I'm pleased to announce that the BusyCal Public Beta has been released!
In addition to calendar sharing and synchronization, BusyCal also provides many great productivity enhancements including the ability to create To Dos and 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 live weather feeds and graphics in your calendar; and apply custom fonts, styles and colors to events.
Pricing and Availability
- The BusyCal public beta is available for download now.
- BusyCal will cost $40 per computer when the final version is released.
- Registered users of BusySync can upgrade to BusyCal for $10 when it is released.
- BusyCal requires Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)
- BusyCal is compatible with BusySync, allowing calendar sharing between BusyCal users and BusySync users.
Is there a place to discuss issues with the beta (ie. my ical calendars are not syncing)
Posted by: David Figge | July 27, 2009 at 07:06 AM
David -- In BusyCal, select Email Support from the Help menu, and we'll help you out.
Posted by: John | July 27, 2009 at 07:09 AM
Funny...you already did....when I went to the help area...I found the reset buttons...and yahoo...it works perfectly.
By the way...SWEEEETTT app!
Posted by: David Figge | July 27, 2009 at 08:38 AM
As we say here in the NY area when a new baby is born, Mazel Tov! (Good luck) She's a beauty! I installed, it imported wonderfully, and find the performance SO snappy! (One of my pet peeves with iCal--again, the alarms (I have had a hate-hate relationship w/those alarms for years!)--was I would click on the snooze button and wait...and wait..and wait until the [awful] snooze options would appear. Not so with BusyCal. The dialog popped up, made my snooze choice and--wham--done.
One thing I had NOT thought of in all of this--but which you all did--was that I sync my iCal with my iPhone via Mobile Me. What would I do NOW? But I read in your help doc that you use the same core Sync Services as iCal...so I opened iCal and--what do you know--there were my new events. And, minutes later, on my iPhone too. Extremely cool, folks. You removed a potential hassle. Can't wait to keep using BusyCal. Good luck.
Posted by: lucky lindy | July 27, 2009 at 10:08 AM
Question: Is BusyCal localized? My System is in French Canadian.
Posted by: niclet | July 27, 2009 at 10:28 AM
I have busysync on my system and If i chose to install busycal, will that remove my busysync settings etc? Can you with busycal wirelessly sync with iphone?
Posted by: Lucbp | July 27, 2009 at 11:38 AM
niclet -- No, BusyCal is not localized. We hope to localize it post-1.0.
Posted by: John | July 27, 2009 at 11:59 AM
Lucbp -- When you first launch BusyCal, it will import all of your settings and calendar data from BusySync. Then it will delete BusySync, because you cannot run BusyCal and BusySync on the same computer.
Yes, BusyCal can sync with the iPhone wirelessly via MobileMe or Google Mobile Sync. You can learn more about that here:
http://www.busymac.com/faq/config.html#iphone
Posted by: John | July 27, 2009 at 12:01 PM
I like the weather info. But is there anyway to sync that information to Google ? I currently subscribe to Weather Underground to get similar info in my calendars but not with the nice graphics !!
Posted by: Tim Martin | July 27, 2009 at 01:38 PM
Hi.
Love the app so far, very smooth. Is there a capability to invite attendees to meetings? iCal has the "add attendee" option and I think this is a most useful feature.
Thanks
Posted by: Scot | July 27, 2009 at 05:31 PM
Scot -- Yes, BusyCal supports that. It works the same as in iCal. Just enter the email address of the person you want to send a meeting invitation to in the attendee field in the info panel and click Send Invitation.
Posted by: John | July 27, 2009 at 06:24 PM
I've been looking forward to this being released and so far it seems to be what iCal should have become. A few initial things:
- In week view, very short events (eg 15 mins) lose all text so appear as a blank uninformative block. If they have the little alarm, etc icons they also overflow from the event block.
- Allow the font size to be changed for events in the main calendar view. I'd like to be able to reduce so it looked a bit less cluttered on this MacBook screen.
- Allow export to CSV or similar. After trying all kinds of apps we've started storing timesheets in our calendars. Applications like timetable or timelog do the same but all we really need is to be able to get the data out of the calendar to a format like CSV that can be used by our accounting software. Exporting the list view would be ideal.
Posted by: Nick Lo | July 27, 2009 at 06:38 PM
If BusyCal replaces BusySync does that mean BusyCal has to be running on my Mac in order to sync GoogleCal (and subsequently MobileMe) or is there still a background sync utility installed somewhere?
Thanks! I'm excited to check out BusyCal, but am just waiting a little longer to make sure I don't get in to cal-sync-hell...
Posted by: Josh Rubin | July 27, 2009 at 07:55 PM
Having now spent more time with BusyCal, I've so far only found one area iCal still leads on: Applescript-ability. I don't personally do much (I just have one app logging events to the calendar) but if BusyCal has/is to have as much as iCal, I'd definitely remove iCal from my Dock.
Posted by: Nick Lo | July 27, 2009 at 10:38 PM
Like a lot of people, I've been waiting for this for a long time and have not been disappointed at all by what I've seen - thanks busymac. Couple of suggestions for future versions -
1. like Nick (above) have had a similar problem with text disappearing in short events.
2. months in the side panel whilst in day / week view would be handy for quick navigation (apologies if this is already possible!)
3. ical has to ability to drag to-dos from the list to the calendar to create appointments - again would be a nice touch.
In the meantime will definitely be recommending your product !
Posted by: Tom | July 28, 2009 at 12:03 AM
I like everything new with BusyCal. I like all the flexiblity and the speed.
Now if your dock icon would show the current date like iCal does it would be perfect (until I find something else).
Posted by: Jim | July 28, 2009 at 11:46 AM
Nice!!! I have been waiting for this and it looks great.
One question: Is it possible to add "Groups" along the left hand side like in iCal? Groups are convenient for quickly turning on/off groups of related calendars (for example a group of work related or home related calendars)
Posted by: James | July 28, 2009 at 01:42 PM
Hi guys.
I have been waiting for this for age and I am very pleased with it.
I agree with all the suggestions above.
I have only one, and one only.
Please write a supporting iPhone App which will show both Calendar and To Do events AND sync over Mobile me.
To date there is not one easy combination out there that just "works".
I've been using Busysync for ages and now will definitely be upgrading to Busycal. My cheque book is ready and waiting for the killer "BusyPhone" iPhone App.
Go guys....you know you want to! :-)
Cheers and great work.
Posted by: Paul | July 28, 2009 at 11:52 PM
I do not like how even just trying out BusyCal destructively modifies my iCal settings. I tried out BusyCal briefly a couple of days ago - but didn't have enough time to get into it - so decided to go back to iCal for a while.
In the meantime - BusyCal had disabled all iCal alarms and "downgraded" all my iCal subsciptions into normal Calendars. Without my alarms I was late to one conference call and totally missed another (I really depend on my iCal alarms to keep me organized).
This is a pretty bad start to a piece of new software. Would it be too hard for BusyCall not to be quite so destructive with my computer?
Posted by: Jonathan Wight | July 29, 2009 at 06:48 AM
Fantastic start!! I have been waiting for a better iCal- and YOU are doing it!
My comments:
1. Groups are really needed- better would be SETS like NUTD did.
2. Alarm pull down should reflect a controlled set of events and to-dos- not every possible calendar I have subscribed to.
3. View completed to-do's after (x) days needed instead of all history (as in iCal)
4. What's with the sorting of completed to-do's? Can't tell how it is sorting.
5. Font control of month view very important.
6. Global font control for each calendar (like colors do now)
7. Extensive printing templates like NUTD did.
Overall it is great! Keep the innovations coming (and make that iPhone app we all need!)
Posted by: Larry Brubaker | July 30, 2009 at 07:06 PM
This looks like a great app, though unlike iCal in SL, I can't write to Exchange. I will buy this app if I can read/write to Exchange. While I don't use Exchange for my personal calendars, I do have an account I need to access.
Posted by: Schalliol | July 30, 2009 at 08:12 PM
Generally amazing release. Just a polished version of iCal, really. Bizarre that Apple didn’t do most of this 2-3 years ago, but since they didn’t I’m extremely glad that BusyMac has.
Only one minor BusyCal frustration for me so far: I’m hurting a bit for lack of calendar groups. But I’ll live!
Posted by: Paul Ingraham | July 30, 2009 at 09:47 PM
I second the request for a dynamic icon (see Jim's comment).
I can live with a static icon when the app is not running (à la iCal before 10.5), but for many people, the iCal icon was the best way to display today's date on their computer.
Thanks otherwise for this strong and promising release !
Posted by: Louije | July 31, 2009 at 04:22 AM
I was hoping BusyCal would handle To Dos better than iCal. Sadly, it doesn't.
iCal can create recurring To Dos within the calendar. I currently have a calendar titled To Dos in iCal that works the same as at it does within BusyCal.
To Dos listed in the To Do Items list do not appear on the iPhone, so using that list is not an option for me. Also, I'd like to see each recurring To Do listed just once and regenerated when the current one has been completed. Listing all occurrences of a recurring To Do in the list is confusing.
Good luck with BusyCal. You've obviously put a lot of work into it. Please consider upgrading the way To Dos work within BusyCal and on the iPhone. Perhaps an iPhone client should be considered in order to better handle To Dos.
Lew
Posted by: Lew | July 31, 2009 at 05:22 AM
Love the application on the little bit I have played with it. This might be a nit-picky comment. However, I find the fact that i-cal displays the current date in the dock icon very, very helpful. Currently, BusyCal doesn't do this. I know it is little, but I do find it helpful...
Thanks!
Posted by: Ryan | July 31, 2009 at 07:17 AM
I have just started playing with BusyCal, looking to migrate from NUDC. I'm going to be syncing over a LAN, via Google Calendar, and with an iPhone. Thus far, simply fantastic! While I could pick some nits, I suppose, right now I'm happy as a clam. I'm pleasantly surprised how well the beta works. Often initial beta releases aren't quite ready for prime time.
Congrats all around!
Posted by: Robert Camner | July 31, 2009 at 03:37 PM
Loving it so far. My one interface observation is that I can't tab through the buttons/fields in the alarm pop-up. So I have "snooze" set as the default button; so when the alarm goes off, the 'snooze' button is blue the focus is in the 'snooze for' field. But if I want to dismiss that particular alarm, I'd like to tab into the 'dismiss' button... But I can't... I have to take my hands off the keyboard and move the mouse and click on 'dismiss'.
Posted by: Lucky Lindy | August 01, 2009 at 09:19 AM
I am a user of BusySync and it appears that in BusyCal publishing goes offline once you quit the BusyCal application. BusySync stays online as long as the user is logged in. Needing to keep BusyCal open to stay online is a downgrade from BusySync features. I would hope that the final release would "run in the background" like BusySync does now.
Posted by: Larry Brubaker | August 02, 2009 at 08:30 AM
Awww... where were you 3 years ago, we would have loved this! Couldn't find anything, so company wide we switched to Kerio and run exchange off our Macs http://bentlyholdings.com http://bentlyreserve.com http://bentlynobhill.com http://kamalaspa.com. Move this puppy to Exchange support, and we'd be in line to buy it!
Posted by: Brady J. Frey | August 03, 2009 at 02:59 PM
When I first opened up Busycal, I was pleasantly surprised to see my to-dos from Things (Cultured Code) imported. However, any edits I make in Busycal to to-dos (e.g., mark a to-do as completed) do not seem to be syncing back to Things. Is that correct, or am I missing something?
Posted by: jordan | August 05, 2009 at 09:05 AM
I also want BusyCal sync without running as BusySync.
This is one of the best features of BusySync.
Posted by: Jose Luis del Olmo | August 05, 2009 at 11:16 PM
As someone who has been playing with calendars/calendar sharing personally and professionally for many years, I always like to see new options ad innovation in this area. I've read through the comments here and looked at much if not all of the info you have online about BusyCal and immediately have a couple of questions.
1. What exactly is the relationship between iCal and BusyCal?
Maybe the key advantage of something like BusySync is that it only mediates between two established, well supported apps, iCal and Google Calendar. Through iCal we have access to related data and functionality included with MacOS X. Integration is an important part of what Apple is doing with the operating system, and it's a safe bet that will only continue. The enhanced data detectors in Snow Leopard come to mind (e.g. click a date in a mail message to create an event in iCal). Of course there is the Exchange Support coming to the MacOS through iCal w/ Snow Leopard.
So question #1: What's the relationship between iCal and BusyCal. Is there any interoperability at all? What about migrating from BusyCal back to iCal, what would that process be like?
2. Now that you've actually written the desktop calendar app, can we expect a detailed account of what does and what doesn't work when syncing between Google Calendar and BusyCal?
Syncing has never been perfect with any product I've used (including iCal w/ BusySync). In fact, one of the advantages of writing your own desktop app is the opportunity to include _only_ those features that will sync seemlessly. I would rather be missing a couple of features if I know that what I'm left with will work. (Otherwise, I'm left ignoring those aspects of one calendar solution that aren't supported in the other anyway).
I've found a lot of info about what's good about BusyCal. I'd love to see a detailed description of sync related issues. With the app still in beta, now would seem like the perfect time to be very clear about what doesn't work. I say this because there are typically some significant hidden limitations and it's painful to invest the time and effort required to migrate to a new app, esp one so input intensive as a calendar/scheduling app just to find a problem that makes the whole thing unworkable.
Thanks for your time and all of your efforts. I'm looking forward to what I hope is a great new app!
Posted by: Rob | August 07, 2009 at 01:19 PM
Two questions:
1) Is there a way to get busy cal to ask accept/reject/maybe when double clicking an iCal invite from an email?
2) I see there is a preferences "Automatically retrieve invitations from Mail" however this doesn't appear to do anything. Is this working in the current beta? Will it have a icon badge and area to accept/reject meeting invites that are imported?
Posted by: Kevin | August 07, 2009 at 04:14 PM
Maybe I'm missing something, but what am I gaining here? I tried the beta, and uninstalled it the same day -- the only thing I got was a bunch of moon graphics, weather, stickies, and a better todo over iCal + BusySync.
We have BusySync on our two laptops, and they each sync with Google Calendar. We're always in sync anyway... so, my original question: what am I gaining?
BTW -- I *love* BusySync, and have told everyone about it, so I'm not being negative, I just can't find the value with BusyCal.
Posted by: Charlie McElvy | August 09, 2009 at 09:16 PM
Hi Charlie.
I think you have answered your own question.
You get moon graphics, weather, stickies and a much better to do system. What more do you want for 10 bucks.
However to me it is even more than that.
I think you need to view some of the videos or read the information page. It's all there.
I don't know the guys who wrote the app but this has already made my work flow so much easier.
AT LAST a to do system that you can actually use.
Keep up the great work guys.....Don't forget the iPhone App !!!!
Cheers,
Paul
Posted by: Paul | August 10, 2009 at 07:20 AM
Fantastic job with BusyCal. A big *thank you* for creating this. I have been needing it for a long time.
I have 2 requests:
1. a dynamic icon, as others mentioned above. I actually glance at the icon for the date routinely.
2. When you set the date for an event, the input field is text. I appreciate the flexibility it has (I can type "tomorrow" or the date, etc.). This is great, but... I would also like to have a calendar pop-up, optionally. Why? Well, I am very visual. For example, let's say I am setting a repeating event for every 3rd Wednesday, once a month, through December 2009. I know the start date. But I don't know the end date (it's the 3rd Wed in December, of course, but to see what date it is, I need the pop-up calendar I am requesting - or, absent that, I now fire up another calendar to look it up). If I try to type "3rd Wednesday December" or something like this, it is interpreted incorrectly (as Dec 3), and besides, I'd prefer not to have to type longish text descriptors. I hope this makes sense. My suggestion would be to have a little square icon next to the text input field which will pop-up a calendar (say, monthly view) and can advance by month so the user can select the date by clicking on it.
Again thank you for creating such a wonderful program. I am ready to buy! :-)
Posted by: Olga | August 13, 2009 at 08:47 PM
I just downloaded the Public Beta... this is the greatest calendar I've ever seen. I recently got a iPhone and I've downloaded a few different calendar and to-do apps and this has everything the others don't. Nice work Dave and John! Your hard work shows...
Posted by: Rob | August 17, 2009 at 08:00 PM
I, too, would love to see the icon in the dock display the current date. I'm actually still running iCal with the calendar minimized so that I can see what day it is, but I'd love to be able to close it down altogether if I go with BusyCal.
Posted by: Stephanie | August 20, 2009 at 03:02 PM
Another request to see the current date in the Dock. This is indispensible for me. (FYI, I hold a paid license for BusySync.)
Posted by: Ben Rosengart | August 21, 2009 at 08:45 AM
Is the current busycal compatable with Snow Leopard, or should I hold off installing on Friday ???
Posted by: Tom | August 24, 2009 at 07:32 AM
Very nice app. But how about migrating from Now Up to Date?
I tried the NUD to iCal and it transferred all except one (the most important one) of my calendars. Without that ability, I am stuck with NUD.
Posted by: William Revelle | August 30, 2009 at 10:28 AM
Very nice!
Comments:
Time entry is a pain, would be nice to use arrow keys to scroll hours/minutes. 24-hour time is not supported properly: AM/PM indicators are still showing, entering "9" translates to "21:00 PM" even though I really mean 09:00.
Cannot change calendars of events that came as invitations in the email.
Posted by: ak | August 31, 2009 at 10:18 AM
Would prefer a week view without the bubbles like Now Up To Date. We print a calendar for the week at our Monday staff meetings. I suppose we can use the list view but would prefer the way NUD does it.
Would like a column with the day of the week in list view.
Nice product and will be implementing it office wide soon.
Posted by: Greg | September 26, 2009 at 11:21 AM
An improvement suggestion: I have about 14 different calendars, all synced between busycal and google. It would be great to sort the calendars in groups in the navigation side left. So I can appear/disappear a group in the calendar e.g. different work- oder vacation groups.
Posted by: hermann | September 28, 2009 at 11:55 AM
Thank you so much for sharing. Very nice application. But how about migrating from Now Up to Date?
Posted by: memoire d'ordinateur portable | December 20, 2009 at 11:29 PM