A few days ago I posted a comment about the recent release of Google Calendar which was the latest buzz. After spending a few days with it I must say it’s impressive but I understand the need for giving it the ever-popular Google tag of “beta.” Not for bugs but for features, or lack there of.
Adopting a new web-based calendar is not an easy thing to get people to do. Most, probably use Outlook, and a few of us older geeks out there still have our trusty Palm Pilots connected to sync with. So for me, aside from the ability to set up cell phone text message reminders, Google Calendar wasn’t enough yet to get me to move everything over (even though its pretty easy to import Outlook events).
For one thing, I can’t sync between Outlook and Google. I can import my Outlook events into Google but that’s a one-time manual process that I don’t want to have to remember to do every day/hour/minute. Also, if I did want to drop Outlook for good and make the plunge into a web-calendar, that would have to mean dumping my Palm Pilot which, call me stubborn, I’m not ready to do yet. Until some of these features are released (if they are released), it looks like those in the same boat as me are going to have to wait…but who wants to do that?
In searching for a 3rd party tool to possibly fast forward the wait on some much needed features, I came across AirSet. It one of many web-based calendars that are out there, and only one of a few I looked at, but it seems to have those features I’m looking for and more. For one, I can install a desktop app to auto-sync Outlook with AirSet on a time frame that I choose. Now I can add a new appointment on my laptop (using Outlook), through my browser (using AirSet) and even still on my Palm Pilot without having to re-enter it again and again. Through the syncing of my apps all three are up-to-date. Better yet, they’re offering a beta test that I recently signed up for to allow my events to be accessed and managed from my cell phone! It’s already available to Verizon users for a small monthly fee and as long as you have a java compatible phone, you’ll soon be able to install the app on your phone for on the go access and manipulation. And it still offers the mobile text reminders that I really love.
So what’s the catch? Well, so far it seems very promising although I must admit I’m a bit partial to Google’s UI over AirSets. Its a bit cleaner and easier to enter events, a real time saver. Plus the cell phone beta testing has brought up enough bugs to cause me not to be able to use it much yet but the response from the testing team has been phenomenal. I sent an email to be added to the test group and within two minutes I received my invitation. Plus in sending and receiving emails on the problems, I was still getting replies well into the late evening meaning some people are working late over there.
Like I said, I’ve only just started to use AirSet as a calendar but the possibilities seem amazing and I’m getting everything I asked for. Now if I were only popular enough to have events to add, I’d really be set!
If you like google calendar (gcal) but want to synch to your palm you can try what i do. subscribe to your google calendars using airset and then use the airsynch program. The only downside is you cannot synch items you added to your palm back to gcal. It will only be a couple weeks though before there is a gcalsynch available so I can live with this handicap until then.
Left by Adam on May 9th, 2006