I like Apple products, and liked my iPhone on Day I of using it. However, it is really the addition of some of the new apps with iPhone 2.0’s software update that have made the iPhone a complete replacement for my PDA.

Before I had my iPhone, I was taking a Palm Pilot E2 Tungsten, cell phone, and iPod to work each day. As a project manager, I need a good task management tool. I got by with Notes and iCal to start with, but missed a task management tool I had on my old Palm Pilot. With the roll out of the iTunes App Store, things changed.

I tried EasyTask for a bit and thought it would work for me. I liked the desktop application that I could use with it, and the syncing capability. However, the application’s iPhone interface was really weak - this tool was made for the desktop app and the iPhone’s felt like an afterthought. At a minimum, it simply isn’t on par with the desktop version.

For me, I need something simple, practical and will be something I’ll use without a struggle. EasyTask wasn’t meeting that set of requirements. I went back to the App Store and searched for something that uses the Getting Things Done (GTD) method. A couple popped up, including EasyTask. I decided to give several of them a try and have settled on WhatTask as my favorite.

I like that it really follows the GTD methodologies and does so in a very intuitive manner. You don’t have to know GTD to use it; simply put in a task of what you need to do, where it needs to be done and by when. WhatTasks makes it easy to view things in context - if I’m at work, here’s the tasks I need to do, or if I’m shopping, etc. Very simple to use, and given I have my phone with me nearly all the time, not tough to keep up to date.

Some screenshots of WhatTask (click for a larger view):

A couple of other utilities really extend the iPhone for me, too. Having a camera, iCal and Mail are huge advantages, but what was missing that I had with my Palm was a simple file storage tool. Bringing a couple of documents to and from work - without having to email them about or upload them to a netstorage drive - is something I really value. With DataCase, I get this functionality and then some. DataCase allows me to make drives that are accessible by others at work over the network, all securely. I can move large files to and from work with ease again.

A couple of other iPhone Apps worth mentioning are Pandora.com’s free app which allows me to stream music form artists I like, while also learning about others I don’t know about but how have similar sounds, VoiceNotes which allows me to make an audio note or record a quick thought, and ICE - In Case of Emergency - which gives me some peace of mind knowing if I’m hit on my bike ride to work, someone could easily get the information they need quickly and easily from my phone.