Google Calendar: Finally Along for the Ride

I've been reading many a blog lately with folks trying to get away from the behemoth that is Google. Reasons are anything from privacy concerns to their increasingly-Microsoft-ish feel.

I'm in the opposite camp; I can't imagine getting through a day without Google. Forget Google Docs (I hate them). I've migrated away from my iGoogle and even Google Reader now). No, the reason I can't live without my Google is one simple reason: Google Calendar. Not only do I use it obsessively, but I evangelize it to all my friends. There's nothing in it for me but a simple love of the product.

Why do I love Google Calendar so much? It's very simple: I have a large family. Between my writing commitments, my husband's schedule, and life with four children, things can get crazy around here. I could try to do it all on paper, but I found that my bag ended up filled with appointment cards and Post-Its, and I was late or missed everything. Google Calendar allows me to give each person their own color-coded calendar I can track on one screen visually, updating on the fly as schedules change, and seeing instantly when I have a scheduling conflict between two family members.

The only problem I've had all along with Google Calendar is that I had to sync it to something else, and that wasn't always easy. I actually went to register my children for summer camps the other day and actually had transferred my intricate Google Calendaring to a NeoOffice spreadsheet on my laptop: hardly conducive to easy portability and access, and I still had to wait until I had WiFi connectivity again to update changes and confirm ties.

Google must have heard its users, however, and yesterday, rolled out a mobile version of the Google Calendar. Sure, it's not the full app that most of us who are addicted to our Google Calendars are used to, but it gives you access to your lifeline in a handy mobile format. Google has given us a compacted view that allows you to see one day's agenda, add events, and page through to alternate days. No longer will I be collecting appointment cards in my wallet until I can get to my laptop, and I can also make sure my husband can access it as well. Now there's no excuse for missing an event!