Getting organized is a never-ending battle for me. As a self-proclaimed “organized person,” I like controlling my schedule, surroundings, and everything in between. But every time I succeed in getting my things in order, something throws me off, whether it’s a new kid, a new house, or a cross-country move.
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I’ve always preferred pen and paper, so I love my bullet journal and wall calendar. But I don’t always have them with me, and I can never find a pen when I need one. This is why the Skylight Calendar
With three young kids and a dog running around the house, I often forget who needs to go where and do what at what time. This results in missed doctor appointments, which come with missed appointment fees. You’ve also got a variety of hot mess family staples: missed extracurricular classes, being the only kid at school without a toy during share day, double-booking activities, etc.
I’ve always relied on my wall calendar, a trusty traditional paper calendar I’d get each year from Walmart, to keep me on track. But after moving across the country and buying a new house, starting new jobs, new schools, new doctors, and new everything, the paper-made decor couldn’t keep up. I’d forget to add events or things I needed to get done, and the old ‘out of sight, out of mind’ couldn’t be more accurate.
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While looking for an alternative to my paper calendar, I started testing the Skylight Calendar last fall and realized I could never go back.
The Skylight Calendar is a 15-inch smart display that looks like a high-end tablet. It runs an Android-based OS and displays a calendar at all times. The Calendar can be placed on a table or shelf, or mounted to the wall. I chose the latter installation method to replace my old wall calendar.
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Using the Skylight app on my phone, I can add events, chores, and dinner plans and create lists for everyone to see on the wall calendar within seconds. Each account also gets a custom Skylight email address that you can give to others who don’t have the app. They can then send events to that email, which will be added to the calendar almost immediately.
The Skylight Calendar turned out to be the perfect addition to our drop zone.
Maria Diaz/ZDNET
Now, onto the elephant in the room — or on the wall. I can’t gloss over the Skylight Calendar’s price — not at $320 for the 15-inch model.
The price was the biggest thing that kept me from buying the Skylight Calendar. Since Skylight isn’t the most widely renowned brand, I was afraid I’d spend so much for a tablet that would end up bricked in a year or two when the company stopped providing support for it or something happened to it. It’s not like buying a tablet from Apple, Samsung, or Amazon, where you’ll know you’ll get a few years’ worth of use out of it.
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I’ve had my Skylight Calendar for a year and a half, and the company continues to grow. The calendar has seen several updates since then, and the company released a new, larger version.
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In the end, I was lucky enough to get a review unit from Skylight, an excellent option for smaller families, couples, or individuals.
The most significant selling point for the Skylight Calendar is that it provides a visual and interactive way to display your calendar and help you get organized. It auto-syncs with your phone’s calendar and allows you to add events from wherever you are, so everyone at home can see them. It’s gotten a lot of attention from visitors in my home, and one of my guests even bought one for themselves as soon as they saw it in action.