Calendar and Contact Sync....

ChinaLamb · 17 Jan 2010, 09:00 AM

I know I have asked this several times before, but I really think Fastmail should consider implementing a method for calendar and contact sync.

SyncML (Funambol) is now a fairly well developed solution.

My business partners and I decided to move away from Google Apps and go to a paid solution. That Fastmail didn't offer any calendar or shared contacts made them immediately say no to fastmail....

/cl

Fabaus · 17 Jan 2010, 01:32 PM

+1 for at least contact sync!

Fabaus

Berenburger · 17 Jan 2010, 08:41 PM

+1
In case FM is going to focus more and more on the business market (and it looks they do) then this will be hardly needed.

JamesHenderson · 18 Jan 2010, 05:40 AM

+1 for contacts and calendar.

I am currently using MemoToo (a Funambol system) for my contacts and would love to be able sync it with Fastmail.

J.

Fabaus · 18 Jan 2010, 09:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JamesHenderson

... I am currently using MemoToo (a Funambol system) for my contacts and would love to be able sync it with Fastmail.

I am also using Memotoo. Fastmail contacts are the only one that remain "outside" of my sync tree. Calendar / Tasks / Notes and Contacts are fine between home / work / Netbook / Mobile.... Poor little Fastmail contacts on the web interface are left behind.

Fabaus

ChinaLamb · 18 Jan 2010, 09:46 AM

Funambol would instantly make the Fastmail system interoperable with a huge variety of other systems and software....

Fabaus · 18 Jan 2010, 10:18 AM

True.

...and even if Fastmail didn't provide a web-based method to modify calendar / to-do / notes... the possibility of syncing from your email/PIM client (i.e: Outlook / Thuderbird+Sunbird) to your file-space would be a huge improvement.

Fabaus

ChinaLamb · 18 Jan 2010, 10:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fabaus

True.

...and even if Fastmail didn't provide a web-based method to modify calendar / to-do / notes... the possibility of syncing from your email/PIM client (i.e: Outlook / Thuderbird+Sunbird) to your file-space would be a huge improvement.

Fabaus

Syncing in what way, do you mean in a way that is different than the functionality that IMAP provides currently?

Fabaus · 18 Jan 2010, 01:25 PM

IMAP is fine... Email can be "synced" across all clients / web etc etc.... Hey it's IMAP.

What is missing, judging from the number of similar threads, is a "funambol-like" system to sync Contacts (and I assume also calendar, notes, to-do). To do this well, I assume users would demand Fastmail to offer a web-interface to access all this data. The web-interface for Contacts exists (namely the Address book on the web-interface), but no web interface yet exists for other components such as calendar.

It would still be a HUGE step forward to offer a "funambol-like" server even in the absence of a web interface to access synced data. This would allow all those users that use email/PIM clients (such as Outlook and Thunderbird+Sunbird) to use Fastmail for:

Client / Device access: Sync of-->IMAP + Contacts + Calendar + Notes + To-do
Web-interface access: Mail + Contacts

Although not fully functional (i.e: no ability to edit calendar, to-dos on the web), it would allow people that use separate funambol services to
quit them and centralize to Fastmail.

I just fear that rolling out a calendar / to-do etc web-interface will take Fastmail forever and that would thus inhibit them from rolling out just a Funambol service.

Just my 2c

Fabaus

ChinaLamb · 18 Jan 2010, 02:04 PM

Hey, funambol I know, I started the topic...

Just didn't quite understand your previous post. I think I now understand, you were inferring to the ability to sync that data, without actually providing web access to it. To me, personally, that would be useless. I need a way to keep work contacts and calendar in sync - web (on the road) and desktop (at work or office)...

Fabaus · 18 Jan 2010, 03:46 PM

I'm not a huge user of the web interface and when I'm on the road I use my own Netbook.... so i suppose i really prefer to centralize Email, Contacts and Calendar in a single trusted sync-able service.

Fabaus

rabarberski · 20 Jan 2010, 06:10 AM

+100 here
Really

Mystakill · 20 Jan 2010, 10:38 PM

A number of us have been requesting Funambol (nee SyncML) for years, without success. I recall providing a link to some perl code to accomplish this as well, since that's FM's development language of choice.

ChinaLamb · 21 Jan 2010, 11:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mystakill

A number of us have been requesting Funambol (nee SyncML) for years, without success. I recall providing a link to some perl code to accomplish this as well, since that's FM's development language of choice.

Which is why we need to keep requesting it....

Lnguyen · 30 Jan 2010, 11:05 PM

Very very much want to see this. I've been using fastmail as a backup account now for a while, but I've been wanting to use it more and more for a side business. Google Apps is nice, but I would like to make use and give fastmail some love.

But with more and more focus on smartphones for myself, I need a way to sync it all to the phone. I have a Pre, and multiple exchange and gmail accounts is AWESOME in how it works. So much I wish I had a desktop equivalent to get it all together, yet separate (outlook is the closest thing because of my exchange sync needs, but still meh).

Unfortunately, at this rate, I'm thinking I will continue to use it as mostly a backup system.

17 Jan 2010, 09:00 AM	#1
ChinaLamb The "e" in e-mail Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: a virtually impossible but finitely improbable position Posts: 2,320	Calendar and Contact Sync.... I know I have asked this several times before, but I really think Fastmail should consider implementing a method for calendar and contact sync. SyncML (Funambol) is now a fairly well developed solution. My business partners and I decided to move away from Google Apps and go to a paid solution. That Fastmail didn't offer any calendar or shared contacts made them immediately say no to fastmail.... /cl

18 Jan 2010, 01:25 PM	#9
Fabaus Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 171	IMAP is fine... Email can be "synced" across all clients / web etc etc.... Hey it's IMAP. What is missing, judging from the number of similar threads, is a "funambol-like" system to sync Contacts (and I assume also calendar, notes, to-do). To do this well, I assume users would demand Fastmail to offer a web-interface to access all this data. The web-interface for Contacts exists (namely the Address book on the web-interface), but no web interface yet exists for other components such as calendar. It would still be a HUGE step forward to offer a "funambol-like" server even in the absence of a web interface to access synced data. This would allow all those users that use email/PIM clients (such as Outlook and Thunderbird+Sunbird) to use Fastmail for: Client / Device access: Sync of-->IMAP + Contacts + Calendar + Notes + To-do Web-interface access: Mail + Contacts Although not fully functional (i.e: no ability to edit calendar, to-dos on the web), it would allow people that use separate funambol services to quit them and centralize to Fastmail. I just fear that rolling out a calendar / to-do etc web-interface will take Fastmail forever and that would thus inhibit them from rolling out just a Funambol service. Just my 2c Fabaus

17 Jan 2010, 01:32 PM	#2
Fabaus Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 171	+1 for at least contact sync! Fabaus

17 Jan 2010, 08:41 PM	#3
Berenburger The "e" in e-mail Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: The Netherlands Posts: 2,908	+1 In case FM is going to focus more and more on the business market (and it looks they do) then this will be hardly needed.

18 Jan 2010, 05:40 AM	#4
JamesHenderson Cornerstone of the Community Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Oxfordshire, UK Posts: 603	+1 for contacts and calendar. I am currently using MemoToo (a Funambol system) for my contacts and would love to be able sync it with Fastmail. J.

18 Jan 2010, 09:46 AM	#6
ChinaLamb The "e" in e-mail Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: a virtually impossible but finitely improbable position Posts: 2,320	Funambol would instantly make the Fastmail system interoperable with a huge variety of other systems and software....

18 Jan 2010, 10:18 AM	#7
Fabaus Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 171	True. ...and even if Fastmail didn't provide a web-based method to modify calendar / to-do / notes... the possibility of syncing from your email/PIM client (i.e: Outlook / Thuderbird+Sunbird) to your file-space would be a huge improvement. Fabaus

18 Jan 2010, 02:04 PM	#10
ChinaLamb The "e" in e-mail Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: a virtually impossible but finitely improbable position Posts: 2,320	Hey, funambol I know, I started the topic... Just didn't quite understand your previous post. I think I now understand, you were inferring to the ability to sync that data, without actually providing web access to it. To me, personally, that would be useless. I need a way to keep work contacts and calendar in sync - web (on the road) and desktop (at work or office)...

18 Jan 2010, 03:46 PM	#11
Fabaus Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 171	I'm not a huge user of the web interface and when I'm on the road I use my own Netbook.... so i suppose i really prefer to centralize Email, Contacts and Calendar in a single trusted sync-able service. Fabaus

20 Jan 2010, 06:10 AM	#12
rabarberski Master of the @ Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Ghent, Belgium Posts: 1,027	+100 here Really

20 Jan 2010, 10:38 PM	#13
Mystakill Cornerstone of the Community Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Baltimore, MD (USA) Posts: 835	A number of us have been requesting Funambol (nee SyncML) for years, without success. I recall providing a link to some perl code to accomplish this as well, since that's FM's development language of choice.

30 Jan 2010, 11:05 PM	#15
Lnguyen Essential Contributor Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Maryland Posts: 217	Very very much want to see this. I've been using fastmail as a backup account now for a while, but I've been wanting to use it more and more for a side business. Google Apps is nice, but I would like to make use and give fastmail some love. But with more and more focus on smartphones for myself, I need a way to sync it all to the phone. I have a Pre, and multiple exchange and gmail accounts is AWESOME in how it works. So much I wish I had a desktop equivalent to get it all together, yet separate (outlook is the closest thing because of my exchange sync needs, but still meh). Unfortunately, at this rate, I'm thinking I will continue to use it as mostly a backup system.