As I’m sure many of you can relate, I spend hours and hours behind multiple PC’s just about on a daily basis. One of the applications that is open pretty much all of the time is Microsoft Outlook 2007. Everything is organized through there. My e-mail, contacts, calendars, tasks, the list goes on and on. Along with my two Vista PC’s, I also have a Mac that I do a lot of work on. The other “tool” I have been using regularly is Google Calendar. One reason is simply the ease of sharing multiple calendars with multiple people.
So with all these different ways of accessing my calendar events, a big problem arises. How to keep all my information synced between multiple PC’s? It appeared I wasn’t the only one with this problem, and with the recommendation from a friend and co-worker, I went and checked out SyncMyCal from Synchronization Technologies. The folks there were kind enough to provide me with a copy to review, and I have spent much time with it over the past month.
The idea is simple…two-way syncing between Outlook and Google Calendar….but many solutions I have tried are just plain worthless. I didn’t set my expectations too high, but after just a day of use, I was pleased that SyncMyCal seemed to have gotten it right. It allows you to sync multiple Outlook calendars and your Google Calendar together, and lets you sync that data in a variety of customizable options.
Installation was straightforward, and SyncMyCal installs a small toolbar inside Outlook which gives you quick access to it’s options, menu items, and synchronization button.
Once installed, all you need to do is enter your Google info, and then create your sync jobs in the settings menu.
The menu (shown in the screenshot above) shows you sync jobs, and gives you the option to add, edit, and delete them. Clicking “Add” brings up the settings configuration where you can configure you sync jobs with the variety of options SyncMyCal has. It works with multiple Google Calendars on your account, and you can specify which calendars to sync and how. You can choose options like “Download only”, “Upload only”, and “Synchronize” with either Outlook or Google precedence.
Another really cool feature is Category Sync. It allows you to filter categories when syncing so you can be selective by including or excluding specified categories. The configuration menu can seem a bit overwhelming at first, but the online help is pretty clear in it’s explanations, and it shouldn’t take long for you to get to know all the related functions.
I tried quite a few different configurations such as 2-way syncing, just uploading, or just downloading calendars, and for the most part it worked flawlessly. The only complaint I have is when doing a 2-way sync I would get some duplicate entries, and it would be nice if these duplicates could be filtered out beforehand. Other than that there were no other issues to speak of. SyncMyCal was stable, and syncing only takes a few seconds depending on your configuration.
SyncMyCal comes in two versions, the Lite version (free) which does not include auto-syncing and has a limited sync date range. The Pro version allows unlimited date ranges and a highly configurable auto-sync function. The Pro version is $25, and giving this a rating of 4 out of 5, it’s worth the small investment. Download the Lite version and give it a try, I’m sure you will find the upgrade well worth it.
If you are on Facebook, and really….who isn’t these days, then head on over and join our Political Machine Facebook group. This group is another great way of connecting fans of the game, political junkies, and anybody else for that matter.
When you are logged into Facebook just click “Join group” at the link below.
I was going through some of my MyColors themes today and came across the one for the L.A. Lakers. I didn’t realize how detailed it was before, and I think I can say it’s an almost perfect basketball/NBA related theme. I know someone who is a big Lakers fan, and I think this could make a fantastic gift.
For the past year or so I have been using the older style wireless keyboard from Apple. I have been quite pleased with it, but after a year of daily use it seemed it was time to replace this. Since this keyboard is used with my Mac Mini, I headed out to our local Best Buy and picked up one of the new wireless keyboards. Looking in the aisle you really wouldn’t imagine a keyboard was in a box this this small, but hey, small is what this keyboard is.
I was a bit hesitant getting the wireless version because I often use the numeric pad and the wireless version doesn’t have that, but the wired version does. However, I like my desktop to be as clutter-free as possible, so wireless it is! As usual, Apple keeps it’s packaging to a minimum with the contents just being the keyboard itself, instructions, and a pack of batteries. The first thing you notice is how thin and light this keyboard is. Comparing this to my previous Apple keyboard was one of the first things I did, and as you can see in the images below there is quite a difference in size.
The keyboard itself looks like it was pulled right off a MacBook, and feels the same way as well. It was a bit awkward at first using this keyboard, as my hands seem to cover the entire board, but after a few hours of us that was all behind me. The keys are smooth and very easy to type with. One of the things I especially like is the fact that this keyboard is quiet. Even during a heavy typing session, nobody else in the room would have known I was typing. Using this with Leopard, the only other thing I had to get used to is the keys for items like activating the Dashboard are now mapped in different locations, but they are clearly marked so it really wasn’t that big of a deal.
Overall I am very happy with this keyboard. There really isn’t anything I can complain about other than the lack of a numeric pad. If you are looking for a compact and light keyboard with Bluetooth capability, then I can highly recommend this product.
The much anticipated WordPress 2.5 was released earlier today. This is a pretty significant update and a ton of new features were added, one of the most notable being the redesigned Dashboard.
There are just too many features for me to describe, so just check out the WP 2.5 blog post for all the information.
I updated my personal blog in less than 10 minutes without any problems.
If you would like to try out the Impulse beta, now is the time. Please note this is still a beta and things will be changed and overhauled, this is just a preview to get more feedback on bugs.
What is Impulse? Impulse is Stardock’s successor to Stardock Central. It is designed to merge all of Stardock’s various digital networks into a single platform (TotalGaming.net, WinCustomize.com, and Object Desktop.net). With it, users can buy, download and update a wide variety of software.
Will Impulse replace Stardock Central? Eventually. But we expect to keep both going for a long time so that fans of Stardock Central don’t feel pushed to get Impulse.
What will be on Impulse? Eventually, everything. Right now, it’s mostly Stardock titles and a handful of indie games. With Impulse, we are opening it up to all publishers of all venues - games, utilities, applications. On the games side, we expect parity with Steam and Direct2Drive by the end of 2008. On the non-game side, we hope to have most major utilities and a number of major applications available on it.
Does Impulse have DRM? Impulse does not use DRM as it’s traditionally thought of. It uses a technology called SSD (Secure Software Delivery) which ensures that the content is transferred to the user in secure form. Users are able to install their games onto multiple machines using their accounts within reason (the system does evaluate geographic locations of multiple installs and a number of other metrics to flag possible "warez" accounts). Stardock is also working on a new technology tentatively called Secure Virtual Machines (SVM). More information on SVMs will be released later. Overall, Impulse is largely invisible to users. They do not need an Internet connection to play games, they can re-download the full retail game from it even if they purchased it elsewhere, and there is no "phoning home" during the launch of games.
If you use RSS readers such as Google Reader, then please feel free to add my blog to your list. It’s a great way to stay updated on the latest in Desktop Customization software, games, and other tech "stuff" that I write about.
I haven’t picked up Rock Band for the Xbox 360 yet, but I have played it at my in-law’s house, and it is fun. We took a trip to GameStop this weekend and I spotted this, so I might just have to pickup Rock Band soon.
I see that many blogs, including my own, use MyBlogLog to track visitors to their sites among other features. One of the most notable features is the MyBlogLog widget that displays your recent visitors and other info. I’m sure many of you have seen it on various blogs. Well I just noticed today that they have updated the widget with a new look and new functionality.
This was apparently updated in February, but there didn’t seem to be much talk about it, and I still see many people using the old widget so I figured some don’t even know about it. To get your new widget just log in to your MyBlogLog account and click Widget, and configure and get your new code.
While you are at it, feel free to stop by and join my community as well.
Defraggler is a new utility I discovered recently, and it comes from the same folks who make CCleaner. One of the big benefits of this application is that it lets you select files or folders to defrag, not just the entire drive. I have used it on several Vista machines, and the defrag process was fairly quick. It’s free so go check it out.
Entries (RSS)