Google enhances Calendar

Google has introduced a number of new features for Calendar scheduling meetings across different time zones.

“Collaborating with colleagues from various teams in different offices is a daily facet of my work,” says Oana Florescu, Software Engineer, Calendar “I am based in Zurich, Switzerland, and many of the people I interact with are in California, USA, which is nine hours behind. Oftentimes I find myself invited to attend meetings that happen late in my evening, which proves that coordinating across time zones can be a challenge.”

The help make this easier the firm will launch a set of new features that aim to improve the experience whether you’re scheduling across time zones or just across the hall.

“For Google Apps users, the new ‘Working hours’ setting allows you to configure the hours that suit your schedule,” continued Florescu.

Users setting up an event will be able to clearly see your working hours in your calendar in the event creation page. They will be warned if they schedule an event outside your working hours.

A new ‘Find a Time’ tab on the event scheduling page lets you view your coworkers’ schedules at-a-glance and choose the best time for a meeting.

“This is especially helpful for scheduling events with a large number of attendees, particularly if they are spread out geographically,” Florescu added.

“Also in the event scheduling page, we’ve launched a simpler interface for setting recurring meetings with a small window that appears when you select the ‘Repeats’ check box. For Google Apps customers with the administrative control panel option set to ‘enable new pre-release features’ users will automatically see these new changes to the event editor.”

Let us know what you think of the new features below in the comments.