To-Do DeskList

Download.com is jam-packed with to-do list programs, and most of them are more or less the same. To-Do DeskList surprised us by delivering a fresh, unusual design and just the right number of features. If you're in the market for an unobtrusive but flexible task manager, this just might be the one.

To-Do DeskList's interface is sleek and attractive. The program appears as an icon in the system tray, and when you're ready to create a new task, you simply right-click on the icon and select Add To-Do from the menu. The program lets you set each task's priority level, add detailed notes, and set an alert if desired. Each task then sticks to the desktop--you can specify which corner you prefer--displayed as a translucent rectangle that the program refers to as a leaf. The leaves get stacked on top of one another as you add them and can be ranked in order of importance; once you complete a task, they slide off the screen. We liked that you can create hot keys for adding new leaves, and can also change the program's color theme and even create themes of your own. The program's built-in Help file is thorough and more or less makes sense, although it's not the best use of the English language we've ever seen. Overall, To-Do DeskList doesn't really bring any thrilling new features to the table, but we appreciate its ability to take something as mundane as a to-do list and make it stylish and kind of fun.

To-Do DeskList installs a desktop icon without asking but uninstalls cleanly. We recommend this program to all users.