Two months after launching the 'Tasks' module for Gmail, Google is ramping up usability with a mobile version of the traditional to-do list. But mobile tasks are nothing new to iPhone users, with plenty of free and paid options available. So let's put Gmail Tasks for iPhone at work and see what it can do.
Getting it up and running
Setting up Gmail tasks on your iPhone is easy and straightforward. You point Safari to gmail.com/tasks, log in with your credentials and add a bookmark to your home screen. You will then be presented with a list of your Gmail tasks and task lists. There's a short video on the Gmail Blog to help you with this.
Functionality
There's not much you can do with Gmail mobile tasks besides actually adding a task and notes. You can't add a due date or sort tasks like you are able to do on the web version of Gmail (which is quite austere when it comes to tasks management as well). On the good side, all tasks entered via your mobile will be kept in sync with Gmail. But in comparison to other applications for iPhone that help you manage your tasks, Gmail's is rather basic.
The alternatives
The lack of tasks sorting or plain functionality like adding a due date would send many iPhone users towards more fully fledged apps (with lists, categories, smart sorting) such as Key Tasks ($9.99), Remember The Milk (Free) or Ultimate To Dos (Free).
Key Tasks can wirelessly sync your to-do list with Outlook on your PC, while Remember The Milk and Ultimate To-Dos can sync with their respective online counterparts. Also, another interesting app is Tasks ($0.99), which lets you sync to-dos with your with both Macs and PCs.
Have I missed any good alternatives to Gmail's austere mobile tasks? Please let me know in the comments.