When you're typing in the details of a new event, the updated Calendar app makes things easier than before. The Title field is pre-selected, meaning that the virtual keyboard is already present, instead of waiting for you to make your first tap. The Notes field used to make you navigate to a separate screen; in iOS 5, it's now fully embedded in the main event-creation screen instead.

At long last, you can finally save customized default alert times in Calendar. Head over to the Settings app, and under Mail, Contacts, Calendars, you can set separate default alert times for birthdays, events, and all-day events. (The specific options are limited--you can't set a default alert about an all-day event for 9pm the night before, for example--and there's no way to schedule more than one alert for the same event.)

Other Calendar improvements support Apple's stated goal of detethering your iOS device from your Mac. You can now add, edit, and delete calendars straight from your iPad or iPhone--no computer required. Another new option allows you to change the pastel colors of your calendar(s); you can't pick colors willy-nilly, but you may choose among seven lovely hues.

Calendar mostly feels the same as it did in previous incarnations--but as if it's just received an affectionate tune-up. The app is easier to use, particularly for adding new tasks, and it gains just enough to make using it simpler and more efficient.