[NewsPoster]

Updated with troubleshooting information for a flaw found in the app] Up Next by Illuminated Bits takes all of your calendar events and reminders to organize them in an easier-to-digest format. We spent about a week with Up Next, and we quite liked how easy it made reviewing and managing our schedule from one place.

Along with pulling in events from established calendars and reminders, the user can also add "Up Next Tasks." These are tasks that are saved to the app's schedule, rather than being put on the iOS calendar or reminders lists -- though we're not sure what the benefit of that is, aside from some greater flexibility in scheduling. For instance, you can schedule an Up Next Task for "Anytime, "This Morning," "This Afternoon," "This Evening," "Tonight," "Tomorrow," "Next Week," or a specific time.

Setting an Up Next Task with flexible scheduling will keep the notification displaying in the app and on the iOS Today widget for a certain amount of time. So, if you schedule something for "This Morning," it's scheduled for "before noon." So you'll see it until noon, and then it will tell you about whatever you have scheduled for the afternoon, or a specific time that lands between noon and 4PM.

One of the things that amused us about Up Next was that it let us know about our schedule, even if we didn't have anything planned. The other day, we checked the time on our phone and saw an alert in the Today widget telling us our afternoon was wide open. Since we're familiar with how the app defines "afternoon," that was actually kind of useful to know. Thanks, Up Next!

We also appreciate how customizable Up Next was. Along with scheduling as specific or vague as you need, you can change the background to an image of your choice from the photo library on the device. One thing we sort of didn't like was that, when the app updated, it replaced our awesome background, which you can see in our screenshots, with one of the stock images that come with the app.

Admittedly, the background images that come pre-loaded are absolutely stunning views of nature in all its glory … but we had decided to personalize it -- and while it wasn't a hardship to change it back, we'd rather not have to do that. In Illluminated Bits' defense, we're not sure if that will happen every time there's an update, or if it was simply because they made so many significant changes this time around.

Up Next is available for $5 from iTunes.

Update: The current version of the app is 2.0, and this version has a technical issue, found by one of our readers, on some iOS devices where the tasks don't load, and the calendar list is blank. The developer is aware of the issue, and is working on a fix. It should be included in the next update, but we don't have a timeline for when the update will be ready. In the meantime, if you experience this, the problem should be fixed by restarting the app, and waiting 25-30 seconds.

Who Up Next is for:
Extensive users of the iOS Calendar and Reminder features, keeping in mind that the iOS calendar can import events from social media calendars. Both of the built-in features will provide notifications for scheduled reminders and events, but the app pulls them into a single place, so the user can get a long view of everything coming up, rather than just what's about to happen.

Who Up Next isn't for:
Those who find the built in Calendar and Reminder apps sufficient for their organizational needs, or don't use their phone to organize their schedule.

-- Michelle Elbert (@mcelbert)

[thinkman]

Gotta wonder why Apple sites such as this one will choose one or two Apps out of the over 1.4 Million Apps on the App Store to review, many of which, when you get to the iTunes store, have miserable reviews. My guess, Payola is back in a new form.

[Mike Wuerthele]

We review what we get, or are asked to review. Simple as that. We do thirty app reviews a week.

Your insinuation is without basis in fact, and frankly insulting.

[makemineamac]

Guys, I have to say I'm not impressed with this App so far, and at over $5 I may have to think again before automatically buying an App after reading a review here.

This App does not function as-designed on either my iPhone or iPad. It loads my lists after I force close it a few times, but it does;t load any of the actual tasks from those lists/

I see they released a new version on March 4th, so I'm assuming the version you tested was the one prior to this one.

Anyway, have emailed the developer and hope they will help me resolve this. Disappointed after reading such a positive review. I like the idea.

[Mike Wuerthele]

I spent about an hour on this app after purchasing this morning on iOS8 and an iPhone 5c, and am not seeing the issue you talk about manifesting itself. This is on the post-March 4 version. Michelle reviewed the pre-updated version, I presume.

I've asked her to chime in here - look for an answer later today.

[Michelle Elbert]

Good afternoon everybody.

makemineamac - I did have the previous app installed on both my devices when the update came out, so it already had all of my stuff in it. I've deleted the app and re-installed it fresh. I'm using iOS 8.1.3 and a iPhone 5.

Un-installing and doing a fresh version on my iPad Mini 2 running the same OS *did* replicate your issue however. There were no tasks and when I went to the Calendars screen to select calendars the screen was blank.

I'm contacting the developer now to see if this is something they're aware of and will update the review with the information.

Thanks for posting about this. Un-installing and re-installing the app when the update happened is something that should have already been on my checklist. It certainly is now.

I'm really sorry I missed that and you had to deal with it.

[Michelle Elbert]

Hi thinkman

As Mike mentioned we review what is suggested or offered. Also, as you mentioned, there's lots of apps out there to review!

Please shoot us an email if you'd like to suggest apps for us to take a look at!

Unless, as Mike also pointed out, your intention was to insult. In which case, you're probably not reading this. But anybody else reading this, please do let us know if you have suggestions.

[Michelle Elbert]

Hello again all.

Good news. The developer was able to recreate the issue found by makemineamac, they believe they have found the cause and will be including a fix in the next update.

If you have this app in Test Flight, the beta about to go out will be testing the fix.

In the meantime, if you experience this force quit the app, restart it and wait 25 to 30 seconds.

I will be amending the review now.

Thanks!

[makemineamac]

Thanks Michelle and all. I did email the developer last night and they got back to me right away. They had heard from other users as well and were working on a fix. They submitted an updated version to Apple late last night and hopefully I will have a working version tomorrow. Strange that it got through developer testing and Apple testing with this issue. Look forward to seeing it work as it should. Appreciate the follow-up.

[Mike Wuerthele]

Glad to be of assistance!

Good work, Michelle. Thanks for the assist, Makemineamac.