Google Calendar Gets an Overhaul

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The biggest problem with using Google Calendar (or any calendar, for that matter) is that you typically spend as much organizing your calendar perfect as you do actually using your calendar to keep up with events, meetings, etc.

Announced by Ian Leader, a product manager for Google Calendar, the new Google Calendar is designed to be a “helpful assistant” that is easily accessible on your smartphone and tablet.

Events from Gmail Added Automatically

Using Gmail (obviously), the new Calendar can turn emails into calendar events automatically. If you are utilizing things such as Google Calendar, you probably do a lot of planning and purchasing via the internet. Concert tickets, airline tickets, hotel reservations, typically come with a receipt confirming dates and times, right?. No longer will you have to take the time to meticulously copy and paste that data into your calendar, because Google Calendar will do that for you. It will even include information like check-in times and flight numbers.  Flight delayed? No worries, Google Calendar will update that for you in real time.

Let Calendar Assist You

Obviously, not everything you will need to insert into your Calendar will arrive nice and neatly in to your inbox. In fact, a lot of stuff will never even see your inbox. For cases like this, the new Google Calendar will begin to suggest titles, phone numbers, etc; and the more you use it the smarter it will become. So, for instance, you always get coffee with Jan on Wednesday mornings, as you continue to update your calendar with this information, Google will begin to pick up on it and start auto suggesting (and, in turn, filling) this information to make it easier for you.

Schedule View

The last update announced is probably the least beneficial, and the most cosmetic. Schedule View includes a picture with your scheduled events and will use a correlating picture. Traveling to New York at the end of the month? Calendar will pick up on your destination and display a picture of the famous New York City skyline on your event. This even includes pictures for menial tasks such as waking up, and drinks with friends.

Gmail and Calendar users can expect an update to drop in the coming weeks, and will be compatible with all version of Android 4.1 and up. Android 5.0 Lollipop having the ability to start utilizing the new Calendar now. And yes, iOS users, there is currently a version in the works for you, as well.