By Sherwin Loh

Google Calendar is a simple tool to organise your schedule that comes free with Gmail.

Whenever you receive an invitation or meeting, the calendar is automatically updated.

An option to receive SMS reminders can be enabled.

To enable Google Calendar, click on the Calendar option via your Gmail account.

You then have to establish the name of your calendar and the current time zone.

In the Calendar window, click on Settings and you will see four options listed in the browser window.

Click on Mobile Setup and there is a window to key in your mobile number.

The service from Google is free and dependent on mobile carriers which might charge for each SMS received.

As local telcos do not charge for SMS messages received, there is no worry about extra fees.

Once you key in your number, click on Send Verification Code and you will receive an SMS with a code.

Key the code in the last window on the browser and the option is now activated.

Now, whenever you create an event on Google Calendar, there is an option for SMS reminder.

Select when you wish to be reminded on your phone, such as an hour or two before the event starts, and if there are no hiccups, you should receive an SMS reminder alert for your next appointment.

This story was first published in The Straits Times Digital Life.

For more The Straits Times stories, click here.