8 Good Reasons to Download the New ‘Cal’ Android App Right Now

Cal, a popular iOS app that was just released for Android, is one of the most eye-pleasing calendar apps you’ll find. It’s free. It syncs with Google Calendar, Microsoft Exchange and Outlook, Yahoo, AOL and iCloud. And it pulls in to-do items from Any.Do, a free to-do list manager for Android and iOS.

Here are five more reasons to love Cal – and to download it right away:

* If you entered a destination for an appointment, Cal displays it on a map thumbnail. Click the image, and you can choose to get directions from whichever navigation apps you’ve installed.

* You can view Facebook Friend birthdays and, with a tap or two, give them a birthday shout-out.

* Cal uses attractive photos as backdrops to your calendar. In the app’s settings, you can choose from nine photo themes such as Art, Fashion, and Landscape.

* Like to set lots of reminders for your appointments? (I do, at least for important ones.) Not a problem; just tap the various choices or set a custom reminder time.

* The app looks great in landscape view, too. On a Google Nexus 7 tablet, for instance, I can view the full month on the left and the day’s appointments on the right.

Is Cal the most robust Android calendar app on the planet? No. Business Calendar Pro ($5) is a popular option packed with features. And the free app Jorte includes a cloud-sync service that lets you manage calendars from the Web.

Cal lacks a few features as well. Where’s the search function? Why can’t you use your own photos as a calendar theme? Still, it’s one of the best-looking calendar apps for Android and it does most of what I expect it to do.