Sometimes developers strike (figurative) gold. They send an app submission just when you're thinking that you need to find an app that does the exact same thing, and it's Presidents Day so your plate is otherwise empty and you can try it out. Such is the case with Chrono List. But let's back up.

For a few days now, I have been thinking how silly it is that I have to keep staring at my treadmill's timer to figure out when to switch speeds during my runs. See, some days I go for a gradual speed increase over 5' intervals, and other days I do a HIIT of 1' intense runs and 2' walks. I can't exactly lose [my]self in the music, or have myself a good time if my eyes are rooted to the clock the entire run. That's why I thought I should look for apps that would allow me to set up various interval routines, with alarms, so I'd stop worrying about missing my cue to switch speeds.

And lo-and-behold, I see a pitch in my inbox about Chrono List, which seems to be the same type of app that I wanted — geared toward exercise routines but perfect for any kind of interval activity you regularly perform. I gave it a go and well, it's good enough to write about.

First of all, witness the Material. Second, Chrono List is really easy to use. You hit the Alarm+ FAB, enter a name for your new routine, the number of rounds, and then start adding intervals (with task names and durations). Once done, save it and the routine appears in your main list. You can then edit it or simply launch it.

Chrono List will alert you with a beep (by default, but you can use Text-to-Speech or alarms) when an interval is done and two beeps when the round is over. Three beeps mean the entire routine is complete. A few cool features include a smart task entry system that remembers your previous typed words, and the ability to hold and drag to rearrange all tasks.

Along with a few other features, Android Wear support is planned. It's currently the only thing I miss on Chrono List. I would love to be able to start a routine from my watch (even if it's offline and disconnected from the phone, like when running outdoors) and feel the timer intervals as vibrations. That'd be perfect.

And sure, now that I know that this kind of app is called "interval timers," I realize there is plenty of choice on the Play Store — like Runtastic Timer (hasn't been updated since 2013), Interval Timer (good but holy Holo!), and Exercise Timer (not bad). But Chrono List holds its place in comparison: it's free and ad-free (and the dev plans on keeping it this way), simple, tablet-optimized, minimalistic, and unassumingly beautiful. You can try it out from the links below.