Things, the task manager from Cultured Code, now has a layout built for the iPhone Duo, released ahead of the device's launch on Friday.
Version 3.25 is available now through the App Store. The interface changes with the phone's posture: closed, fully open, or partly folded like a book, in both portrait and landscape. That is what "adaptive layout" means here. The app rearranges itself to suit the shape of the screen instead of simply stretching to fill it.
Opening the device reveals a sidebar for switching between lists, a first for Things on the iPhone. Two Things windows can sit side by side, and to-dos can be dragged from one to the other. Controls move into a vertical bar within thumb reach, including the Magic Plus button, which can be dragged to a spot in a list to insert a new to-do there. With a keyboard connected, the full set of Things' keyboard features works, including persistent selection, shortcuts, and Type Travel for jumping between lists.
The interesting part is the borrowing. A sidebar, split windows, and drag and drop between them are habits from tablets and desktop apps, and this update moves them onto a phone. Shipping that work before the hardware reaches buyers suggests a folding screen asks more of developers than a larger canvas does. Each posture needs a decision about what the app shows and where the controls go.
Things is a single-purpose app, which keeps that job manageable. The better test of the Duo's software story is how many apps with less focused interfaces, or smaller teams, offer something comparable in the first weeks.