iPhone vs Windows Mobile

I just got an iPhone, contrary to me resisting Apple products. My whole professional life, I’ve been relying on Windows Mobile and Microsoft Outlook to keep my life organized, and it has been simple. Windows Mobile and Microsoft Outlook. Period.  So how does the iPhone measure up with keeping my life organized?

When I got the iPhone, the first thing I did was connect it to my computer and sync it with iTunes. To my liking, I found out that the iPhone plays rather nicely with Microsoft Outlook. It synced my contacts and calendar no problem. HOWEVER, the iPhone does NOT come with a Todo app. I was very disappointed.

Luckily, I found a TODO app on the App store, but it was $9.99! The hell… I tried the trial version and it helped me get organized a lot better than the simple todo list in Windows Mobile, so I thought, hey, that’s pretty worth it. I bought it.After I did, I set up sync and was so happy only to find out that it DOES NOT synchronize via cable, but WiFi.

Uh, when I had my WM6+Outlook connected to my computer, it was sync, WAM BAM, k unplug, and you’re all set. This whole App+WiFi sync added another layer of complexity to my syncing process.

I figure I’ve been wanting to ween myself into using more online apps (like Google), so I moved all my e-mail from POP3 to Gmail, and calendars and contacts to Google Apps. Unfortuantely, I needed to get a different app for everything.

So anyway, I went from this:

• Connect phone to pc, sync finished

To this:

• Calendar: CalenGoo App
  • PROS
    • auto-sync with Google Calendar on load flawlessly
    • Works flawlessly
  • CONS
    • Does not use iPhone’s native calendar app
  • Price: $6.99
• Contacts: Sync in a Blink App
  • PROS
    • sync with Google Contacts
    • Uses iPhone’s native contacts app
  • CONS
    • Buggy. Sync not always exact
    • You have to manually sync by opening the program.
  • Price: $4.99
• Todo: Todo App
  • PROS
    • Great app. Keeps you organized
    • Notifications are great
    • Better than any TODO method I have ever used
    • Syncs automatically upon opening.
  • CONS
    • Syncs via WIFI: INCONVENIENT
    • Syncs with Remember the Milk ($25/yr subscription required): EXPENSIVE WTF
  • Price: $9.99

So now I have three separate apps that sync differently with several different services. The iPhone sure is fun to use, and getting organized isn’t bad to begin with, but if you need to be really organized, you better be ready to fork out extra money to do so.

Am I doing it wrong? Is there an all-in-one solution? I found an App called Pocket Informant, but it was rather expensive and I had already bought all these other apps. Also, I looked at some screenshots and wasn’t too crazy about the interface.