Task manager apps are nothing new to smartphones. With veterans like OmniFocus and Evernote grabbing the top spots, and Things, Any.DO, and Apple's own Reminders bringing up the rear, you'd think the space was pretty much full. But newcomer Cheddar aims to take a piece of the pie for itself. It doesn't aim for the complicated productivity features inherent to apps like Omnifocus, and it doesn't sacrifice syncing for innovative design like Clear. Cheddar's niche: simplicity.
Cheddar's layout is similar to other to-do list apps, but its design and style is what separates it from the rest of the crowd. The UI is well thought-out, from the soft shades of blue and orange to the typography provided by Hoefler & Frere-Jones. I found myself entering tasks I knew I'd never finish (I've never written a novel, much less autographed one) just to see how pretty they would look. I italicized words that needed no differentiation, placed hashtags on items that required no organizational structure. I thoroughly enjoyed planning an entire weekend with links and bold text.
But when I decided to clean my slate, I was faced with an unwelcome realization. Once a task is created, it can never actually be deleted. And although Cheddar allows for tasks to be archived, you cannot see or unarchive them once that choice has been made. I often look at old tasks I've done as a reference point when they relate to certain projects, so this is a major sticking point for me. It seemed as though my piece of autographed fiction was to forever remain in Cheddar, seen or unseen.