Cal: The calendar app that you WANT on your phone

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Cal: The calendar app that you WANT on your phone

By: Kyle Diggs

The Rundown

If there is one type of app that doesn’t catch your eye when browsing the Google Play or iOS App Store these days it is Productivity apps, namely calendar apps. Personally, I have grown in the habit of trying to manage my day to day life to not only become more productive but to feel like I am becoming more productive as well. I initially was using Any.do an app written by the same company as Cal, this app ruled my day to day for months, when Cal was first announced in June of last year I was ecstatic! An app that combined the features of a todo list with a Calendar. Normal calendar apps will allow you to list off things that you need to do in one day, Cal is special in that it allows you to stretch your tasks over periods of time while making event planning even easier with built in Google maps, Gmail, and contact integration.

Capabilities

Planning a party or a group meet-up this Saturday at 9 PM? Cal will allow you to set a location (via Google Maps integration), set a time/date, and invite anyone from your contacts to let them join in on the event. If they have the Cal app the event will automatically show up on their phone along with the time and location and it even gives everyone you invite the option to let you know if you can make it or not. Cal is a fantastic app for those who have friends who do not have Facebook accounts but still want the same event planning that Facebook offers.

If you want to send out a group message or email to everyone in your group you can also do that at a click of a button. Cal will automatically put everyone’s contact information into a group message or email and you can send any alerts you may have to the entire group!

Pros/Cons

In many ways Cal is just another Calendar app but its features are what set it apart from the hundreds of alternatives. Aside from Cal’s amazing group planning potential it is incredibly fast and its UI is second to none. You can navigate from event to event in a single swipe and if you are an android user you can even see every event for the next week in chronological order on its home screen widget. This allows you to not only stay productive in the present but to prevent stress by knowing what is coming up next.

Personal experience

Personally I have been using Cal to balance my work, school, and social life, sometimes I lose track of what is due when and even entire assignments. Using Cal’s custom time reminders I have reminded myself about projects, homework assignments that I completely forgot existed, and (regrettably) anniversaries. If you are as forgetful as I am Cal is definitely for you. It has taught me how to better manage my time and has saved me tons of stress. If you aren’t’ convinced yet I suggest at least giving Cal a try and experience it for yourself. You’ll thank me later.

Alternatives

Sunrise

Cal is great if you are already using Any.do because it has perfect integration however if you are looking for something else Sunrise is another Calendar app that has gained quite a bit of traction over its short lifespan. It has the exact same features, looks just as good, but as a bonus has a Web and Mac App Store app. If you want a Calendar app that you can use on more devices than Sunrise is for.