Product Ideas for Google Sync and Google Docs Become Reality

Friday, February 13, 2009 | 10:17 AM

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

Recently Implemented Ideas for Google Mobile: Latitude and Tasks

Thursday, February 5, 2009 | 11:19 AM

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When we launched Product Ideas, we asked you to submit your best ideas for Google Mobile. Lana from New York, NY, said she wanted to "see my friends on maps on my phone," and over 1,200 of you agreed. We've had many other great ideas come from mobile enthusiasts across the world.

Your feedback is important as we work on new products and features, and with almost 3,000 ideas posted, we thought it about time to update you on some of the latest Google projects so that you can keep dreaming up and voting on new ideas that we haven't already implemented!

This week, we're happy to introduce two great new features, each for a different mobile product. Read on to find out more about sharing your location via Google Maps or keeping track of your to-do list with Gmail Tasks.

Product: Google Maps for mobile
New Feature: Latitude

Latitude is a new social feature that helps you locate your friends using a mobile device. By opting in to Latitude and having your friends share their location with you, you can see their whereabouts on Maps and contact them via SMS, Gmail, or Google Talk. You can even keep them updated by changing your status message. Check it out by going to
http://www.google.com/latitude

Announcement: Official Google Blog

Related Ideas:

"i want to be able to see my friends on maps on my phone"
Lana, New York, NY

"Have my friends location on my map, with their GPS phone information."
rodleon, Santiago, Chile

"Social features that allow me to easily see where my friends are & other location based events (eg. the restaraunt promotion, or special club event.) It should include the ability to map them and quickly add them to your to-do/ calender for reminders"
TimBaileysBox, McLean, VA

"Use the iPhone Google Map to locate your friends, who happen to be carrying the iPhone."
GoogleMan

"A "Friend Finder" tied to google talk and GPS. Allows two people with mobile phones to send eachother positional updates so they can find each other in a busy store, theme park, etc."
Bryan, Marietta, GA

"Overhaul Google Maps to have voice turn directions with a 3D view. Also add social networking features like sharing directions and a friend locator (that can be turned on/off), and a recommend this place feature."
Map, Sacramento, CA

"GPS should provide what bluetooth tried and couldn't: a "find me" alert to locate people near you and that ACTUALLY want 2 be discovered and change instant messages. I'd love to chit chat while in queues or find by chance a friend who's at the mall!"
Ukyo, PE, Brazil

"Let google know my location constantly from a GPS device (accuracy determined by my paranoia) to let friends know if they are close to me *and* where I was at any point in the past."
JP, Nottingham, UK

"Provided an enhanced version of gmail contacts . The new contact list will indicate the real-time physical location of any contact who wants to share his/her location with friends."
B.Hu, Sunnyvale, CA

"a product that will ping my friends/contact list with my geo-location and get a response on their geo-location/connectivity status with present/past overlay on gEarth."
gink, Cape Town, South Africa

"A mobile app that seeks/finds using GPS and alerts you when others in your Google Friend Connect Community are close by. You would be able to turn off the feature when you don't want others in your Friend Connect Community to know you are around."
Googleguy, SoCal

Product: Gmail for mobile
New Feature: Tasks

Tasks lets you manage your to-do list while you're on the go. You can create lists of things you need to get done and check off tasks as they're completed.
If you have a supported device, just go to http://gmail.com/tasks in your phone's web browser to access Tasks. And mark that done.

Announcement: Google Mobile Blog

Related Ideas:

"Ability to view and edit gmail's tasks"
kally, minnesota

"Task list that I can update on a mobile device."
Grant, Cambridge, MA

"Ability to use the new gmail lab's TASKS feature."
Drooo, NY


Keep posting and voting on those ideas - they could be the seed of the next great feature. Your feedback is important to us and we can't wait to see what you come up with next!

by The Product Ideas Team