One of the best features of Microsoft Entourage is My Day, a little window that summarizes your appointments and tasks. While I’m not an Entourage user, I must admit a little envy at that simple little window. Apparently I’m not alone. Developer Second Gear Software wrote their own application, appropriately called “Today” that works with iCal data giving you the benefit of My Day without the overhead of Entourage

Using Today, in one narrow window I can get all of a particular day’s events and tasks. Today reads works with the Leopard iCal calendar database so you have the same data without using the screen real estate. If you move an event in Today, it is also adjusted in iCal and all of your iCal connected devices. Switching to a different day is as simple as clicking on the date and selecting your new view from the drop down calendar. You can also move incrementally by clicking on obvious little triangles. Today recognizes the different colors of your iCal calendars and recreates them in its view.
Using Today you can do more than just view your calendar. You can also add events. The recent 1.6 update added natural language detectors for adding new events so setting a meeting for tomorrow, you can type the date or just “tomorrow.”

If you manage your tasks through the iCal and Apple Mail database, you also have full control of them in Today. If you check off a task in Today, it automatically updated in Mail and iCal. I tested this feature and it worked. I didn’t use it extensively however since my task list system is outside the iCal/Apple Mail database.
There are several useful settings allowing Today to be as visible (or subtle) as you please. For instance you can make the Today window always on top of your desktop or hide it in you menu bar.
Once you get comfortable with Today, you will find yourself opening iCal a lot less often. For laptop users, that is a good thing. A Today license is $15. Second Gear has a free trial period.
You can listen to this review on the MacReviewCast Episode #203.