What’s out there for Lotus Notes users who want to sync To Do’s to their iPhone? Nothing. As far as I know. Believe me, I’ve searched for nearly a year. As a Notes user who was enchanted with an iPhone, I thought surely a To Do synching solution could not be far behind. Nope. Nothing. You can sync Calendar and Email, but not To Do’s. It’s not a complete mobile GTD solution for me without To Do’s.
Because the iPhone was built without a Tasks application it means building not only a secure syncing solution, but a corresponding App on the iPhone. I thought Lotus would be doing that, but not from any releases I’ve seen so far.
A guy wrote to me this morning to ask what solutions are out there for this, as he’s about to roll out iPhones to their entire workforce. They use Lotus Notes and he’s been unable to find anything that will sync Notes To Do’s to the iPhone. He asked if we are building it (no plans to.)
Has anyone heard of anything coming or available that will sync Lotus Notes To Do’s to the iPhone? We’d love to hear about it.
I’m afraid I don’t have an answer to the Lotus question (perhaps Lotus needs to build it…)
But, the fact that Apple didn’t have a built-in task application to sync iCal tasks across my Macs and iPhone has been one of my biggest gripes. I use MobileMe and that syncs just about everything else imaginable, why not tasks???
See the first link on this page. There are 10s of thousands of iPhone/iTouch users in the company.
http://www-01.ibm.com/software/lotus/products/notes/traveler.html
Hi Jonathan,
I don’t see To Do’s synching. Am I missing something? I am specifically talking about To Do’s not synching. I’d love it if I were wrong and Traveler really does this… 🙂
Kelly
Syncing is mentioned in the 2nd paragraph of the press release.
http://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/pressrelease/28564.wss
Hi Jonathan,
The 2nd paragraph says:
“This extends Lotus Domino automatic synching for e-mail, contacts and calendar data to the iPhone,”
To Do is not mentioned.
Thanks,
Kelly
You are correct Kelly. iNotes (Traveler) has never had any ToDo syncing capability. The only solution I have so far is to use a web based ToDo app, which obviously involves a manual process…
I should add that this doesn’t sync the ToDos with Lotus Notes at all, but at least I have my them with me.
The iPhone does not have a built-in to-do interface. As such, we did not add any kind of to-do support in Notes Traveler in 8.5.1.
There is a 3rd party which has built an iPhone application to synchronize Notes/Domino to-dos. Find details at HughesConnect.com http://www.hughesconnect.com
I think the main problem with Notes sync (besides the non-existant ToDo support from Apple) is that Mac developers, who tend to be behind the more elegant iPhone apps, tend to despise Notes and want nothing to do with it. If profanity doesn’t bother you too much, these links sum up the feeling:
http://bit.ly/wz3MH
http://bit.ly/jzeBh
I think that its IBM’s responsibility to support their users with a more robust iPhone Notes app, and at this point, it seems unlikely that anyone else will do it.
Kelly,
I actually got Notes Pro (app for iPhone) working the other day and it does sync To Do’s. (along with calendar and email) But, I also use eProductivity with Lotus Notes. Contexts do not come through the sync process so all your actions/lists end up scrambled. (The To Do’s do contain the embedded emails through eProductivity though, thats a plus) I don’t know if it would work with the normal Lotus Notes To Do lists since I’m not willing to take eProductivity out of the mix.
I have started setting up my “Today” list in eProductivity first thing in the morning, take a screenshot of it, and pasting it into Evernote so that I have at least my daily list with me at all times. If I know I’m going to be out of my office I try to load the list with things that I can do while away from the office like phone, errands, etc.
I would really love an active way to sync with Lotus Notes that can be managed at all times.
Cool! thanks for all of the info and suggestions. I love Lotus Notes AND my iPhone, so I am eager for a solution for my To Do’s. That Evernote idea is FANTASTIC. So clever. Thanks for that one too.
I don’t have any expectations that Lotus or Apple should be the ones to create it–just would love something that allows me to see my To Do’s on the go.
Thanks all. Cheers.
It’s funny how people want to pretend that Apple didn’t leave out the task app from the iPhone. And IBM wants to pretend that they sync completely, even though their mail database includes tasks that have nowhere to go on the iPhone. C’mon Apple and IBM! No tasks on the iPhone means you’re not really doing GTD. Fess up, or at least get to work building something useful, please.
http://www-01.ibm.com/software/lotus/products/inotes/ultralite/
JB,
That link shows that IBM has incorporated iPhone syncing into Notes for email, contacts, and calendar. As stated already above, it does not mention To Do’s.
My employer is in the process of upgrading to v8.5.1, it will take awhile though since there are still users running versions below 7.0 and have to be individually upgraded first. I really am interested in hearing from anyone that has used the v8.5.1 (Traveler) sync with an iPhone to find out how well it actually works. If it does then I will have something solid to look forward to.
The other question would be how well does it work if you are using the eProductivity mail template. As I stated in my previous post, using Notes Pro with eProductivity doesn’t seem to work to well, To Do’s and calendar items get messed up during the sync process.
Charlotte – I don’t think IBM is claiming that we sync completely. There is still a lot to be desired on the iPhone apps, but we do what we can with them and are similar to what is offered by others.
Paul – linking to Bynkii is certainly not the way to get IBM or others to engage here. There are plenty of elegant Notes+iPhone apps from partners like iEnterprises and EBF, who definitely know the Apple platform. The issue in this case is plain and simple the lack of built-in support for to-do as a notion on the iPhone; NotesPro and HughesConnect have stepped in to fill that void (I think Sybase iAnywhere does, too).
Hey–just so it’s clear–I love Lotus Notes and am a big fan of the product. I use it along with eProductivity, as does David Allen. The intention of this post was to gather information about what’s out there to fill a gap I see, not to bag on IBM, Lotus Notes, Apple or anyone else. There are plenty of sites out there in the world that do that for the sake of traffic, and GTD Times is not intended for that kind of mud-slinging.
I know Lotus Notes is not for everyone (but what tool, software, color, flavor IS???) I do not think IBM is at fault here for not providing a To Do sync for something that does not even exist on the iPhone. I’m just looking for a good, secure GTD To Do sync solution that I know SOMEONE will create for me one of these days. I am patient…!
Meanwhile, I am appreciative of all of the tips and tricks people have mentioned.
Cheers, Kelly
I agree with Kelly, if you consider all the different types of mobile phones, PDA’s, etc., and then add all the operating systems, email applications, and add-on applications, there’s no way one single software developer can build an application capable to sync with everything on all of them. At least not one that I would be able to afford.
My employer uses Lotus Notes, so I use Lotus Notes. But, I happen to like Lotus Notes so I put it on my home computer. My choice. I like (ok – I Love) my iPhone. My choice. I really like eProductivity, so I use it at work and at home. My choice.
Now, I know some might not consider me an average joe (not going to hint which way from average…), but if I like the above mentioned applications, there must be a lot more like me that do to. I figure someone will come up with a way to make it all work soon enough. My bet is on IBM and ICA (eProductivity). But, there are over 65,000 apps already in the app store for the iPhone, so this can’t be far behind.
I do think however, that discussions like this one will help to move it along. The more GTD’ers with iPhones and Lotus Notes are vocal, the faster a developer will see the market. And I agree that the discussions should be positive.
As Ed Brill points out the app from hughesconnect.com is really neat. It’s a web app but the developer went the extra mile to really make it look like a native app. I did some beta testing for him and it worked very well.
I hate to say this, but I have seen the Lotus Notes problem many times before. If you buy into a sophisticated, mature groupware product like Lotus Notes, you are at the mercy of the owner and a few small developers. Sophisticated software/relatively small customer base = large barrier for new products. The companies that are successful with personal productivity/communication/networking look for something where company resources and costs match up well with software complexity and customer base. Hence something like Google Calendar, which is not great, but ubiquitous and good enough for a lot of people.
@mcogilvie – I disagree with what you’re implying. Lotus Notes is sophisticated, yes, but it doesn’t have a small customer base. As far as groupware is concerned, I’m pretty sure it has the _largest_ user base.
If you treat Lotus Notes as if it’s “just email” and ignore the fact that email is just one use for Notes, it’s got the _second_largest_ user base. (for business anyway… not sure if that includes home usage)
Also, consider that people like David Allen love Notes.
Also, consider that independent (as opposed to vendor-paid) studies compare TCO of Notes vs others favorably.
Then factor in that most TCO studies don’t factor in the backwards-compatibility commitments that Lotus Notes has made and kept. While new features are being added, custom apps written in 1995 _still_ run, no code changes necessary.
Also, consider that most companies who are really in it to win aren’t interested in betas, or anything hosted that doesn’t make promises of availability (do you promise it will be up now?), continuation of service (do you promise it will be up tomorrow?), or control of data (do you promise you’ll expunge my information when I ask?).
The “few small developers” comment is unfounded as well.
If you haven’t seen Notes in a while, you might enjoy checking out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCciB9siOYc It’s not GTD, but it’s an example of Notes with the TripIt plug-in, and doesn’t even require a server for what’s shown.
I just found another great app for the iPhone to use with GTD and eProductivity. You use it as a collection tool for eProductivity when you are away from your office.
“MailMe Text” ($1.99)
It’s so simple. All it does is send a text message directly to your email in-box, the address is set by you in the configuration. I have it go to my work email – and through eProductivity all I do is process the “Text-message / action” directly into my system.
You open the app and it gives you a blank screen, type in the message real quick and hit send, done. I don’t worry about it again until I’m back in my office and process it.
It’s faster than trying to write it down, stuff it in my pocket (actually I would use my notetaker wallet) and then find it when I get back to process it, now it is sitting in my email inbox waiting for me.
What about Commontime mNotes? They have an iPhone client I think, and I’m sure they would include Todos.
I use their windows mobile client on my pocket pc and nothing else even comes close…
http://www.commontime.com
We have deployed and use an application called ‘DME’ by Excitor. This allows our iPhones, Nokias and Windows Mobile devices to sync with Lotus Notes.
Yes, I hate Lotus Notes with passion and would much rather use an Exchange based solution, but we are stuck with Notes and this system works exceptionally well.
It synchs Email, Calendar, Contacts and To Do.
Find me another app that does this across all these platforms. You won’t be able to.
We have a Fleet of 1000 users and 30% are on the iPhone and they love this app.
Let me know if you need further info or somebody to help you with the implementation.
Please note, this is not a cheap solution by any means.
The reason Apple didn’t include a task application on the iPhone was because they knew that after a year of the original iPhone’s release (2007) they were going to open the App Store which would allow for business from third party developed applications. It’s not that Apple were too lazy or inept to include that feature, they were just making a smart business move.
Hi Kelly,
Please see http://www.awesync.com/pdf/AweSync.pdf
Now sync of Tasks is also supported, though it is not mentioned in the article.
Angela,
Thank you!
Too bad no Tasks, but I will definitely take a closer look for the Calendar support.
Thanks!
Kelly
My name is Magnus Toth and I am the Product Manager for Notes F1 To Do at Cikado AB in Sweden,
Notes To Do sync with iOS devices is now supported with NotesF1 To Do. NotesF1 uses Lotus Traveler server so no additional software is required. We have offline support, SSL support etc. Check it out on App Store!
Android devices will be supported in a week or so.
Hi!
Just wanted to say I tried the Cikado app, and it works very nicely. Easy to set up, too. Just entered the webmail info to connect to Lotus.
Now to talk my employer into letting us use it across the organization. Unless there´s a bunch of new apps that appeared after this discussion ended (hmm, a year ago…)
J
If you upgrade traveler on server and get error unable to verify user on server . The problem is the name of url of the traveler server in the notes INI . My ini had mylotustraveler.com/servelet/traveler. If you look on ipad ot iphone on server you will see its pointion gto wrong server this can be fixed in notes ini
apps.cikado.com NotesF1 To Do worked like a charm within a minute! I am evaluating the iPhone trial app (20 days for free). Much easier to install then I expected.
Only limitation so far is that a search function appears to be missing.