“Google on Thursday unveiled a free Web-based calendar application that is expected to heat up competition with Yahoo and Microsoft,” Elinor Mills reports for CNET. “The beta version of Google Calendar, which can be accessed without a Gmail account, enables users to search for and add events from within the program or through Web sites that use open standards for calendars. Such sites are invited to add Google Calendar buttons next to events they list.”
“The application interoperates with other calendaring programs that use Apple Computer’s iCal or XML standards. In the coming months, Google Calendar will be able to synchronize with Outlook and mobile devices, Product Manager Carl Sjogreen said. The application works best with Microsoft Internet Explorer version 6 and higher, and with Firefox 1.07 and higher. Users must have JavaScript and cookies enabled, Google said,” Mills reports.
Full article here.
Google Calendar here.
MacDailyNews Note: When using Safari 2.0.3, Google Calendar issues the following warning: “Sorry, Google Calendar does not support your browser yet, so things may break in unexpected ways. Press OK to see a list of browsers that we support. Or cancel to try to use it anyways.” We created a test calendar in iCal 2.0.3, exported it ,and successfully imported it into Google Calendar using FireFox 1.5. Fifteen minutes before our test event, the FireFox icon started bouncing in the Mac OS X Dock. Clicking over to FireFox showed a sheet had descended from the browser to indicate the event was due to start soon.
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It works great with Camino 1.0.
Why doesn’t Google ever make their stuff compatible with Safari? It’s infuriating.
It’s kind of insulting that Google ignores Safari when Google search is built right into the Safari interface (top right corner).
“anyways”?? Is that acceptable gammar?
Yet another thing I will not use. iCal is just fine, thanks.
MDN Magic Word: “Forces” as in “Google forces you to use Firefox over Safari”.
Google is a sellout anyway since they bowed to Chinese pressure to censor searches that didnt conform to their governments desires.
It’s not google’s fault, it’s Safari’s. Webkit doesn’t do some of the cool things that FireFox, Netscape does. Ever try to use FCKEditor with Safari?
Firefox is a much better browser than Safari. And really why should Google develop for a browser that is stuck on one OS and has a tiny share of the market?
Macromancer,
So should Google refuse to do business with a huge international market? Many companies bow to pressure in order to expand their markets. Censorship is an unfortunate reality in China but if Google doesn’t oblige than another one of Google’s competitors will.
It won’t be so tiny for much longer…
Not sure if I’ll use Google’s calendar service (I have a Gmail account but don’t really use it), but it reminds me of a short-coming of .Mac services: There isn’t an intuitive way to just click over to any published calendars on .Mac without either memorizing a too-long url, or by clicking through to the bookmarks that I’ve synced.
Why not make links to your published calendars available in the “calendar” section on the left side-bar, much like iWeb and HomePage sites are available? It’s not a major deal, but about once a month or so, I think it’d be nice to be able to get to. (If there’s something available via .Mac that I’m missing I’d love to hear about it.)
Just my 2 cents.
“anyways” is dialectic form of “anyway”
whether dialectic speech is acceptable is debatable.
It works with ical before it works with outlook. kick ass.
I was thinking about switching to windows but I just don’t know if they are compatible with the rest of the computing world. mmm irony tastes good.
Isnt this a total blow for WEBEX?
webex.com’s business had been based on web application from the very begining, and they even have a premium monthly subscription based calendar. now google is going to drive them into bankruptcy.
ironicly webex’s stock is up anyway. i guess people are not really paying attention to anything nowadays.
Why wont apple start their own google alike search engine?
they have the technology.
For Christ’s sake! When will Google stop insulting Mac users? Google’s search is a built-in Safari feature, yet they don’t support this browser!
What about GmailTalk, which is built-in Gmail. It doesn’t work with Safari, either.
That makes me angry.
fyi, a How-To article from TUAW here:
http://www.tuaw.com/2006/04/13/howto-subscribe-to-a-google-calendar-using-ical/
Tried it. I agree that there is no easy way for someone or the general public to view the results, so it’s rather worthless. It seems like half a solution; you can start the car but you can’t drive it. Granted it’s beta, but REAl beta versions should be kept in-house for rigorous testing. I think a monster-sized software company should be able to make a much more refined product before releasing it to the public. Apple falls into this category, too, with Boot Camp. When did the term “beta” turn into “here’s some really bad crap and if there is anything wrong, we’ll just blame it on being a ‘beta'”? Once again, not only are we in an age where people don’t take any responsibility (not to mention actual PRIDE in their work) but it seems like corporations are faulting the “beta” program rather than saying that their programming and development departments, with their thousands of overpaid college grads, couldn’t program a decent Tic-Tac-Toe game with twice the salary and time.
Before something leaves the building, it should be of the highest possible quality! …or just make crapware and label it beta for the next 5 years, and we don’t ever have to support it or take any complaints about it.
On the positive side: Many of the comments on their help forum for the Calendar mentions how they are glad to be (almost) freed from Outlook’s stranglehold. This trend towards web-based aps may help accelerate Microsoft’s demise.
“For Christ’s sake! When will Google stop insulting Mac users? Google’s search is a built-in Safari feature, yet they don’t support this browser!
What about GmailTalk, which is built-in Gmail. It doesn’t work with Safari, either.
That makes me angry.”
Get over it, Get Firefox…
Safari’s 3% share isn’t THAT far behind Firefox’s
I think everyone should focus on the fact that Google Calender works with iCal but doesn’t work (yet) with a Winblows application (Outlook). When is the last time you can remember that happening?
“Get over it, Get Firefox…”
Not likely. Next to Safari & Camino, Firefox does not compare favorably, in my estimation True, FF doesn’t suck like IE, but it doesn’t feel like a mac, either. The resize, especially, is done completely wrong, and the bookmarks are done a la Internet Explorer. I do like the in-page search (cmd-f), though.
I would certainly not switch to FF from Safari just to use a lame Google web app. Let’s face it, Google jumped the shark with their half-assed video store.
Cubert, it works with outlook and just about any other application that supports CSV.
I agree with goldfishy. Why isn’t there some easy, one click way to get your ical calendar from the .mac home page. This seems like something that is as important as mail and address book access.
Where is the outrage?!!
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MW wife, as in wife.
Why does Google (and just about everyone nowadays) insist on calling ALPHA software “Beta”?
“Beta” implies feature-complete.