Windows Phone Thoughts: PIMping up your Pocket PC -- Agenda Fusion vs. Pocket Informant

Project-Based Views
This is where the products diverge considerably – both in their approach and the type of support given.

AF provides a separate database where you can record projects and tasks in a hierarchical tree and then record time against either the project or a specific task.


Figure 20: AF’s Project Tree display screen.


Figure 21: Recording time against a Project or Task in AF.

As with most everything else in AF, there is the ability to link the project or tasks to other entries in the Outlook databases, such as contacts, to dos, or appointments. AF projects can also have text or audio Notes attached.

As mentioned before, PI implements project support through the Timeline view for appointments, which uses assigned categories to filter and group the display of the appointments. PI also provides hierarchical task lists, which can be used to record progress on a project’s tasks list. Unfortunately, PI does not provide any way to record time against a project or task, as you can only record a task as being either ‘done’ or ‘not done’. AF’s approach allows you to assign % complete to the sub-tasks or the whole project.

Documentation & Support
Both companies actively support their products – providing frequent upgrades with new features and bug fixes. WebIS clearly sees PI as their primary breadwinner, as hardly a month goes by when we don’t see a new version/upgrade release of PI being announced. Both DeveloperOne and WebIS have been very fair in their upgrade policies for existing users.

WebIS provides an extensive (over 60 page) manual for PI. Believe me, it’s needed to describe all the features! The manual’s focus is on the various features of each of the views, but I wish it was written more from a “How do I do this?” perspective.

AF has a 38-page user manual which is available in PDF format for download from the DeveloperOne web site. It basically describes the functionality of each of the views.

Both also provide an indexed online Help document, which is available from the application or from the Help selection on the Start menu. PI’s is an electronic copy of the manual mentioned above. AF’s focuses mainly on each of the views and their features, but also adds useful tips right at the start of each article.