Synchronizing iPhone to Google - a review

Nothing new here, just a summary of the different ways one can sync between an iPhone and Google (Personal or Apps).

Ok, some of these things (dual alarm) are new with 4.2. Also new in 4.x, I think, is that if you choose the default Gmail account sync in the iPhone you get an option to sync your calendar. I think that used to require some separate setup. Note "Exchange" means ActiveSync.

My impression is that Apple likes CalDAV/IMAP and Google likes ActiveSync; they call it GoogleSync.

Calendars:

• CalDAV: get two alarms, I think color assignments might be coordinated across accounts? Multiple calendar configuration requires a secret web page accessed from any browser.
• Exchange: can invite people and can sync more calendar types (holidays,etc). Multiple calendar configuration requires a web page accessible only from the phone

Email: 

• IMAP: can choose between delete and archive, more iPhone like UI.
• Exchange: Push works much better, can't delete email, only archive

Notes

• IMAP only - not sure this is worth anything anyway. Use Simplenote.

Contacts

• Exchange only

Why the new look?

I'm trying a new template, and making some other changes with "carriage returns" to see if I can get slightly less awful results with Blogger's rich text editor.

Update 9/25/10: didn't fix the problems

OS X 10.6: Synchronizing Address Book to Google Contacts

The Help file for OS X 10.6.4 (Snow Leopard) Address Book sync to Google Contacts links to this oddly named Google page: Where can I find information about Contact Sync? - Contact Sync Help.

This is what we get.

I'm working up to trying this. Currently I sync my iPhone contacts like this:

1. Corporate: to and from Exchange 2007 [1].
2. iPhone Personal <-> MobileMe Contacts

There are two additional syncs

1. MobileMe <-> OS X Address Book <-> Google Contacts (My Contacts)

The last of these is mediated by Spanning Sync.

Both MobileMe and Spanning Sync cost money. I could easily live without MobileMe Contacts.

So I'm considering either  ...

1. iPhone Personal <-> OS X Address Book <-> Google Contacts
2. iPhone Personal <-> Google Contacts <-> OS X Address Book

Either way the Google Contacts to OS X Address Book would be mediated by Contact Sync.

Remember how easy this all way with the Palm III?

[1] This means my employer can wipe my iPhone at any time. This might or might not delete photos. Everything else is either synchronized or backed up, but a remote wipe would be a pain. Know your risks.

Speck PixelSkin HD for iPhone 4 - review

A month or so after I ordered it, I received my Apple funded case ...

PixelSkin HD for iPhone 4 - Black - Speck Products

.... Patterns and textures can turn “plain” into absolutely fabulous. PixelSkin HD has a shiny polished back with matte pixel overlay, creating an eye catching, sophisticated, and modern artful look. Light dances off the crisp, linear pattern of mathematical protection and perfection...

My iPhone feels obese. I had grown accustomed to the slender, almost imperceptible, naked iPhone 4. The case is great, but it is still a case. It is also black, which was the only option. Were I spending my own money, I'd have bought a case that's harder to lose on an airplane seat.

I've seen Apple's bumpers recently, and I think they'd be fine too. They may even be more shock absorbent. This Speck case, however, doesn't interfere with older iPhone connectors and, of course, it does protect the back half of the phone and the camera lens. If you're going to use a case, you might as well protect the back of the phone.

Now that I have the case, I'll be more relaxed -- so I'm sure to drop the phone. (Same phenomena is said to occur with bicycle helmets).

I'll get used to the obscene bulk. One day ...

Update 9/25/10: It has a thin rubber segment that crosses above the connector slot. I think that will eventually stretch, catch on my pocket and break. One day ...

The big problem with iPhone Gmail sync via ActiveSync (Exchange)

Google's recommended approach to Gmail iPhone synchronization is ActiveSync/Exchange.

This method has some advantages (push, simplicity) and some minor disadvantages (filing is awkward if you do that).

It also has a major disadvantage. If you delete in Mail.app, then Gmail archives.

Gmail doesn't delete it. It archives it. This appears to be intentional, and it's not configurable.

Update 9/22/10: I switched to IMAP.

Apple's iPhone parental controls are completely broken

I've ranted about how crappy OS X Parental Controls are, but I thought iOS did better.

Not.

My son specializes in hacking iOS. It's not hard. Even #@$@ PublicRadio.app has an $@$# embedded webkit browser function. Disabling Safari doesn't disable embedded WebKit access, and it's evidently extremely easy to incorporate WebKit into an app. So app developers do it -- because they can.

What the heck is wrong with Cupertino and parental controls? Is it the (bottled) water?

Update 10/2/2010: Martin in comments suggested a brilliant idea Apple could implement now. They could say that any app with unrestricted embedded webkit access gets an NC17+ rating. I'm sure PublicRadio and WolframAlpha would close their backdoors immediately.

Of course there are lots of things Apple could do in software, but that would take at least 6-12 months to do if it's not already done. I like Martin's suggestion.

Where OS X Chess Engine comes from ...

In case you ever wondered what powered OS X Chess ...

Sjeng - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 

An earlier open source version of Sjeng has been the engine of the standard Mac OS X Chess application since Mac OS X v10.4

There are far more powerful modern versions, but the price is right for the open source version.