Google Contacts updated, Tasks added to Calendar 15
Nary a week ago we were introduced to Google Contacts, which will let you manage your contacts via Google without having to deal with Gmail. But it was rather simple, no websites, no birthdays, etc. As it turns out, Contacts (like many Google products) carries a ‘beta’ tag, making it fodder for Google’s random upgrades. In this case, Contacts has gained the ability to catalog websites, birthdays, nicknames, and more. You can also add in a custom entry with labels and values, as well as the all important notes. Looks like Google Contacts could end up being useful after all. And heck -- you will soon be able to import contacts from Yahoo, Hotmail, and AOL too.
But wait, there’s more! A while back, Google started building a Tasks web application. Initially it integrated with Gmail and also had a standalone page for that other phone. Integration with Gmail was, for lack of a better word, kludgy. Very un-Google. But that’s starting to change, with Tasks integration coming seamlessly to Google Calendar (which has continued to ape the interface of Apple’s desktop iCal) - and it uses the same database as the Gmail and iPhone Tasks lists, so you can keep your to-do lists synchronized across multiple Google webapps. While Tasks in Gmail is a Labs add-on, in Google Calendar it's as easy to enable as clicking the Tasks button on the left just above the month. But... will it synchronize with webOS?
In other words, the webOS and Synergy might be favoring Google over Yahoo and MSN right now, but Google is looking more and more like the best of the bunch.
Thanks to Randy and TurboTiger for the tips!
15 Comments
kinda dumb that when you add a bday to contacts that it doesn't add the event in the calendar. lame.
This is Google... it's still in beta. Wait for the millipede's next shoe to drop.
Well, maybe dumb isn't the right word, but it is still a lacking feature. What would be preferable would be to have a check box or button that allows you to selectively add a birthday event.
The other "next step" I'd like to see is that when you add a "person", say a spouse for example, and they are in your contacts already, you should be able to link to that contact entry.
But even without the above, this is a tremendous improvement over what it was even yesterday morning.
Does anyone know (yet) if the Pre will store addresses as blobs like Google does or as discreet fields (street, city, state, ...) like most PIMs?? I've been hoping that Google would enhance contacts and these changes are great to see. But I was also hoping for discreet fields in addresses.
It's odd... I sync my Google contacts with Address Book on my Mac and it seems to be able to adequately break it all apart into discrete categories. It does the same with the names/companies as well.
I just started using gmail like a week ago and it was pretty dumb that I had to manually put people birthday in one by one and then repeat it yearly.
I just started using gmail like a week ago and it was pretty dumb that I had to manually put people birthday in one by one and then repeat it yearly.
I would be looking for this to take over many of the duties that Act! does now. Doesn't look like it's even close at this point.
While it is still beta and things like the birthdays are a pain... I love the Gcal and use it daily for all events and tasks now. It takes a bit to integrate but am psyched it will be heavily relied upon on the Pre.
Looks like Tasks hasn't been enabled for Google Apps users yet :(
I was hoping that the birthdays would come from facebook. Anyone else expecting that?
What I find odd is that the new contact features haven't found its way to my gmail contacts yet, but if I go to www.google.com/contacts the features are there. kinda weird.
Hadn't noticed that. I can see that contacts I add show up pretty quick, but you're right... the new fields do not.
I had gotten used to going direct to the contacts page instead of through gmail, and just asumed...
I suppose that they will filter through sometime soon...
From what I've seen of the built-in PIM apps, Palm's Tasks app seems to be the least exciting - very simplistic, and I highly doubt they'll be offering Synergy for it. Bit of a disappointment, but I can see why - task management doesn't work that well as a "one-size-fits-all" solution, and there are plenty of devs (myself included) who will gladly invest the time to develop and market a better replacement for those who need more.
Anyways, more on topic - anyone know if Google has published any sort of API for devs to access the GMail/GCal Tasks data? Since it's only a Labs feature, I'm wondering if they're really even willing to put in the work to offer outsiders access...
So far favoring google, or frankly any vendor over any other, is the worst thing about the pre. I could not care less that you think google is the "best of the bunch" it still sucks and is not the kind of lock in I like from anyone.