Earlier today the private beta of Spanning Sync finally went public. Unfortunately, they under estimated the high demand for this software, and the beta was pulled only hours later. Their servers just couldn’t keep up.
If you’re unfamiliar with Spanning Sync, it’s software that will allow you to sync your iCal calendars with Google Calendar, and back again. So, you can enter information in either place and always have access to your complete calendar.
The guys over at Spanning Sync are hoping to add some server hardware tomorrow, so we should all be able to get access to the beta again shortly. Keep an eye on their blog for updates.
Two things to keep in mind if you try this software are, 1. This is BETA. If you don’t know what that means, you may want to wait for the final release. 2. Although the Beta is free, the software won’t be when it’s done, so don’t be surprised when you have to fork over some cash later if you want to keep using it. They haven’t set the final price yet.
Paul, I would like to know what your opinions are according to the usability of this app. What are the benefits if we already have ical to notify us? Just the availability while we are on the run?
Thanx
Ya, that’s primarily it. Right now with iCal and .Mac you can publish your calendars to the web, so you can view them from any location / computer. But, you can’t edit them.
Although it doesn’t come up that often, I would love the ability to change my calendar from any computer, like when I’m staying with friends in another city. I could do this by just using Google Calendar, but I like using iCal when I’m at home. I personally hope that Apple is going to be rolling out an online version of iCal in the next revision of .Mac.
Also, I’m hoping this will be a way of setting up a multi-user calendar. Right now I have a calendar set up in iCal that has events that both me and my girlfriend are attending. I publish that calendar via .Mac, and my girlfriend’s iCal is subscribed to it. That’s great for giving her the ability to view the calendar, but she can’t edit it. Only I can do that. With Spanning Sync, we could theoretically have a calendar that we can both edit in iCal, and have it sync with a single Google Calendar, and in turn have it sync back with each of our iCal calendars. That would be extremely beneficial.
Lastly, I think this would be a big benefit for people who have a Mac at home, but use a PC at work. They could use Google Calendar at work, and know that it will sync with iCal when they get home.