Ok, I just tried out Google's latest service: Calendar. As usual, the GUI rocks, but I was disappointed with the following:
- You need a Google Account to answer invitations;
- Invitations cannot be added to an Outlook 2003 calendar;
- A map link is displayed even when the event's location is incompatible with Maps;
- It is not interfaced with Gmail contacts;
- It looks like you cannot hide the e-mail addresses of the other guests.
Annoyances which prevent me to use the service for my alumni group events. :-/
Update 2006/4/25: Developments arose, and it looks like Google Calendar is heading fairly fast in the right direction:
- You no longer need a Google Account to answer invitations;
- Guests now have the ability to add invitations to their Outlook 2003 calendar, but their answers (Accept | Tentative | Decline) are not processed automatically--guests receive no warning their response has not been taken into account, and you end up with a useless e-mail in your Gmail inbox (a major drawback);
- The map link is always displayed, but Google Maps coverage has just broadened significantly (where street addresses are not fully supported, the trick is to list the city only);
- It looks like partial support has been implemented for Gmail contacts as guests e-mail addresses now auto-complete (still, it would be better if both services could be accessed from a single GUI);
- Organizers can hide their guests' e-mail addresses, but guests who add comments disclose their e-mail address without any warning (a privacy issue).
