How to sync your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch with Gmail, Google Calendar and Contacts
February 10, 2011 by Phil Montero · 40 Comments
If you have an iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch and you use Google’s services (Gmail, Calendar, and Contacts) the video below will walk you step-by-step through the best way to sync all your data seamlessly with your Apple Device. Although these devices have a built in Gmail option it has some major limitations – specifically it doesn’t offer the ability to sync contacts over the air and limits you to one primary calendar.
I have tried several different ways and found Google Sync (which acts like a Microsoft Exchange connector) works great. I used it for years on my iPod Touch and now that I’m the proud owner of a new Verizon iPhone 4 (I am stoked) I used this same method to keep my iPhone and Google services perfectly in sync. One of the great features is that it lets you sync multiple Google Calendars (up to 25). That means when you create a new appointment in the calendar on your iPhone you can add it to any of the Google calendars you have access to (your own or any shared calendars).
Watch my video below and follow along with your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch as I show you how to sync your mail, contacts, and multiple Google calendars with your Apple device so you can send/receive mail, schedule appointments, and call any of your contacts from anywhere – instantly. Now that’s The Anywhere Office in action!
Note that Google Sync is only supported on iOS versions 3.0 and above. You can check your current version by going to Settings > General > About > Version. If your business, school, or organization uses Google Apps, your administrator will first need to enable Google Sync before you can take advantage of this feature.
If you prefer written instructions Google provides them here but I figured it would be easier to follow along as you watch the steps in this video.
These steps work great if you are using your Gmail address as your primary email address. If you prefer to send mail from your Gmail account (and your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch) using your own domain (ie I send email from @theanywhereoffice.com) then you will want to check out my next article and video where I’ll walk you through how to change the mail setup. It’s tricky but I found a way to get it to work so stay tuned!
(BTW all the video of me configuring the iPhone was actually shot with the video camera on another iPhone – how cool is that!)
Two Phil’s Talk About Switching From Windows to Mac
January 13, 2011 by Phil Montero · 3 Comments
As you know I have done a series of posts (with many more to come) about my switch last year from PC to Mac. Well recently, thanks to the amazing social media tool that is Twitter, I met Phil Simon. He is the author of several books the most recent of which is The New Small. The book looks awesome and I just started reading it last night. I’ll be interviewing Phil here soon and giving away a copy of the book.
After chatting Phil and I realized we had a lot more than a first name/hairline in common – we both were born in Brooklyn NY, grew up in New Jersey, went to school in Ithaca NY and have a lot of the same views about emerging technologies and how small businesses/entrepreneurs can leverage these tools to grow their businesses. We also like the same music (especially Rush, Pink Floyd and the Police) and have a very similar sense of humor (I think that is a NY/Jersey thing).
We also both recently switched from using PCs to Macs and are both now happily plugging away on our MacBook Pros. He also wrote a series of posts detailing his transition to the Mac. I was sharing some of the great apps I discovered with him and told him about eCamm Call Recorder which makes it super easy to record Skype video and audio chats. He was excited by this and asked if we could do a video interview me about my switch to the Mac so I could share some tips. Of course I said YES – so visit his blog and check out the interview.
I’ll be returning the favor and interview Phil in the coming weeks once I finish reading The New Small and giving away a copy to a lucky reader so be sure to check back!
What technology made the biggest difference for you in 2010?
January 5, 2011 by Phil Montero · 7 Comments
Let me start by wishing you Happy New Year! At the end of each year I take some time to reflect on all the things I’m thankful for and you being a reader of this blog is certainly one of them.
The end of each year also leads me to reflect on the biggest technology changes that the previous year held – not just in technology advancements but also in what technology personally made the biggest difference in my life and work.
It also makes me wonder what 2011 has in store for us. I’m sure the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) being held in Vegas this week will give us a glimpse into that.
In looking at the biggest tech impacts of 2010 I found a great article from TechCocktail.com:
Best of 2010 Tech, Year In Review
This year has been loaded with innovations both online and off. Many of these innovations were made by the companies we would expect, like Apple, Google, Facebook, etc. But there were also some fresh faces that pushed us to new heights. As Tech Cocktail toured the country looking at new innovations and followed known companies throughout the year, several trends became very clear: 2010 was the year of the iPad, Facebook updates, daily deal services, mobile apps and social geo-location features. Check out our list and if you think we’ve missed anything, leave a note in the comments.
Their list hit most of the major advancements of the year. Beyond what they mentioned in their list I think another big technology step was small businesses and entrepreneurs embracing cloud computing. While cloud computing certainly isn’t new it seems people took greater notice of it and a greater understanding of what it means to live and work in the clouds (watch my video intro on cloud computing). There was certainly no shortage of commercials and articles touting the benefits of the cloud.
But what about you personally? What technology made the biggest impact in your life or business? For me it was Read more
Talking Mobile Work (and playing harmonica) on My First Live Ustream Broadcast
October 22, 2010 by Phil Montero · 3 Comments
Yesterday I did something I’ve been wanting to do for some time – I did my first live Ustream Broadcast to have an open Q&A about mobile work technology, working from anywhere, and growing your business online. In case you are not familiar with Ustream it is a service that allows you to do live real-time online broadcasts using nothing more than your webcam and a microphone. You can check out the replay of yesterdays session:
In this initial broadcast I chatted with some folks about mobile work technology – we discussed online musical collaboration, co-working and coffee shops, why it makes sense to create your website in WordPress, CRM software, Windows vs Mac, Skype and Tokbox, multi-person video chats, the Blue Yeti microphone, Twitter Apps, and I even jammed a little harmonica! Read more
Switching From Windows to Mac – Part 2
October 6, 2010 by Phil Montero · 3 Comments
This is the second of my 2-part video series on why I switched from Windows to Mac (click here to see Part 1). In this video I discuss how cloud computing, being a web worker, and compatibility made this an easier switch than it would have been in the past.
In my next video I’ll share some resources I found that really helped me get up to speed quick and shortened the learning curve as a new Mac user.
Have you made the switch to Mac or been thinking about it? Post a comment below and let me know your thoughts, what has made you want to switch, or what is keeping you on Windows.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 5:29 — 26.1MB)
