Just about eight and a half months after my original Centrallo review, Centrallo has released a material design update. I am going to take a fresh look at the app with its updated design!
Centrallo is an organizational app that aims to add order to your life.
It is actually an ingeniously simple concept. You can add lists and notes. Each list can contain more lists and notes.
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Usage
The Good
The simplicity of the app is the real attraction here. Centrallo has the easiest to use interface. Everything is intuitive to use, but some of the glyphs for images are a bit tough to decipher. After playing around, it is very easy to use.
Centrallo is perfect for organizing projects or thoughts.
As stated in the previous review, the cross platform usability is also a nice plus. It works on desktop, iOS and Android devices. Another thing being done right is each app has been specifically designed for the particular platform.
The Android app isn’t an iOS port, it is a full fledged app with material design and all things that Android users love.
The Middle Ground
Sharing capabilities could be better still. While people can now view lists or notes without a Centrallo account, the in-app sharing is a bit buggy. This will most likely be fixed in future builds.
Actually, sharing doesn’t work at all. I have to copy the link provided and share that to others. It isn’t a bad thing, it is just that there is an option for sharing to things like Facebook or Google Plus, but they don’t actually work. Yet.
Update: The sharing functionality now works as it would be expected to! Once again, the Centrallo team is very quick when it comes to user concerns and suggestions..
The Bad
There really isn’t anything that bad. The only thing I miss is a checklist type function. You can make lists, but there is no real way to make it a checklists.
In order to make a checklist, I have to use lists and notes. From there, I change all items that are done to one color and the items not done to another color. It is a crude but effect solution.
You can always archive or delete items that are done, but I prefer to keep them so that I know what I have and haven’t accomplished.
Interface
The Good
Material design! Really, is there anything else to say about it? A year after Android L previews and material design debuted, material design is still hard to come by. Only two of my daily apps have material design implemented excluding Google apps and including Centrallo.
The interface is snappy and beautiful. It actually makes the app even more enjoyable to use.
The Middle Ground
There really isn’t middle ground to be had about material design. Some love it, some hate it. Some really don’t care. It is just kind of like “Tada, I’m pretty now!”, and Centrallo is definitely that, pretty.
The Bad
The update to material design removes the ability to change the color scheme. That isn’t a big deal though because the current look is amazing and has no need to change.
Only other thing I have to complain about is the timing. Really? An entire year? Oh well, I guess it takes time to look this good.
Working on an Evernote data import tool for Centrallo. Coming sometime late summer.
Centrallo looks great, but it’s let down by one simple omission: the absence of a widget. Evernote, Keep, and Wunderlist all understand the importance of the ability to have a view of your lists right there on the home screen.
Centrallo may be a relatively fresh startup, but a widget shouldn’t be on the “we’ll get to it eventually” list. Pardon the pun.