iPod Fans

Almost immediately when I got my Google account, I started using Google Calendar to keep my life organized. Its greatest strength was that I was able to consult my calendar anywhere I had an Internet connection. And because Apple uses standards (as opposed to some other companies),  I had no problem syncing gCal with iCal, though only one way. No problem so far, I'd just use my Internet browser to update.

Then I bought my iPod Touch (which I absolutely love) and while I could sync my calendars, it now became more problematic that they were read-only and that I was unable to add or change any information. In comes Spanning Sync, designed specifically to sync calendars between iCal and gCal.

Spanning Sync allows you to map iCal calendars to their gCal counterparts. You can even map (other people's) shared calendars, although they will be read-only. This works out great for me: I can now update information on my iPod, MacBook, Mac Mini or any PC with a browser and my calendars will still be in sync. For completeness' sake: I use MobileMe to sync calendar and contact information to my iPod. The reason I'm not replacing my Google Calendars with MobileMe, is that I can't share my MobileMe calenders with anyone else (yet).

Recently, Google has made it possible to sync your calendars to iCal natively. The process is rather involved however, and you'll end up with a separate account in iCal for each of your calendars. The whole solution lacks Spanning Sync's efficiency to be honest. An even bigger downside is that these calenders will show up on your iPod as read-only.

Note: Spanning Sync has recently started the "Save 5+Make 5" promotion:

"Save 5+Make 5" does two things: first, it makes Spanning Sync more affordable, and second, it rewards our customers for something they're already doing: recommending Spanning Sync to their friends and colleagues.

If you want to take advantage of this promotion and save both you and me 5$, just click this link or use the code AVJK9R (counts for lifetime purchases as well as yearly subscriptions).