How to change your Google Calendar view, change the color of events, and return to today’s date

It’s super easy to adjust your view from within Google Calendar.

Goolge Calendar is one of the easiest ways to keep track of all the moving parts in your life. From upcoming birthdays, to meetings and even tasks that you need to complete. Now the default view on Calendar will show you your schedule, and what you’ve got coming up next. Sometimes you want to check on things further out on your schedule though, and for that you may want to change your calendar view.

That includes changing the color of events so that they pop out when you take a quick look at your schedule. We’ve also got the details on quickly returning to today’s date with just a tap, so you can ensure you’re always looking in the right place. Thankfully Google has made this really easy, and we’ve got all the details for you here.

How to change your Calendar view

Open Google Calendar
Tap the Overflow icon in the top left corner of your screen.
Choose from the list which view you would like to use.

Change a color in Calendar

Open Google Calendar
Open the event that you want to edit
Tap the blue pencil icon to edit the event

Scroll down and tap on Default color.
Tap the new color you want for your event.

How to quickly return to today’s date

Finish whatever you are doing on a future or past date.
Tap the calendar icon at the top of the screen

From the Editor’s Desk: Pixel pushing

Some last-minute thoughts on Google’s big hardware event.

Besides two very obvious things that are definitely coming, it’s difficult to know exactly how hyped to get about Google’s October 4 event. Sure, new Pixel phones are on the way. As I’ve already said, Google needs to show us not just two great phones — that’s table stakes — but also why two great new phones matters, and more broadly why Google can become a tier-one hardware brand. It’s a tough ask.

Pixels will also bring us Android 7.1, which likely means the Nougat we already know and love, along with some new APIs and bug fixes. More interestingly, it’ll bring Google’s own system UI, distinct from “stock” Android for the first time. That’s a big deal, and potentially a bit confusing, as Google differentiates from… well, itself.

There’s a ridiculously long list of ‘maybes’ for this year’s Google event.

Things start getting really fuzzy when we look at the myriad things which could be announced. Google Home? Pretty likely. Amazon pre-empted that with its recent Echo and Echo Dot expansion. Daydream? A decent chance, but by no means certain. A new Huawei Nexus tablet? Possible, but then we’re into even more confusing territory where Google has to clarify what a new Nexus means versus what a new Pixel means. (And what phones “made by Google” means versus a tablet sorta made by Google, but not really.) New Google-branded watches? Surely coming, but almost certainly not until next year, following the delay of Android Wear 2.0.

The big wildcard is Andromeda, the supposed next stage of Android that involves Chrome OS features being merged in. Defining Andromeda beyond this is like nailing jelly to a wall. If Andromeda is indeed a thing, and it’s shown for the first time on Tuesday, that’s another thing for Google to explain in what’s suddenly becoming quite a crowded event. Where does Andromeda fit into the bigger Android picture. What’s the difference compared to Nexus Android or Pixel Android? Is it the next stage of Android, or just something based upon it, like Android Wear? There are more questions than answers right now; hopefully October 4 will bring some solid answers.

Or maybe not. Maybe it’s just about two new phones.

Other weekend bits:

• I’ve finally gotten around to actually using Android Pay in the past couple of weeks — my bank was among the last to add the service in the UK, a pleasant side effect of which is I can use it without enduring the confused reactions faced by earlier adopters. In the UK, where contactless payments are relatively common, I’ve yet to come across any cashier who’s completely oblivious to the idea of paying with your phone. (Compare that to the early days of contactless cards, when one or two stared at me like I was some sort of wizard.)
• Our iPhone 7 Plus review will be going up tomorrow. The iPhone is a big enough deal globally that it deserves a fair shake — after all, it’s the default Android competitor. I’ll save most of the details for that article, but it’s been interesting to see how the other side does things. Simplicity is still key on the iPhone — that’s both a good thing and a bad thing. And I think it’s reasonably obvious we’ll skip straight to an “8” next year, as rumored — Apple’s long overdue a design refresh.
• Not too shocking to see Android Wear 2.0 falling back to 2017 — we’re only three previews into a five-preview cycle. By the time new watches land, there’ll be no excuses for a lackluster experience. Beyond apps, keyboards and app stores, smartwatches are basically fitness devices and notification mirrors. Google shouldn’t forget that important core functionality.
• Lots of people seeing battery life issues on the 5X and 6P with Nougat. Hopefully the next round of updates — perhaps to Android 7.1 — will improve things.
• A week later, Allo is already collecting digital dust in a forgotten folder somewhere on my phone. But then I’m not the really target audience. Great piece from Harish this week on Allo’s key features for the Indian market.

That’s it for this week. Stick with us as we venture deeper into the depths of October. It’s going to be a wild few weeks.

Best U.S. Cellular Phones

Here’s a list of the best smartphones offered by America’s fifth largest network.

Chances are that you’re looking at this page precisely because you’re a U.S. Cellular subscriber. The carrier isn’t the biggest, but it’s number five in the regional United States. And fortunately, it offers the latest smartphone models for those of you who just don’t want to deal with what Big Red, John Legere, and the rest of the carrier corral have to offer.

• Samsung Galaxy S7 edge
• Samsung Galaxy S6
• Moto G LTE

Samsung Galaxy S7 edge

We’re throwing a wrench into our smartphone buying suggestions. Rather than tell you to equip yourself with the regular old Galaxy S7, why not just bite the bullet and go full Galaxy S7 edge? Its 5.5-inch display is bigger than its flagship brethren, and it’s curved—you’ll be sure to turn some heads, and they won’t even know your cell service is pre-paid.

The Galaxy S7 edge has all the same bells and whistles as the GS7, including a Snapdragon 820 processor, 4GB of RAM, an expansion slot, an impressive 12-megapixel rear-facing camera, and a water resistant metal-and-glass chassis. But if you really can’t spring the extra hundred-or-so dollars for it, the smaller Galaxy S7 is also a worthy choice.

Samsung Galaxy S7 edge review

Ready to purchase?

See it at U.S. Cellular

Samsung Galaxy S6

Not looking to drop an arm and a leg on the latest Android smartphone? Then you might want to consider bringing home last year’s flagship device. Samsung did such a great job with the Galaxy S6, that it’s worth considering even as it reaches the two-year launch mark.

The Galaxy S6 features a 5.1-inch QuadHD Super AMOLED display, an octa-core Exynos processor, and a stellar 16-megapixel camera with OIS. Unfortunately, this phone doesn’t have an expansion slot or water resistance, but you will still have a fingerprint sensor embedded into the Home button, both PMA and Qi wireless charging capabilities, and both Samsung Pay and Android Pay compatibility. That’s better than what most smartphones offer at this price point.

Samsung Galaxy S6 review

Buy it:

See it at U.S. Cellular

Moto G LTE

Yes, the Moto G LTE is a bit older than some of Motorola’s other mid-range to low-end offerings, but it’s still a worthy consideration if you’re on U.S. Cellular and all you want are the barebones basics.

The Moto G is one of our favorite phones in the mid-range category. It offers a 5-inch 720p display, a quad-core Snapdragon 410 SoC, a microSD slot, a 13MP camera with dual-tone flash and a f/2.0 lens, a 5MP front camera, LTE connectivity, and a 2470mAh battery. The Moto G LTE also has IPX7 certification, so the phone is fine in three feet of water for up to half an hour.

Moto G LTE review

Ready to grab it?

See it at U.S. Cellular

Scare the pants off your friends with these Gear VR experiences

It’s time to scare the crap out of your friends.

October is Halloween season, which means it’s the season for scaring yourself silly. The next time you invite friends over to fool around in VR, you should definitely have a few frightening games and experiences ready. After all, who doesn’t want to watch their friends get spooked when they’re stuck in a Gear VR.

Read more at VR Heads!