Calendar Plus Professional 3.0 Released

[Pat Logsdon]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.sbsh.net/products/cpprofessional/' target='_blank'>http://www.sbsh.net/products/cpprofessional/</a><br /><br /></div><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/logsdon_20040415_calplus.gif" /> <br /><br />Is a SuperPIM like Pocket Informant or Agenda Fusion overkill for your needs? Do the default Pocket Outlook PIM functions leave you wanting more? Calendar Plus 3.0 Professional may be just what you’re looking for!<br /><br />SBSH Software has announced an “upgrade release of Calendar Plus Professional version 3.0, a Today screen plug-in that displays your upcoming agenda (appointments, tasks and contacts' birthday/anniversaries) for the Pocket PC platform, featuring up to 30 days agenda display, special 24 hour time-lines, powerful Categories Manager tool to "attach" icons and colors to Pocket Outlook categories, a powerful search tool to search Pocket Outlook databases and many other robust features.”<br /><br /><a href="http://www.handango.com/brainstore//PlatformProductDetail.jsp?siteId=311&amp;jid=E7C1D6D68XF55732CF593FBX198XB9D4&amp;platformId=2&amp;productType=2&amp;productId=95186&amp;sectionId=0&amp;catalog=1">Calendar Plus Professional</a> is $10.99 at Handango. [Affiliate]

[sanjay.srikonda]

version 3.35: Released 3.9.2004

Yet the version history just below that states:

CP Professional version history


ver 8.35– 3/7/2004
- Integration with Agenda Fusion added.
- German translation small fixes.
- Italian translation added.


ver 8.30– 3/5/2004
- Problem interpreting the mnemonic-prefix character & as a directive to underscore the character that follows fixed and now the symbol & is printed normally.
- Option added: Define custom daily titles text color or use the Today screen text color default
- Option added: Define timelines background color on the calendar tab or use CP Pro default (White)
- Option added: Define timelines default color on the calendar tab or use CP Pro default (Blue)
- Option added: Define appointments text color on the calendar tab or use CP Pro default (taken from the Today screen default)
- Option added: Define tasks text color on the calendar tab or use CP Pro default (taken from the Today screen default)
- Option added: Define overdue tasks text color on the tasks tab or use CP Pro default (Red)


ver 8.23– 3/3/2004

Just a bit off in version numbers I think since 3.35 would have been released in 2003:

Ver 4.0 - 6/1/2003
- Installing/Uninstalling problems were fixed!, no need to soft reset, just install and uninstall via the add/remove programs as a regular software.
- Text color selction was removed and now the text color is automatic
- The refresh algorithim is now better by connecting to the outlook databases and react to their events.

Ver 3.0 - 03/29/2003
- Option added: Include due tasks in calendar today view.
- Auto scans all tasks for tasks with a due date in the following 3 days.
- Users that tried to install trail version 2 and couldn't run it because they already used trial version 1.X will be able to do it - Problem fixied.


How is this any better than Calendar + by Mohairsofa? Which, looking a the two of them, seem very similar, just that Calendar + is freeware:

http://www.mohairsofa.com/

Why would I pay $10.99 for something that I could otherwise get for free and doesn't suffer from version schizophrenia?

[Jacob]

Just from a cursory glance I can tell that this is different than calendar+

Calendar plus professional displays tasks and allows you to mark tasks complete from the today screen.

It also lets me configure much more than it appears Calendar+ is.

There are other things that I see being different too, but I don't have time to get into it.

I guess you'd have to try it out. If Calendar+ is good enough, then use it :)

[Sully]

This is deffinitley not Calender +. Go to this link for more info:

http://www.sbsh.net/forums/index.php?showforum=7

support is awesome, features added almost every other day.

[Fuzzy John]

Why would I pay $10.99 for something that I could otherwise get for free and doesn't suffer from version schizophrenia?
$10.99 may be more than free but it is a low price for a plugin like Calendar Plus Pro. I used to have one from Developer One for which I paid almost twice as much and it only handled tasks in a very basic way.

As for the so called "version schizophrenia" this is because the author is very receptive to suggestions from the users and releases new versions as requested features are implemented. Of course, no one is required to upgrade to each and every release, but the users of CP Pro, as one could see from browsing their forum (http://www.sbsh.net/forums/index.php?s=c9f1054e8dcb6c0dfabdb2c8b6b72f31&showforum=7) are very excited to do so.

[baker]

I've been following CalendarPlusPro since I first saw it in an earlier forum here and it amazes me how repsonsive they are to input. How large of a file is it and does it slow down your ppc? Is it slow to refresh? It's becoming more user "customizable" every time I go to their site.

[MerlinAZ]

"Why would I pay $10.99 for something that I could otherwise get for free and doesn't suffer from version schizophrenia?"

I'm sorry. But there is no multiple personalities here. Originally, the Today plugin had version numbers, obviously. When the Pro version expanded and upgraded, its version numbers took over and are currently standard. Is this Calendar +? Absolutely not! It blows it away. Just go to Handango.com and try the demo for the Calendar Plus Today plugin. I'm sure you will be happy and upgrade to the Pro version-it includes among other things, a launcher that more than makes up the few dollars difference. The support on the sbsh.net website is way above and beyond. Most programmers show up on their support sites once a month. Amit shows up practically every hour, it seems. You won't be dissapointed if this is what you need.

The install file is only 300kb and it refreshes very quickly.

[baker]

"The install file is only 300kb and it refreshes very quickly.

Dang. I'm skipping a few lunches and buying after I've lost the pounds.

[JMac]

I'm a longtime Pocket Informant user, and I just started using Calendar Plus Pro recently. I'm very impressed, and I don't impress easily.

With all the pretty, skinnable, fun Today screen plug-ins out there (and I don't mean that in a bad way; I use some of them!), this is a truly a very, very usable and useful plug-in! And it looks very good, too.

While I don't think I could replace the tremendous functionality of PI with any Today plug-in, Calendar Plus Pro let's me use PI much more effectively by allowing me to manage many of the features without leaving the Today screen. This alone makes it an extremely productive program. Anything that makes a very effective PIM like Pocket Informant even more effective is a true gem!!

:D

J-Mac

[sanjay.srikonda]

Calendar+ is freeware, does everything that this program does do. In my opinion, plus as for a launcher, Wisbar Advance seems to work very well.

As for the version schizophrenia comment, they have all these versions listed below the one that they're releasing, they're up to version 8something, yet the released version is 3something.

Sounds pretty much like they need to either separate the pages between whatever release they're talking about below the released number or else number them consistently.

I tried it, not that impressive. I'll stick with freeware over $10.99 for pretty much the same functionality by adding Wisbar Advance.

But, we're all entitled to spend our money as we see fit.

[Jacob]

I just tried Calendar+ and well, it doesn't do what Calendar Plus does.

I agree that the version numbers kinda are confusing, but calendar+ doesn't offer the features that this does.

Of course, it's not free though. You are right that we all are entitled to spend our money as we see fit :)

[amitregev]

As the manager of the development/support of CPPro in SBSH I will try to explain the problem we had with version numbers and I hope it will make things a bit more organized :)

At first, we developed Calendar Plus Today, which is only the Today plug-in and currently include version 7.1 of the today plug-in (which is a very simple version with almost no options comparing to the Pro version).

At a certain point we decided we want to add additional tools that will come with the Today plug-in and will help get better view and more information on your today screen (...the Categories Manager) so we created the Pro version and decided to promote both of the versions - the Today plug-in as a stand alone product and the Professional version that comes also with the Categories Manager and the Search tool (this is mainly targeted for users who use their default PIM because PI and AF also include their own searching tool).

At first we thought to keep the same version with the Pro version, but after we noticed this causing a lot of confusion (I guess this was a bad decision) we decided to "roll-back" the versions.

njay.srikonda: If you checked our versions list you would have noticed the following notice: "Pro Version roll-back: 8.X = 3.X Pro" and the two latest versions we released are all marked as 3.XX Pro.

I guess that if you tried Calendar Plus you probably tried the Today version and not the Pro version or you tried an older version of the Pro.

Let me add that we are really working hard to give our customers full support with our products and we keep improving CPPro on a daily basis (actually we also work at night 8) ).

Here are some additional features CPPro introduces and there are many other features we just can't write them all (like the flashing Special Events button when you have a birthday/anniversary - already saved me more then once).... :

http://www.sbsh.net/products/cpprofessional/pictures/ver8/new_add.gif

Our main support method is done through our forums page: www.sbsh.net/forums and all of our registered users can always download the latest version using our Upgrades page on our web-site.

I hope this helps a bit,
Have a great day!

[ssschmidt]

I am a new user of PPC, upgraded from a handspring visor. I'm not a software developer, just a newbie user...

If you don't have a Commercial PIM, and just use the Outlook modules on your ppc, this plugin adds EXTREME flexibility and configurability to your device.

If you use PI or AF, then your device still has greater flexibility than the PIM alone.

And, IMHO, the main reason to use this plugin, The Developer.
In the 2 weeks I have had CPP, I have seen Amit respond to user problems, and requests with lightning speed. Imagine. A developer who listens to his users, and implements what they feel would improve the software. Truly Amazing.

Sic hoc adfixum in obice legere potes, et liberaliter educatus
et nimis propinquus ades

[Thinkingmandavid]

HOwdy!
I am wondering how well it will work with Ulti-Planner. I enjoy using this planner and Jason put up a great link which allowed us to get it at 6 buck :!:
I used Calendar plus for a trial and it worked ok. This professional version looks as if it would meet my needs, 10 bucks is not bad at all. I am considering it, but I am still learning more of what Ulti-Planner does. Does anyone else have any experience with Ulti-Planner and Calendar Plus Professional??
Thanks:)

[Jacob]

It doesn't have specific integration with Ulti-Planner like it does with PI or AF, but it does have the "Custom PIM" option where you can specify the calendar, tasks, contacts commands in the settings.

I've never tried it though.

[amitregev]

Hi Thinkingmandavid,

Although I'm the developer of CPPro I will try to answer you from a technical point of view and as much as objective as I can.

First, CPPro is totally different from the Today version, but the Today version should have given you a first initial feeling :)

CPPro uses the default Pocket Outlook databases, which I'm sure Ulti-planner uses too (PI and AF use them too), no developer will use other databases because these databases are synchronized by ActivSync with your Desktop Outlook, if you'll use different databases you will need also to develop sync tools which is something you really don't want to do :wink: (as a developer).

Therefore, CPPro should have no problem working with Ulti-Planner too :)

I would be very glad if other Ulti-planner and CPPro users can add their experience and might help you a bit more; But if the Today version worked for you then the Pro would too.

Cheers :lol:

[maymaio]

I've been using CPPro for a long time and this is the one of the best and most vital applications I have on my PPC! (And AF...)

CPPro saves me so much time!! and the support - AMAZING!

[amitregev]

10'x maymaio,

If you are a registered user I invite you to get the latest version we released today.

The new version also support "Active tasks" option to show tasks that have a start date and a due date.

You can download the latest version using our Upgrades page on our web-site.

http://www.sbsh.net/products/index.php?page=upgrades