6 Good Reasons ‘Tempo' Should be Your iOS Calendar App

You'd need a database to track all of the iOS calendar apps. But don't bother. Just download Tempo.

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The Tempo calendar app isn't new; it's been around for about 18 months and was on my Spring 2013 "Best iOS and Android Apps" list. A new Tempo update brings some new features that make the app even better. I love Tempo for several reasons:

1. Tempo does a great job integrating information from other apps into your calendar.

Let's say you have an appointment to meet LeBron James at a nearby Starbucks to discuss his return to the Cleveland Cavaliers. (Work with me, people.) You entered the Starbucks location into your Tempo calendar entry, and you have King James in your contacts. Cool. The Tempo calendar entry shows you a map that pinpoints the Starbucks, which you can tap to get directions using Google Maps, Apple Maps or Waze. You'll also see LeBron's name, which you can tap to get his contact info and any recent emails and related documents, such as email attachments. Finally, there's an option to send him a quick message if you're running late.

2. Tempo integrates with Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. When you see a Facebook friend's birthday on your calendar, you can tap an icon in your Tempo calendar to post a birthday message on his or her FB wall.

3. New "natural language processing" lets you use the microphone to easily enter new calendar appointments. In my tests, it works well.

4. Another useful new feature is integration with iOS Reminders, which show up in your Tempo calendar.

5. Tempo lets you join prescheduled conference calls without dialing passcodes.

6. Tempo is free, as well as ad-free.

All told, Tempo is the best iOS calendar app I've used because it provides built-in context for your appointments and lots of convenient features.

My only complaint: I wish there were an iPad version, so I could use the same calendar on my tablet and smartphone. Come to think of it, how about a Mac desktop app? An Android version would be nice, too.

If Tempo isn't to your taste, another good option is 24me (also free and without ads), which recently added a cool new "smart alerts? feature. Either is an excellent upgrade over Apple's mediocre Calendar app.