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Online Calendaring / Alternatives to Google Calendar

Author	Message
Anders	Posted: May 17, 2009 Score: 0 Reference Anders Posted: May 17, 2009 Score: 0 Reference As any Google Calendar user already knows, while the service is very convenient, there are a number of serious flaws like the infrequency of updating for subscribed iCals, an issue discussed at some length in these forums: http://www.toodledo.com/forums/2/2036/0/td-plse-post-when-goog-pulls-ical-data-seems-like-1day.html http://www.toodledo.com/forums/2/175/0/google-calendar-sync-frequency.html I am finally getting fed up, and looking for alternatives. I am interested to know if any other Toodledoers can recommend any other calendar services (free is great, but good is more important). Personally, I am not hopeful of finding an ideal solution. The quality and features of the calendar are obviously significant, but connections are a major priority for me, and my top ones are syncing to my iPod (OTA because I don't use Outlook), sycing to my WM phone (again, OTA although via Thunderbird would work I think), syncing to Thunderbird/Lightning, and support of iCal Subscriptions like the Toodledo iCal. Mobile Me is interesting, and I would like to know if anyone (especially non-mac users) uses it, and would recommend it. So please respond, even if there is something you've heard about but haven't actually tried, I am just interested in gathering intel. Thanks for any leads. ~Anders This message was edited May 17, 2009.
Anders	Posted: May 17, 2009 Score: 0 Reference Anders Posted: May 17, 2009 Score: 0 Reference Quick update: I just set up a 30 boxes calendar, and it seems pretty nice, but like offline access will require export : ( Also giving yahoo calendar a try, but I can't imagine it's going to be better than google. This message was edited May 17, 2009.
Doubted Edwardo	Posted: May 18, 2009 Score: 0 Reference Doubted Edwardo Posted: May 18, 2009 Score: 0 Reference Being able to access Toodledo via SyncML would be a help with this. Your list could then be sync'd with an online SyncML server and there are clients which will sync with iPod's and, I think, WM's. Wikipedia has a good list of the currently available resources, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syncml I don't want to sound like I'm going on about this but I reckon SyncML would solve quite a few of syncing problems people are having.
Anders	Posted: May 18, 2009 Score: 0 Reference Anders Posted: May 18, 2009 Score: 0 Reference Nick, thanks for the tip. I had heard of SyncML, but really had no idea what it was until I looked at that Wikipedia article. It definitely would simplify synchronization between all my computers/devices. As I said, I have never used the standard, but this, listed under problem areas in the Wikipedia article, seems like it could potentially be troublesome: A fairly intricate and vague protocol specification...(source) I'm still interested to try it, and I believe I saw a feature request somewhere in the forums which I will dig up, and add my name to. This message was edited May 18, 2009.
Jake Toodledo Founder	Posted: May 18, 2009 Score: 0 Reference Jake (Founder) Posted: May 18, 2009 Score: 0 Reference We do plan to support SyncML in the future.
Anders	Posted: May 18, 2009 Score: 0 Reference Anders Posted: May 18, 2009 Score: 0 Reference Posted by Toodledo: We do plan to support SyncML in the future. That is fantastic. I think it will make syncing Toodledo much easier for many people. Just one example: I have not checked out any of the WM clients yet, but it could help the current situation with no Toodledo app for WM, and less than perfect WM browser support.
replytoken	Posted: Jun 02, 2009 Score: 0 Reference replytoken Posted: Jun 02, 2009 Score: 0 Reference Posted by Anders: Quick update: I just set up a 30 boxes calendar, and it seems pretty nice, but like offline access will require export : ( Also giving yahoo calendar a try, but I can't imagine it's going to be better than google. Anders, I re-read this post after posting about my issues with iCal and Google. I took a look at 30 Boxes, and one thing led to another, and the next thing I was looking at was an article about Yahoo Pipes and iCal feeds ( http://ouseful.wordpress.com/2008/12/06/merging-several-calendar-ical-feeds-with-yahoo-pipes/ ). I am wondering if this tool could provide any value in conjunction with Toodledo's iCal feed. Than again, I think that I need to re-examine Yahoo's calendar to see if it is any better than Google's with respect to an iPhone/iPod sync and working offline. Any thoughts? --Ken
Anders	Posted: Jun 02, 2009 Score: 0 Reference Anders Posted: Jun 02, 2009 Score: 0 Reference Yahoo Calendar has several shortcomings. One of them is that there is no direct sync to iPhone. If you use Outlook or Apple iCal, then you can sync to them, then to your iPhone. Thanks for the tip on Yahoo Pipes. I had not heard about that. ~Anders
replytoken	Posted: Jun 02, 2009 Score: 0 Reference replytoken Posted: Jun 02, 2009 Score: 0 Reference Posted by Anders: Yahoo Calendar has several shortcomings. One of them is that there is no direct sync to iPhone. If you use Outlook or Apple iCal, then you can sync to them, then to your iPhone. Thanks for the tip on Yahoo Pipes. I had not heard about that. ~Anders Thank you for the reminder about Yahoo Calendar. I tried it several months ago, but could not remember why it did not work. Take a look at Pipes and let us know if you think it could play a part in this search for the "Holy Grail". --Ken
frapilu	Posted: Jun 11, 2009 Score: 0 Reference frapilu Posted: Jun 11, 2009 Score: 0 Reference I use Mobile Me, basically because I have no other choice that I could figure out (I don't use Outlook and Yahoo doesn't synch with my iPod Touch). I HATE Mobile Me but that's because it absolutely requires that you use Safari. I use a Windows-based PC and Safari doesn't seem to work very well with my PC. when I'm in Mobile Me, my screen often flashes and I lose whatever data I just entered. Often it loses the connection and tells me I'll have to retry. Entering data is very cumbersome. But again, I have no choice so I keep hoping something better will come up. Also, at work we use Windows-based PC's and our PC's are locked down so I'm not allowed to download and install Safari. Since Mobile Me doesn't work at all on a Windows platform, I have to just rely on my iPod Touch for calendar stuff. I'm soooooooo looking forward to next week's software upgrade where we'll be able to cut, copy & paste!!! France
Anders	Posted: Jun 11, 2009 Score: 0 Reference Anders Posted: Jun 11, 2009 Score: 0 Reference Posted by frapilu: I use Mobile Me, basically because I have no other choice that I could figure out (I don't use Outlook and Yahoo doesn't synch with my iPod Touch). Why not use Google Calendar? It is not perfect, but MobileMe sounds absolutely terribly by your account. I HATE Mobile Me but that's because it absolutely requires that you use Safari. ... Since Mobile Me doesn't work at all on a Windows platform, I have to just rely on my iPod Touch for calendar stuff. Thank you for the information. That is kind of what I though, only worse. I mean ,safari, that's the RC Cola of browsers. No way. Google, while sometimes frustrating, is way better than that. ~Anders
frapilu	Posted: Jun 29, 2009 Score: 0 Reference frapilu Posted: Jun 29, 2009 Score: 0 Reference I'll check out Google calendar ... it does synch to iPod Touch, doesn't it? I'm hoping it also has contacts. I really want to leave Mobile Me! BTW, is Google calendar though Gmail on my iPod Touch? Thanks France This message was edited Jun 29, 2009.
Anders	Posted: Jun 30, 2009 Score: 0 Reference Anders Posted: Jun 30, 2009 Score: 0 Reference Posted by frapilu: I'll check out Google calendar ... it does synch to iPod Touch, doesn't it? I'm hoping it also has contacts. I really want to leave Mobile Me! Google Sync for iPhone can sync (with push!) your Google Calendar and Google Contacts. Here is the page: http://www.google.com/mobile/apple/sync.html
jpropper	Posted: Jul 17, 2009 Score: 0 Reference jpropper Posted: Jul 17, 2009 Score: 0 Reference I loved RC Cola. But I also like generic store brands
Anders	Posted: Jul 17, 2009 Score: 0 Reference Anders Posted: Jul 17, 2009 Score: 0 Reference RC Cola was the answer to a trivia question I missed the other night. Did you know it was the first soft drink sold in aluminum cans?
Claudio	Posted: Jul 17, 2009 Score: 0 Reference Claudio Posted: Jul 17, 2009 Score: 0 Reference I sync my iPhone Calendar with Google Calendar using Google Sync (and it works great), but I bought Sync In A Blink http://www.syncinablink.com/SyncInABlink.aspx to sync my Contacts. Sync In A Blink does two things that Google Sync does not: 1. It syncs Contact Groups 2. It tells me which records have been added and updated on the iPhone and in Google Contacts. Also, it allows me to add and modify Contact groups on the iPhone. This message was edited Jul 17, 2009.
Anders	Posted: Jul 17, 2009 Score: 0 Reference Anders Posted: Jul 17, 2009 Score: 0 Reference Thanks for the tip Claudio. I'm not sure those extras are worth the 5 bucks to me, but they say they are going to add support for hotmail and yahoo contacts. I would definitely buy it then.
cybe	Posted: Sep 24, 2009 Score: 0 Reference cybe Posted: Sep 24, 2009 Score: 0 Reference Not quite an alternative, but I use Goosync to keep my phone and Google calendars synced. I have a love-hate relationship with Goosync. It's great for keeping my phone (Windows Mobile) synced with a single Google account (plus contacts). Their customer service, responsiveness, and occasional downtime are annoying. It's allowed me to get Outlook mostly out of my life, so that's good. I suspect Google Sync will improve faster than Goosync over time, but I hope I'm wrong - I prefer Goosync in many cases to Google. Also I like feeding the beast as little information as possible. As a coworker put it today: Microsoft took 30 years to become evil. Google did it in less than ten! (insert lawyer-defending smiley)
Anders	Posted: Sep 24, 2009 Score: 0 Reference Anders Posted: Sep 24, 2009 Score: 0 Reference I have basically given up on looking for an alternative. Despite its many problems, there is nothing out there as good (at least for satisfying my needs) as Google Calendar. I am still open to new options, but there doesn't seem to be anything out there right now. As for sync solutions, I use Google Sync for iPhone, and it is fantastic. They just added push mail, so your gmail is pushed to the device along with contacts and calendars. Unfortunately, Google Sync for Windows Mobile is quite poor. I tried out a couple of other sync options, and settled on NuevaSync. It is pretty darn good (even the free version), and might be worth checking out as an alternative to Goosync if you are not happy with that service.
Vin Thomas	Posted: Sep 24, 2009 Score: 0 Reference Vin Thomas Posted: Sep 24, 2009 Score: 0 Reference Posted by cybe: Not quite an alternative, but I use Goosync to keep my phone and Google calendars synced. I have a love-hate relationship with Goosync. It's great for keeping my phone (Windows Mobile) synced with a single Google account (plus contacts). Their customer service, responsiveness, and occasional downtime are annoying. It's allowed me to get Outlook mostly out of my life, so that's good. I suspect Google Sync will improve faster than Goosync over time, but I hope I'm wrong - I prefer Goosync in many cases to Google. Also I like feeding the beast as little information as possible. As a coworker put it today: Microsoft took 30 years to become evil. Google did it in less than ten! (insert lawyer-defending smiley) Google now has a Calendar/Contacts/Email sync via Active Sync now. You shouldn't have to use any 3rd party software. Plus they just added push support for email.