If you're iCal-based for your scheduling needs and you want to share calendars with family or colleagues, you're probably already hip to BusySync and the delights of iCal syncing Mac-to-Mac without a .Mac account. Now the BusySync team has announced a key feature for 2.0, shipping in February: Google Calendar synchronization. You should be able to share calendars across the internet with other Google Calendar users, and if they have BusySync on their machines the Gcal data will slide neatly into iCal for them.
BusySync 2.0 will ship for $24.95 per computer, a $5 price increase -- if you buy a BusySync 1.5 license today for $19.95, you can upgrade for free to the new version. There's also a public beta on the way if you want to check it out.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
1-14-2008 @ 3:26PM
ryan said...
So if I'm currently a user of spanning sync, is there a compelling reason for me to switch to this?
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1-14-2008 @ 3:41PM
Lustigson said...
Sure looks like it. I'm gonna check it out.
1-14-2008 @ 3:42PM
marc said...
'DARINGFIREBALL' coupon code gets you 20% off
Reply
1-14-2008 @ 3:45PM
Gideon said...
Here's a reason not to - $19.95 PER computer. So if you are using it to sync your iMac and Macbook for instance, this cal syncing software will cost you 40 bucks.
I don't know about you, but I'd rather pay 60-70 over at Amazon for .Mac and get all the rest of the features without the hassle. $40 bucks for an app like this is bloody crazy.
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1-14-2008 @ 3:52PM
Shahryar said...
my HTC Touch is arriving tomorrow and I'm hoping to start synchronizing it with my MBP (probably via Pocketmac). With my previous Sprint windows-based PDA's, I just synced to my PCs to avoid the headache. Now that I'm diving into Google Documents some more, I'm wondering if it's possible to do a 3 way sync whenever my MBP is connected online. So this program that syncs iCal to Google Calendar's definitely nice for what I need. Anything that syncs documents?
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1-14-2008 @ 3:56PM
Tom said...
Aren't there quite a few free apps out there for Gmail syncing?
I don't use it much ... at all, but I know GSync does the job for free (£10 if used on 2 computers), if not a bit quirky.
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1-14-2008 @ 4:00PM
Reuben said...
No, .mac doesn't do what this does. This allows two users to collaborate on a calendar through iCal. In other words, I have a calendar that's shared in my family. I can edit it and the other people with busysync can also edit it. Edits show up instantaneously on our iCal, so it's just shared. It's actually a collaborative calendar.
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1-14-2008 @ 4:02PM
Sam Gross said...
One unmentioned benefit: Google Calendar iCal iPhone Google Calendar. You'll never be away from your appointments.
@Ryan: it's a LOT cheaper.
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1-14-2008 @ 4:29PM
Geoff said...
Reason to use it over .Mac sync: it actually works.
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1-14-2008 @ 5:15PM
Kai said...
I'm using Plaxo 3, and it has this feature, too. Only it syncs from any Mac to the Plaxo first, and then to Google. But changes get populated both ways - and I can include more Macs. And it syncs my Outlook at work, which is behind a stupid web proxy that requires authentication. And it keeps all my address books in sync. I'm using the free version. Can recommend. (No, I don't work for them. Just a happy user.) Regards from Barcelona/Spain, Kai
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1-14-2008 @ 8:25PM
Josh said...
Or you could do this for free...
1) Create a google calendar
2) Make it public
3) Put some appointments on it
4) Click the RSS feed for your calendar
5) Place this within iCal and subscribe
Your calendar will update automatically with your google cal. Set up Quicksilver to make speedy appointments on gcal and you're even better!
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1-15-2008 @ 1:58AM
blatz said...
Or you could get a clue, RTFA, and understand what BusySync (as well as Spanning Sync) does that your "free" solution CANNOT do, namely, bidrectional calendar editing and syncing.
All you lame "or you could just..." posters drive me nuts. Read the post and understand what the product does FIRST, before you post your jaded, "techier than thou" retorts
1-15-2008 @ 9:45AM
Josh said...
Yep, this is bidirectional but apparently that is worth $25 and proving you're a complete and utter dick. Kudos!
1-14-2008 @ 8:31PM
Rick Proctor said...
Or just get Plaxo and sync everything in the world for free and automatically.
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1-16-2008 @ 5:10AM
Thijs Poorthuis said...
But plaxo can't seem to sync multiple calendars...
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1-16-2008 @ 3:51PM
jpoa said...
Man... In the beginning I tought everyone knew it, but now I don't get it...
There is a free (GPL'D!!) application that does that! Gcaldaemon does all you want for free! And for a LONG time!
If the trouble is setting it up I can make a tool for that, as long as anyone is interested (wont spend time developing a GUI for nothing...).
Cheers!
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1-16-2008 @ 3:57PM
Kyle said...
@jpoa
I am definitely interested in that. I tried installing it on Tiger and Leopard and I can't get it to work. I follow it to a tee but something goes wrong and then I'm lost. A GUI would be fantastic, if you had the time. I'm sure I'm not the only one.
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4-07-2008 @ 11:08AM
pschaefs said...
yeah, I couldn't get gcaldaemon set up either. would appreciate the help
1-18-2008 @ 1:12PM
pjones said...
Does anybody know how to share iCal calendars over a local network? I don't have OSX server or the calDAV capabilities... but I am running a local network with a three macs and would like to be able to share each machine's calendars with the other machines.
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1-18-2008 @ 1:26PM
Michael Rose said...
pjones -- that's what BusySync does! :-)