BusyBlog

BusySync 2.0 -- It Shipped!

BusySync 2.0 has shipped! BusySync 2.0 allows you to sync iCal with Google Calendar, in addition to syncing iCal calendars with others on your LAN.

This is a free upgrade for all existing customers. In addition to the new Google Calendar syncing features, many bugs have been fixed and all users are strongly encouraged to upgrade. Here is what's new in 2.0:

• Ability to sync iCal with Google Calendar, including the ability to map iCal Message alarms to Google pop-up, SMS or Email alarms.
• Option to filter out Alarms and To-Dos from subscribed calendars on your LAN
• LAN/WAN synching improvements, VPN compatibility, IPv6 and Back to My Mac compatibility
• Improved performance
• Fewer Conflict Resolver disputes
• Auto-repair of damaged iCal databases
• Improved error logging
• BusySync 2.0 is backwards compatible with other BusySync 1.5 users on your network

Existing users can install the upgrade by opening the BusySync prefpane and clicking the Check Now button. New users can download it here:

http://www.busymac.com/download

Buy Now and save 20%
For a limited time, BusySync 2.0 is available at an introductory price of $19.95 per computer. This offer is good until April 30, 2008. After that, BusySync 2.0 will cost $25.

Buy Now

BusySync 2.0b9

BusySync 2.0b9 has been released. This is the last Public Beta. The next release will be the final 2.0 version. Fixes in this version:

• Fixed bug that could occur when interrupting a full sync
• Fixed bug involving meetings that get duplicated after resetting sync history
• Fixed bug involving Back to My Mac IPv6 connection errors
• Fixed bug involving Google Captcha dialog that is displayed when wrong email address is entered
• Improved error/status messages and logging
• Miscellaneous UI improvements

You can install it by opening the BusySync prefpane, selecting the General tab, and clicking the Check Now button. Or download it here:

http://www.busymac.com/download

BusySync 2.0b8

BusySync 2.0b8 has been released, the latest public beta with support for iCal to Google Calendar synchronization. Here's what's new:

• Attendees are no longer synced from iCal to Google. This will prevent Google from creating duplicate shadow events on the Google primary calendar to block your free/busy time. It will also stop Google from sending out email reminders to all attendees 24-hours before an event.
• Message Alarms in iCal can be mapped to either a pop-up, SMS or Email alarm in Google. See Google Settings for more info.
• When subscribing to a calendar via Bonjour, you can remove Alarms and/or To-Dos. See Subscribe Options for more info.
• When meetings (events with attendees) are published via Bonjour, the calendar name is appended to the title in brackets (e.g. "Lunch Meeting [Company Calendar]") to appease the Conflict Resolver. See Scheduling Meetings for more info.
• Fixed various Google syncing bugs.
• Fixed Floating time bugs.

You can install it by opening the BusySync prefpane, selecting the General tab, and clicking the Check Now button. Or download it here:

http://www.busymac.com/download

Buy Now and save 20%
A reminder to anyone who has been considering purchasing: BusySync 2.0 will cost $25 per computer when the final version is released. You can save $5 off the purchase price of BusySync 2.0 if you purchase it now for $19.95. All registered users of BusySync 1.5 will receive a free upgrade to BusySync 2.0.

BusySync 2.0b7

BusySync 2.0b7 has been released, the latest public beta with support for iCal to Google Calendar synchronization. Here's what's new:

• Calendar colors can now be changed independently between iCal and Google
• Calendar names can be renamed in iCal or Google to be different than the source
• BusySync will now allow you to delete meetings when you are not the Organizer
• Recurrence exceptions are stored in the same fashion as iCal to appease the Conflict Resolver
• Fixed bug that caused edits to be lost on Tiger if you moved an event to a different calendar
• Fixed bug where events were deleted if you moved them to a different calendar, then deleted the source calendar
• Lengthened retry interval for Wide-Area Bonjour failures (Back to My Mac)
• Various Google syncing improvements
• Crash Reports are now captured properly on Leopard
• Fixed rare crash involving NSURLConnection
• Improved error logging

You can install it by opening the BusySync prefpane, selecting the General tab, and clicking the Check Now button. Or download it here:

http://www.busymac.com/download/index.html

BusySync 2.0b7 has been released, the latest public beta with support for iCal to Google Calendar synchronization. Here's what's new:

• Calendar colors can now be changed independently between iCal and Google
• Calendar names can be renamed in iCal or Google to be different than the source
• BusySync will now allow you to delete meetings when you are not the Organizer
• Recurrence exceptions are stored in the same fashion as iCal to appease the Conflict Resolver
• Fixed bug that caused edits to be lost on Tiger if you moved an event to a different calendar
• Fixed bug where events were deleted if you moved them to a different calendar, then deleted the source calendar
• Lengthened retry interval for Wide-Area Bonjour failures (Back to My Mac)
• Various Google syncing improvements
• Crash Reports are now captured properly on Leopard
• Fixed rare crash involving NSURLConnection
• Improved error logging

You can install it by opening the BusySync prefpane, selecting the General tab, and clicking the Check Now button. Or download it here:

http://www.busymac.com/download/index.html

BusySync 10k Report

Today we sold our 10,000th copy of BusySync! It's been a crazy ride during the last five months:

• Released BusySync 1.0 on October 21, 2007, with support for syncing iCal calendars over your LAN.
• Released BusySync 1.5 on December 29, 2007, with support for syncing iCal calendars over the internet (WAN).
• Announced BusySync 2.0 at Macworld Expo on January 14th, 2008, with support for syncing iCal with Google Calendar.

BusySync 2.0 Public Beta
BusySync 2.0 has been in public beta for about 5 weeks now and we expect to release the final version at the end of March. The response has been very positive and we're pleased with the stability and performance of the public beta.

Buy Now and save 20%
A reminder to anyone who has been considering purchasing: BusySync 2.0 will cost $25 per computer when the final version is released. You can save $5 off the purchase price of BusySync 2.0 if you purchase it now for $19.95. All registered users of BusySync 1.5 will receive a free upgrade to BusySync 2.0.

BusySync 2.0b6

BusySync 2.0b6 has been released, the latest public beta with support for iCal to Google Calendar synchronization. We are nearing the end of the public beta and plan to release the final version at the end of March.

Here's what's new:

• Improved recovery from Google quota errors
• Fixed bug that could cause Bonjour syncing to fail if Back to My Mac was enabled
• Fixed bug when syncing events to Google that are over 1000 years old
• BusySync will auto-repair events that contain duplicate alarms
• Added a Reset Sync History button to Reset tab
• Improved error logging

You can install it by opening the BusySync prefpane, selecting the General tab, and clicking the Check Now button. Or download it here:

http://www.busymac.com/download/index.html

BusySync 2.0 Public Beta

The BusySync 2.0 Public Beta is available now!

This announcement is long overdue. The first public beta was released three weeks ago, but we wanted to make sure it was stable before announcing it here.

Key Features of Google Calendar synchronization in BusySync 2.0:

• View and edit calendars online -- Calendar events can be created/edited in both iCal and Google Calendar and automatically synchronized between the two.
• Sync calendars between home and work -- Users can sync their home and office computers through Google Calendar (as an alternative to .Mac).
• Share calendars remotely -- Users in remote locations can share calendars with each other by syncing with Google Calendar, even while traveling.

You'll find detailed information on how to sync iCal with Google Calendar in the BusySync User's Guide.

Buy Now and save $5
BusySync 2.0 will cost $24.95 per computer when the final version is released in late March. You can save $5 off the purchase price of BusySync 2.0 if you purchase it now for $19.95. All registered users of BusySync 1.5 will receive a free upgrade to BusySync 2.0.

BusySync: 5,000 users in 100 days

Yesterday we sold our 5,000th copy of BusySync! It took exactly 100 days from the launch of BusySync 1.0 to reach this milestone. Wow, are we surprised and thrilled!

Sales have really taken off since Macworld Expo earlier this month where we announced and demonstrated BusySync 2.0, which allows you to sync iCal with Google Calendar. BusySync 2.0 will be in public beta "real soon" and we expect to release the final version in late February.

You can learn more and sign up for the public beta here: http://www.busymac.com/busysync2.html.

BusySync wins Macworld Best of Show Award!

BusyMac exhibited at Macworld Expo last week where we announced and demonstrated BusySync 2.0. The show was a huge success and far exceeded our expectations. Much to our surprise, Macworld Magazine selected BusySync as a winner of its 2008 Macworld Best of Show Award!

We were one of many developers exhibiting in the developer pavilion next to Apple's booth. The location was excellent, the show was well attended, and the time passed by quickly as we gave non-stop demos.

It was wonderful to meet with so many existing and prospective customers and to receive such unanimous praise and appreciation. Apparently, there are a lot of people with the need to share calendars that have been searching for a solution like BusySync.

Dave and John at Macworld (photo courtesy MacRumors)

And, it was an excellent opportunity to meet with members of the press and demonstrate the product to them. Here's a sampling of the press coverage we received as a result:

• ars technica
• Macintosh News Network
• MacRumors
• MacUser
• Macworld
• Seattle Times
• The Unofficial Apple Weblog

BusySync is fun to demo. We showed how you can add an event on one Mac and it would show up within seconds on the other Mac via Bonjour. Everyone who saw it immediately understood how they could benefit from it. And the new Google Calendar syncing feature in BusySync 2.0 that we were demonstrating for the first time was a huge hit. We now have tons of people anxiously awaiting the public beta release due out at the end of this month.

On that note, we'd better get back to work so we don't keep you waiting much longer for the public beta...

BusyMac announces BusySync 2.0: Sync iCal with Google Calendar

Macworld Expo, San Francisco, CA - January 14, 2008 - BusyMac today announced BusySync 2.0, a free upgrade to its calendar sharing utility for iCal. In addition to its existing ability to sync iCal calendars over a LAN or the internet, BusySync 2.0 now enables users to synchronize iCal with Google Calendar, providing web based access to calendars from anywhere.

BusySync is a Mac OS X System Preference Pane that adds peer-to-peer calendar sharing and synchronization capabilities to iCal. Designed for families and small workgroups, BusySync allows users to easily and cost-effectively share iCal calendars on a local area network and over the internet without the need for a dedicated server. Shared calendars can be viewed and edited by multiple users and changes are instantly synchronized between users. And now, with BusySync 2.0, users can perform bidirectional synchronization between iCal and Google Calendar.

Key Features of Google Calendar synchronization in BusySync 2.0:

• View and edit calendars online -- Calendar events can be created/edited in both iCal and Google Calendar and automatically synchronized between the two.
• Sync calendars between home and work -- Users can sync their home and office computers with Google Calendar (as an alternative to syncing calendars with .Mac).
• Share calendars remotely -- Users in remote locations can share calendars with each other by syncing with Google Calendar, even while traveling.

Pricing and Availability
BusySync 2.0 will be released in February 2008 for $24.95 per computer. BusyMac will demonstrate BusySync 2.0 at Macworld Expo (booth #S1338), January 15-18, 2008. A public beta will soon be available at http://www.busymac.com/busysync2.html. BusySync 1.5 is currently available for $19.95 per computer. Registered users of BusySync 1.5 will receive a free upgrade to BusySync 2.0 when it is released.

System Requirements

• Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger) or
• Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)

Supported Languages
English, French, German, Japanese

About BusyMac
Based in Seattle, Washington, BusyMac is a privately-held company founded in 2007 by Dave Riggle and John Chaffee. Dave and John have a long history of developing great software together, dating back to the early 90's when they created Now Up-to-Date, a revolutionary network calendar for Mac OS 7.