In the past month I've received quite a few emails asking me to review some calendar-type programs. So, here you go with a roundup of some software that deals with calendars and tasks.
Desktop Calendar and Personal Planner, by
Eshasoft
is a nicely done package that includes a personal planner and
calendar. The program is intuitive and easy-to-use, perfect for users with all levels
of experience. In testing it out I can see where this product could be used both
at home and at work to manage your day. I like the fact that I could drag and drop
items from one place to another. That makes it really nice when you need to adjust
your schedule.
If you can't get a task done today you can just drag it into next week.
Desktop Calendar
and Personal Planner
makes it really easy to handle appointments, birthdays,
anniversaries, and lots more. You can also create recurring events so you
can put in meetings that occur every Friday, for example. I also like the fact that
you can assign different colors to your tasks and appointments based on your criteria
so you can tell at a glance what's going on. In addition,
Desktop Calendar and Personal
Planner
has some other nice touches. One that I thought was cool was the
ability to customize each month with your own pictures. While testing it out I made
an entire calendar with pictures of my grandchildren each month. Slick. You can
view all of your upcoming tasks in a variety of "views" including weekly, daily,
and monthly. On top of everything else you can also browse the Web and launch your
email program right from within the program. So, if you're looking for a full-featured
calendar and planner program, this just may be your solution. See for yourself.
System Requirements: Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000/2003/XP/Vista/Windows 7/Windows 8
Download Desktop Calendar and Personal Planner - Free to try, 30-day trial
For a different approach to managing your time Alive Task Manager , by Vitolab Software
is worth a look. The product has kind of a Windows Explorer feel to it. The neat
thing about it is that you can divide various tasks into folders which helps you
to get a better grasp on each project. So, for example, you can keep things you
need to do at home in one folder and keep things you need to do at work in another.
If you like you can also break things down even finer and have multiple folders
for household projects.
Alive Task Manager cam remind you when things are due, when you have
an appointment, and so on. In addition, you can also view all of your tasks
in one list so you can get a complete overview of all the things you need to do.
I like the way the program lets you break things down. For example, you can highlight
the calendar on the left side of the screen and then see what you need to do that
day on the right side of the screen. You can do this with projects as well. The
program also supports recurring tasks and I like the fact that you can change the
task over time. So, for example, say you start out with a meeting every Wednesday
for an hour, but after a month you need to increase the time to two hours. No sweat.
In many programs you'd have to create a whole new task, but not in Alive Task Manager.
Slick. You can even use the program to create a schedule for the day which you can
print. The program is easy-to-use and intuitive, perfect for both new and experienced
users. There are lots of configurable options and the program really gives you a
lot of flexibility. If you're really into details you can view percentage of work
completed, assign priorities, set completion dates, and lots more. So, if you'd
like something that will help you to be more organized Alive Task Manager
may be just what you need. Check it out for yourself.
System Requirements: Windows 98/ME/2000/2003/XP
Active Desktop Calendar, by XemiComputers, LLC. is a "calendar", but it's
also a whole lot more. You can use it to make notes, alarms, and tasks. And what's
really cool about it is that it can display these things on your desktop in a way
that's pleasing and useful. It overlays your existing Windows wallpaper, kind of
like a clear plastic film, if you know what I mean.
The screen shot shows just a part of the 'film' that runs down the right side of
my screen. I can see holidays, articles that are done, articles that are coming
up, and lots more. Active Desktop Calendar lets you have what they call layers
and each layer can contain different information. What's really cool is that you
can also share layers with other computers that are also running Active Desktop
Calendar. If you like you can share layers with other computers across a network.
So, for example, I can share my primary layer with my office manager so she knows
what's on the editorial schedule too. Very slick! Active Desktop Calendar
has the ability to integrate with Microsoft Outlook so Outlook users can bring their
tasks and so on right into Active Desktop Calendar. Cool. Another great feature
is the alarms. With just a few mouse clicks I can set up an alarm that will pop
up and play a sound. So, if you need to keep on schedule, at home or at work, and
you want to make it easy on yourself, you have to try this program.
Very well thought out and beautifully done -- it gets my highest recommendation.
System Requirements: Windows 98/NT/2000/XP/Vista
Einstime, by Eclipsit, Inc. is a neat program for managing your time. Yes,
it's a calendar, but it's also much more. You can use it to keep track of birthdays,
appointments, anniversaries, and lots more. In testing it out I found that it does
a few things that most calendars don't do.
You can, for example, tell the program where you are located and it will use that
information in a variety of ways. It can tell you the local time at any spot on
earth and even gives you the daylight savings time information. On top of that it
gives you the times for sunrise and sunset. If you're a star gazer Einstime
will also give you information about the moon and it's movements in the sky. Another
cool feature is incorporation of holidays. It will also display in several modes
including Gregorian, Jewish, or hybrid. You can use the program to manage your
to
do
items, keep notes, and even maintain contact information. Einstime
will remind with audible alarms if you like at any time of the day or night. This
is really a complete package and much more than just a calendar. So, if you'd like
to keep track of your time in a better fashion, check out Einstime. I recommend
it.
System Requirements: Windows ME/NT/2000/XP/Vista
Michael E. Callahan, known around the world by the trademarked name Dr. File Finder, is regarded as the world's leading expert on shareware. Dr. File Finder works with software programs and developers full-time, and in the average year he evaluates 10,000 programs. Since 1982 he has evaluated over 240,000 software and hardware products. Mr. Callahan began evaluating software online in 1982 and no one has been at it longer. He currently works doing online PR and marketing for software companies, and is the Manager of Editorial Content on Tucows.