Get Two-Way Wireless Sync on Your Mobile Device with Google Sync

Google and Microsoft make it easy to sync your supported mobile device with Calendar and Contact data in your Google Account.

iPhone users relying on Google for email and calendar services who are dissatisfied with Apple's MobileMe solution for syncing their Calendar and Contact information have a new option, thanks to Google and Microsoft. The two companies teamed up to offer a solution based on Microsoft's ActiveSync that will allow iPhone users to sync Calendar and Contact data with Google Calendar and Gmail contacts.

Google Sync was released in a beta version last week, and is available on supported devices, including the iPhone for free. MobileMe, by comparison, charges its users $100 a year for access to the service. For iPhone users this is a welcome alternative to what is perceived by many as a cumbersome and costly service provided by Apple.

The service provides users with supported devices, and who rely on a Google Account for their calendar and contacts, with two-way wireless sync. This accomplishes a few things:

• Synchronization services run wirelessly in the background so Contacts and Calendar events are always up to date.
• Google Sync allows mobile users to update their contacts or their Google Calendar entries while on the go. When an update is made, Google Sync wirelessly updates Calendar and Contact information in the user's Google Account, so data is up to date when they view it from their computer. The reverse is also true.
• If the mobile device is lost or destroyed the user only has to install Google Sync on a supported replacement device. Google calendar and contact information data is stored on the web in the user's Google Account, so Google Sync will automatically update Calendar and Contact information on the new device.

iPhone users are not the only group of mobile device consumers who will benefit from the collaborative efforts of Google and Microsoft. Devices that support Google Sync include:

• iPhone
• Blackberry
• Nokia s60
• Nokia standard
• Sony Ericsson
• Windows Mobile
• Android phones (T-Mobile's G1)

T-Mobile's Android-based G1 phone works a little differently. As this device's operating system is provided by Google, the phone's contacts, calendar, and IM chat sessions are always in sync between the mobile device and the web.

For more information see any of the following:

• For the official Google Mobile blog post about Google Sync, click here.
• To visit Google's page dedicated to Google Sync click here.
• To read PC World's article about Google Sync from February 9th, 2009 click here.
• To read PC World's article about Google Sync making use of Microsoft ActiveSync, click here.

Google Adds Multiple Inboxes to Gmail, Print Preview to Google Docs

The prolific team at Google Labs make new features available in Gmail, Google Apps adds print preview to Google Docs.

Google continues to drive innovation in cloud computing and web-based email. This week Google announced the availability of multiple inboxes in Gmail, and print preview to Google Docs.

Multiple Inboxes:

This feature allows you to create multiple inbox type views of the contents of your mail in Gmail. To activate this feature in your Gmail account only takes a few simple steps. To turn on Gmail's multiple inboxes you need to do the following:

• Log into Gmail.
• Locate and click the settings link.
• When the page reloads, locate and click the labs tab.
• Under labs locate multiple inboxes and change the setting to enable.

"Multiple Inboxes" then becomes a tab in your settings that you can use to configure your inboxes. You can set your inboxes with arguments including "is:" and "Label:". For instance, if you want to be able to see all of your starred messages in a single place you might create an inbox with the value "is: starred."

While you are viewing the labs tab you might take the opportunity to explore some of the other features developed for Gmail by Google Labs. Some suggestions for handy Gmail features include:

• Offline: view your messages in Gmail even when not connected to the Internet
• Tasks: create a task chat-window in your Gmail and add tasks directly from messages by selecting "More Actions" and clicking add to tasks.
• Forgotten attachment detector: Gmail helps you to remember your attachments by reading your message. If your text refers to an attached file, but there is no attachment present, Gmail will remind you to attach your files (this author's favorite new feature).

Print Preview:

A feature in Docs that was notable for its absence for a long time was the ability to create a preview of what a document will look like once it has been printed. This functions somewhat like Print Preview in desktop applications such as Microsoft Word. When working with a document Print Preview can be used to see a document before it is printed, or it can be used to get a page count.

For more information click here .

Microsoft Announces Windows 7 to Come in Several Versions

Get your Windows 7 today! Now available in diet and extra-chunky flavors!

In a move that has the tech world scratching its head, announced last week that Windows 7 will be available in six, yes six , different releases. Windows 7 may very well be the most anticipated release of the venerable operating system yet, following the fiasco and terrible management of the release of Windows Vista. Among the major criticisms of Vista was the seemingly unnecessary and blatantly greed-motivated release of four different versions. Confusion on the part of the consumer was a major problem hampering the adoption of Windows Vista. Consumers simply didn't know which version of Vista was the best for them, much less which version their computer would support. Add to that the high cost of the software itself and Vista has fizzled, almost from day one.

Early reviews of Windows 7 were very promising, with journalists, pundits, and consumers alike applauding many of the updates. The new operating system looks to be:

• Lighter and less demanding of system resources.
• More compatible with peripherals.
• Easier to manage.
• Less intrusive with a refined user access control (uac) alert system.

It also seemed that Windows would only be releasing a single, comprehensive version of the new, improved Windows. Sadly, it appears that Windows has not learned from their mistakes. Windows 7 will instead be released in the following six versions:

• Starter
• Home Basic
• Home Premium
• Professional
• Enterprise
• Ultimate

For a detailed description of these editions click here. You'll need to scroll a little bit to find the descriptions.

It remains to be seen what the prices are going to be, but this is a perplexing move on the part of Microsoft. If Microsoft stays consistent with their previous practices, it seems likely that the cost of these editions will be substantial. This would present the same a barrier to upgrading and adoption that Microsoft experienced with Vista. After the fiasco resulting from four versions of Vista, it is confusing how Microsoft can rationalize upping the number of available versions of their new OS to six. This is especially odd given the nature of competitive operating systems. Mac OS X and the most popular distributions of Linux (Ubuntu, SUSE, Fedora, etc.) do fine with just one version of their OS available at a time.

What does this mean to you? Windows 7 is a marked improvement over Vista, and it may ultimately be a worthy successor to Windows XP. This means that if you are like most business and personal users, and you are still clinging to XP as a stable operating system that does everything you need, you should be able to switch to Windows 7 comfortably. At least, that's the way everything looked yesterday. Now it would appear that Microsoft is once again angling for the contents of your wallet by dangling six different colored lures in front of your eyes. Windows 7 stands to be a great improvement over past versions of the OS, but only if the price is right. If the OS is released with Microsoft's usual bloated prices, it might just be time to consider switching to a freely available, stable, secure, and nice looking OS like Ubuntu, SUSE, or Fedora.

Your Analog Signal Gets a Federal Pardon

Congress votes to delay the transition of broadcast television signal from analog to digital.

The House of Representatives voted Wednesday, February 4th to delay the transition of broadcast format from an analog radio signal to a digital signal. The transition was originally scheduled to take place on February 17th. Due in part to concern that some parts of the country, especially the poor and the elderly, would not be ready for the transition by that date, the new administration under President Obama proposed delaying the transition. The delay would ideally give everyone time to prepare their television sets to receive programs broadcast using the new digital format. The new date for the transition is June 12th.

What does this mean for you? If you currently get your television through a cable or satellite service, this change will not affect you. If your television already has an integrated digital tuner, you already have everything you need for the transition. As we reported in an earlier post, the transition will have the biggest impact on those who are using older televisions, and depend on a terrestrial antenna to receive their programming. These television viewers now have until June to purchase either a new television with an integrated digital tuner, or to purchase a set-top converter box that will allow their existing analog television to display a digital signal. The U.S. Department of Commerce had created a coupon program to offset the cost of set-top converter boxes. This program's funding ran out in the early part of this year. Additional funding for the coupon program is currently part of the proposed economic stimulus plan.

A word of warning for those of you who are affected by this transition, we caution you to be careful of claims made by cable and satellite television companies. These companies have recently started advertising that claims their services are a way to be ready for the digital conversion. To be fair, in one sense these claims are true. These services are not going to be impacted by the transition, and subscriber services will not be interrupted as a result. However, these services will not make your older, analog television ready to accept a digital signal. Cable and satellite formats are a different technology. Your older set will still need an analog to digital converter if you ever discontinue your cable or satellite service.

Your TV is Going Digital

The End of Analog, Networks Required to Start Digital Broadcast in February. Let the age of digital television begin!

At this point it should hardly come as a surprise that your local stations are scheduled to switch their broadcast format from the current analog signal to a digital signal by February 17th of this year. This is to meet requirements put in place by the FCC. The reason for the switch goes back to legislation passed in 2005 that requires the change. It was requested by Congress in order to make additional radio bandwidth available for emergency broadcasts and communications.

This change is set to have a fairly substantial impact on everybody who watches television using a typical antenna. The standard 'rabbit ear' antenna will no longer be adequate to receive a television signal, unless your television already has a digital tuner. For the most part, if you have purchased a television in the last year or so it most likely has an integrated digital tuner. On the other hand, if your TV is maybe several years old it's possible that you may be faced with a loss in signal when the switch is made to all-digital broadcast.

If you have an older analog television that does not have a digital tuner you can avoid losing your television signal with a set-top digital converter box available during the transition period for between $40 and $80. These converter boxes will be available in retail stores during the transition. To offset the cost of the converter box the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) of the U.S. Department of Commerce made coupons available. The coupons are for $40 apiece, and you can find more information from the government's DTV transition website located here.

At this time there is a waiting list for the coupons, and the program no longer has any funding. This may mean you will not be able to get a coupon before the transition takes place on February 17th, but it should not affect your ability to purchase a set-top converter box. It does mean you will have to pay full price for the converter box.

You may have more time to get ready for the transition, if you need to do anything at all. The new U.S. administration under President Obama is pushing to delay the date of the transition for three months. The new date of the transition would be June 12th. The new administration, and many Democrats on Capitol Hill make the argument that a delay is necessary so that many consumers, especially to the poor and elderly, do not lose their TV reception when the change is made to the broadcast format. If this goes through, and at this time it is expected to. You would not be required to purchase a converter box or television with integrated DTV tuner until the summer.

Additional reading:

A guide to the digital television transition on Yahoo! Tech News

Article about the DTV Transition Delay on Yahoo! Tech News

The FCC's DTV website

FAQ page on the FCC's DTV website