Everyone has different needs and expectations when it comes to computer-based to-do lists. Some just want the equivalent of a paper-based list; others want advanced features like search, tags, due dates, reminders, recurring tasks, and subtasks. The key for application designers is to strike a balance and include the most useful features to the most people, and leave out the rest.

Just this week Google took their new to-do list application, Gmail Tasks, out of its experimental Labs area and made it available to all users. Gmail Tasks offers two key features: email and calendar integration (for Gmail and Google Calendar users). However, beyond that and hierarchical subtasks, it’s pretty sparse in the features department. In my review yesterday at Lifehacker, I said it was too simple for power users. Several readers in the comments and on Twitter disagreed with me, saying that Gmail Tasks’ simplicity was exactly what they liked about it.

After years of reviewing task managers (and even building one of my own), it’s clear to me that you can’t please everyone all the time, especially when it comes to task managers. For example, Pelotonics offers a to-do list feature that Basecamp does not (in the name of simplicity): due dates. Beyond that, we’ve been discussing how to make Pelotonics’ in-app to-do lists easier and more fun to use. Gmail Tasks’ slick interface and keyboard shortcuts is something we’d do well to study closely, as is their hierarchical task support. If Google makes a Gmail Tasks API available, integration with Pelotonics is a strong possibility.

What’s your make-or-break task manager feature? Tell us in the comments here or in our community forum.

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