Google on Thursday plans to unveil a much-anticipated, free Web-based calendar application that is expected to heat up the race with Yahoo and Microsoft. The free Web-based Google Calendar, allows users to build online calendars that enable specific individuals or groups of people to access all or some of the events listed. A Gmail account is not necessary to use Google Calendar.
Users can easily search for and add events to their calendars from within the program or directly off Web sites that are either publishing events using open calendaring standards or which have added a Google Calendar button to their site. Users also can search for events from friends" shared calendars and import events from Microsoft Outlook.