Android -> Palm. [done]

During 2009, when I started reading about Android. I was worried about the calendar/task/contact managers, but not overly so. I even read a few blog posts that described how horribly inefficient the Calendar and Contact managers are in Android.

It's still easy to find people that think the stock Android Calendar sucks, but I gave it a try.

Now I know ...

I've tested a bunch of Android Calendars, and I know that nothing really works for me. Really. My bar is low: function as well as or better than the 5.2.1 Palm OS Date Book (it's based on the Handspring/Palm software from the mid-late 90's). Let me put in a few entries quickly and painlessly. Let me view them, edit them.

At this point you can skip to the end, or:

Sadly, every single Android calendar app fails to meet one of my criteria.

• show the right time for events
• show all the events - don't skip any. Out of view is fine, but they need to be there.
• Load an agenda/day view in a "reasonable" three seconds (I expect it take as long as it takes to open a paper calendar, or less. Isn't that reasonable?)
• for an Android calendar, sync to Google Calendar
• provide a simple interface for changing an event title or time

Frankly, my Android Calendar experience was a horrible drag on my last ten days. I think it's pretty normal that I have a lot of commitments. We all do. Last week I had a lot of things going, and I was doing my best to add, move, and edit events in my calendar ... but, I just felt so dumb - insanely tapping away when I had so little free time to be putting an event into a digital planner. I got so stalled with my Android Calendar and Task software, in fact, that I started using pen and paper again. (Argh! Eek! Blasphemy! Woe!).

I have nothing against pen and paper planners. The real problem is that I lose little bits of paper. The other problem is that I invested in an Android-based tool for a reason, and I expect it to pay off.

Looking backward, when my Nokia 6110 was dying in June or so, I decided to "upgrade" and consolidate my phone and Palm Tungsten E into a single device. I signed onto Optus with an HTC Incredible S, and I've been using ONLY the Android for all that time.

TLDR

Well, after a few months of real, on-road testing, I've decided my Android trial really ended with some of the worst results of all time. My Android Calendar makes it such a complete pain to enter and edit tasks that I've completely given up on it. For me, it's an abject failure. I cannot be more dissatisfied. I REALLY want my money back.

Sure, I'll check on other Android calendars as they come up. I've tried a few. But, I really expect nothing.

Rather than continuing in dysfunction, I've converted my Google Calendar data back to VCAL 1.0 format. I've dug up my old Tungsten E, and I'm surviving on Jpilot. For $50 (used) ~ 2003, my Palm Pilot has been, without a doubt, the single best gadget investment ever. Now, if only I could get the same out of my modern "smart" phone ...