GooSync's beta test for full Contacts sync through to Google Contacts just went live. It's a closed beta, so please don't email me for extra links or privileges. Below, I've tried to illustrate how it all works and some of the implications of syncing with the big G. The beta test, if the Tasks beta was anything to go by, should last a month or so.
Read on in the full article.
All I really want is a way to be able to put my smartphone calendar and contents somewhere safe in the 'cloud', then sync them back again to my desktop PIM app (in my case Thunderbird/Lightning). GooSync provides a good way of doing this with my calendar, but to be honest I'm not really all that interested in looking at the information whilst it's in the cloud.
Can it auto-sync in the background Steve?
For me, that would be a great reason to recommend it to my S60-toting friends. Both sync and backup IMHO need to be automatic OTA activities (data tariff notwithstanding).
Hmmm.... good question. There's no scheduling built into the S60 Sync app, but you can see that this should theoretically be quite easy to do. Nokia?
Steve
First of all, I think this is really cool ... I'm a GooSync Premuim user and been waiting for this for ages.
To answer your question: The initial sync solution, as described in your post, is the only way to go. Furthermore I think GooSync should offer a some kind of switch, to allow syncing of all contacts or only that are on the phone. This way, the Google Contacts would stay as they are, but the "main contacts" (the ones in my phone) would be enhanced and cleaned up on Google side, while my phone is not polluted by obscure mailing list unsubscribe contacts.
If I want a new contact to be synced, I just add a name to my phone's contacts. The next time I sync, the contact is enhanced with what is already in Google Contacts.
Stupid idea?
I totally agree with Benjamin. I would like to go even further, I'd like a one-way-sync from my phone to Google. I hardly ever get e-mail sent to my GMail account that are from people I don't allready know so the "auto-added" contacts are of no use for me. I would like GMail contact = my real contacts = those stored in my phone. So one-way sync is my prefered way, but if it is possible to make some kind of "Benjamin-system" that would be even nicer!
I also agree with Benjamin (and with "unregistered"😉. What amazes me is what passes for good application design these days. It's pitiful. My current work-around is as follows:
I have to use PC Suite to sync with MS's (dreaded and bloated) Outlook Address Book. Then I create a CSV file from that, and then I delete all my Gmail contacts, and replace the whole damned lot. (losing my Contact Groups in the process). Obviously I lose the Gmail contacts derived automatically from my Inbox. But that's not an issue for me because I have very few I want to keep, and I deal with that manually.
Cumbersome? You bet.
I do this every couple of weeks. At least I have a safe haven in Outlook, from which I can feed any web-based email handler's Contacts (Gmail,Yahoo &, Hotmail, anyway).
But I'd rather not waste my time & money on that Outlook step, especially since I move to other computers for lengthy periods (whole winters). Why can't Nokia upload to PC Suite and have a CSV created automatically? And have an auto step to sync with the Gmail Contacts?
If anyone has a way to shorten/improve my method, I'm happy to hear it.
Yeah, let's keep the Big Brother Google updated about our connections, in addition to our interests (search history) and our communication (mail, chat).
Ever wondered why there is no crypto built into those SyncML backup systems?