Here at MakeUseOf, we’re driven by productivity. As you may have noticed, most of the writers here have that “do more in less time” mindset and possess a certain magnetism towards efficiency.

I, on the other hand, have a slightly different approach. Evident by previously published articles like How To Be More Productive By Taking Breaks, Focus On Quality By Doing Less On Your Mac and 2 Simple iPhone Tips To Avoid Getting Work Done; I’ve only got one foot in the productivity boat.

However, I’m getting old and my memory’s starting to get a tad hazy sometimes. What I need is a to-do list to help remind me of what needs to be done. We’ve covered several to-do apps for the iPhone and a couple of online reminder services in the past. Since I’m quite the fussypot, I prefer go searching on my own for an app that befits my needs — something simple and elegant but does the job and must be free. I found NotifyMe.

I don’t consider NotifyMe to be a fully-fledged to-do app because it doesn’t sync with Outlook or iCal. Nevertheless, must I remind you that I’m not looking for any of that fanciness? All I want is a reminder and NotifyMe takes care of that perfectly. Let’s take a look at it.

As soon as the app starts up, it suggests a very elegant persona. At this point, the free app will put you through 20 seconds of waiting before it proceeds. Next, you’ll be asked to create an account (or log in if you have an existing account) so you’ll need to be connected to the internet either via 3G/EDGE or Wifi. This account is used to store your reminders online and on their push servers. Then you’ll be brought to the main screen. Here, NotifyMe displays the upcoming reminders you have listed, as well as the ones that have past. Adding a reminder is as easy as pie.

Type a short description, select the proper category, whether it should repeated and then set the time when you’d to be reminded of it. When you’re done, NotifyMe will allow you to review your reminder. It will also sync your reminders with its online database so you can also retrieve them by logging in to http://login.powerybase.com. From there, you can add new reminders, edit current ones and so on.

NotifyMe delivers your reminders via push notification so you’ll need to be connected to the internet when adding your entries — it needs to sync the reminder with their server. Once you’re received the notification, you’ll have the option to snooze the reminder or edit it.

The free version will only allow 3 simultaneous reminders but if I’m honest, all I use this app for is temporary reminders so 3 is more than enough for me. Again, I’m not looking for a hardcore, fully-fledged, pimped out to-do app. NotifyMe is elegant to use and simple to understand. It does the job of notifying me (no pun intended) flawlessly.

NotifyMe is developed for the iPhone and is available for free from the iTunes App Store [iTunes link]. The premium version [iTunes link] removes the 20-second nag screen as well as the 3 reminder limit — that goes for $3.99.

Giveaway: We have several promo codes for the premium version of NotifyMe courtesy of its developer, Powerybase. To win one, either:

1. Share this article on Facebook by dragging any image above and dropping it on the Facebook button — try it! Or;
2. Click on this link to share it on Twitter.

Update: Promo codes valid for US iTunes Store accounts only. Refer to this post for instructions on how to create a one.

Then come back and tell us that you’ve shared it via the comments (remember to enter your email address so that we can contact you). The winners will be picked randomly. Have fun!

Tagged: giveaway • iPhone Apps • reminder • scheduled tasks • to-do • tracking tools