14 DAY TRIAL // Google Calendar has been given a fresh coat of paint and the new look is being rolled out for users around the world, by the looks of it. The fresh new look follows Google’s current design aesthetics and principles from some of its other main web apps, like Gmail or Docs. Google hasn’t made the official announcement yet, but some users are greeted with the new Calendar and a message notifying them of the change.
“We've updated Google Calendar to make it more consistent with other Google Apps. Everything works the same as before, with one exception: we've removed the Tasks link. Now to turn tasks on and off, just click the Tasks calendar in your calendar list,” the notification message says. “We hope you enjoy the new look!”
The biggest change is the visual revamp of the site and slightly tweaked layout. There’s a greater emphasis on buttons instead of links and the different sections are somehow closer to one another. Still, the redesign looks a bit more ‘airy,’ which is impressive just from the fact that the old design wasn’t exactly cluttered. Usability-wise, the new design, without too much testing, seems to be an improvement.
Visually, though this can be subjective, the new Google Calendar looks better too. It’s a bit more colorful, a current theme at Google, and feels a bit more polished. The search box and button are a lot more stylish and in tune with the recent Google homepage redesign. The redesign has been in testing for the past few months and has been spotted in the wild before.
No new features have been introduced, at first glance, though a few buttons and links have been repositioned. The redesign is not live for everyone yet, but it looks like it’s in the process of being rolled out for more users. Google Apps users don’t have to wait either, the redesign is going live for them as well. In fact, in my case, the Google Calendar for Apps was sporting the new look while the regular Google Calendar hadn't received the update. Expect a blog post from Google, most likely, later today. [via Google OS]
