Keepin' It All Together!!!

Progress......transitioning from Palm-based PIMs to the Android smart phone (Sprint "Moment") is really going to simplify things for school administrators!

Textbooks can be ordered from the smartphone using Google Forms.

Classroom walkthroughs can be conducted on the smartphone using Google Forms.

With the purchase of a product called "Sync2", get this:

1. A contact or an event is entered into Microsoft Outlook.  
2. Sync2 then uploads that information to one's Gmail account (calendar and contacts, respectively).
3. The smartphone will then wirelessly synchronize data from the Google account (and vice-versa)

Got that?   Sync2 = Information into Outlook>>>Google Calendar/Contacts>>>Smartphone.

Two more freebies to experiment with that will help keep your busy schedule in order:

• "Remember the Milk" (mine exists as a widget on my iGoogle web page)
• "COL Reminder" -  a free app from the Android Market that resides on my smartphone.

 Life is good!.

Synchronizing Outlook and Google Calendars & Contacts

How Can I Sync/Copy Data From Outlook to Google Apps (Calendar and Contacts)?

As we transition from a Palm-based “Centro” to the Android-based “Moment”, the question above has been asked of me many times.

I’ve experimented with 3 different programs (there are more) and feel that my recommendation to help you accomplish the above task is best served by a program called “Sync2”.  It can be downloaded from http://www.sync2.com/default.asp

Sync2 is a trialware program, good for 14 days following installation.  However, its value is found in the following attributes:

1. It does what it says it will do, and does it well.
2. It can be configured to simultaneously auto-synchronize between multiple devices
    (i.e. a desktop PC at work, a laptop, and your new Android-based smartphone).
3. It is fairly easy to operate.

This assumes that you have a Google/Gmail account. I suggest that the WebTop version of Google Calendar be left out of the equation; that you create your own, personal Gmail/Google account. Outlook and the WebTop Google Calendar don’t seem to communicate well with each other, thus my reason for suggesting that you create your own Google account.

Initially, it may take awhile using “Sync2” to sync Outlook’s calendar and contacts with Google’s calendar and contacts.  Subsequent synchronizations (should you decide to purchase the program) will not take as long as the initial synchronizations.

Using the trial version of Sync2, even though it will expire in 14 days from installation, will take care of the lion’s share of synchronizing, saving you a considerable amount of time.

Your new phone can be set to automatically synchronize with Google’s calendar and contacts, so if you decide to stop using Outlook, then there’s no need to purchase Sync2 after the initial synchronizations have been performed.

As of this writing I haven’t yet found a free, reliable, and accurate program that synchronizes both contacts and calendars other than “Sync2” with its 14 day trial.

There exists  a free program that’s supposed to synchronize Google’s Calendar with Outlook’s Calendar.  It’s produced by Google. I’ve had limited success using it.  On one individual’s PC, it synchronized the calendars flawlessly.  When tried on my computer, it rendered the operating system unusable. I had to reformat the hard drive. I can’t, with any degree of confidence, recommend the application.

Should you elect to try a “free” solution to synchronize calendars, try “Google Calendar Sync”.  See information at http://blogoscoped.com/archive/2008-03-06-n27.html

Should you elect to try a “free” solution to synchronize contacts, try “GO Contact Sync” at
http://sourceforge.net/projects/gocontactsync

If I can be of help, please let me know.

Pet Peeves

We all have pet peeves. Some of us aren't as good as others at repressing "triggers" that elicit an emotional response.Here are a few of mine. Feel free to comment with your own,

1. receiving emails with no subject - Why are concise, descriptive email subject lines so crucial? I don't know about you, but an email subject header informs me of the focal point before I open the message.
2. Cross-communication: It's probably happened to you before. You place a phone call and leave a message. The recipient responds immediately, but their response is made using email. It's days before you discover the individual's reply because you didn't check your email. By then potential opportunity has expired. If a conveyance takes the form of an email, respond using email. If initiated by phone, follow up by phone unless the sender asks for a response in another fashion,
3. You call someone and leave them a voicemail.  They call back and say something like this: "I saw where you called. What was it you wanted to tell me?"  Considering the elapsed time between calls they may or may not have received your message. Some services are faster than others at sending messages to your voicemail. If sufficient time for the message to transmit has elapsed and the recipient asks what was in the voicemail, It makes me want to shout (throw your hands up and...) Just check your voicemail! Nothing is more satisfying than to leave a voicemail, only to be asked to repeat it. Like I have all the time in the world for that kind of duplicity!
4. How about the email from one who is experiencing difficulties and needs some HELP!!!? If it's that urgent and they're extremely upset because I didn't immediately reply to their message, they should try using a more suitable mode of communication, like a phone call or personal visit.
5. Multiple Phone Tag - It's played like this: You call a person from a cell phone that goes to the recipient's voicemail. They return the call to a different cellular number than you indicated. Why does this happen? Is it because they don't know how to write down a number, or is it because they'd rather use speed dial and it's linked to a different number?
6. how about folks who fail to employ any use of capitalization punctuation or other writing mechanics such as greeting body closing (New sentence follows) I've heard it said that those who write in that manner just might be highly intellectual. That may be so, but could it also be that such a person is lazy and is capitalizing on that premise of intellectualism?Learn how to write! Using email doesn't extend the privilege to abandon good writing skills. In fact, the very "faceless" nature of email should make one write more clearly; to format words (bold, italic, underline, text size, font, and color) to add substance to what the written word in all of its nakedness fails to convey.
   
7. One last gripe (although there are more) has to do with folks leaving messages on voicemails. Did you know that there exist multiple voices, each to be used according to circumstances? The same exists for the written word. The "voicemail voice" speaks at about 175 words per minute. The voicemail voice runs sentences together so rapidly that the message has to be played three or four times before one can write all of the pertinent information. The really poor voicemail mentions the contact's phone number at the outset so that by the time you've reached the end of the recording, it needs to be replayed in  order to jot down the number (A hint follows.)
8. Why not speak in a conversational tone, at a normal speed? Oh, and make the phone number be the last detail you mention.

Children (and many adults!) must be taught which mode of communication to employ in a given situation. Communications should be delivered based upon immediacy. Teach individuals the various forms of communication and response. As the song says, "Teach your children well..."