BusyBlog

Macworld Expo recap

2010-03-02T13:56:33-08:00

Macworld Expo 2010 is behind us now and it was a resounding success!

Many people predicted this would be the end of Macworld Expo since Apple and many other large vendors had pulled out, so we were expecting the worst. The entire show was held in the North Hall of Moscone center, which in the past was reserved for smaller vendors and affectionately referred to as Tiny Town. So, we setup our little kiosk and wondered "will anyone show up?"

Well, the Mac faithful weren't deterred by Apple's absence and they showed up in droves. And since all the vendors were crammed into the North Hall, it made for a very crowded and exhilarating atmosphere. We met with thousands of new and existing customers and gave non-stop demos.

In addition to meeting with customers, we met with many members of the press and did video interviews with Chuck Joiner and the irrepressible Merlin Mann.

And last but not least, BusyCal won a Mac Observer Editors Choice Award! It was great show and we're looking forward to doing it again next year!

BusyCal 1.2 released

2010-01-25T16:11:23-08:00

BusyCal 1.2 has been released! This version adds two commonly requested features — a global font size preference, and Calendar Groups — and fixes several bugs. Here's a brief list of changes:

New global font size preference
New Calendar Groups feature
Fixed several crashes
Fixed several google syncing bugs
Fixed row highlighting bug in List View
Fixed other miscellaneous bugs

BusyCal users can update by selecting Check for Updates from the BusyCal menu. New users can download it from http://www.busymac.com/download/BusyCal.dmg.

BusyCal awarded MacLife Editors' Choice

2010-01-23T18:40:07-08:00

MacLife recently reviewed BusyCal and awarded it an Editors' Choice!

Here's what MacLife had to say:

BusyCal does almost everything iCal does and adds some crucial missing features. In a few short weeks, it's become our default calendar application.

Frankly, BusyCal is such a vast improvement over iCal that we can't imagine switching back.

And in a related article MacLife went on to say:

Imagine iCal on steroids, then imagine that steroidal iCal on a second helping of steroids, and you start to get an idea. BusyMac brings with it so many improvements over the basic calendar, you'll soon wonder why you didn't switch earlier then later wonder what you'd ever done without BusyCal.

Thank you, MacLife, for recognizing the many great features of BusyCal.

Visit us at Macworld Expo

2010-01-21T16:58:46-08:00

BusyMac will be exhibiting at Macworld Expo, at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, Feb. 11-13 2010.

Macworld provides a rare opportunity for us to meet face-to-face with our customers, demo the product, and find out what you'd like to see from us in the future.

If you're planning to attend Macworld Expo, please stop by and say hello. And if you haven't registered yet, you can get a free exhibit hall pass by clicking the following link:

http://rcsreg.com/macworld/SBIP4120

We hope to see you there!

BusyCal wins Macworld Eddy Award!

2009-12-11T12:31:03-08:00

Each year Macworld picks the best Mac software products of the year and honors them with Eddy Awards. Last year they picked BusySync, and this year they picked BusyCal!

Here's what Macworld had to say:

"BusyCal looks a lot like iCal. But it does things iCal can only dream of. It seamlessly syncs with Google Calendar out of the box, shares calendars via Bonjour, and supports multi-person editing. BusyCal did more than revive the calendaring category; it established itself as the category leader."

We couldn't have said it better ourselves. We're really honored to be recognized by Macworld for all the hard work that went into BusyCal 1.0. And we're grateful for the encouragement and feedback we've received from our customers.

Stay tuned. We're not done yet...

BusyCal 1.1

2009-12-06T17:56:22-08:00

BusyCal 1.1 has been released! We added several features including the commonly requested mini-month navigator, 64-bit and Garbage Collection support on Snow Leopard, three-finger swiping, and more.

Here's a complete list of changes:

Added mini-month calendar to source list.
Support for three-finger swiping.
Added Duration column to List View.
Added an "at start" alarm interval.
Support for 64-bit and Garbage Collection on Snow Leopard.
Admin password no longer required to update Dock icon, except during a software update.
Support both shift-return and option-return for line feeds.
Clear stale data in info panel when an event moves out of view.
Better memory management when syncing with Entourage.
Better handling of malformed ics files.
Better date handling when scheduling events with no year.
Better handling of 4-digit year input.
Fixed bug affecting recurring events starting prior to 1930
Hide info panel when app is minimized.
Fixed preference setting for default calendar app.
Various recurring event bug fixes.
Option to display more descriptive time zone names.
Backups filenames are stored in yyyy-mm-dd format.
Fixed various Google syncing bugs.
Fixed crash caused by unicode non-breaking space characters.
Fixed crash caused by corrupted system font.
Improved logging.

Existing BusyCal users can update by selecting Check for Updates from the BusyCal menu. New users can download it from http://www.busymac.com/download/BusyCal.dmg

BusyCal 1.0.1 released

2009-10-23T14:31:18-07:00

BusyCal 1.0.1 has been released. This is a bug fix release and contains the following changes:

Dock icon updates properly to show today's date
Alarms can be added to events on the Birthdays calendar
Info panel description field scrolls properly when entering lots of text
Text in read-only notes field can be selected/copied
URLs are clickable in read-only notes field
Follow event to its new date when changing date in info panel
Faster launching
Fixed Undo crash
Fixed Delete Duplicates crash
Fixed Sticky Notes editing crash
Recover from failed BusySync database upgrades
Don't allow multiple Google Connections for the same account
Fixed Google permission errors
Fixed malformed Google meeting requests
Fixed malformed Google degenerate recurrences
Don't allow Organizer to add self as attendee
Import non-UTF-8 ics files
Process meeting replies that don't match original recipient's name or email
Fixed custom weekly repeat bug
Fixed end time recurrence exception bug
Fixed Auckland, New Zealand time zone bugs
Fixed To Do sorting in calendar
Completed To Dos can be dragged to original due date

Existing BusyCal users can update by selecting Check for Updates from the BusyCal menu. New users can download it from http://www.busymac.com/download/BusyCal.dmg

Happy Birthday BusySync and welcome BusyCal

2009-10-21T18:28:11-07:00

Today is BusySync's second birthday!

We've come a long way in the two years since the first release of BusySync.

BusySync 1.0 allowed iCal users to share calendars with each other over a local area network with full read/write access. BusySync 2.0 added the ability for users to sync iCal with Google Calendar.

As we enhanced and refined BusySync over the years, we came to realize that we couldn't make it much better without having full control over both the syncing engine (BusySync) and user interface (iCal). That's when we set our sights on a higher goal — to build a desktop calendar that combines the functionality of BusySync and iCal in one integrated app.

I'm happy to report that we reached that goal with the recent release of BusyCal 1.0. BusyCal wouldn't be here today if it weren't for the groundbreaking work and years of refinement that went into BusySync.

Happy Birthday BusySync and thanks for giving birth to BusyCal!

BusyCal vs. iCal

2009-09-28T19:48:04-07:00

BusyCal is a desktop calendar for Mac OS X that provides seamless calendar sharing and enhanced productivity tools for workgroups and individuals. BusyCal combines the the calendar sharing and synchronization technology from the award winning BusySync, with a beautiful desktop calendar interface that is instantly recognizable to iCal users — in one integrated application.

Top 5 reasons to use BusyCal

Why use BusyCal when iCal is free? For some users, iCal is sufficient. But if you need to share calendars with others, or are frustrated by the many limitations of iCal, then BusyCal may be right for you. Here are 5 areas where BusyCal shines.

1. Integrated calendar sharing and synchronization

BusyCal allows families and small workgroups to easily share calendars on a local area network and over the internet, without the need for a dedicated server. Shared calendars can be viewed and edited by multiple users and changes are instantly synchronized over the network.

BusyCal also syncs with Google Calendar, so you can access your calendar online, or sync between home and work computers by using Google Calendar as a conduit.

And BusyCal syncs with iCal, MobileMe, the iPhone, and other applications and devices that support Sync Services. So any data you enter in BusyCal will sync with your iPhone.

For more info, see Screencast: Sharing calendars on a LAN & Screencast: Syncing with Google Calendar

2. Non-modal info panel

BusyCal includes a non-modal info panel for viewing and editing event details. The info panel can be displayed as a floating window or embedded in the lower right corner of the calendar window.

The info panel makes data entry and viewing a breeze without having to double-click an event to view or edit its contents. And if you prefer the keyboard over the mouse, you can select and edit events solely from the keyboard with intuitive keyboard navigation and quick entry shortcuts.

And the info panel is customizable. You can choose to show just the basics, or add additional fields like tags, graphics, and multiple alarms.
For more info, see Screencast: Event Info Panel
3. Customizable Views
The Month and Week views can scroll, so you can display just the current and future dates without wasting precious screen real estate on the past. And the month cells will scroll if you have a lot of events on a busy day.

In addition to traditional Month and Week views, BusyCal offers a two-week view and a List View. The List View can be customized and includes an expanded notes pane with rich text editing.

In addition, you can can customize the fonts styles and sizes of events, and display live weather feeds, moon phases, holidays, graphics, and sticky notes in your calendar.
To learn more, see Screencast: Customizable Views & Screencast: Weather & Moon Phases
4. To Dos
In BusyCal, To Dos are displayed in the calendar on the date they are due. To Dos will auto-forward each day until completed. Once completed, To Dos display in your calendar on the date they were completed with a checkmark. And To Dos can repeat, so you can create a repeating To Do, like a status report, that recurs each week.

To Dos can also be displayed in a To Do List format, sorted as you like.
To learn more, see Screencast: Managing To Dos
5. Alarms
BusyCal displays alarms in a floating window that allows you to apply custom snooze intervals, and to snooze or dismiss all pending alarms.

In addition, BusyCal provides an alarm menubar app that displays the current day’s events and To Dos even when BusyCal is not running.

Lastly, BusyCal allows you to add alarms to read-only events. So, if you’re subscribed to a read-only calendar, like your local sports team, you can add alarms to the events on that calendar so you are reminded about them.

To learn more, see Screencast: Alarms

Check it out

You can learn more and download a 30-day trial of BusyCal at http://www.busymac.com.

BusyCal 1.0 Released!

2009-09-28T19:33:55-07:00

Seattle, WA - Sept. 28, 2009 - BusyMac today released BusyCal 1.0, a Mac OS X desktop calendar that provides seamless calendar sharing and enhanced productivity tools for workgroups and individuals. BusyCal combines the calendar sharing and synchronization technology from the award winning BusySync with a beautiful desktop calendar interface that is instantly recognizable to iCal users — all in one easy to use integrated application.

BusyCal allows families and small workgroups to easily and cost-effectively share calendars on a local area network and over the internet without the need for a dedicated server. Shared calendars can be viewed and edited by multiple users and changes are instantly synchronized between users. BusyCal also syncs with Google Calendar offering online access and sharing cross platform.

In addition to calendar sharing, BusyCal provides many great productivity enhancements including the ability to:

Enter and view event details in a non-modal floating window or an embedded info pane.
Create To Dos, including recurring To Dos, that display in the calendar and auto-forward until completed.
Display events in several customizable views including a List View and scrolling Month and Week Views.
Display graphics, sticky notes, live weather feeds and moon phases in your calendar.
Apply custom font styles to events and notes.
Display alarms in a floating window and on the menu bar.

BusyCal syncs with iCal, MobileMe, the iPhone, and other applications and devices that support Sync Services. And it's compatible with BusySync, so you can share calendars with both BusyCal and BusySync users on your network.

Pricing and Availability

BusyCal is available now.
BusyCal costs $49 per user, or $79 for a Family Pack (for up to 5 users in a household).
A 20% discount is available for businesses when purchasing 5 or more copies.
Registered users of BusySync can upgrade to BusyCal for $20.

System Requirements

BusyCal requires Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, or Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard.
BusyCal is compatible with BusySync, allowing calendar sharing between BusyCal users and BusySync users.

For more info or to download a 30-day trial, go to http://www.busymac.com.