Alternatives to Embarassing iPhone Calendar
I'm looking for suggestions for alternatives to the built-in iPhone calendar. For me the calendar doesn’t implement basic things well, and some basic things it just doesn’t do. I think it’s among weakest software that Apple has released from a usability standpoint.
Here are the main problems with the built in app for me:
1. It takes way too many taps to enter an appointment. The iPhone calendar should define ease of use – the existing calendar is more like a bad Windows app. Data entry goes like this: Tap field, enter text, tap done, Tap next field, enter text or roll the selector, tap done, etc. Please get rid of the slot machines! Let us enter all our info on a single page, and then tap one ‘Done’ button. Has anyone found an iPhone calendar that has a great input interface?
2. There is no week view! It can’t be that hard to program – and it only requires one more button on the bottom of the calendar. I know Pocket Informant and SaiSuke have this - do any others?
3. The month view tells me nothing. I’m not a business person, but I still have a dot on every day. They’re not color coded dots - so I can’t tell what’s on a particular day without tapping on it. That’s not efficient or user-friendly. I know Pocket Informant and SaiSuke have this - do any others?
4. To-Dos are not part of the Calendar, even though they exist in iCal. This can't be rocket science! It’s almost 2010 – we need integrated To-Dos with alarms that forward to the next day if they remain undone. I know Pocket Informant has this - do any others?
5. I wouldn’t have a problem with the built-in calendar if I could purchase a satisfactory third party replacement. I can purchase alternatives but they don’t sync directly with iCal (I want this feature), and they don’t have built-in alerts when the calendar is not running (unless I use a ‘cloud’ solution, which doesn’t work in some buildings or most airplanes). I need a calendar that alerts me without needing a wireless or phone connection. Any suggestions?
I love my iPhone for all the other things it does, but quite frankly the Calendar app is embarrassing. Potential iPhone purchasers balk when they see how poorly data input is implemented. They can’t believe how rudimentary the app is. I end up feeling embarrassed about my iPhone's calendar, when it does everything else so well.
I've sent these issues to the iPhone development team, asking for enhancements. And I'm not interested in changing smartphones, because of all the other things the iPhone does so well.
What solutions have others found as an alternative to the weak iPhone calendar?
Here are the main problems with the built in app for me:
1. It takes way too many taps to enter an appointment. The iPhone calendar should define ease of use – the existing calendar is more like a bad Windows app. Data entry goes like this: Tap field, enter text, tap done, Tap next field, enter text or roll the selector, tap done, etc. Please get rid of the slot machines! Let us enter all our info on a single page, and then tap one ‘Done’ button. Has anyone found an iPhone calendar that has a great input interface?
2. There is no week view! It can’t be that hard to program – and it only requires one more button on the bottom of the calendar. I know Pocket Informant and SaiSuke have this - do any others?
3. The month view tells me nothing. I’m not a business person, but I still have a dot on every day. They’re not color coded dots - so I can’t tell what’s on a particular day without tapping on it. That’s not efficient or user-friendly. I know Pocket Informant and SaiSuke have this - do any others?
4. To-Dos are not part of the Calendar, even though they exist in iCal. This can't be rocket science! It’s almost 2010 – we need integrated To-Dos with alarms that forward to the next day if they remain undone. I know Pocket Informant has this - do any others?
5. I wouldn’t have a problem with the built-in calendar if I could purchase a satisfactory third party replacement. I can purchase alternatives but they don’t sync directly with iCal (I want this feature), and they don’t have built-in alerts when the calendar is not running (unless I use a ‘cloud’ solution, which doesn’t work in some buildings or most airplanes). I need a calendar that alerts me without needing a wireless or phone connection. Any suggestions?
I love my iPhone for all the other things it does, but quite frankly the Calendar app is embarrassing. Potential iPhone purchasers balk when they see how poorly data input is implemented. They can’t believe how rudimentary the app is. I end up feeling embarrassed about my iPhone's calendar, when it does everything else so well.
I've sent these issues to the iPhone development team, asking for enhancements. And I'm not interested in changing smartphones, because of all the other things the iPhone does so well.
What solutions have others found as an alternative to the weak iPhone calendar?
MacBookPro 15", Mac OS X (10.6.1), iPhone OS 3.1.2
