Calendars are a tricky thing to create for Android – especially when Google Calendar ships on pretty much every device, add that to the manufacturers that build one into their “skin” and that adds up to a lot of calendar apps out there. So, why would you need another one? Well, that’s a good question and it’s one that I’m going to try to answer by presenting you with my review of DigiCal. Read on to see just how good it is and, if it’ll replace your current calendar.
Description: DigiCal is a calendar app that actually locks into your Google Calendar and has a number of powerful different views ranging from day, week, agenda, month and list. As well as this the app supports landscape viewing to boot, making this the most flexible calendar in terms of viewing. That’s not all though, as DigiCal features some stunning widgets as well, making it the perfect all-rounder for anybody that finds them-self in need of quick access to their agenda or a week view. Take a look at the video below to see more:
How it Works: DigiCal is a stunning application to look at and follows the Holo theme that was first introduced with Ice Cream Sandwich. As such, some of the icons might look a little strange to you. Thankfully, the first time you open the app, it’ll give you the low down on how to interact with each view. Of course, for a lot of people they’ll be spending time with the day and week view:
As well as the month view:
I must confess to being pretty unorganized, in fact, I’ve missed quite a lot of Birthdays this year. It sounds like a calendar could be a good idea for me so, let’s go and take a look at December the 9th:
It’s empty right now but, my friend Danny’s having a get together at the local for his Birthday. Normally I’d forget but, let’s go ahead and add an event. You can do this by touching any of the time slots, from there you can change all manner of things. It’s also worth noting that if the location of the event is in Google Maps then DigiCal will find it and add it to Google Now so you know where you’re going, genius!
You can also view the day in landscape, which is great if you have a Galaxy Note or a larger sized phone:
I’m really not that active a person and I tend to write a lot of stuff down but, if you were the type to manage your life through Google Calendar, then DigiCal can really help to lay everything out for you:
As we mentioned in the description, DigiCal comes with an array of great widgets, as with the rest of the app, these blend in brilliantly with Ice Cream Sandwich or Jelly Bean:
There’s also widgets that look a little darker, so there’s something for every type of wallpaper you have running.
Opinion: Despite the fact that I’m not really the type of person to use a calendar app, DigiCal has been a good help and I’m sure that if I learnt to live with the app I would probably never forget anything ever again. For me, the biggest part of the app that would make me use it, is the inclusion of all the different widgets. I like to personalize my homescreen but, I also like to utilize its potential and I have a lot of utility widgets running, a week view from DigiCal is perfect for me.
Ratings
- Speed (5/5) – There’s nothing holding DigiCal back, it’s fast at everything.
- Features (5/5) – If you find the Google Calendar app to be lacking, this will everything – and more – that you’re craving.
- Theme (4/5) – The Holo theme will always get big thumbs up from stock Android fans like me and it really does work well throughout the whole app.
- Overall (5/5) – If you’re looking for a calendar app to hook into Google Calendar for an easy switch, with extra features, then DigiCal is that calendar.
Pros
- Selection of widgets adds a lot of value to the app.
- Landscape view may sound trivial but on bigger devices will be brilliant.
- Hooks into your existing calendar through Google Calendar.
- Start-up guide is most appreciated.
Cons
- No ads in the free version would be nice but, the paid version is well worth the money.
- Ability to see 30 days of events and beyond could be good for those with a really busy schedule.
Conclusion: I’ve learnt that a calendar can be a valuable tool thanks to DigiCal and honestly, I couldn’t use anything less than this to run my life as I would feel let down. DigiCal has it all and there’s little I wish the app could do. the addition of widgets is really fantastic and works brilliantly on phones with HD displays. If you’ve made the jump to DigiCal and need even more features, then why not give the paid version a go? Lose the ads and gain full control of widgets for a small price! This is definitely an app I’d recommend to others.