One of the things I love about Google is that they are continually updating their apps and adding things their users asked for. But they have made me wait years for the most current update. At long last Google has given the web-version of their calendar a face-lift. And I could not be happier.
A brand new look
The Calendar app on my phone has always been pretty, sleek and user-friendly. Calendar in my web browser on the other hand still looked like something designed in the previous century. It just did not make me feel like I wanted to use it. This week they have updated the look to be more in-line with the mobile and other Google apps.
One thing that has always irritated me was the amount of clutter on Google Calendar. Maybe it did not matter when people just started using Calendar, and they only had a few appointments, but my calendars are full. I want to see as much as possible on my screen. The new look has done away with the majority of the clutter, just click on the ‘hotdog’ (three little lines) in the top left-hand corner, and your calendar is basically full screen.
Calendar used to have a number of features, like time slots and booking venues, that nobody ever used because they could not find them. The new interface, on the other hand, is fairly intuitive and easy to use.
Google has also added some new features like the option to view multiple calendars next to each other in day mode, which make it a lot easier to schedule meetings etcetera.
If you have not noticed the updates yet, it means one of two things. Option One, you haven’t actually used Google Calendar for a while. Or option Two, the new updates are not active yet for your organisation. If you are in a hurry ask the administrator to activate them, otherwise be patient, it usually takes a few weeks for updates to be rolled out over the whole Google ecosystem.
If it is Option One, it will be worth your while to have a look at the new Calendar; you might find you really like it.
If you are not convinced, why not hop over to Calendar and see for yourself.