Readdle Streamlines The User Interface Of Their Google Calendar Client App In v3.0
January 16, 2012
The Consumer Electronics Show was a nice change but now it's time to jump back into app news, that is, until iWorld shakes things up again. One of the pieces of news overshadowed by last week's excitement was Readdle's release of Calendars v3.0, an update that refined the user interface and included performance enhancements.
Calendars 3 UI improvements begin with a cleaner look. The most obvious, i think, is the streamlined upper navigation bar. Rearrangement of the view mode buttons and header label help create more visibility of the actual calendar and otherwise focus on using the space more efficiently. Another reorganization is strictly iPhone and iPod touch: a new portrait week view. The new mode allows you to see an entire week of events with very little to no scrolling required.
Just as important as being able to view events quickly and easily is the ability to add them with the least amount of hassle. The previous, and very typical of calendar apps, method wasn't troublesome, however, Readdle has implemented custom keyboards to make the entry process of dates, times, reminders, and alerts even simpler by providing only relevant buttons. For example, time entry is broken down to hours and five minute intervals grouped into morning and afternoon sections, all without a need to scroll lengthy lists.
Further enhancements made via Calendars 3 include a reduced data exchange, making synchronization with the Google Calendar service faster and less costly when on cellular connections, and a change from a basic tap to tap and hold to add a new entry to help prevent unwanted "new event" prompts, plus the addition of small arrows to let you know that there are events off screen and events designated as "all-day" are constantly visible in day view.
Calendars is a universal app compatible with iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch running iOS 4.0 or later, and available in the App Store for $6.99.
