Tuesday, April 24, 2012

iPhone: Trakr Review

iPhone
Trakr Review
Apr 24th 2012, 16:47

I've been an iOS enthusiast for a few years now, but I still find it astonishing how quickly my iPhone became a central figure in my day-to-day routine. I rarely relied on my old Motorola Razr to plot my creative writing projects, or track how many miles I'd trekked on my coffee shop excursions -- but that's probably what I find so interesting about the iPhone and well-intentioned apps like Trakr: they allow and even urge me to keep track of, and improve upon, my personal progress.

That said, it's obvious that Trakr, a super-simple data management app from developer Kevin Donnelly, has its heart in the right place. Doing exactly what it promises on the App Store listing, Trakr is an intuitive data-tracking device that allows you to plot unit/action combinations ("Gym workouts," "Classes attended," etc.), set long-term goals, and crank a touch-screen lever to input and track those accomplishments. There's no limit to the number of unit/action combos that users can log, which is ideal if you're looking for a slick, simple way to track data across several different daily actions. Those longing for a tracking solution for specific projects and personal deadlines, however, might be a bit disappointed.

I downloaded Trakr near the end of March while smack in the middle of a proofreading project that'd continue on into early April -- something I was eager to keep track of. While I was initially impressed with the app's user-friendly interface and easy touch-screen input, a couple of shortcomings immediately impeded my progress.

As of Trakr's current version, I was unable to add values to days that'd already passed, or set finite end dates to work towards. This made it tough to track anything but new, long-term projects with nebulous deadlines, which isn't necessarily a dealbreaker -- I still enjoyed tracking my monthly miles walked, coffees consumed, and ironic mustaches spotted -- but it does hinder Trakr's practical use for individuals striving towards a specific set of goals.

The bottom line. Trakr does exactly what's expected of it, and it does it well, but don't expect much more. While I'd still recommended this user-friendly data-tracking app, iPhone owners looking for specificity and customization may be underwhelmed.

Review Synopsis

Product: 

Company: 

Kevin Donnelly

Contact: 

Price: 

<a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=ApuPaiKIpxg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Fapp%252Ftrakr%252Fid503411063%253Fmt%253D8%2526uo%253D4%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store">$0.99</a>

Requirements: 

iPhone or iPod touch running iOS 5.0 or later

Positives: 

Elegant, user-friendly interface. Option to export data as a .CSV file is a nice touch. Works exactly as advertised.

Negatives: 

No function to edit previous days/entries. Really only fit for long-term goals. Not well-suited for larger numbers.

Score: 
3.5 Good

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