Task Managers / To Do Applications

So I have started the search for a better to-do system.

Requirements:
- run on mac, NOT web-based
- need to be able to convert emails into tasks (clip, drag’n’drop, something like that)
- ideally needs to synch with the iphone (or have an app)

All of the notes below are by no means complete reviews. They are the things I have discovered in the hour or two that I have spent with each program and how closely they each meet my own specific needs for a task manager. If your requirements are different than mine, YMMV!!

Here’s what I have evaluated:

Notebook by Circus Ponies - $49.95 USD
- simplistic -- looks like a notebook
- you can drag email to it, but copes the entire text of the email body into it making the task list too long
- the viewing options aren’t great -- you’re basically looking at everything all the time; because of this I can’t see it being that useful -- if I only had a few tasks to manage why would I need a task manager
- program is designed for other things as well; have not looked at these features as all I need at this point is to-do’s

Taskpaper by Hog Bay Software - $29.95 USD
- also simplistic; advantage is the entire list saves as a text file--easy to backup, export, transfer between systems, cut and paste, etc
- seems very easy to use
- viewing doesn’t seem great -- again like Notebook, you end up with these long multi-screen lists without a clever way to filter them
- also seems to past the entire email into the program, rather than a link or option to see/hide the email body
- does have an iphone app, that is a plus
- has good forum and usergroup
- found an AppleScript add-on for this that pastes an HTML link to the email; this could work well
- does not seem to have any due dates or anything -- useless

EasyTask by OrionBelt - $19.99 USD
- looks clean; way too much combination of mouse and keyboard to enter a simple task
- dreadful help file -- spelling errors, broken links, very little actual information beyond the obvious
- no way that I can tell to add an email as a task -- with no forum, support page or decent help file no way to find out if this is possible
- does an online synch and can synch between multiple OS’s (Mac and Windows) as well as has an iPhone app

The Hit List by Potion Factory - $49.95 USD (pre-order, still in beta)
- the look is a bit...well....grade-school-ish
- interface is excellent; dragging emails, setting due dates, etc
- very good ‘viewing’ ports -- see easily what is due today, this week, next week
- lack of iphone version is a HUGE letdown; program works very well aside from this
- seems to have been in beta for a long time with little to no new information on the site from the developer about release, iphone version, or any sort of updates
- bit bummed out by this as I do not want to invest in something that is not supported properly, or discontinued

Things by Cultured Code - $49.95 USD
- seems to be well supported on-line with a good following
- as with Omnifocus, when you add a task and context it automatically puts it in the inbox -- should be a drop down menu for your projects and folders
- seems to be a good compromise of what I want to do

Omnifocus by The Omni Group - $79.95 USD
- odd that when you add a task and context, it still remains in the inbox for you to have to move somewhere
- this seems to be the most powerful one so far, quite strict on GTD methodology
- email integration is very good -- copies the email over using AppleScript and organizes it very well within the program
- you can read email within Omnifocus and respond to it (brings up original message in Mail when you do this)
- I do have an irritating problem that my ‘F6’ hotkey for quick entry from Mail seems to work intermittently.......

Midnight Inbox by Midnight Beep Softworks - $35.00 USD
- makes Omnifocus look unstructured -- VERY strict methodology here
- the UI is literally counter-intuitive -- right click does nothing....ever....
- love the concept of scanning my inbox, but I couldn’t get it to work properly -- could never get the amount of email it saw in the collection to match the stuff in my inbox
- also needs to do...something...with the email once you process it in Inbox -- otherwise everything is just left in a big jumble in your mail program
- really wanted to like this program but just too painful to deal with

Daylite by Market Circle - $149.00 USD
- this is a very powerful program, but I think unless you are networked and using it with a group much of the functionality is lost
- email integration is complete to the point of archiving emails within the program to track who you send things to, etc.
- to do lists good
- iphone integration requires running the program on a server
- would be nice if the offered a ‘lite’ version that was hosted or something

So after all this, I have purchased Omnifocus for the iPhone and for the desktop. I would consider a move to the Hit List if they came up with an iPhone version -- but I am leery of product support with the lack of information on their web page.