a task or event to be reoccurring.
• Display both lists directly on your desktop alongside a calendar in the form of “widgets” (kind of).

The interface is very easy to use and adding/removing a task/event is also easy to do. Excellent program!

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Rainlendar and LeaderTask are aimed at two very different audiences. Rainlendar is for those people, like college students, who just need a to do and an event list to help them keep on track. LeaderTask is for those business people or the people who are extremely busy and involved in many thing; the type of people who have so many things going on, they would get lost unless they categorized everything.

Sunbird

Sunbird is also an alternative to the schedule/task feature of this program. Sunbird is a calendar/task/event management/reminder program by Mozilla. It is very much like Rainlendarbut different interface.

EssentialPIM

EssentialPIM is a very similar program to LeaderTask. If Rainlender was on the left, LeaderTask on the right, I would place EssentialPIM in between the middle and the right. It does a lot of what LeaderTask does, but LeaderTask has a bit better integration and organization abilities (like associated tasks with contacts and projects not just with categories like EssentialPIM).

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{rw_verdict2}I really like LeaderTask; two thumbs up. For the forever busy and the people who are involved in hundreds of activities this program is great. With a capital g (G?). Its ability to allow tasks to be associated with projects, categories, contacts (and more) is unprecedented. Being able to filter your tasks according to your criteria is nice. The (new) feature to sync with your Windows Mobile phone is extremely useful. The interface is a bit overwhelming but nothing you can’t get use to. If you are one of those people who are so busy that you will be lost if you don’t categorize each task, this program is definitely for you – highly recommended. For other people who just need a simple to-do and event list to help us keep on track, Rainlendar is the way to go. If you miss out on LeaderTask but would still like a program similar to it, EssentialPIM is a great choice too.
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