4th Annual Best Free Stuff Online

Web-Based Schedulers

BEST AnyDay.com Free Web-based calendar services are sprouting up like Starbucks shops. No wonder. Keep your calendar on the Internet, and you can manage it from any PC with a browser and share it with coworkers, friends, and family. And Web calendar services can do things desktop personal information managers can't--like meld your personal schedule with information on the weather in Wisconsin, with the plot line of the next episode of Sports Night, or with your daily horoscope.

But don't dump your desktop PIM just yet. If you use a modem to go online, you'd have to dial up and connect to the Net just to check your schedule. And let's face it: Downtime Happens, even if you've got a persistent Internet connection at work or at home. The prospect of the Web flaking out for an hour or two just when you need to check your schedule is unnerving.

Most of these services are piling on new features at a blistering pace, and a couple of extremely promising contenders, Jump and Visto Briefcase, were still in beta at press time. Of those that were fully up and running, Day-Timer Digital is the standout. More than most, Briefcase is a true Web-based PIM, with a calendar and to-do list; address book; e-mail; and repositories for files, digital photos, and browser bookmarks. It lets you put your calendar, photos, and files on a Web page that can be viewed by other netizens. You can even restrict access with a password. Briefcase also offers the most possibilities for exchanging data with desktop PCs. Its free Windows utility transfers data between Briefcase and Outlook, Lotus Organizer, and other applications; synchronizes its e-mail in-box with a desktop mail client; and can even route files automatically between Briefcase and your desktop PC.

But Briefcase also has its share of nicks and scuffs. Unlike most desktop PIMs, it offers no way to search your calendar, and its e-mail doesn't rival the best stand-alone Web e-mail services (for example, you can't send blind carbon copies of messages). Briefcase also does not keep you au courant on what's new in the outside world. For that, you'll need a service such as When.com or Homestead , which let your calendar include reminders about activities such as movie openings, sporting events, and local happenings. Tell When.com you're an All in the Family fan, and it will track reruns, complete with plot descriptions, and put them on your calendar. Why are these calendars so generous with information? Eventually they plan to take a cut of proceeds from the sale of books, movies, or other items purchased at their sites.

Ultimately, we recommend using a Web-based calendar as a complement to your desktop PIM, not as a replacement. Many of these services can automatically synchronize with popular PIMs and with 3Com's Palm organizers. That capability gives you the best of both worlds: the ability to manage your schedule with a desktop package at the office, then switch to the Web when you're at home or on the road, or need to share appointments with others.