diff --git a/etemplate/js/et2_core_inputWidget.js b/etemplate/js/et2_core_inputWidget.js
index eb762eb386..6e1a8fad12 100644
--- a/etemplate/js/et2_core_inputWidget.js
+++ b/etemplate/js/et2_core_inputWidget.js
@@ -285,7 +285,7 @@ var et2_inputWidget = et2_valueWidget.extend([et2_IInput,et2_ISubmitListener],
 		// Check for required
 		if(this.options && this.options.needed && !this.options.readonly && (this.getValue() == null || this.getValue().valueOf() == ''))
 		{
-			messages.push(this.egw().lang('input required'));
+			messages.push(this.egw().lang('Field must not be empty !!!'));
 			ok = false;
 		}
 		return ok;
diff --git a/etemplate/js/et2_widget_date.js b/etemplate/js/et2_widget_date.js
index 4086f65ec8..b8530891d2 100644
--- a/etemplate/js/et2_widget_date.js
+++ b/etemplate/js/et2_widget_date.js
@@ -83,6 +83,7 @@ var et2_date = et2_inputWidget.extend(
 		var self = this;
 		this.input_date.bind('change', function(e){
 			self.set_value(this.value);
+			return false;
 		});
 
 		// Framewok skips nulls, but null needs to be processed here
@@ -128,8 +129,28 @@ var et2_date = et2_inputWidget.extend(
 				}
 				return;
 			} else {
-				this.date = new Date(jQuery.datepicker.parseDateTime(this.input_date.datepicker('option', 'dateFormat'),
-					this.input_date.datepicker('option', 'timeFormat'), _value));
+				try {
+					// silently fix skiped minutes or times with just one digit, as parser is quite pedantic ;-)
+					var fix_reg = / ([0-9]+)(:[0-9]*)?( ?(a|p)m?)?$/i;
+					var matches = _value.match(fix_reg);
+					if (matches && (matches[1].length < 2 || matches[2] === undefined || matches[2].length < 3 ||
+						matches[3] && matches[3] != 'am' && matches[3] != 'pm'))
+					{
+						if (matches[1].length < 2 && !matches[3]) matches[1] = '0'+matches[1];
+						if (matches[2] === undefined) matches[2] = ':00';
+						while (matches[2].length < 3) matches[2] = ':0'+matches[2].substr(1);
+						_value = _value.replace(fix_reg, ' '+matches[1]+matches[2]+matches[3]);
+						if (matches[4] !== undefined) matches[3] = matches[4].toLowerCase() == 'a' ? 'am' : 'pm';
+					}
+					var parsed = jQuery.datepicker.parseDateTime(this.input_date.datepicker('option', 'dateFormat'),
+						this.input_date.datepicker('option', 'timeFormat'), _value);
+					this.date = new Date(parsed);
+					this.set_validation_error(false);
+				}
+				catch(e) {
+					this.set_validation_error(this.egw().lang("'%1' has an invalid format !!!",_value));
+					return;
+				}
 			}
 		} else if (typeof _value == 'object' && _value.date) {
 			this.date = _value.date;
diff --git a/phpgwapi/js/jsapi/egw_calendar.js b/phpgwapi/js/jsapi/egw_calendar.js
index 4a7f5c010e..45ec411ab8 100644
--- a/phpgwapi/js/jsapi/egw_calendar.js
+++ b/phpgwapi/js/jsapi/egw_calendar.js
@@ -49,7 +49,8 @@ egw.extend('calendar', egw.MODULE_WND_LOCAL, function(_app, _wnd) {
 	function timePreferences(_egw)
 	{
 		return {
-			"timeFormat": egw.preference("timeformat") == 12 ? "h:mm tt" : "HH:mm",
+			// timepicker does NOT work with spaces in timeformat
+			"timeFormat": egw.preference("timeformat") == 12 ? "h:mmtt" : "HH:mm",
 			"ampm": (egw.preference("timeformat") == "12"),
 			"hourGrid": 4,
 			"minuteGrid": 10
@@ -87,8 +88,8 @@ egw.extend('calendar', egw.MODULE_WND_LOCAL, function(_app, _wnd) {
 				onClose:	function(date_text, picker) {
 					// Only update if there's a change - "" if no date selected
 					if(date_text != "") self.set_value(new Date(
-						picker.selectedYear, 
-						picker.selectedMonth, 
+						picker.selectedYear,
+						picker.selectedMonth,
 						picker.selectedDay,
 						self.input_hours ? self.input_hours.val() : 0,
 						self.input_minutes ? self.input_minutes.val() : 0,
@@ -119,10 +120,10 @@ egw.extend('calendar', egw.MODULE_WND_LOCAL, function(_app, _wnd) {
 			"currentText": false,
 			"prevText": false,
 			"closeText": false,
-			
-			// These ones are arrays.  
+
+			// These ones are arrays.
 			// Integers are length.  If lang() has no short translation, just trim full
-			"dayNames":	false, 
+			"dayNames":	false,
 			"dayNamesShort":3,
 			"dayNamesMin":	2,
 			"monthNames":	false,
@@ -201,11 +202,11 @@ egw.extend('calendar', egw.MODULE_WND_LOCAL, function(_app, _wnd) {
 	var ready = this.module('ready', _wnd);
 	ready.ready(translateCalendar,this);
 	ready.ready(translateTimepicker,this);
-	
+
 	return {
 		/**
 		 * setup a calendar / date-selection
-		 * 
+		 *
 		 * @member of egw
 		 * @param _input
 		 * @param _time
@@ -218,7 +219,7 @@ egw.extend('calendar', egw.MODULE_WND_LOCAL, function(_app, _wnd) {
 		},
 		/**
 		 * setup a time-selection
-		 * 
+		 *
 		 * @param _input
 		 * @param _callback
 		 * @param _context