Spanning Sync
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Sync Services change in 10.7.4 disables BusySync, Spanning Sync
For many years, Sync Services has provided the backbone for synchronization of other devices to Macs running OS X. A change that was part of OS X 10.7.4 has apparently stopped iCal from pushing changes to Sync Services, breaking some very popular synchronization applications -- BusySync and Spanning Sync. The Spanning Sync official blog notes that: This bug also affects other sync apps including BusySync and Blackberry Sync. It's unclear whether Apple intends to fix this bug. Larry, Byron, and I don't want anyone paying for something that doesn't work, so we've decided to take the drastic step of temporarily suspending Spanning Sync sales. Over at the BusySync Google Group, the team notes that "any changes made in iCal will not be synced to BusySync. However, changes made on Google or other computers on your LAN that you are syncing with, will be synced to iCal through BusySync. So, the communication is one way -- BusySync can push information to iCal, but iCal won't push anything back." BusyMac, the folks who develop and market BusySync, have some solutions -- upgrading to BusyCal, their product that replaces iCal and BusySync; stop using BusySync and just have iCal sync directly to Google calendar (iCal > Preferences > Accounts); or go through a workaround described here that takes advantage of iCal syncing through iTunes. Regardless of the reason behind the changes in 10.7.4, John Chaffee at BusyMac notes that "... Sync Services is deprecated in Mountain Lion, so this may just be a hint of things to come. Everything is moving to the cloud." In other words, don't expect the old way of syncing to work going into the future. [Thanks to Danny Greer for the tip!]
Sync your address book to Google and back it up
Former TUAW-writer (but forever in our hearts) David Chartier tried using OS X's built-in Address Book sync to Google Contacts and had a very bad experience which ended with him turning it off almost immediately. I had a similar-but-different bad experience. In my case, OS X seemed to simply stop syncing to Google altogether, despite the fact that the setting was still enabled. Some of the difficulty is due to the fact that Google has differences and limitations on contact information compared to OS X, which complicated syncing. I have also not been able to find any reliable way to tell when the last sync took place (it's supposed to happen every hour on 10.6), and no way to manually trigger a sync on demand. Fortunately there's a better solution: SpanningSync. SpanningSync will sync iCal to Google Calendar and your Address Book to Google Contacts. Even better, it has a setting that I adore (shown above), called "Never Change Address Book." This tells SpanningSync to upload changes that I make on my Mac to Google, but don't sync anything back from Google. No, this isn't "true sync" but it suits my purposes fine. If I want to add contact information, I always do it on my Mac or iPhone, not on Google. The only reason I want my contact information on Google is to use with Google Voice. If you prefer to make all of your changes on Google, you can make it a "one-way sync" that way, or make it a two-way sync. Read on for more suggestions...
Ask TUAW: Syncing iCal, Mouse Keys, encrypted flash drives and more
This time in Ask TUAW we're tackling questions about syncing iCal between two Macs, using an encrypted flash drive in a cross-platform environment, changing default applications, using the keyboard instead of the mouse, and more.As always, your suggestions are welcome. Questions for next week should be left in the comments. When asking a question please include which machine you're running and which version of Mac OS X (we'll assume you're running Leopard on an Intel Mac if you don't specify). And now, on to the questions!
MobileMe renewal: Yes or no?
Earlier this week, I noticed that the calendars on my Mac and my iPhone weren't in sync. "More MobileMe nonsense," I thought. However, I soon found the culprit, and it wasn't MobileMe acting wonky. My account had expired, and I was within the 15 day grace period.I saw the "Renew" button and reached for my wallet like a well-trained Pavlov iDog. Then something stopped me. "Do I really want to do this?" There are so many alternatives that offer nearly the same services. Calling upon my days as a used car salesman (true story), I pulled out a piece of paper and drew a vertical line down the center, labeling one side "Pros" and the other "Cons." Then, I got to work.ProsFirst of all, I should outline what I use MobileMe for. An email account, address book, calendar sync between my Mac and iPhone and iDisk storage. I don't use the photo galleries, though my kids' grandparents wish I did, or the web apps. With that in mind, here are the pros.Everything is built in. There's nothing to download, install or configure. iCal, Address Book, Mail (OK, I have to set up an account. Nit-pickers) and iDisk are ready to go from the start. My iDisk is accessible from the Finder, and things like MobileMe Galleries just work. Sounds like an easy choice, eh? Keep reading.ConsHonestly, it doesn't always "just work." The synchronization has been flaky in the past, and push notifications have been pokey. Granted, it's light-years beyond where it was after launch, but I don't really trust it 100%.It's a bit pricey. The standard fee is $99US/year. I've got one additional email address for my wife, so tack on another ten bucks. Before you fly into an iRage, know that I realize that one hundred bucks for push email, contacts and calendar, 10GB online storage, web hosting and so on is not a bad deal. It's just that there are less expensive alternatives.With Gmail, I can have email, address book and calendar for free. With Spanning Sync, [TUAW Spanning Sync posts here] I can sync Google Calendar and iCal in both directions for $25 per year or $65 as a one-time fee. And I can easily set up my iPhone to send and receive Gmail.Let's look at the available-anywhere online storage. Here at the TUAW offices, we're big fans of Dropbox [TUAW Dropbox posts here]. Once installed, it's super easy to use. A menu bar item and a Finder window item make access a snap. Additionally, sharing files and folders is just as simple.The first 2GB of storage are free. After that, you'll pay $9.99US/month or $99US/year for 50GB of storage. So why not just switch? It's not that easy. My MobileMe email address is in heavy use. Not only among my contacts, but across many places online. Switching would be a hassle. I'm also held back by the "What If Factor."There's a part of me, deep inside my cynical, self-deprecating heart that's convinced that the very day I cancel my subscription, Apple will release the MobileMe update of my dreams. It's the same certainty that prevents me from buying a DVD player or a Blu-ray player as I watch my VHS tapes.For now, I've got 14 days to decide. I'll let you know what I chose in a future post.
SyncMan handles Address Book to Gmail syncing
SyncMan is a simple application for syncing your Mac's Address Book with your Gmail contacts, a feature long desired by Gmail and Google Calendar users who may have other sync tools already in place. While we have noted that a similar feature is forthcoming in the more broad-based iCal syncing tool Spanning Sync 2, SyncMan concentrates just on contacts and is available now.SyncMan is €9.95 (~$15.32) and a demo is available.[via Macintouch / Daring Fireball]
Spanning Sync for iCal and Google Calendar goes 1.0, announces pricing
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
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
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
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.]
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.
