I love Joel on Software (we use the wonderful Fogbugz here at Spongecell) – his recent post about the glut of calendars on the web has some interesting points, but it doesn’t capture the problem we are trying to solve. Eventually, Spongecell will address his specific features and corner cases – but for now we wanted to release an easy calendar with rudimentary mobile features. I think Spongecell succeeded at this.

Spongecell was built out of frustration with the status quo of calendaring. I’m disorganized and forgetful, and had several failed attempts to integrate calendaring into my life. Most involved a new gadget, web app or pad of paper – I’ve had a palm V, a Visor, a Treo, a hipster PDA (mini-moleskine) and at least three “ok now i’m really going to use yahoo calendar” moments. In the end, people don’t use calendars because they are cumbersome, painful and horribly unusable. Online calendars aren’t there when you need them, and the PDA is dying a slow death.

How do you fix this? I’m a believer in delivering new services using platforms and applications that people already have and know how to use. This means, no new desktop applications, no complex syntax (hint: syntax != natural language), no new mobile application to download and most importantly, no steep learning curves. These requirements make for a more challenging product to deliver, but a much more rewarding and accessible user experience.

At Spongecell we want to make your calendar easy to use and accessible when you need it.