Quick Review: Conqu for BlackBerry PlayBook

Conqu for the Blackberry PlayBook is a to-do list and planning application. I personally use it almost as a calendar replacement and I find it replaces a calendar well.

The layout of Conqu is very basic and easy to use, which is why this app appeals to me. When you open the app you are shown a display that gives you your information you need. You have a multiple pane view, which has become common on Note applications for tablets. On the left pane you have your categories: Inbox, Today, Next, Future, Waiting, Projects and Notifications. On the right pane, you have your selected category’s necessary information, if you select ‘Inbox’, it’ll show your Inbox; if you select ‘Today’, it’ll show you things you need to get done today. In the bottom right hand corner you have four buttons; you have your ‘Archives’ button that allows you to see events you have already checked. Then you have ‘Back Burner’, which shows you all the events you have changed to do at a later time using the ‘Back Burner’ option. You also have deleted items and the option to search through your events. Finally, you have a ‘create a task’ bar to type in a task and the ‘Add task’ button.

Now, let me explain what the different options within the left pane. You have your Inbox button that allows you to see the instant tasks that you set. Next, you have your ‘Today’ tab that allows you to see the tasks that you have set have do on that day. Then, you have the ‘Next’ tab which shows a list of tasks that you need to tackle next that don’t have a schedule date are not overdue. Then next, you have the ‘Future’ option that is a calendar view of tasks that have a scheduled or due date. Then you have the ‘Waiting’ tab which allows you to see all the tasks that have been assigned to someone else. Second to last, you have the ‘Projects’ option which shows all the tasks that have been assigned to a project. Then finally, there is the ‘Notifications’ tab which allows you to know when a shared task is completed or you are delegated a task or a ConquSync event takes place.

When you have created a task, you can click on it to see a nice display which shows the task as a piece of paper on another. Here you can see the details of the task, and on the right you have more options. Woo! The first option allows you to put your task into more detail such as adding additional information, adding it to a project, setting a due date, adding tags and setting it to a filter. Then you have the ‘Task Delegation’ option which is Conqu’s clever way of making others do your work. You are brought to a simple screen in which you can type in the name of the colleague you wish to appoint the task to and then add their email so they are sent an email to tell them the unfortunate news.

I have not covered every single detail of Conqu in-depth because if I did, I could publish it and sell it as a book. But, I love this about Conqu; I love how simple it is to use, but how much detail you can go into. Almost any feature you’re looking for in a to-do/task application, Conqu will have that feature.

However, this application does have a few downfalls; even though I commended it on its simplicity and design, I would like to see a few brighter colours. It could have also taken advantage of the screen size a bit more with the fonts being rather small.

Overall, Conqu is a brilliant application that I personally use every day and would recommend to anyone who is forgetful or who gets a lot of tasks to do. The great thing about this application is that it can be used by professionals and businessmen who are in need of a proper tasks application. Top quality application here!

Posted by: Luke