Posts tagged Gcal at The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)

Posts with tag gcal

BusySync 2.0 ships, adds Google Calendar

Posted Apr 18th 2008 5:00PM by Michael Rose
Filed under: Software, Internet Tools

After six weeks in beta (not long at all in Google-weeks), the new version 2.0 of iCal-sharing tool BusySync is out. The headline feature for 2.0 is of course the new iCal --> Google Calendar synchronization capability, which opens up a wide world of cloud-based options for families and workgroups already using the LAN-based sync of earlier versions. You can keep multiple iCal users synchronized (even on the same machine), sync remotely via Google, and more.

There are plenty other options for syncing your calendars with gCal, but if you need to keep more than one user's iCal coordinated (think family schedules!) then BusySync may be the product for you, starting at $25 per seat. The guys behind BusySync have a long history with Mac calendaring (including creating the ~~late~~ great Now Up-to-Date, which actually saw its first update in over a year last week) and I've been impressed with the quality of the beta release. We'll do a head-to-head comparison of the iCal sync options soon.

Show floor video: BusySync

Posted Jan 26th 2008 2:00PM by Victor Agreda, Jr.
Filed under: Macworld, Software

BusyMac had a good thing going with BusySync 1 and 1.5: seamlessly share and edit calendar info across your home or business LAN using iCal. Version 2 (due next month) features sync via the cloud-- so you can sync a work and home computer, even if you don't work at home. There's also Google Calendar support in BusySync 2, which could be the holy grail many of us have been looking for. Mike does a quick run through in the video.

Spanning Sync for iCal and Google Calendar goes 1.0, announces pricing

Posted Mar 13th 2007 9:05AM by David Chartier
Filed under: Software, Productivity, Internet Tools

We've mentioned Spanning Sync, the first utility to truly sync iCal and Google Calendar, once or twice before, but until today it's been in that 'beta' status that's such a hit with the kids these days. As of this morning, however, beta is no more, for Spanning Sync has reached full 1.0 status and gone commercial. Now, users can bask in the wonders of a true two-way sync between iCal and Google Calendar, as well as syncing between multiple Macs and Google Calendar accounts, and even with iSync-compatible devices like iPods and mobile phones (before you ask: yes, once it's out, the iPhone is invited to the party too). Spanning Sync even works with Google Apps for Your Domain, Google's hosting service (free to individuals or companies of up to 25 users, commercial for more) that offers, amongst other things, Google Calendar and Gmail on your own domain.

With the changeover to a full 1.0 app, Spanning Sync has also gone commercial. It now runs as a 15 day demo, and that two-tier pricing system we mentioned offers two choices: either $25 for a yearly subscription (a lá .Mac), or $65 to buy a copy in full.

Check out the refreshed Spanning Sync site for more details and to download a demo.

Spanning Sync about to go 1.0

Posted Mar 7th 2007 2:00PM by David Chartier
Filed under: Software, Internet, Beta Beat

Spanning Sync, the bi-directional syncing utility for iCal and Google Calendar we've been covering, has released public beta v1.0b16 on their blog. Aside from the typical fixes and updates, the more significant announcement here is the possibility that this might be the final beta before going 1.0. Of course, beta still means beta, but this announcement also means that with 1.0, Spanning Sync will (we assume) be going commercial.

While a price hasn't been announced yet, the pricing structure has. Spanning Sync will offer two purchase models: the first is a minimal subscription fee, while the second is a higher priced one-time purchase for those who like to grab and go. This flexibility should help make the majority of Spanning Sync's potential customers happy, and we'll be sure to drop some prices on you as soon as we receive word.

For now, go pick up the latest public beta, as Spanning Sync seems to be shaping up quite nicely.

Spanning Sync public beta re-opened

Posted Feb 5th 2007 12:00PM by David Chartier
Filed under: Software, Productivity, Internet Tools

Fellow Mac users looking to sync iCal and Google Calendar - rejoice! For the Spanning Sync crew have re-opened their public beta to one and all. After their servers buckled under their first attempt at opening up the beta, they had to shut down temporarily. Fortunately, Spanning Sync's own vendor stepped up to the plate and offered some serious upgrades in infrastructure horsepower, and new users can officially begin signing up to use the beta once again.

If you head over and sign up, however, be sure to back up your calendars - after all, beta means beta. Doing something as simple as browsing to your ~/Library/Application Support/ folder and pressing Cmd + D on your /iCal/ folder to duplicate it will do just fine.

To grab your own copy of the beta, head over to their re-opening announcement post for the latest version. Simply log in with your Google Account (or go create a free one) to get swept off to a land of desktop + web service synchronization.

Spanning Sync announces public beta

Posted Jan 30th 2007 6:53PM by David Chartier
Filed under: Software, Productivity, Internet Tools

Charlie Wood from Spanning Sync, the 'missing link' software we mentioned back in November that can keep iCal and Google Calendar n'sync, just let us know that a public beta (version 1.0b11) is now available (zip download link). Getting started with iCal + gCal syncing bliss is simple:

Download the aforementioned zip file
Install Spanning Sync, which runs as a System Preference pane
Enter your Google Account credentials, or go get one (they're free, and if you already have something like a Gmail address, you're good to go)
Select which calendars from iCal you want to sync with Google Calendar (and if you haven't signed into Google Calendar at least once, do so now)
Press "Sync Now"
Sit back and marvel at the wonders of desktop + Google Calendar syncing

I've been participating in their private beta for the last couple of months, and Spanning Sync has shaped up pretty well. The ability to keep my desktop synced with Google Calendar has been quite a life-saver for me, and I definitely recommend taking it for a spin, as I couldn't find any viable alternatives. The one catch that Spanning Sync has run into so far is alarm/reminder syncing. Since Google Calendar only supports alarms in your main, personal calendar, Spanning Sync can't include this feature until the gCal team shape up and fly right. Still, while I find myself using reminders for some of my key events, I didn't find this quirk to be a deal-breaker.

As of this writing, a price is yet to be announced, though there will be two plans. The first is an annual subscription rate, while the second is a one-time, lifetime purchase for those who want to get past all the riff-raff. Stay tuned for more details.

[Update: Woops - looks like servers fall down, go boom. Spanning Sync has temporarily closed the public beta to new users due to the veritable river of interest overrunning their servers. If you recall your 'Internets 101' lessons, water and server hardware don't mix well. However, users who got set up before they closed the beta are still in - the doors are simply closed to new users until Spanning Sync can add some equipment to handle the load. Their blog post announcing the bad news also states that they hope to re-open the public beta by Wednesday, so we'll keep our eye on things and let you know when new users can begin signing up again.]

Calgoo "first draft" takes Google Calendar offline, sorta

Posted Sep 21st 2006 10:00AM by David Chartier
Filed under: Software, Productivity, Internet Tools

Our friends over at Download Squad reviewed Calgoo, an offline Google Calendar client, last month. The reason we didn't pick it up is simply because it didn't run on Mac OS X at the time. Recently that changed, so here we go - but it is very apparent why they call this a first draft (as opposed to 'beta' or even 'pre-alpha').

Calgoo appears to be a Java app, or at least need it for something under the hood, and as you can see: it isn't quite on the Mac OS X side of the GUI fence. For some odd reason, users must register at Calgoo's site (which I begrudgingly did in the name of blogging) in order to be able to download and actually use the app. The actual setup is pretty straight forward, and syncing seemed to run well (a 'Message Log' tab in the upper right lets you keep an eye on activity), but navigating Calgoo's UI is anything but intuitive. Like Jason at Download Squad, I too couldn't see any of my appointments until I figured out their obscure calendar list in the lower left corner (hint: you can select and view individual calendars, or click at the top of the list to view them all. Why it's an actual process to get even any of your calendars to appear is anyone's guess). There are various other quirks and perks, such as Calgoo running on Mac, PC and Linux, event tagging/filtering and the fact that it downloads your Gmail buddies for easy attendance listing, but I was happy to see what is perhaps the most significant feature of Calgoo work like a charm: syncing with Google Calendar. I created a couple basic events in Calgoo and one in gCal, then synced. Once the dust settled, everything was reassuringly in order across both places, so at least that's a good selling point at this 'first draft' stage - cuz that UI sure won't be winning any Apple Design Awards anytime soon.

So would I recommend Calgoo? Yes and no. If you're just gaga for gCal, sure - it seems like a decent client, but there's definitely a UI learning curve. However, this seems to be the only app I've seen that has put a good foot forward in accomplishing such a task as truly synchronizing with Google Calendar, so I'll tip my hat to Calgoo and hope to see what tidings its evolution brings.

.Mac's slow death

Posted Aug 23rd 2006 3:00PM by Dave Caolo
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion

Somebody call the ambulance, because .Mac is dying...and Google is the assassin (with a little help from his sidekick Firefox). Now I've been using .Mac since it was free and called "iTools." I was initially lured in by the convenience of iDisk, the mac.com email address and so on. Web bookmark and contact syncing are also super-convenient, and as time passed I made use of some of the other .Mac services, like iCal publishing and so on. Everything was fine. Not free anymore, but fine. Then Google introduced (free) Gmail with oodles more storage than .Mac offers, calendars and so on. To make a long story short, I'm about to give .Mac the boot for good. After the jump, a breakdown of why.

Continue reading .Mac's slow death

A browser just for Google Calendar

Posted Jun 20th 2006 11:30AM by David Chartier
Filed under: Software, Productivity, Internet Tools

Remember the distraction-free Gmail browser by Michael McCracken? He apparently struck a chord within Chip Cuccio, as Hawk Wings has tracked down Chip's follow-up with a browser just for Google Calendar. This app more or less rolls the same way too: it's based on WebKit and is designed only to give you clean, distraction-free access to staying organized with gCal. Heads up though: Chip isn't offering any support for the app, but you really shouldn't need any in the first place. However, he snagged the app's icon from Open Clip Art, so ping him if you want to spice the icon up a bit.

Google Calendar officially supports Safari

Posted Jun 17th 2006 5:00PM by David Chartier

Users are reporting that Google Calendar now officially supports Safari. I can confirm, as I no longer receive the 'unsupported browser' warning on 10.4.6, and I must say gCal looks a bit nicer in Safari, though I unfortunately need to use Firefox for most of my browsing needs.

It's nice to see Google going the extra mile to support Apple's browser with some of their products. Anyone want to place bets as to how soon a Safari-compatible chat will show up in Gmail?

Quicksilver plug-ins for Google Calendar and Gmail

Posted May 4th 2006 3:00PM by David Chartier

While tinkering in Quicksilver's plug-ins panel this morning I came across two new plug-ins that should fit right in with my new ~~Borg~~ Google-infused daily activities: a Gmail Module and a Google Calendar Module. Both are actions that allow you to type in a string of text, then select either of these modules as an action, and off you go.

The Google Calendar module seems to use their Quick Add syntax for adding events. For a quick tutorial on this: invoke Quicksilver and then hit period so you can begin entering plain text. Enter something like "Apple Store Opening Saturday 10 am," then hit tab to move to Quicksilver's second pane to chose an action. If you have the Google Calendar module installed, the action is titled "Google Calendar Event" (using 'gcal' works just fine for me). Hitting enter will send the event, and for bonus points, if you have Growl installed and Quicksilver using it to give notifications, you'll receive a Growl alert upon successful completion.

The Gmail module (pictured) allows you to compose a message (or at least part of one) using the same method as both the Google Calendar and Mail.app compose actions. Once you type some text, tab over to chose the Gmail action, you'll receive a 3rd pane that allows you to specify an Address Book contact to send to. Hitting enter will create a Gmail compose window with all the information you chose from Quicksilver already inserted. Awesome.

Firefox Quick Add extension for Google Calendar

Posted Apr 30th 2006 7:00PM by David Chartier
Filed under: Software, Productivity, Internet Tools

Elias Torres has put together a most excellent Google Calendar Quick Add extension for Firefox. If you aren't familiar with gCal's Quick Add feature, it's in the upper left of gCal (or just hit 'q' on your keyboard), and it's great: you can create a new event simply by typing it as a sentence, such as: "dinner with Jane May 1st 6 pm." No tabbing or clicking around to chose numbers and fields. Nice.

Elias' Firefox extension does a great job of enabling this slick Quick Add ability from any other window/tab in Firefox, and so far it works flawlessly, though I have a couple of tips for you. First, make sure you've already opened gCal at least once during your browser session for this extension to work; it re-uses your session cookie instead of prompting for your password. Also, if you open this Quick Add window but decide you don't need to enter an event for one reason or another, simply hit esc to get rid of the window, as its close button doesn't work.

[via Hawk Wings]

Using iCalShare calendars with Google Calendar

Posted Apr 14th 2006 2:00PM by Dave Caolo
Filed under: How-tos, Internet Tools

Yesterday, Scott showed us how to use iCal to subscribe to calendars created with Google Calendar (let's just say "gCal" to keep it short). Today we go in the other direction: How to use gCal to subscribe to iCal calendars. For the sake of this post, I'm using iCalShare to find a calendar I want to add to gCal. Specifically, the Boston Red Sox 2006 season schedule (Go Sox!). You can read more after the jump.

Continue reading Using iCalShare calendars with Google Calendar

#	Blogger	Posts	Cmts
1	Cory Bohon	89	1
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3	Steven Sande	58	22
4	Scott McNulty	40	0
5	Mat Lu	40	10
6	Dave Caolo	37	0
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10	Michael Rose	11	32
11	Christina Warren	10	38
12	Joshua Ellis	3	2
13	Lisa Hoover	2	6
14	Chris Ullrich	2	2

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BusySync 2.0 ships, adds Google Calendar

Show floor video: BusySync

Spanning Sync for iCal and Google Calendar goes 1.0, announces pricing

Spanning Sync about to go 1.0

Spanning Sync public beta re-opened

Spanning Sync announces public beta

Calgoo "first draft" takes Google Calendar offline, sorta

.Mac's slow death

A browser just for Google Calendar

Google Calendar officially supports Safari

Quicksilver plug-ins for Google Calendar and Gmail

Firefox Quick Add extension for Google Calendar

Using iCalShare calendars with Google Calendar

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