iCal
Latest
Spanning Sync public beta re-opened
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.
High Priority: iCal To-Do's in Your Menubar
High Priority is a little program that adds a nice, simple drop-down pane to your menubar listing your iCal To Do items. In addition to a custom views (by calendar, date, priority, etc.), you can all add and edit To Dos directly within High Priority. There's also a global hotkey for you keyboard jockeys. Combine this with the Quicksilver iCal tricks, and you've got a much handier interface to your To Do list than iCal itself. High Priority is a reasonable $6 and a demo is available.[Via Merlin Mann on MacBreak Weekly 26]
Spanning Sync announces public beta
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.]
MailTags 2 beta gets major todo and event enhancements, goes 'feature complete'
Scott Morrison has released a 6th beta of MailTags 2, his quintessential tagging and organizing plug-in for Mail.app that we're big fans of. This new beta heralds a 'feature complete' status for the plug-in, meaning that Scott has implemented all the new features and tricks that version 2 will have, and now it's simply time to clean up the code and stomp out the bugs. Also new in this version is an updated UI with a slick new pop-up window for entering todo and event information (pictured). This makes recording events and staying on top of things with MailTags much more functional and enjoyable, causing Scott's plug-in to rise even farther towards the top of my list of apps that help me get more done with my email.MailTags 2 costs $25 and can be had from indev.
Actiontastic 0.9 raises GTD bar with iCal syncing
Sure, our OmniFocus preview included details of the Omni Group's intentions to bake in iCal syncing when their GTD app lands but the latest version of Actiontastic has it now, complete with Apple's Sync Services for that 'done the right way' goodness (don't forget, not long ago it also gained iPod syncing). Hawk Wings has the low-down with some screenshots of what this new iCal syncing is all about, and I award Actiontastic's developer Jon Crosby bonus points for adding a UI into the preferences for removing his app from the Sync Services directory (Yojimbo, Transmit, SOHO Notes - are your devs reading this?).Head over to Jon's site for the latest beta-ware version, but be sure to stay on top of Actiontastic's development news - this version expires Feb. 28th.
YABI: iCal birthday and anniversary alarms done right
Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger's iCal introduced a 'Show Birthdays calendar' option which automatically adds an all-day event for any contacts who have birthdays listed in Address Book. It's smart, but it isn't very flexible - there is no option for alarms and no way to add extra information like age or details of an impending party. Enter YABI: yet Another Birthday Importer, which aims to bring power and flexibility to the way iCal imports birthday events, as well as anniversaries (scroll down a little on the page). Tim Gaden at Hawk Wings has a nice writeup of key features, but to summarize, YABI can: display a person's age in the event title add events to the calendar of your choice set a configurable alarm chose exactly which contacts to import events for decide how many years to repeat the events and more YABI strikes me as another one of those 'shoulda been in Tiger' apps, as it fills so many holes left by iCal's paltry implementation of this feature. Fortunately, it's a Universal Binary and free at least while in beta.
Full synchronization of iCal and Google Calendar coming via Spanning Sync
Spanning Sync looks to be the holy grail of true, two-way calendar synchronization between Apple's iCal and Google Calendar. Yes: by 'two-way' I mean 'you can edit the same calendar in either place and the changes will synchronize.' Nasty translation I know, so maybe you should go watch their demo video to really get your mouth watering. In it, one of Spanning Sync's creators shows off how easy it is to link iCal calendars with equivalents in Google Calendar (bonus points for the ability to chose exactly which calendars shake hands), as well as moving an event in one calendar and having the change sync to the other. If this doesn't have you excited, please excuse me while I go check my blood pressure.Spanning Sync's blog has more details, and its release is billed as 'coming soon.' Stay tuned to TUAW as well, as I was fortunate enough to get my name in on the private beta before the signup list closed, and I'll have a screencast and a review for you as soon as possible.
The Cocoa Conundrum
When it comes to software on the Mac platform it's a mixed bag. I don't mean like on Windows, where the bag is full of snakes, scorpions, rusty blades, and the occasional bit of peach. Software on the Mac has been in flux for a decade. When Apple bought NeXT, most of us figured Copland was dead in the water (and it was). Personally, I wish we'd seen OpenDoc come to fruition, but that comes from years of dealing with bloatware. OS X pushed the "Classic" Mac OS further and further into the shadows, until, with the advent of Intel Macs, it's pretty much dying off... Read the fine print on these Leopard features for developers, and you'll realize how dead "Classic" really is. Perhaps we should call it "Relic."Now ask anyone (well, almost anyone) who's coded Cocoa apps and they'll tell you it's lovely. Shoot, Apple's so proud of the frameworks they provide for devs, they even touted a new one, Core Animation, as one of the 10 things coming in Leopard. But we're still living a dual-existence (triple or quadruple or more, if you get technical) in that you have Cocoa apps, and you have the non-Cocoa apps. Perhaps you know about Java, which is what Limewire uses. Or X11's ability to run apps like GIMP. Both of those have their quirks. Java apps can be all over the place, and X11 doesn't integrate the UI of OSX, among other issues. Carbon is a mix of old-skool API's (implemented in good ol' C if I recall), and permeates Mac apps like Office and Photoshop, where a teardown/rebuild would be too unwieldy. There's also the fact that key apps like Finder and QuickTime are Carbon enough to still have some legacy code from way back when, which might account for some of their quirks too... No holy wars about Cocoa vs. Carbon, OK? I'm with David Weiss on this one. So you have Cocoa, Carbon and everything else.Getting granular for a moment, look at a tale of two browsers: Safari vs. Firefox. Safari is a Cocoa app, and it is tightly integrated with OS X tools. It maintains the ability to look up words in the Dictionary app with a right-click, and access the OS X Keychain. Firefox is not a (full) Cocoa app, and you can't niftily use a keyboard shortcut to look up a word, nor will it store passwords in Keychain. I've learned to use this "wall" to my advantage. Since the passwords are stored differently, I can automatically log in to systems (like gmail) using two accounts simultaneously. I use my business gmail on one browser, and personal on the other. Unfortunately, you're limited to 3, as all Firefox-based browsers will share their version of Keychain, and all Webkit-derived browsers use Keychain. I say three, because Opera stands alone (and doesn't always play nice with Gmail). There's the conundrum: to the average user, they don't care, but when little non-Cocoa quirks appear, they scratch their heads and wonder why the Mac doesn't just "do stuff" one standard way.Keep reading for my take on shareware, freeware, and malware in OS X...
TUAW Podcast #12: Quicksilver and iCal
There wasn't much podcast-worthy news to chat about last week, so we thought it was the perfect time to do something different and bring you the first TUAW screencast evar! In this podcast (netcast!), I demonstrate that trick we covered last month of how to add iCal events and todos from Quicksilver, and I've ironed out a few details for a much more usable process. I figured this would be a great way to demonstrate some of Quicksilver's unique power with purty moving pictures, instead of the typical non-moving pictures. This screencast clocks in at 7:32, and it's 21MB of H.264 goodness.Speaking of goodness, we're soliciting feedback on this screencast (as if you need to be asked). This is my first screencast, so it's a little rough around the edges. I sound a lot better podcasting-wise, though I'm still working on picking up a Samson USB mic that reader Jules Stoop recommended, especially since I've seen it written up as *the* killer podcasting mic (I'm trying to find a good deal, since $80 is a little steep right now). But let us know what you think: too fast? Too slow? Do I sound like a muppet? I have a lot to learn about moving video between the big suites, as I have some good After Effects skills I could've used to spice this up, but I couldn't find a decent codec to preserve the quality when exporting the edited video out of Final Cut Pro (I especially am accepting workflow feedback on this topic). Rest assured, this is at the top my todos (pun intended!) for the next screencast, so I'll be able to add all sorts of flying text and 3D space aliens.But that's enough chatter for now: here's a direct link to TUAW Podcast #12, another link to our iTS podcast feed, and of course: our good ol' fashioned raw RSS feed.Update: Our iTS feed had a little bug that prevented this video from making the list, but it has since been fixed. Podcast #12 is ready to roll from the iTS Podcast Directory, so head over and grab a copy!
Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard build 9A283 seeded to ADC members
Mac Rumors is reporting that Apple has seeded a new build of Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard (build 9A283, for those keeping track) to Select and Premiere ADC members, the first major seed since preview versions were given to the devs at WWDC 2006 in August. Interestingly, this build is meant to be a fresh install - not simply an upgrade over the previous version. Mac Rumors also has a roundup of at least some of the major changes from the WWDC build: new Parental Controls preference pane for content filtering, apps, and curfews Significant user interface changes to iCal 3D audio cues to indicate locations of items on the screen in the VoiceOver screen reader Basic editing in Preview I can't help but hope one of those 'significant' UI changes to iCal includes a new 'unified' look to bring it more in line with their move away from the ill-fated brushed metal.[via digg]
How To: Add a new iCal event from Quicksilver
A while ago we covered Quicksilver plugins for Gmail and Google Calendar, allowing you to send an email or create a new event (respectively) right from within Quicksilver's interface. If you aren't a Google Calendar user though, Quicksilver also offers the same kind of plugin for iCal. Somehow I lost this in my bloggable bookmarks, but last month Tim Gaden at Hawk Wings broke down the syntax for adding an event to iCal with this plugin, and it's really pretty simple. When entering text, the event is written like so: name of event - date and time name of todo - date and time !!! name of todo - date and time (exclamation points add priority. Two for 'important,' three for 'where's the panic button?!') Tim's post says to type the date and time first, but I've found that this plugin also includes the date and time in the event/todo's title. However, it can still properly place the event if you simply swap the two pieces and type the name first, which allows you to keep more legible event names. Also, this plugin has the handy ability of specifying a calendar to add the new event/todo.Here's an example of how to make this work in Quicksilver if you're a little confused. Obviously, you need to install the iCal plugin if you don't have it, and you can get it from QS's plugin preference pane. Here's how this breaks down, and I have the steps pictured above: Invoke QS, press period to get a text entry pane, and type something like: "dinner and a movie - 9/30/06 6:00 pm" (sans quotes) Tab over to the second pane where you must specify you want to turn this text into an iCal event. I type 'ic' to find an iCal event, and 'ict' for a todo, but as always with QS, YMMV Tab over once more to have your choice of calendars, and press the right arrow key to get a drop down list of all your calendars, or simply start typing to find one of their names. Fortunately, since you've already chosen a specific action in the middle pane, only your calendars are listed in the third pane That's it; if you're an appointment and todo junkie, this should take a sizable bite out of your daily mousing. The one catch so far is that it doesn't seem possible to add reminders through this method, but if you find a way, feel free to share with the class.
iCal can publish through FTP after all
Well color us surprised: Mac OS X Hints just found out that iCal actually can publish calendars through FTP (not just WebDAV), opening the doors for many users to publish their calendars and integrate them into services like Google Calendar and the like. One simply needs to use ftp:// when using the Publish... command, and all should be well. While it should be noted this still doesn't enable full sharing and editing of calendars like SyncBridge, it should allow users with non-WebDAV enabled hosts to get their iCal publishing on.
43 Folders rounds up best iCal tips
Merlin Mann of 43 Folders may be "shaking [his] hammy fist in impotent rage at iCal's numerous shortcomings," but he's still a devout user and has rounded up some of the best iCal-related tips to come across 43F to prove it. A couple of the tips, of course, center around that GTD (Getting Things Done) working philosophy that's such a hit in the nerd circles of the internets these days, but a couple others offer simple tricks for naming events and organizing tasks in more useful and creative ways, sans-GTD. If you've been looking for a little extra oompf in your scheduling workflow but aren't quite down for the full-blown systems and apps that are available, these tips might open some productivity doors for you.
Why wait for Leopard? Share and edit your calendars now with SyncBridge
By now you're probably picking up on a new theme of 'Why Wait for Leopard?' If so, good eye. If not: you really need to read more TUAW. In either case, we've tracked down another Leopard-busting app in the form of SyncBridge, which brings all the features of syncing, sharing and editing iCal calendars to the table, without the wait for Leopard or price of .Mac (sidenote: I'm a .Mac member and fan, so don't be hatin').The SyncBridge software uses Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger's built-in SyncServices to share calendars over the SyncBridge servers, allowing others to subscribe to and edit calendars, sending changes up to the servers and syncing back to your own calendars. Users can even log into the site to see their calendars displayed, though it isn't possible to edit the calendars on the web; that has to be done through an iCal client. A tour is offered at the site, explaining each step of the process.SyncBridge is charged as a yearly subscription service at £25 / $46, which probably places it outside the range of the casual calendar editing/sharing enthusiast. Nevertheless, this is a viable alternative to waiting for Mac OS X Leopard to land next spring.
Groupcal 3: manage your Exchange calendar from iCal
Are you a Mac user living in an Exchange world, forced to trudge through Entourage? (Don't get me wrong: Entourage is fine, but 'trudge' is just a good verb for dramatic effect.) Well trudge no longer with Groupcal 3, an addon for iCal that allows you to access, manage, edit and synchronize your Exchange calendars and tasks. Also on the feature list are: subscribing to coworker's free time, sending/receiving meeting invites, sharing/publishing calendars through .Mac or WebDAV and even syncing with an iPod or Palm through iSync.Groupcal 3 is a Universal Binary, a demo is available and a single licenses costs $55. As you might expect, multi-license packs are available starting at 5 seats, moving all the way up to 500 and 1000 pack licenses. [via MacMerc]
iCalFix: automatically add reminders to iCal events
We've blogged iCalFix before, back when it was just a fledgling 0.1 release that didn't even have a GUI interface (you had to edit a pref file lying around in ~/Library). For those who don't remember: it's a simple iCal plugin that automatically adds a reminder to every event you create.In this latest 0.5 release, iCal has become a true-blue iCal plugin, with its own preference pane and everything (As you can see, Robert Blum, iCalFix's creator, is looking for an icon designer. Check his blog for contact details). Now it's possible to specify your own alarm time for new events, as well as which sound to use, right from within iCal's preferences.iCalFix is donationware and available from Robert Blum's site.[via Hawk Wings]
Delicious Library Gambler's Sale enters fourth and final week
You'd better get out those credit cards boys and girls, as the Delicious Monster Gambler's Sale has entered its fourth and final week. For those not familiar with this type of sale: Delicious Monster set aside a secret number of Delicious Library licenses and put the app on a four week sale. Each week, they drop the price by $5. Herein lies the catch: the sale ends when either four weeks are up, or the secret number of licenses is sold - whichever is first.This is the fourth and final week of the sale, and Delicious Library has hit $20. I just purchased my own copy, but only Delicious Monster knows how long you can keep waiting to taking advantage of a killer sale on a killer app.Thanks RP
A fix for the Procrastinatr damage
TUAW readers, please accept my deepest apologies again for this Procrastinatr fiasco. As it turns out, most of my iCal calendars are simply subscriptions to my Google Calendars, so I never saw any damage before posting this. Fortunately, however, a commenter on the Procrastinatr post by the name of ejk has put together an AppleScript that can reverse the damage. After creating my own set of local calendars with events and todos, and testing this four times, I am confident that it works. After the jump I have included the script in its entirety, as well as instructions for your inspection. I have also listed instructions for backing up your calendars as they are. If you just want a download, I have also posted a link to a script I compiled myself, after the jump.
Two ways to share iCal without .Mac
iCal is great. I love the elegant interface, integration with other applications, and most of all, I love how easy it is to publish and share my calenders though .Mac. Unfortunately, paying 60 bucks a year just so I can share my calenders is just not something I can justify. Lucky for cheapskates like myself, there are ways to publish calenders from iCal without paying Apple's exorbitant fees. Amazon recently launched their Jungle Disk online storage service, which offers a WebDAV server, similar to .Mac, at rock bottom prices. One can get 20GB of storage with 2GB of monthly transfer for $3.40 per month. Box.net offers 1GB of online storage with WebDAV for free. Publishing to any WebDAV server is just as simple as publishing to .Mac. Systems Boy has a great tutorial for how to do this on his blog. Alternately, if you already have web hosting, and don't feel like setting up a new account at Jungle Disk or Box.net, Scalp makes it possible to publish your calenders to any server with FTP, SSH, or SFTP.Via macosxrumors and Hawk Wings
Mark/Space announces Missing Sync for PSP
Mark/Space, purveyors of popular Missing Sync middle-man software that lets more than just iSync-friendly devices shake hands with your Mac, has just announced yet another version in their lineup: Missing Sync 1.0 for the PSP. In addition to all those games, movies and music files you're lugging around with Sony's hot little gaming machine, you can now synchronize Address Book, iCal events and tasks, notes (with their included Notebook app), WebSnacks™ (a website downloader that can include RSS feeds for offline viewing), iPhoto albums, iTunes playlists, game backups, and even track content across multiple memory sticks. To top it all off: Mark/Space even included a Universal Binary video encoder if all those other goodies are already boring you.If all of this has your PSP thumbs 'a tappin' and you're ready to download a demo, you might be disappointed by a Mark/Space tradition that's always irked me: as far as I can tell, no demo is available; you either have to take the plunge and drop the $29.95 for a license, or gaze at the product page from afar, never to open a Missing Sync for PSP .DMG file of your very own.
