Handwriting Calendars for iPad: Three Great Choices

Handwriting Calendars for iPad: Three Great Choices
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Calendar Apps? I Thought iPad Had One Built In?

A lot of you might be surprised to hear that the calendar app market for iPad and iPhone is remarkably strong, despite the fact that both devices come with a very fully featured and easy to use calendar built into them. The fact of the matter is that while Apple’s proprietary calendar is great, there are some limitations on it that you’ll learn about when we go over the pros of the upcoming apps on this list.

The bonus is that, with a few exceptions, most of these apps are either free or very inexpensive, so really you could just consider it an addition of the cost of the phone itself, or just skip out on the mocha one morning in exchange for a lifetime of great organization.

miCal HD

It has “HD” in the name, and everyone knows that if it has “HD” in the name it’s not only more advanced than anything without such a moniker, but also more expensive. It’s a wonder, then, that miCal HD only costs $2.99, because on top of the fact that it’s in HD (like every iPad app) it is one of the more versatile calendar apps available to use for the device, and it supports industry standard features like Google sync, Facebook sync, Outlook sync, etc etc.

Another really cool feature is that you can add GPS markers for certain events so you never forget where to go. Say that your office is having a celebratory party, but you just know you’ll forget the address. Simply type it in when you’re making the date on the Calendar, then when the day comes it’ll automatically give you directions to where you need to get when you need to get there.

There are some complaints from a lot of users, however, about the app crashing, and while it’s certainly not an all-encompassing issue for every user of the device, it’s something to keep in mind before you pay for it. In the other hand, it’s only three dollars, so worst come to worst you’re not out much cash.

Week Calender

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Week Calender is an app that has been part of a little controversy over its lifetime. When it was first released, it was instantly hailed as the easiest to use, most versatile, and best value of all the calendar apps, but recently Apple called them into question for being too similar to the built-in “iCal” and forced them to make major layout changes. In a lot of ways, this killed the usability of the app and many people disowned it, which is unfortunate because it’s still a powerful organization tool that includes things like syncing, group editing of events, and mass-event creation.

Aside from being basically the all-in-one app for organization and calendar nonsense, it also has another advantage over the others on this list: It’s the cheapest, at just $2. So even if you do factor in the slight misunderstanding with Apple, and the downgrade of the software, it’s probably going to be your best bet in terms of getting what will give you the most satisfaction.

uPad for iPad

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So, you’re a stubborn person who really wants things their way, and when it comes down to it you just will not settle for anything but a handwriting calendar for iPad. Fine, alright, I can cover you on that front as well, but it’s not pretty. The only way to get a calendar that you can truly handwrite yourself is to get an app called the ‘uPad’ for iPad. The idea behind uPad is that you can use a stylus (or your finger if you prefer) to create a very natural looking text block, all without needing to relearn how to type on the iPad’s weird keyboard. The problem? It doesn’t come with a calendar.

The way the uPad Calendar would have to work is in template format, meaning you’d need to put forth the effort to actually download a calendar template, write in specific events and times yourself, and then save it all like that. It’s simple and it’s pure, but this means that it doesn’t support the cool features that the other apps do, such as syncing with Google Calendar or iCal. To be fair, though, if you were to sync to those calendars that would sort of defeat the purpose of a handwritten calendar, which is to be able to hand write everything. Ultimately, if you’re looking to have something simple, straightforward, and honest about what it does, uPad is a solid choice. If you want more features, buy one of the other apps here.

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