Google Calendar

Designed to integrate with Gmail, Google’s online calendar service launched to consumers on April 13, 2006. It uses the iCal standard to work with other calendar applications.

Google’s online calendar is an integrated online, shareable calendar designed for teams. Businesses can create specific team calendars and share them company wide. Calendars can be delegated to another person to manage a specific calendar and events. People can also use Google Calendar to see if meeting rooms or shared resources are free, and add them to events.

Features 

Interface

The interface of Google Calendar, designed by Kevin Fox, is similar to desktop calendar applications such asMicrosoft Outlook or iCal on Mac OS X. The Ajax-driven interface enables users to set the number of days to show in their custom view mode.stored online; consequently, the calendar can be viewed from any location that has Internet access. For users who might experience a hard drive failure, it also means that no data is lost. The application can import Microsoft Outlook calendar files (.vcs) and Comma-separated values(.csv), as well as Webcal links.^[3] Users can modify, add, and drag-and-drop events from one date to another without reloading the page. It supports view modes such as weekly, monthly, and agenda. Users can "quick add" calendar events by typing standard English phrases, such as "Dinner with Michael 7 p.m. tomorrow". Users can also set the number of days to show in their custom view mode.

Content access

Events are similar to desktop calendar applications such as Microsoft Outlook or iCal on Mac OS X. The Ajax-driven interface enables users to view, add, and drag-and-drop events from one date to another without reloading the page. It supports view modes such as weekly, monthly, and agenda. Users can "quick add" calendar events by typing standard English phrases, such as "Dinner with Michael 7 p.m. tomorrow". Users can also set the number of days to show in their custom view mode.stored online; consequently, the calendar can be viewed from any location that has Internet access. For users who might experience a hard drive failure, it also means that no data is lost. The application can import Microsoft Outlook calendar files (.vcs) and iCalendar files (.ics, the de facto open calendaring file format). Multiple calendars can be added and shared, allowing various levels of permissions for the users. This enables collaboration and sharing of schedules amongst groups. General calendars available for importing into one's account include those containing national holidays of various countries. Users can also add"live" iCalendar URLs that update regularly.

Sharing calendars

Google Calendar allows multiple calendars to be created and shown in the same view. Each can be shared, either read-only or with full edit control, and either with specified people or with everyone (public calendars). In February 2009, Google discontinued the option of searching for public calendars from the search field by removing the "Search Public Events" button. It also disabled its public calendar gallery,^[5] citing maintenance and usability issues. The company suggests adding calendars via the "Interesting Calendars" feature, known calendar URLs, or via email requests to friends. Daily "To Do" tasks cannot currently be shared between users.

Device synchronization

Currently, Google Calendar can use Google Sync to synchronize with many mobile devices (e.g., BlackBerry, Palm, iPhone, Pocket PC) or with PC applications (e.g., Microsoft Outlook) via third party software, and natively with Apple's iCal (workarounds required for iCal 3.x, full functionality with iCal 4.x). Google Calendar is natively supported on Android-based smartphones and tablets, webOS-based mobile phones such as the Palm Pre and iOS devices such as the iPhone. Event reminders can be sent via email, as well as via SMS to mobile phones in more than eighty countries and regions.

Google integration

Google Calendar is integrated with other Google services:

• Gmail, Google's webmail service. When an e-mail that contains trigger words (such as "meeting", or dates and times) arrives, an "add to calendar" button is automatically displayed alongside it.
• iGoogle, the user-designed Google homepage, in which users could choose and organize content in the form of 'gadgets'. The calendar was shown as a module on one's homepage. This "gadget" offered options to edit how the time is displayed, which day the week starts on, and a link to "Add Event". iGoogle was discontinued on November 1, 2013.
• Google Desktop, Google's desktop search software for Windows or Mac OS X. The mini-calendar gadget allowed one to view their agenda without having to open their browser. One could place it on their desktop or leave it docked in the sidebar. Google Desktop was discontinued in September 2011.