Google Calender - Sharable and Easy to Use

Got the tip off that Google had finally released the beta of it’s long-awaited Calendar fromCNET News.com’s Elinor Mills.

I took a look, and it seems a fully functional but fairly austere and clean design, and incorporates nearly everything I would want in an online calendar: multiple calendars, import and export of calendars, iCal support, alerts/notifications (including to cell phone), public/private calendar events, invitation system that is well integrated to Gmail.

There’s talk of future integration with Upcoming.org, so that publicizing events will be easy.

But a few big things I was hoping to see are not there:

1. Gmail style labels, or tags — I wanted to be able to label events in the calendar with the same sort of tags that Gmail supports, and, even better, I was hoping for an integrated view of events, chats, and events based on those tags. Would be killer!
2. RSS feeds from the calendars — there is mention of XML associated with calendars, so maybe that’s code for RSS, but there is nothing about it in the help docs. More to follow.
3. Mobile access looks to be limited to SMS notifications. I really want direct access to the calendar through my mobile web access, like the equivalent Gmail service.
4. Gtalk presence — why not? If I am looking at an upcoming event, why not have the same Gtalk buddylist pawn for invitees that supports emailing or chatting with them?

And of course, they would release this the week that I am using my son’s Ibook. I don’t have access to my real iCal, and I can’t import my calendar in and fool with it. A First Look will have to wait until the weekend.