Easy Note + 2do

Summary

Try to keep a cool head and stay on top of the game—sometime that’s nearly impossible to do when you’ve still got 100 things to take care of and only very little time to do it in. Usually this boils down to lack of organizational skills, which can easily be tackled with the help of the right app. Notebook apps are a dime a dozen, but the question is which ones are really worth your while… And today we’re going to take a closer look at Easy Note + 2do.

This is an app that promises to do two things: firstly, to help you keep an overview of all your tasks, and secondly, to help you make notes about things, hassle-free. It also provides synchronization and backup services. Whether it’s really that “Easy” to use “notes +2do”—find out in this test review.
 

Easy Note + 2do has a lot of functions which are meant to help you organize your affairs. I was most curious about the following:

• Widget
• Homescreen-Shortcut
• File management

It’s uncommon for a notebook app to provide all three of these. Easy Note +2do is therefore definitely worth checking out, especially if you’re the type of person who likes planning ahead.

After starting the app, you’ll find yourself in the folder overview section. You won’t find your notes here, but rather a pre-established folder system into which you can insert your notes and to-do lists. You can adapt and/or delete all folders, and in that way create your ideal, personalized folder system. You can arrange, organize, and delete your folders by clicking on the menu button. If you want to create a new folder, you’ll be given the following options:

• Create Icon
• Color
• Password
• AutoSync

If you want to have a look at all your notes sans folders, just click on the All button in the folder overview. Quick Memo lets you quickly jot down and save your notes. When you add new notes you can decide whether to label them as To-Do lists or simply as Notes. Once you’ve taken care of a matter, you can check it off on your to-do list.

The app provides a widget which you can design to suit your preferences. You can choose which folder, list, or note should be your homescreen. Not only is this very practical, it looks good, too.

I recommend signing in o your Google Account when using the backup and sync features, because even though you can save text on the SD card in the “EasyNotes” folder, it isn’t possible to import the backup. Sync / Restore (with Google Account) is done via GDocs, which is an unusual organizational tool to feature. Google Tasks would be more suitable, but that option isn’t available, which is a pity, as it would boost the app’s performance considerably. That being said, the connection to GDocs worked very well. When you do a backup, an XML file containing exactly the same information you wrote in your to do list in the app is created in GDocs. Exporting and importing worked like a charm throughout the testing phase, and I was also able to access the backup file as a text document via my Google Account. Automatic Sync via GDocs works well, too. You can program this setting individually for each folder.

Are you looking for a shortcut towards your to-do list on your homescreen? No Problemo! You can create one by selecting the appropriate folder in the overview section.

You can grade all the notes you make with a 3 star system. That way you can mark how important each task is, affording you an even better overview of what you need to take care of.

Bottom line:
It’s a shame about the missing Google Tasks option (only one app provides this option, and that’s SSI gTasks - beta)… But, you win some you lose some, right? Easy Notes +2do may not provide a connection to GTasks, but its folder system is a gem—and at least it can sync using GDocs. Personally, I’m quite partial to the design as well, but some of you may prefer a more minimalistic aesthetic.
 

The screen comes in a wood optic, and is very straightforward. The Easy Note + 2do design scope is quite generous: not only can you decide what color each folder should be, you can also select which icon corresponds to which folder.

If you have more folders than what can be displayed on the main screen, you can access the rest by wiping your finger across the screen. This is very easy to do and intuitive. Arranging the folders is just as simple: just grab a folder and drag it into position. There’s also a menu button, under which you’ll find the most important functions.

 

Easy Note + 2do ran relatively smoothly, although I did have a forced close the first time I wanted to put a widget on the homescreen... but that only happened once.

Easy Note + 2do can be downloaded for free from the Android Market.

A pro-version is also available, but it doesn’t seem to have many advantages, and it’s a donate-version.