Well worth the two bucks

This is app provides a great convenience that should be part of OS X. I know there’s a preferenece setting to add the date to the display of the OS X Date and Time feature, but doing so takes up too much menu bar space. This app shows me the current date in its icon for reference at a glance, without eating up menu bar real estate and without having to click to see it. popCalendar integrates with the OS X Calendar app, which lets it highlight days with appointments or events set. Click any day in popCalendar, and a list of that day’s events slides open. If you have multiple e-mail and calendar accounts, there is a preference setting that lets you select which accounts to show events for.

My complaints are small quibbles that prevent a full five-star rating. I wish the App Store would let me set a four and a half star rating intead of only four.

1. The first one takes a bit of explaining. When clicked, popCalendar shows the last month you were viewing the last time you clicked it, even weeks later. This is well and good, and as it should be, because it provides repeated quick access to the same past or future month. If you were writing a report about a future event, for example, popCalendar would give you repeated quick access to the calendar for that event’s month. The OS X Calendar app has the same behavior (without quick menu bar access), but it also provides a Today button to restore the current month when the report is done. popCalendar needs a small Today button as well.

2. Some of the text displayed by popCalendar betrays the author’s imperfect English skills. For example, the dialog that reminds users to provide feedback reads “You use popCalendar since more days. Do you want write a review of this application?” This is not charming, it is embarrassing. The author needs to invest in the services of a native English speaking tech writer consultant.

Glenalbyn about popCalendar