Google announced a mobile device friendly version of Google Calendar today…
I gave it a quick try on my T-Mobile Dash by adding an event. The agenda view (list of events) is the only view available on a mobile device. I went to the regular PC to flesh out the information (I could type faster there). Adding the address for an event lets you use the mobile version of Google Maps from a link on the event.
Microsoft Pocket Streets used to integrate with Contacts on Windows Mobile devices. But, now that it is gone, I guess that this Google feature could be handy (unless you are out of tower range :-). You can find Google Calendar at:
It’s been the best part of a year now, and although it was a coup to release a mobile enabled version of what is rapidly becoming the best calendar available, isn’t it time the calendar development team focused on enabling at least SOME features in the mobile calendar?
I use my google calendar every day, many times in fact. I use use it to organize the bookings I take for my venue, schedule meetings, keep track of reminders; and I categorize all of these things by use of separate calendars which I then share with the other people in my organization who need to know what’s going on.
Can I do any of this through my mobile device? No. Can I even delete an event, or perform even basic management like changing the time? No. Am I frustrated and upset that google have limited the usefulness of the mobile calendar? Absolutely. Have I stopped using the calendar through my mobile device? You bet.
I say stopped, because at one point, for a glorious but short lived period, I made full use of the fantastic mobilegcal application that was available through the Opera for mobile development community. It allowed me all of the features I needed as it was basically a straight port of the PC version calendar. Unfortunately, the project (amazingly) dried up due to lack of interest.
The question is why, if a lone developer can produce a perfectly usable version of the gcal for mobiles, doesn’t google do the same for their own offering? After all they are looking to enter the mobile market with Android, or is this an example of the lackluster mobile service we can expect from the new operating system?