Dotastic - Microsoft brings social pressure to your to-do list

By Daniel Rubino
last updated

Here's an odd little number: Dotastic hit the Marketplace sometime today and it's yet another official app from Microsoft, specifically their FUSE Labs (opens in new tab), which specialize in social networking technology (see the WP7 'Project Emporia'). If you're not familiar with them here's their mission statement:

"FUSE Labs works in partnership with product and research teams to ideate, develop, and deliver new social, real-time, and media-rich experiences for home and work."

Dotastic is an app that mixes a to-do list with the fun and pressure of social networking--its motto is "Achieve Together". Think of it as broadcasting things to get done to your friends, where you then compete against each other by collecting points upon task completion. It's a method of using social pressure but in a positive way, which we think is pretty ingenious (so long as your task isn't too private, ahem). From the app description:

"Dotastic is a fun way to challenge your friends and help each other get things done. Earn points for completing tasks and compete with your friends to be at the top of the leaderboard. Incentives and social pressure helps you stay motivated as you complete your tasks and share your achievements with everyone."

It's like Twitter, but with a point. The app seems to coincide with the website www.dotastic.com, which is not yet live. We imagine that website will allow you to access your account (which is done via Facebook) and use it as primary interface, whereas the mobile app is for...well, when you're on the go.

You can downland the app by clicking this link, but understand at this time it's currently not working. The app needs to communicate with the Dotastic server, which is that aforementioned website. Until that goes live, you won't be able to complete the setup. One thing is for certain, Microsoft is having fun playing around with social networks, apps and technologies akin to Google (but nicer looking).

via: WindowsPhoneMetro

Daniel Rubino
Daniel Rubino
Editor-in-chief

Daniel Rubino is the Editor-in-chief of Windows Central, head reviewer, podcast co-host, and analyst. He has been covering Microsoft since 2007 when this site was called WMExperts (and later Windows Phone Central). His interests include Windows, laptops, next-gen computing, and for some reason, watches. Before all this tech stuff, he worked on a Ph.D. in linguistics, watched people sleep (for medical purposes!), and ran the projectors at movie theaters because it was fun.

8 Comments
  • Hmm, why the iOS-like interface?
  • This app and the new Android market are very similar in a way, but MS is making everything metro. It's Google who started "metrofying" some of their services as of late.
  • ech!
  • Why does the bottom look like iOS
  • Hey, I'd prefer the make the app the way it works best....instead of shoehorning metro into it where it doesn't make the best sense. I'm sure they played around with it.
  • Also.....I d/l/ed the app, and it failed to connect, and told me that it forwarded it to an administrator or something and I have to wait to use the app...seems kind of weird.
  • Umyeahpulled.....gonefinimissing.....avoi
  • Started working for me about a week ago. Not sure that it's really all connected on the backend (points I accrue aren't showing on the main screen), but it's a nice app and looks to be both useful and handy. Though it doesn't adhere all that closely to the Metro design metaphor, it's attractive and once loaded, a snappy performer.