Google and Microsoft are constantly competing for the online office suite applications market. Google already has the ability for users to create documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. And Google also has a calendar feature. However, it is not directly embedded within Gmail.
Windows Live Calendar is built into Hotmail in a similar fashion as Microsoft Outlook’s calendar feature. When a user double-clicks on a time slot, an event set-up form will be loaded.
The user fills in the subject, location, Start time, End time, adds Notes, Categories (Anniversary, Birthday, Business, Get-Together, Gift, Holiday, Meeting, Personal, and Shopping), and Show Time As (Free, Busy, Tentative, or Out of Office). Recurring events can be set-up. And reminders can be sent to anyone’s e-mail address via MSN Alerts.
Pros:
* Users can stay more organized and manage time better at home
* Calendars can be shared
* Tasks can be created with deadlines, completion, and
Cons:
* Cannot sync with personal and work Outlook
* Giving more of a work feel to personal e-mail could be a turn-off. It may feel like you are bringing your work home.
* People may use Microsoft Outlook less
Regardless of the cons, I think its still a useful tool that can be utilized to the benefit of the end-user.
