Tech Cocktail

February 9, 2015

Kris

Wants and Needs: Live Happier

Tech Cocktail Review
Want, Need, Thanks: Life in Perspective with an App

By Istvan Fekete for the National Edition

Thanks to Tech Cocktail for reviewing Wants and Needs!

Wants and Needs helps users to see their life in perspective by pointing past their daily activity. Although I was skeptical at first about what such app could do for me, after using it, I realized that it would soon replace a cluttered desk full of overwhelming notes. This simple paid app for iPhone and iPad is far from being the perfect tool, given its limited set of features; but it may be a good start.

Tech Cocktail - Tech.co, Wants and Needs - Gratitude Journal / Diary

Wants and Needs is packed in a simple and clean design, a combination of white and orange. Skipping the need to create an account, the app welcomes you with a short tutorial, as it presents itself as the guide in your life. It can do that by displaying three main categories formed by verbs that put your life in motion: want, need, and thank.Adding and highlighting an entry is super easy: Just select one of the categories and you’re done; star it to make it special. To make the list more appealing, you can add images to any entry. I liked the “Use the last image taken” function, and used it most of the time, saving me the hassle of going through my photo library. You can always rearrange the list based on priority, and use search to find an entry.Wants and Needs comes with iCloud Sync, a Today Widget, and a weekly reminder. The only “issue” with this reminder is its limited options: You can customize the date and time, but that notification applies to your whole list, which makes sense since this isn’t a to-do list, but a wish list.

Depending on your device, you can use a passcode or Touch ID to unlock your private list (you decide if you use a pass or not). Unfortunately, the app isn’t optimized for iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, which doesn’t affect its performance, but the user experience.

Given that the app is at version 1.0, I think what you get now for $2.99 is a solid base to help you see your life in perspective and, hopefully, future updates will include more options to archive entries, because the delete option doesn’t necessarily contribute to the fulfilment felt when you finally get what you want. Wants and Needs is available for both iPhone and iPad. [Download link]