Existing users, 
 BusySync - 2.1.8iCal calendar sharing & Google Calendar sync |
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Feedback Summary:
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| Overall Rating: | Not rated (0.0) | Features: | Not rated (0.0) | Support: | Not rated (0.0) |
| Ease of Use: | Not rated (0.0) | Quality / Stability: | Not rated (0.0) | Price: | Not rated (0.0) |
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Featured Reviews
I your notification settings suddenly dissapear, YOU'RE SCREWED - Version: 2.1.6, 9/2/2008 11:10AM PST
(1 of 6 users found this comment useful)
mikirby
If your Google Calendar notification settings suddenly disappear, as happened to me, GOOD LUCK because your only choice is to go through your hundreds or perhaps thousands of clanear events by hand and re-set them. The combination of BusySync and Google Calendar provide NO WAY for you to delete a calendar's events en masse, set the default notification settings, and re-upload all your events for that calendar with the proper notification settings turned on.
I tried deleting my existing Google calendars recreating them by hand with the correct notification settings, and re-syncing, and instead of populating the ones I created, BusySync created identically named ones which it filled with my events, with, you guessed it, the notifications turned off.
I then tried exporting my events from iCal, deleting them from my calendars, hitting BusySync's various "Reset" settings, and re-syncing to have BusySync create the calendars but without any events, so I could set the notification settings before restoring my events from backup. I even tried changing the names of my calendars. No matter what I do, all my old events reappear on my google calendar witgh, you guessed it, the notifications turned off.
Then, if you keep trying, you run into a nasty little surprise... google sets unadvertised 24 hour limits on creating new calendars and on pushing events to existing ones. I am now stuck without my Google calendar for the day, and, because one of my calendars was a birthday calendar which I could only clear by backing up and deleting all my address book entries, without my contacts. Thanks, BusySync.
I thought it was a good product until this PITA. I'm furious at having to waste two hours of time like this over something so stupid.
I tried deleting my existing Google calendars recreating them by hand with the correct notification settings, and re-syncing, and instead of populating the ones I created, BusySync created identically named ones which it filled with my events, with, you guessed it, the notifications turned off.
I then tried exporting my events from iCal, deleting them from my calendars, hitting BusySync's various "Reset" settings, and re-syncing to have BusySync create the calendars but without any events, so I could set the notification settings before restoring my events from backup. I even tried changing the names of my calendars. No matter what I do, all my old events reappear on my google calendar witgh, you guessed it, the notifications turned off.
Then, if you keep trying, you run into a nasty little surprise... google sets unadvertised 24 hour limits on creating new calendars and on pushing events to existing ones. I am now stuck without my Google calendar for the day, and, because one of my calendars was a birthday calendar which I could only clear by backing up and deleting all my address book entries, without my contacts. Thanks, BusySync.
I thought it was a good product until this PITA. I'm furious at having to waste two hours of time like this over something so stupid.
Most Recent Replies: View All 4 Replies
- 1 last try = 1 last frustrating failure to work right (1 replies)
Probably unnecessary - Version: 2.1.6, 8/23/2008 08:57PM PST
(2 of 4 users found this comment useful)
Westside guyNow that Google Calendar supports CalDAV - a calendar sharing protocol that iCal supports out of the box - these sorts of programs are probably unnecessary for most people. You can just use iCal to directly access your Google calendar, including adding, modifying, and deleting events.
Take a look at Google's how-to regarding setting up iCal for use with Google Calendar.
Most Recent Replies: View All 2 Replies
- Probably unnecessary (1 replies)
Great product 
- Version: 2.1.5, 8/13/2008 11:50AM PST
(2 of 2 users found this comment useful)
NickCollingridge
Firstly, this product works, and works well. It feels very professional and slick, and the total lack of problems I have had with it inspire a lot of confidence.
I use it on two sites currently - my own office and a client's office. The setup in my office is that I have three Macs using it, one of which is a laptop. I host the different calendars across the two desktops and they all sync seamlessly backwards and forwards. I particularly like that I can take my laptop out of the office (where it is totally disconnected from the office network), look at my calendar(s), schedule a new meeting, and it is instantaneously synced to the other two Macs when I get back into the office.
The other setup is at my client's premises, where they have six client systems, some of which are laptops, and one server. All of the calendars (one for each user plus one for a meeting room) are hosted on the server (set up in iCal) and accessible seamlessly from all the clients. So this product can not only work brilliantly in a distributed peer to peer fashion, but also works well with one of the Macs acting as a server.
Given how well all of this works, the main improvement that I am waiting for is the (apparently) upcoming addition of support for Address Book syncing. I have tried using Address-O-Matic but this appears to be unreliable between Intel and PowerPC Macs for some reason. Also the simplicity of this functionality all being in one product is very appealing.
This may sound like a piece of PR puff, but I can assure you that I have no connection with the company concerned other than being a very satisfied customer. I love it when I come across a product like this which is so well implemented and want to give full credit where it is due!
I use it on two sites currently - my own office and a client's office. The setup in my office is that I have three Macs using it, one of which is a laptop. I host the different calendars across the two desktops and they all sync seamlessly backwards and forwards. I particularly like that I can take my laptop out of the office (where it is totally disconnected from the office network), look at my calendar(s), schedule a new meeting, and it is instantaneously synced to the other two Macs when I get back into the office.
The other setup is at my client's premises, where they have six client systems, some of which are laptops, and one server. All of the calendars (one for each user plus one for a meeting room) are hosted on the server (set up in iCal) and accessible seamlessly from all the clients. So this product can not only work brilliantly in a distributed peer to peer fashion, but also works well with one of the Macs acting as a server.
Given how well all of this works, the main improvement that I am waiting for is the (apparently) upcoming addition of support for Address Book syncing. I have tried using Address-O-Matic but this appears to be unreliable between Intel and PowerPC Macs for some reason. Also the simplicity of this functionality all being in one product is very appealing.
This may sound like a piece of PR puff, but I can assure you that I have no connection with the company concerned other than being a very satisfied customer. I love it when I come across a product like this which is so well implemented and want to give full credit where it is due!
Free alternative - Version: 2.1.5, 8/11/2008 04:05PM PST
(4 of 4 users found this comment useful)
loehman
Google calendars can sync to your iCal and vice-versa. You have to set up the calendar on google calendars first, then sync it through iCal. You can get group scheduling this way. Google explains it at http://www.google.com/support/calendar/bin/answer.py?answer=99355. It's not trivial, but it works for my school's calendar.
Love it - Version: 2.1.4, 7/19/2008 05:21AM PST
(1 of 1 users found this comment useful)
johnallen
Just bought a 2nd copy of BusySync, since it's cheaper than MobileMe and I don't need/use most of the features of MobileMe. I use it to sync my MacBook laptop's iCal with Google calendar. Works great. I had a tech question on a friday night, emailed the developer and got an answer back within a hour or two.
Looks like in the future, you will be able to use BusySync to sync your OS X Address Book with Google contacts. I look forward to that.
Looks like in the future, you will be able to use BusySync to sync your OS X Address Book with Google contacts. I look forward to that.
Say goodbye to .mac...At least a little bit - Version: 2.1.3b2, 6/28/2008 05:17AM PST
arozon
Having to manage my agenda on my iCal and Google Calendar was getting quite tricky. Double checking or copy-pasting from my different work locations to my MacBook Pro was getting to be a headache. Busy Sync changed all that. No matter what calendar I add a date to, it always seamlessly gets the info going both ways. All event data such as location and comments are at the right place too!
I recommend this well-made Mac app to anyone using iCal that needs to enter events away from his or her main computer.
Now...If these guys could do some serious synching with Address Book...!
André
Quebec City, Canada
I recommend this well-made Mac app to anyone using iCal that needs to enter events away from his or her main computer.
Now...If these guys could do some serious synching with Address Book...!
André
Quebec City, Canada
Working Smoothly - Version: 2.1, 5/30/2008 10:01AM PST
(1 of 1 users found this comment useful)
saronian
Our small office has been able to share a single iCal calendar between 7 different users. We all have MacBook Pro's and iPhone's that need to share appointments and BusySync has been performing without any problems for several months. The main calendar in on an office Mac mini and it publishes our shared calendars to both LAN & WAN users. This also works seemlessly while traveling out of the office.
Setup was simple and well defined, the cost is a bargain, and integration with OS X Leopard is very clean. I would recommend this to both home and small office users. If Address Book sync is added to a future version, this will become an essential tool for a wide variety of Mac users.
Setup was simple and well defined, the cost is a bargain, and integration with OS X Leopard is very clean. I would recommend this to both home and small office users. If Address Book sync is added to a future version, this will become an essential tool for a wide variety of Mac users.
flawless with Google calendar - Version: 2.0b8, 4/11/2008 05:53AM PST
(4 of 4 users found this comment useful)
Fred E--2008
Flawless, and fast, as in 'it just works' with Google calendar. SpanningSync looks good, and they are certainly trying hard enough. But it often stalls, or does just a partial sync (I typically have about 12 calendars active), or syncs only in one direction. They blame it on Google protocols, but BusySync sidesteps all that, and is very quick at automatically updating. No hiccups whatever. The odd thing about BusySync documentation is that it appears as if the .prefPane merely automates iCal's publish and subscribe protocols. But all one has to do is publish to Google calendar from iCal (via BusySync), and then a change at _either_ end will update on the other. So after a couple of days with BusySync I am about to break a personal rule not to buy software until the full trial period has been exercised. Well, maybe a few more days. And hoping that BusySync will in future extend to synchronizing Address Book with Google contacts . . . .
So far, so good. 
- Version: 2.0b7, 3/24/2008 03:12PM PST
bj13--2008
I like this so far. Integrated fluidly with our Google calendars and updating between iCal and the Google calendars is very quick.
I'm wary of calendar syncing programs, so I'm going to keep my eye on this one, but so far I'm liking this. It does what I expect it to with no hassles.
I'm wary of calendar syncing programs, so I'm going to keep my eye on this one, but so far I'm liking this. It does what I expect it to with no hassles.
However.
The price is nuts. More politely put, it's both deceptive and out of touch. First, it's not actually $25—it's $50, and that's if you're content to sync calendars on a measly TWO machines. I think 3 or 4 machines combined at home and work is pretty average for users most likely to be interested in this utility, but that takes the price up to $75–$100. And no, there's no discount until the 5-licenses mark. 10% off if you spend $125 to $225 for a shareware utility. Gee, thanks dad!
When you consider that $90 will get you Adobe Photoshop Elements and $80 will buy a new 4GB iPod Shuffle, it's difficult to understand why BusyMac would insist on a price like this.