Product Ideas for Google Sync and Google Docs Become Reality

Friday, February 13, 2009 | 10:17 AM

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We'd like to highlight a couple of newly launched features for mobile products that correlate to ideas you've posted on Product Ideas. First, Google Sync has been extended to multiple device platforms, which means that more people can enable automatic synchronization of contacts or calendar over the air. The second feature, ListView for Google Spreadsheets, marks the first time you'll be able to make edits in Google Docs from your phone. Have fun trying out these new features on your phone, and don't forget to come back here if you have great ideas for future iterations of these - or any other - mobile products!

Product:
Google Sync (Beta)
New Feature: Support for iPhone, Windows Mobile & SyncML devices

Google Sync has been expanded to give more people easy access to their information on the go. In addition to the previously launched BlackBerry features, Sync now offers with two-way calendar and contacts sync for iPhones and Windows Mobile devices, and two-way contacts sync for devices that support SyncML. Learn how to set up Sync at m.google.com/sync or our Help Center.


Announcement:
Google Mobile Blog

Related Ideas:


"An application which would SYNC all my google contacts, calendars, mails & data to my phone ( iphone, blackberry or any smartphone), outlook ( work & home ) & other email services ( yahoo, msn ) with real push service."
Arun Agrawal, San Jose, CA

Manage Google Calendar on Google Mobile (add, update, delete an event with all functionalities of the web application) (ex Phone : Iphone)
Yvo, France

"Real push mail available for all mobile users (not IMAP) including iPhone WindowsMobile phones, etc."
Popolo, Paris

"Google Calendar sync with iPhone, just like Google Contacts and Gmail does now."
Vlad, Detroit, MI

"The ability to sync my gMail contacts with my phone (Windows Mobile/iPhone/Symbian etc)."
Paul James, Manchester, UK

"I would like to be able to sync my Windows Mobile contacts with my Gmail contacts automatically. An application like the the Google Calendar/Outlook Sync for Windows would be ideal. A native application would be great!"
JM, Nashville, TN

"Ability to Sync contacts from Gmail with all smart phones (not just Android & Blackberry)"
SD, India

"Google needs to own Calendar and contact sync for every platform. I should be able to point Google at 5 different Exchange servers and it should sync calendars and events both ways to my iphone, ical and anything else I can think of."
Todaywasawesome, Denver, CO

"Sync Google Calendar and Contacts with Windows Mobile / iPhone using a synchronization tool like the one for BlackBerry"
User

"Sync Gmail Contacts with Symbian and Windows Mobile based cellular phones, like Nokia, Samsung, HTC, SE ..."
monster, Warsaw, Poland

"Google Sync services (Calendar, contacts) available to Sony Ericsson (non-Windows, non-Symbian) using SyncML (which is built into the phone)."
Stephen W, Melbourne, Australia

"Sync support for gmail contacts and google calendar for Symbian UIQ and all other mobile platforms..."
gCg, Adana, TR

"Sync Google Calendar, Contacts, and Gmail with the iPhone just like Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync. Also, a remote wipe feature would be nice for lost/stolen iPhones."
Ben W., Austin, TX

"S60 contacts/calendar sync - via syncML or a standalone app. Pleeaaaasssee!!"
barrybell

"A native way to sync contacts, tasks and calendar with different mobile phones or PDAs (supporting tags if possible). Maybe syncML?"
xa2, Bizkaia

"Google Backup - service that allows load all you data (contacts, callendars etc.) from mobile device to your account. Sync via Internet connection. Saves data if your phone is stolen or lost."
aspektrum, Bielsko-Biala, Poland

"Over the air iPhone to google contacts and cal sync"
Brian, Los angeles

"Sync my windows mobile pda with google contacts, calenders (all calender categories!) and my sms messages. So I can reach my all things on any platform!"
Baran Kaynak, Turkey, Sakarya

"Can Google work on a calendar syncing client for non-Blackberry products. I have a Samsung A-767 Propel (which has many PDA features). I would love to be able to sync my calendar to my phone."
C_Wash, Washington, DC

"Automatic update of contacts and events in sync with desktop/laptop."
Fallen Angel, Jeddah, KSA

"Google Sync for iPhone, offering the same capabilities as Google Sync for Blackberry: the wireless and automatic syncing of Google Calendar and Contacts with iPhone Calendar and Contacts."
W_Nutt, Chapel Hill, NC


Product:
Google Docs
New Feature:
ListView

Google Spreadsheets' new ListView feature will enable you to perform basic spreadsheet edits from supported devices [Android, iPhone, Nokia S60]. You'll automatically go to ListView when you visit any spreadsheets via your mobile Docs list (http://docs.google.com/m). This is just the start of editing and creating capability for Google Docs on your device, so look for more mobile functionality in the future for documents, spreadsheets and presentations.


Announcement:
Google Docs Blog

Related Ideas:


"A native Google docs app for android with editing and writing new"
Myk

"Google Docs editing on Mobile"
FunFred, Chicago, IL

"I want to open and edit my Google Docs (word processor and spreadsheet)"
M, Seattle, WA

"Be able to edit Google Docs"
Matt, Atlanta, GA

"Ability to edit documents in google mobile docs on iPhone (through app or web would be OK)"
Adam D

"Google docs mobile"
Emanuele, Rome

"Be able to edit Google Docs on your phone. Even with more limited functionality than online, it would be great to have my lists and notes in the cloud and on my phone."
gbelk08, Austin, Tx

"google docs ability to edit on all phones (via native app?)"
user, Uk

"Google Docs editing on Mobile...perhaps via the browser, perhaps a separate app. That's something we can all agree on."
FunFred, Chicago, IL

"Basic edit options in Docs."
elba, Budapest, Hungary

18 comments:

Hayden said...

It would be nice if ideas that have been implemented could be moved to a different section of Google Product Ideas. This way they no longer take up the top spots and new ideas can rise to the top.

Jon said...

I love the new sync calendar and contacts. Its wonderful to have the push and be able to leave outlook and itunes out of the picture. They are more trouble than they are worth.

For the future...

push mail of course!
sync iphone notes?!?

Fr.Phil said...

I would like it if there was an active syncing to the computer as there is with the phone. When I'm offline I would like to see my calendar and contacts. I like what you've done

Texter said...

OK, but please tell us which devices are supported for Google Sync - you wrote that most of SonyEricsson. I have SE k300i and it doesn't work.

Matthias Bauer said...

When will we get Calendar Sync for S60? The apps that currently exist for the task aren't all that great. SyncML does calendar sync. When will Google? :~

Thomas Gruber said...

Google Calendar Synch is great! I would like to have a portable Google Calendar Synch Version. In most companies you're not allowed to install something but i would like to synch my outlook company calendar with my private one via Google Calendar Synch.

BuzzKill said...

Google Sync is awesome, the fact that we can sync contacts and calendars OTA is wonderful.

But, we're humans and it leaves us wanting for more.

It would be irreplaceable if, it could:

- Sync Blackberry Memopad with Google Notebook

- Sync Blackberry Tasks with the upcoming Google Tasks

- Sync Blackberry's offline docs with Google docs

Jeff said...

I have been using google sync with my calendar on my ipod touch and love it! I am presently looking into a new phone to replace my present one and I want to make sure that I can use google sync with it. However, I couldn't find any way to find a list of phones that support it. You have a small list, but that's it. I had seen a list of sorts previously, but this time I couldn't find one. I don't want to buy a new phone that doesn't have google sync capabilities. Please help!

Troy Campano said...

1) It would be great to sync the Blackberry's memopad to Google Notebook. Currently I don't use Google Notebook much but it would become a daily part of my life if I could get it to sync to my blackberry.

Unknown said...

it would be great to Sync Contacts based on Groups for ex: create a 'mobile' group in gmail account and sync all the contacts from blackberry to that mobile group only

- more administrative control of synchronizing process for ex: sync only from blackberry to gmail or gmail to blackberry

- option to sync a specific contact

vaderj said...

Agree on the option to sync specific groups designated in contacts. specific calendars also. Im actually surprised that these are not options yet

Unknown said...

I agree with the posts on sync for BB Tasks and Notes. I cannot have two task lists and my BB is attached to me all the time. So, Google will always be lower priority, and thus I don't use it. But, I'd be a rabid user if I could view and update tasks online as well as on-the-go with my BB.

Unknown said...

This is all very well, but its half a solution for the iPhone. Syncing calendars doesnt work properly because the timezones fail when I login to a browser in a different country to where my phone is. Google aumatically changes the date/time and messes it up.

Secondly, and prehaps more importantly, Email meeting requests that come through are not properly added or dealt with when I click on them in iPhone. In fact they dont work.

So this is half a solution.

Google need to implement activesync for email as well as contact and calendar, and make meeting request etc. actually work. Otherwise business users will still (regretably) have to stick with the useless Outlook 2007 and Exchange.

De Strop said...

Please, you're only halfway there...

On Oct 28, 8:32 am, Quingamo wrote:

> Gmail does not support LDAP yet and no comment has been made to this
> day by Google to my knowledge that Gmail will be featuring a LDAP
> service any time soon.
> By adding support for Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync for both contacts
> and calendar and IMAP for email Google has made Gmail and Google
> Calendar one of the best free solutions there is for personal email,
> contacts and calendar.
> But by excluding the LDAP service as a method to two-way sync
> mailclients or mobile devices Google indirectly supports the use of
> expencive solutions like Microsoft's Outlook and Apples MobileMe
> services. Featuring the LDAP service for Gmail contacts would increase
> the strength of Gmail and the use of free software solutions like
> Mozilla Thunderbird.

> I use my iphone to sync with Exchange at work and since the iPhone
> only allows one account to use ActiveSync the only way to have an
> iphone sync contacts with both private and proffesional accounts
> without using LDAP is to sign up for a mobileMe account rendering a
> gmail account superfluous and my wallet in a vacuum.

Unknown said...

Google Sync options only allow you to 'keep events for previous 4 weeks' as a maximum value.

It needs to be forever .... or simply designed NOT to delete the events on my blackberry, because then sync deletes those events in outlook and in google calendar.

unacceptable

Oscar Carmona said...

Sync Blackberry MemoPad as well. Yahoo has this feature.

IrvingSegal said...

I too am frustrated that I can't sync my Blackberry MemoPad with the Google Notebook or something similar. I use MemoPad to run my life - it is almost more important to me than email! Is anyone at Google listening?

Clive Pottinger said...

Contacts should link to each other by address and phone and "other person" relationships.
* When I change the address for Abe Smith, I should be asked if the address of A. Smith Jr should change (since they have the same address).
* When I change the phone number of Jim, I should be asked if Bill, Ann and Joey (who all have the same phone number) should be changed too.
* When I change the anniversary of Mr. Jones, I should be asked if the entry for Mrs. Jones (listed as a spouse) should be changed too.