Defined by its clever and unmistakable user interface, Clear 1.1 refines second nature concepts and acknowledges community feedback by introducing a friendly new gesture, UI refinements, some added inspiration, and a big list making improvement.
First up: shake to undo. Shake to undo works with lists in Clear, allowing one to backpedal on new todo items or undelete list items previously cleared. A couple flicks of the wrist will display an alert signaling the opportunity to undo, redo, or cancel the option of retrieving a list or completing an item. Additionally, you can shake up your themes to select a random theme (as noted in the screenshot below).
As seen with undo, Clear keeps the context of its user interface in mind with custom alerts that can be best examined in the tips & tricks section of the app. By tapping on a quick todo (in this case “Shaking Things Up”), Clear provides context on the action. There is no OK or cancel button, nor is there an X to tap. Only a necessary tap anywhere on the display dismisses the on screen prompt without any call for user action — tapping to dismiss shouldn’t require the cruft of a one way out prompt. It’s a minor functional change, yet still significant in idea.
Ideas in Clear are quite literally rewarding when one begins by creating a new list or clearing a list’s items from the display. Several new quotes have been added in the 1.1 update — users can look forward to additional phrases to mull over after pouring coffee or after completing a day’s worth of items.
Lastly, improving upon lists, list items in Clear no longer have a limited character count. If ideas are flowing that are bigger than the width of your iPhone’s display, feel free to continue typing so that no word will be forgotten and no item will be left undone. Don’t worry — the shades of color splashed across the screen still look terrific.
While there are other secrets to be uncovered in Clear, I’ll try not spoil the fun and let you discover how to unlock some of the newly added themes. I maintain that Clear’s intuitive and ultimately addictive take on the traditional todo list is a much needed breath of fresh air in realm of task management. The new features are welcome improvements, and I’m looking forward to seeing what will happen to Clear in future updates. Clear is available for $0.99 in the App Store.