The Skylight Calendar Is Perfect For Busy Families, And Easy Enough For Kids To Use

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• The 15-inch Skylight Calendar is simply a smart show for $320, pinch a 10-inch type disposable for $160.
• It's a touchscreen almanac designed pinch engaged lifestyles successful mind that allows for shared usage wrong a family aliases team.
• Though it's proven indispensable for my family, I wish nan chores, not conscionable nan events, were visible successful nan almanac view, and nan 15-inch type is costly astatine $320.

Getting organized is simply a never-ending conflict for me. As a self-proclaimed "organized person," I for illustration controlling my schedule, surroundings, and everything successful between. But each clip I win successful getting my things successful order, thing throws maine off, whether it's a caller kid, a caller house, aliases a cross-country move.

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I've ever preferred pen and paper, truthful I emotion my slug diary and wall calendar. But I don't ever person them pinch me, and I tin ne'er find a pen erstwhile I request one. This is why nan Skylight Calendar has made specified an effect connected my life. 

With 3 young kids and a canine moving astir nan house, I often hide who needs to spell wherever and do what astatine what time. This results successful missed expert appointments, which travel pinch missed assignment fees. You've besides sewage a assortment of basking messiness family staples: missed extracurricular classes, being nan only kid astatine schoolhouse without a artifact during stock day, double-booking activities, etc.

I've ever relied connected my wall calendar, a trusty accepted insubstantial almanac I'd get each twelvemonth from Walmart, to support maine connected track. But aft moving crossed nan state and buying a caller house, starting caller jobs, caller schools, caller doctors, and caller everything, nan paper-made decor couldn't support up. I'd hide to adhd events aliases things I needed to get done, and nan aged 'out of sight, retired of mind' couldn't beryllium much accurate. 

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While looking for an replacement to my insubstantial calendar, I started testing nan Skylight Calendar past autumn and realized I could ne'er spell back.

The Skylight Calendar is simply a 15-inch smart show that looks for illustration a high-end tablet. It runs an Android-based OS and displays a almanac astatine each times. The Calendar tin beryllium placed connected a array aliases shelf, aliases mounted to nan wall. I chose nan second installation method to switch my aged wall calendar. 

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Using nan Skylight app connected my phone, I tin adhd events, chores, and meal plans and create lists for everyone to spot connected nan wall almanac wrong seconds. Each relationship besides gets a civilization Skylight email reside that you tin springiness to others who don't person nan app. They tin past nonstop events to that email, which will beryllium added to nan almanac almost immediately. 

The Skylight Calendar features different options speech from adding events, for illustration a chore floor plan and meal plans.

Maria Diaz/ZDNET

This intends that nary matter wherever I am, whether connected nan telephone pinch nan doctor, connected nan measurement to schoolhouse pickup, aliases astatine home, I tin ever instantly nonstop events to my almanac connected my wall from my phone.

You whitethorn think, why don't you usage your phone's almanac app? The astir important quality betwixt utilizing nan Skylight Calendar and a almanac connected your smartphone is that it is ever visible, wherever you put it. So nan surface displays nan almanac astatine each times, isolated from erstwhile you schedule it to spell to sleep, which I do astatine 9 p.m. each night. This makes it into a family hub wherever everyone, moreover younger kids who don't person a phone, tin spot what is going connected and when. 

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You whitethorn beryllium gladsome to perceive that nan Skylight Calendar besides auto-syncs pinch different celebrated integer calendars, for illustration Google, Outlook, Apple, Cozi, and Yahoo. 

When you're not actively utilizing nan Skylight Calendar, nan surface remains connected unless scheduled to slumber successful whichever almanac position you choose. Skylight besides allows you to show photos connected your almanac erstwhile idle, for illustration a integer image frame, which requires a Skylight Plus scheme astatine $39 a year. I decided to skip nan subscription for now. Still, it's worthy noting that this action besides lets you import emails aliases PDFs to automatically person into events connected your Calendar, which sounds beautiful convenient.

The Skylight Calendar turned retired to beryllium nan cleanable summation to our driblet zone.

Maria Diaz/ZDNET

Now, onto nan elephant successful nan room -- aliases connected nan wall. I can't gloss complete nan Skylight Calendar's value -- not astatine $320 for nan 15-inch model. 

The value was nan biggest point that kept maine from buying nan Skylight Calendar. Since Skylight isn't nan astir wide renowned brand, I was acrophobic I'd walk truthful overmuch for a tablet that would extremity up bricked successful a twelvemonth aliases 2 erstwhile nan institution stopped providing support for it aliases thing happened to it. It's not for illustration buying a tablet from Apple, Samsung, aliases Amazon, wherever you'll cognize you'll get a fewer years' worthy of usage retired of it. 

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I've had my Skylight Calendar for a twelvemonth and a half, and nan institution continues to grow. The almanac has seen respective updates since then, and nan institution released a new, larger version. 

ZDNET's buying advice

In nan end, I was fortunate capable to get a reappraisal portion from Skylight, and aft utilizing it for a fewer months, I'm definite I would bargain 1 for myself, moreover if it's $320. Skylight besides sells a 10-inch Calendar astatine $160, an fantabulous action for smaller families, couples, aliases individuals, and nan silver version is connected waste for $250.

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The astir important trading constituent for nan Skylight Calendar is that it provides a ocular and interactive measurement to show your almanac and thief you get organized. It auto-syncs pinch your phone's almanac and allows you to adhd events from wherever you are, truthful everyone astatine location tin spot them. It's gotten a batch of attraction from visitors successful my home, and 1 of my guests moreover bought 1 for themselves arsenic soon arsenic they saw it successful action.