I really want to be able to sync both iCal and Google Calendar with my iPod Nano. It's no secret that you can get Google Calendar to sync with iCal. But about what syncing in the opposite direction (iCal to Google)? Since Google Calendar's inception, there was no bidirectional solution. But thanks to the makers of SpanningSync, there is now...



SpanningSync has made a Mac OS X System Preference that allows you to sync all your info to and from both iCal and Google Calendar. But is it ready for prime time?

Right from the start I did have an issue with SpanningSync. When I tried installing it, the installer told me I already had the SpanningSync System Preference pane installed - which I did not. So I reinstalled SpanningSync and it loaded fine. Another issue I had was with the Birthdays Calendar from iCal. When I tried syncing the automatically generated Birthday Calendar from iCal, I constantly received an "error" message. The makers of the program claim a fix has been made, but as of the latest version of the BETA, it has not.

Despite these two setbacks, all of my other calendars sync with no problems. The convenient menu bar icon, easy-to-use interface, and strong customer support have allowed me to appreciate this tiny app that does big things. And remember, it's still in beta and getting better all the time.

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Labels: os x

Have you walked past an Apple Store yet this month? If so, you might have noticed a 3D snowflake screen saver running in the display windows. The screen saver is called Snowfall and it was designed by Russell Warenboldt using the OS X Quartz Composer.

Snowfall is free, but it requires Macintosh OS X Tiger. To install Snowfall, just copy it into your Screen Savers folder ~/Library/Screen Savers/. Then open the System Preferences panel to modify the options. You can pick a solid background color and turn on the stripes to make your screen look like wrapping paper. Or pick one of your favorite photos and adjust the speed and amount of snow displayed on your screen. Here's a screenshot of Snowfall with a picture of my dog in the background.


Snowfall is a beautiful screen saver. These pictures really don't do it justice. You'll just have to install Snowfall and see it for yourself.

You can download Snowfall here (Mac PPC, Mac Intel). Don't like Snowfall? Here's another winter screen saver called SnowSaver (Mac PPC). Both Snowfall and SnowSaver are Macintosh only. PC users should check out a screen saver called Let It Snow (PC).

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Labels: holiday, os x, screen savers