If  you use iCal for tracking your appointments and to dos, you probably hate the interface to create new appointments and the inability to set mutliple reminders or actions for that mater within an appointment.   Well fear not, the folks over at Flexbits, Inc have come up with a nifty little add -on app called Fantastical.

The program adds an icon on your menu bar that allows you to easily look up future appointments plus more importantly it allows you to enter new appointments using natural language!   What is really great about this program is that it syncs directly with your iCal, Outlook or soon to be release BusyCal database, and you can add and lookup appointments without ever opening up the full blow calendar programs.

So as an example I can create a new appointment by typing something just like this:

“Webcast Meeting with Joe on June 24 at 1:30 until 3:00 at Skype”  

Fantastical will automatically fill in all of the detail entered from the appointment without me touching the mouse in the right fields for the appointment.   I hit return, the appointment is saved and since it’s already being stored in my iCal database it lands up in my iPhone in a matter of minutes automatically!   Apple could clearly learn from this little application!

So what’s the downside?

Well as of this version 1.01, there is no way to edit an appointment from within Fantastical, basically you double click and it launches your native full calendar program to make the changes.  In my case iCal.

The other downside to me is price, when I purchased this app it was $14.99, and recently they have raised the price to $19.99.   For the functionality that this program provides it’s just a little steep to me.

Otherwise a nice add-on for your Mac!