This is the fifth in a series of screencasts highlighting the unique features in BusyCal. This screencast demonstrates the customizable views in BusyCal, including:
The BusyCal public beta will be available in July. If you'd like to be notified when it is available, you can sign up here:
http://www.busymac.com/betaThis is the fourth in a series of screencasts highlighting the unique features in BusyCal. This screencast demonstrates how to manage To Dos in BusyCal, including:
The BusyCal public beta will be available in July. If you'd like to be notified when it is available, you can sign up here:
http://www.busymac.com/betaThis is the third in a series of screencasts highlighting the unique features in BusyCal. This screencast demonstrates how to view the following information in your calendar:
The BusyCal public beta will be available in July. If you'd like to be notified when it is available, you can sign up here:
http://www.busymac.com/betaAs we approach the public beta release of BusyCal this July, we'll be posting a series of screencasts that highlight BusyCal's unique features. This screencast focuses on syncing BusyCal with Google Calendar and demonstrates how BusyCal users can:
If you'd like to be notified when the public beta is available, you can sign up here:
http://www.busymac.com/betaCheck it out and let us know what you think!
As we approach the public beta release of BusyCal this July, we'll be posting a series of screencasts that highlight BusyCal's unique features. This first screencast focuses on sharing calendars over a LAN and demonstrates how BusyCal users can:
If you look closely you'll notice a few other unique features like weather forecasts, moon phases, holidays, and resizable banners. We'll cover those features and many more in future screencasts.
If you'd like to be notified when the public beta is available, you can sign up here:
http://www.busymac.com/betaCheck it out and let us know what you think!
BusySync 2.2 has been released. Here's what's new:
Existing users can install the upgrade by opening the BusySync prefpane and clicking the Check Now button. New users can download it here:
Google recently introduced Google Sync for iPhone, which allows you to sync Google Calendar with your iPhone wirelessly. Combined with BusySync, you can keep iCal, Google Calendar and your iPhone in sync wirelessly, without having to invest in MobileMe. And unlike the limitations in MobileMe, you can sync WebDAV calendars to your iPhone (like Holidays) as well as the Birthdays calendar, with BusySync and Google Sync for iPhone.
Following are step-by-step instructions for setting it up.
Configure BusySync to sync iCal and Google Calendar
In this example, there are four calendars in iCal: Home, Seattle Xcoders, US Holidays, and Birthdays. And there is one calendar on Google: john@google.com.
Three of the calendars in iCal appear under the SUBSCRIPTIONS heading. These calendars will not sync to the iPhone when using MobileMe, but they will sync to the iPhone when using BusySync and Google Sync for iPhone.
Next, open the BusySync prefpane and select the calendars in iCal you'd like to publish to Google, and the calendars on Google you'd like to subscribe to in iCal. Whether you are publishing or subscribing, the calendars will sync in both directions and the calendar events can be edited in both iCal and Google.
After selecting the calendars you wish to sync with BusySync, the calendars you subscribed to on Google will appear in iCal, and the calendars you are publishing from iCal will appear on Google.
You can now create and edit events on these calendars in iCal and Google and BusySync will keep them in sync.
Configure Google Sync for iPhone
Now that you've got iCal and Google syncing, the next step is to get your iPhone syncing with Google. Here are the instructions from Google's Mobile Help page.
You've set up Google Sync for your iPhone. Synchronization will begin automatically if you have Push enabled on your phone. You can also open the Calendar app and wait a few seconds to start a sync.
By default, Google will only sync your primary Google Calendar with your iPhone. If you want to sync more than one calendar, there is an additional step:
Open the Safari browser on your iPhone and go to http://m.google.com/sync. Sign in with your account and select the calendars you want to sync with your iPhone. Once you've selected the calendars you want to sync, they will appear on the iPhone on your next sync.
You can now add and edit calendar events on your iPhone and they will sync to Google wirelessly, and from there they will sync to iCal via BusySync!
Limitations
Unfortunately, there are some limitations:
Note: If you're using Google Apps, you will need to enable ActiveSync for your Google Apps account before you can use Google Mobile Sync.
Summary
Comparing Google Sync for iPhone to MobileMe is not an apples-to-apples comparison, given all the added features that MobileMe provides. But if your primary interest is in syncing calendars between your iPhone and Google Calendar, you don't need to sync more than five calendars, and alarm syncing is not a requirement, then Google Sync for iPhone is a great alternative.
Chuck Joiner from MacVoices stopped by the BusyMac booth at Macworld Expo and video taped John Chaffee giving a demo of BusyCal. Take a look if you'd like to see BusyCal in action!
BusyCal is our new desktop application that combines the functionality of iCal with the calendar sharing and syncing capabilities of BusySync — into one integrated application.
We're working hard on BusyCal and plan to release it later this spring. If you'd like to test the public beta when it's ready, you can sign up here: http://www.busymac.com/beta
Last week we exhibited at Macworld Expo. It was our second year at the show. Last year when we exhibited, BusySync 2.0 won Macworld Best of Show.
This year we announced BusyCal, an iCal replacement with built-in BusySync technology for syncing calendars over the LAN and with Google Calendar.
It was exciting to show BusyCal in public for the first time -- and people loved it!
MacSparky awarded it Best in Show for Most Promising New App and several Mac luminaries (John Gruber, John Moltz, Paul Kafasis, Dan Frakes, and Rob Griffiths) spoke favorably about it on Macworld Podcasts Episode #143, and Episode #150.
There was plenty of floor traffic and we spoke with a ton of customers and soon-to-be customers. We had four computers in the booth -- two running BusySync and two running BusyCal -- and showed how you could keep all of them in sync in real time over the LAN and with Google Calendar. It was cool!
