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.

Synch Your Calendars...and More!

Google and Outlook calendars can be synched with relative ease using many applications, some free and others for a nominal cost.

The GoogleCalendarSynch application (free) does so very simply and eloquently. The application can be downloaded from here.

Another application (14 day trial) is called iCal4OL. It does the same as the above, but also synchronizes your contacts. Read about iCal4OL here.

I've used both, and while the former is free, the latter is much more powerful. Give them a try and decide for yourself which best fits your needs.

Happy computing!

Google Apps (Forms/Spreadsheets)

I've had purpose recently to create a spreadsheet and chose to forego software in lieu of a Google spreadsheet. The task itself was mundane, but what I discovered as I wrapped up the project and decided to "explore" was like a breath of fresh air!

What I discovered was that forms could be generated from Google spreadsheets. The respondents can choose from check boxes, multiple choice, drop-down menus, brief text-entry, or longer text-entry. The respondents' data is then imported into the spreadsheet.

The data can then be analyzed and represented graphically in the form of bar or pie graphs. Can you see where I'm going with this? Surveys, polls, assessments...the applications are endless.

I then thought of a way to create a form for administrator classroom walkthroughs using these capabilities. In this day and age of shrinking budgets, my end-product has the potential to save a significant amount of taxpayer's money! Amazing! Free! I'll be sure to pass along a portion of my bonus (he said tongue-in-cheek) to the fine folks at Google for the savings realized by this discovery and application.