Sunrise Calendar App

My iPhone has improved my life: podcasts, online coupons, calendar. As a single mother of five, I am thrilled to organize my life with a calendar that I am not forever misplacing (or rather, that rings when I ask one of my children to call it). I keep track of appointments, meetings, and kids' sports without the clutter of a paper calendar.

My enthusiasm for the default iPhone Calendar app, however, died with the iOS7 update. I hate the date/time picker wheel. Looking for options, I googled, “What is the best calendar app?” I found, alas, there is no definitive app that meets everyone’s expectations.

Defining the ideal app

In the search for my ideal calendar app, I am looking for three features: 

• It gives me the information I need at first glance 
• The interface is simple and makes sense to me
• It doesn't have the iOS date/time picker!  

In this review, I explore the Sunrise app according to these criteria. I will also make some comparisons to Agenda Calendar 4 and Fantastical 2; then decide what app is best for me.

Examining the default layout

Figure A: Home screen

Figure B: Three-day view

Sunrise’s default view is a two-week period on top and a listing of days/events at the bottom (see Figure A, left). If I swipe left, I get a three-day, hour-by-hour schedule (see Figure B, right). I can also get to this view by tapping the three vertical lines at the top right of the home screen.

A list of reminders and events is at the bottom. The current day and the next are divided into “Morning,” “Afternoon,” and “Evening” sections. When the weather option is turned on, each section has a weather icon (see Figure A, left).

To see the entire month, scroll down in the top section. I can scroll backwards for a few months or ahead 11 months, but no further. 

Pros: 

• Nice combination of weekly view and daily schedule on home page
• Weather forecast can be viewed from app

Cons: 

• Calendar is limited to how many months/years can be viewed going back or ahead
• Segmentation of days takes up space. If I'm not using the weather feature, I'd like the option of turning this off.

Figure C: Agenda home screen

Figure D: Fantastical home screen 

Comparisons: 

• Agenda: Entire month view at top with event list at the bottom; dates with events have dots under the number (one for each event that day--see Figure C, left); I can scroll years ahead or back. 
• Fantastical 2: Like Agenda, this also has an entire month view at the top with dots for each event, and an event listing at the bottom; incorporates Reminders; beautiful design, thin fonts (see Figure D, right).

Entering an event

Figure E: Add new event screen

To add a new event, click on the + in the upper right corner of the home screen. The New Event interface (see Figure E, left) is simple, with options for date, time, location, people, calendar, alert, description, and repeat. These options are pretty standard for calendar apps. Sunrise does not accept natural language input.

Date

Choose the day before adding the event by tapping on the date, or tap the Date section on the New Event screen and a calendar with month view appears. Tap to select the date.

Time

Tap the time option—a  day view comes up. Drag to set the event at the right time. Need more time than the hour default? Drag the circles at the top or bottom to change the length of the event (see Figure F, right).

Figure F: Time selector

Don’t like that? Click “More Options” at the bottom and get, yes, a date/time picker (see Figure G, below left). Compared to the iOS picker, this one is wider and has more space between the lines; it comes in five-minute increments rather than one-minute. It’s also easier to scroll without accidentally grabbing something else or having my fingers in the way. I can live with this one.

Figure G: Date/time picker

Location
Want a map? Enter your event location. You can link it to Apple Maps, Google Maps, or Waze..

People
Use to invite people via email.

Calendar
Add accounts and visible calendars in Settings. I added US Holidays and the Packers' schedule.

Alert
Add a timed alert, if desired. A default time can be selected in settings.

Description
A space to type in notes about the event.

Repeat

Figure H: Event frequency by

days of the month (paydays!)

This option is a gem. I can have my event occur daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly. I can set it to be just weekdays, or only Wednesdays and Saturdays. Or on the second Tuesday of every month. Or on certain days of each month (see Figure H, right). The flexible options are time-saving, and the interface is easy to navigate. 

Pros: 

• No iOS7 date/time picker!
• Simple navigation; one screen has all options
• Maps and repeat options are helpful

Cons: 

• No natural language input

Comparisons: 

• Agenda: Has all the same options, but I don't find it nearly as intuitive; uses the iOS picker 
• Fantastical 2: Has natural language input (e.g., "Lunch on Wednesday at noon"); can add reminders as well as events; uses the iOS picker; I found it confusing.

Exploring the the bells and whistles

Sunrise has some fun settings, like the weather forecast and interesting calendars (sports schedules, stock index, phases of the moon). It also uses icons for certain events (type "Kids home" in the event title and a house appears--see Figure A above). You can connect Sunrise to other accounts such as LinkedIn, Evernote, and Twitter. However, it lacks a Support/FAQ/Help function, as both Agenda and Fantastical do. 

The Bottom Line

To summarize, let's compare my three priorities to the three apps:

• It gives me the information I need at first glance: All three provide this. My top choice is Fantastical because of its modern design and the month view with dots for each event (I can easily see which weeks I have the kids; I know which evenings are open). 
• The interface is simple and makes sense to me: Sunrise is clearly the winner here. I find the interface the most simple and user-friendly
• It doesn't have the iOS date/time picker! This excludes Agenda and Fantastical.

Add to these, another bottom line consideration: Price

Sunrise          Free
Agenda          $1.99
Fantastical 2   $4.99

My top choice for a calendar app is Sunrise.