GoCal Review

Thursday, October 27, 2011

GoCal Review

at 7:06 AM

GoCal Review

By Phillip Levin on October 27th, 2011
Our Rating:

:: EXCELLENT
Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad

An impressive calendar for iOS that utilizes Google Calendar.

Developer: GoCal
Price: $4.99
Version Reviewed: 1.0
Device Reviewed On: iPhone

iPhone Integration Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
User Interface Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Re-use Value Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Overall Rating: 4.17 out of 5 stars

The default calendar app for iOS isn’t bad. In fact, it works well, and it’s probably good enough for the average user. However, for users looking for something a little more advanced in terms of synchronization and ease of access, “GoCal” is the way to go.

“GoCal” is a $4.99 downloadable app by developer Lightroom Apps that utilizes Google Calendar. Users log into their Google account and the app allows them to view their Google calendars on their device. What’s more, “GoCal” also displays any calendars users have on their iOS device as well. So, whether users want to use their iOS calendar or Google Calendar to store info – or a bit of both – they can use “GoCal.”

Any calendar app lives or dies by its interface, and of course, “GoCal” impresses here too. The app features a clean, colorful and easy-to-use interface. The setup is a little more stylized than Apple’s own default calendar, sporting organizational use of color that makes “GoCal” easy to read. Users can sort by the month, week, day or list when viewing events. They can also enable or disable which calendars are synched and listed, which is useful for users who have several calendars, like myself. All this stuff is pretty standard as far as apps go, though.

It’s the integration of Google that really makes “GoCal” shine. With it, users can easily access their Google Calendar with their iOS device, and the whole experience is seamless and built for the platform. Anything users can do while logged into the browser version of Google Calendar, users can do here. What’s more, there’s additional Google integration to boot. For instance, users can add a location to their event, which, when clicked on, opens Google Maps. Definitely a nice extra.

The main downside to “GoCal” has nothing to do with its design or functionality. Sadly, the app’s price is a bit steep at five bucks. Kind of unfortunate because otherwise, it’s highly recommendable.