![]() This engine allows Fantastical 2 to sync fast and fetch changes quickly and, according to Flexibits, it’ll allow the app to be more versatile with future additions that will plug into the calendar engine. Animations are smooth and the entire app feels perfectly integrated with Yosemite – further confirmation of the fact that while Flexibits may be late to support Apple’s latest OS X, they waited to get it right.įurthermore, Fantastical 2 features a brand new custom CalDAV engine that has been written from scratch specifically for the app. Fantastical 2 is fast, with popovers that appear quickly and fade out with similar speed search results come up as you type in the search bar and – another detail that I appreciate – they only display current and future results by default (scroll back, and you’ll instantly see results for past events). This isn’t a cheap port or a web app wrapped in a desktop client. Thanks to a cleaner structure and intelligent use of colors and highlights, finding events and managing time is cleaner and, ultimately, more efficient in Fantastical 2.įantastical 2 feels natural, and, beyond design, this is the result of Flexibits’ focus on performance and native integration with OS X. I’ve always felt somewhat disoriented in Apple’s Calendar app. Everything comes together beautifully when you activate full-screen mode on Yosemite: with all the screen real estate at its disposal, Fantastical 2 turns into a comfortable, easy-to-read calendar that forms a strong visual relationship between the compact event list and the widescreen month calendar. Similarly, events you select in the calendar highlight the associated entry in the list, simultaneously advancing and highlighting in the mini calendar, too.Ĭlicking and scrolling in Fantastical 2 is reminiscent of Fantastical for iPad, but it works better because you’re able to see more events and reminders at a glance. As you scroll the event list on the left, the mini calendar in the top left highlights the day you’ve reached click an event in the list, and it gets selected in the main calendar, automatically opening a popover to view more details and, if you need to, edit an event. ![]() On the Mac, it works the same way, but with different user interactions and a richer set of information. On iOS, Flexibits perfected the concept of the DayTicker, a horizontal stripe of upcoming days that scrolls as you browse events in a list at the bottom, and vice versa. As with the rest of the Fantastical lineup, these UI components aren’t displayed at once just to fill the screen – they’re connected to each other and follow your clicks and interactions. On the right, you can switch between Day, Week, Month, and Year views. On the left, a sidebar lists all your events and reminders on top of it, an inline monthly calendar shows all days for the current month, highlights the current day, and displays events for each day with colored dots. The main app is a combination of Apple’s Calendar and Fantastical for iPad, with a superior information density and flow than Apple’s own software. Fantastical 2 is a complete calendar app with a new full-screen interface that, however, feels instantly familiar and coherent with the Fantastical ecosystem. The new Fantastical is a good example of how Flexibits’ experience in building iOS apps for the past three years has been applied to enhancing a Mac app that takes advantage of the unique traits of OS X. ![]() Fantastical 2 builds on that solid foundation, bringing design changes and new functionalities that will define the evolution of the Fantastical family. In 2011, Fantastical raised the bar for modern calendar interaction. And in the process, it exudes the finesse and attention to detail that Simmons and Sutherland are known for. While the original Fantastical was a companion to the full Apple iCal experience, Fantastical 2 reinvents itself as a full-blown calendar client that retains the most important aspects of the app’s debut and adds a whole new calendar interface to the mix. Four years later, Flexibits wants Fantastical 2 for Mac – their latest creation years in the making – to be the only calendar app you’ll ever need. Fantastical for Mac, originally released in 2011, redefined calendar apps for OS X and my idea of a modern calendar client.ĭeveloped by Michael Simmons and Kent Sutherland – together known as Flexibits – Fantastical pioneered features and design choices that, with time, have become a staple of other calendar apps and OS X utilities: natural language input is now expected in popular todo apps and services the OS X menu bar has grown into a popular destination for desktop utilities integration with multiple calendar services in a single app is now a de facto standard.įantastical was a powerful calendar assistant. ![]()
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