Last update I got from HP, the synch function had issues. Is this now resolved?
How To Sync Your TouchSmart Calendar With Your Google Calendar
Categories: HP TouchSmart HP TouchSmart Software Productivity
Do you love the idea of using that finger-friendly calendar application that's built in to the TouchSmart Suite, but don't want to give up the flexibility and convenience of an online calendar? To that I say, "Why not have the best of both worlds?!" What you may not know is that with the while the TouchSmart Calendar application functions well as a stand-alone application for managing your appointments and events, it can also sync up with Google Calendar to let you manage and maintain it from anywhere.
Before you get started, you'll need to head over to Google and set up your free account (if you don't already have one) and get everything set up to start using Google Calendar. Or, if want access to Gmail and other Google productivity services, you should check out the free Google Apps standard edition.
Setting Up Google Calendar Synchronization in TouchSmart
*Update - The process for setting up calendar syncing with Google Calendar has changed since this article was initially published. Please read the comments area for additional information on how to get things working until the step-by-step guide can be updated/re-written to accommodate these chages.
Once you have your calendar set up, head to your TouchSmart and fire up the calendar application in the TouchSmart Software. To the right, you'll see a button labled "Settings." Press it to begin setting up syncing with Google Calendar.
In the settings area you'll see two options, both asking for credentials. We're mostly interested in the right section, labeled "Information required for synchronization with other calendars." In the dropdown box, select "Google." Enter your Google login, username and password, in the spaces provided. Click "Test" to make sure everything is working.
If you want event notifications sent you to via e-mail (not required) and you also use Gmail, enter your Google account info in the spaces to the left under "Information required to send e-mail notifications." If your login info is the same for both, simply check the box.
Once you've configured your Google Account info in the Settings area, exit out of the settings area and return to the main calendar. At the bottom of the page, there's a button labeled "Sync Now." Press it anytime you want to sync up your Google Calendar with TouchSmart, and vice versa.
Adding and Syncing Events
Now that you have your TouchSmart Calendar tied into your Google Calendar, it's time to get a handle on how you create and sync events between the two calendars. To get you started, we'll walk through the basics.
You can add and edit events either online in Google Calendar or in the TouchSmart Calendar. Wherever you add the event, it will show up in both after you sync them up. Changes are saved in Google Calendar automatically, but you'll need to remember to Sync up before and after you make changes in the TouchSmart.
Adding an event online
First, we'll try adding a calendar event online in Google Calendar. Log in to Google Calendar and create a new calendar event. It doesn't have to be real; this is only a test.
On the left, you should now see your TouchSmart added as a new calendar. Make sure that when you want your events created online to appear on your TouchSmart, add that event to the TouchSmart calendar.
Return to the TouchSmart Calendar and hit the Sync button. If everything worked properly, you should now see the event you just created in your TouchSmart Calendar.
Adding an event on the TouchSmart
The same also works in reverse, and events and changes you make to events in TouchSmart Calendar will be reflected in Google Calendar.
Select a date and time to create a new event by tapping your finger on the start time. In the popup box, enter the event information. When you're finished, press the save icon (the 'floppy' disc).
You don't need to select a calendar here like you do in Google Calendar because the TouchSmart only manages one calendar (itself), whereas Google Calendar can manage and share multiple calendars. When finished adding events, press the Sync button.
Go back in to Google Calendar, and look at the date for the new event you created in the TouchSmart Calendar. If all worked properly, you'll see the event online.
Adding Others in Your Family
By adding others to your TouchSmart Calendar, you can make the TouchSmart the hub for your family's schedule, while still allowing others in your family to maintain their own private calendars online. If you want your entire family (or a dorm-mate, etc.) to be able to make changes to the TouchSmart Calendar, click Settings under My Calendars in Google Calendar and share the TouchSmart Calendar with the rest of your family (they'll need Google Calendar accounts of their own). Then, they'll be able to see, edit, and share events in the TouchSmart Calendar online, too!
Got any great tips for using the TouchSmart Calendar with Google Calendar Syncronization or a story about how you or your family uses the TouchSmart Calendar? Share with the Community in the comments area below.
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May 20, 2009 10:39 AM
SS said: Last update I got from HP, the synch function had issues. Is this now resolved?I didn't run into any problems with syncing in my tests. What issues did you have?
Mind Over Matt'er - Technology musings, opinion, and more straight from TechLore's head geek.
May 21, 2009 4:48 AM
Matt Whitlock said:SS said: Last update I got from HP, the synch function had issues. Is this now resolved?I didn't run into any problems with syncing in my tests. What issues did you have?
I followed your instructions and the sync does not work for me. When I hit the sync button it appears to be doing something but none of the items in my TS Calendar appear online nor do any of the items created in the online google calendar appear in my TS Calendar. At one point the sync function was creating multiple calendars in my google calendar but there were no items included.
Any ideas how to get this to work?
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May 21, 2009 10:48 AM
wdeertz said:Matt Whitlock said:I followed your instructions and the sync does not work for me. When I hit the sync button it appears to be doing something but none of the items in my TS Calendar appear online nor do any of the items created in the online google calendar appear in my TS Calendar. At one point the sync function was creating multiple calendars in my google calendar but there were no items included. Any ideas how to get this to work?SS said: Last update I got from HP, the synch function had issues. Is this now resolved?I didn't run into any problems with syncing in my tests. What issues did you have?
You have G-Cal set up to show you all calendars, correct? And when you create now items, you're setting them to the correct Calendar in Google Cal?
Mind Over Matt'er - Technology musings, opinion, and more straight from TechLore's head geek.
May 21, 2009 12:13 PM
Matt Whitlock said:wdeertz said:You have G-Cal set up to show you all calendars, correct? And when you create now items, you're setting them to the correct Calendar in Google Cal?Matt Whitlock said:I followed your instructions and the sync does not work for me. When I hit the sync button it appears to be doing something but none of the items in my TS Calendar appear online nor do any of the items created in the online google calendar appear in my TS Calendar. At one point the sync function was creating multiple calendars in my google calendar but there were no items included. Any ideas how to get this to work?SS said: Last update I got from HP, the synch function had issues. Is this now resolved?I didn't run into any problems with syncing in my tests. What issues did you have?
Yes, I have G-Cal setup to show all calendars and yes when I create new items on G-Cal they are being added to the TS Cal. The Sync doesn't appear to be working in either direction.
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May 21, 2009 12:44 PM
wdeertz said:Matt Whitlock said:Yes, I have G-Cal setup to show all calendars and yes when I create new items on G-Cal they are being added to the TS Cal. The Sync doesn't appear to be working in either direction.wdeertz said:You have G-Cal set up to show you all calendars, correct? And when you create now items, you're setting them to the correct Calendar in Google Cal?Matt Whitlock said:I followed your instructions and the sync does not work for me. When I hit the sync button it appears to be doing something but none of the items in my TS Calendar appear online nor do any of the items created in the online google calendar appear in my TS Calendar. At one point the sync function was creating multiple calendars in my google calendar but there were no items included. Any ideas how to get this to work?SS said: Last update I got from HP, the synch function had issues. Is this now resolved?I didn't run into any problems with syncing in my tests. What issues did you have?
Have you ran HP update to make sure you have all the latest updates?
Did the TS calender appear in Google after you set up syncing in the TouchSmart?
Mind Over Matt'er - Technology musings, opinion, and more straight from TechLore's head geek.
May 21, 2009 4:30 PM
When I enter the my google calendar log in (which is not a gmail email address) the system does not find the calendar and nothign works.
I know my Google Calendar syncs - as I sync it with my outlook at both home and the office with my log in.
Any advice? When I enter my email and password - the Done button grays out so I can not do anything. If I hit the test email address button - it does not verify.
thanks for any advice.
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May 21, 2009 5:11 PM
Lebius said: When I enter the my google calendar log in (which is not a gmail email address) the system does not find the calendar and nothign works. I know my Google Calendar syncs - as I sync it with my outlook at both home and the office with my log in. Any advice? When I enter my email and password - the Done button grays out so I can not do anything. If I hit the test email address button - it does not verify. thanks for any advice.
I also have my own domain set up with Google, so mine wasn't a Gmail address either. You have Google selected from the dropdown? And like I asked above, have you ran HP update and pulled down all the latest updates?
-Matt
Mind Over Matt'er - Technology musings, opinion, and more straight from TechLore's head geek.
May 21, 2009 7:06 PM
Ok I updated and it seems to work - in the sense that I can run sync (dont get anything) and I can see a touchsmart calendar on my google screen. What I dont get is what is the point if it keeps a seperate calendar? My outlook from office and home sync with the base calendar - if touchsmart is a seperate unit, then I dont get anything on the HP? Am I missing the point?
Thanks
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May 21, 2009 9:44 PM
updated: May 21, 2009 9:44 PM
Lebius said: Ok I updated and it seems to work - in the sense that I can run sync (dont get anything) and I can see a touchsmart calendar on my google screen. What I dont get is what is the point if it keeps a seperate calendar? My outlook from office and home sync with the base calendar - if touchsmart is a seperate unit, then I dont get anything on the HP? Am I missing the point? Thanks
The multiple calendar approach is to help manage different parts of your life. It makes much more sense from a family perspective, and I believe most apps in the TouchSmart Suite were done with the idea that this PC is going to be sitting in a living room or kitchen as a public terminal. You manage your personal/work events from your private calendar program (outlook, IE, etc) and your family events on the touchsmart calendar that's shared with everyone in your family.
That said, I can't say that syncing with Google Calendar really makes sense for an individual looking to replace online calendar management with the calendar in the TouchSmart. You can do that though, you'll just always mark events to the TouchSmart Calendar instead of your main one. Whether or not those will be translated over to Outlook, I'm not sure. You'd have to experiment on that one.
Mind Over Matt'er - Technology musings, opinion, and more straight from TechLore's head geek.
May 22, 2009 1:55 PM
I understand what you are saying. I took all my events from outlook and imported them into the Google calendar. they are in the Touchsmart calendar. I am connected -but the HP software does not pull any of the items when I sync.
I also tried to create a Test event on the HP calendar. It created the event - I hit sync and it was added to Google. When I try to delete the event - the HP will say are you sure - I hit yes and it does not delete it. This is very strange, as deleting an event should be a simple task for a calendar program. Also - it syncs that one event - but the hundreds of events that are in the Google calendar do not come over.
I have to say that I appreciate your help, but this seems to be useless product that needs a lot more testing.
My recommendations (and this goes with a lot of other sites where people complain about his) would be for HP to allow the program to sync with outlook and to allow the user to determine which of the Google calendars it coordinates with. Your point about family is good - but if I were to be running a family calendar - why would I not have that in my Google main, so when I use iGoogle - it pulls up correctly?
Thanks - if you're bored and want to run thought some ideas I am happy to do so with you - but don't spend too much time on this - as I do not think it is going to be a useful tool for my family.
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May 22, 2009 2:15 PM
Lebius said: I understand what you are saying. I took all my events from outlook and imported them into the Google calendar. they are in the Touchsmart calendar. I am connected -but the HP software does not pull any of the items when I sync. I also tried to create a Test event on the HP calendar. It created the event - I hit sync and it was added to Google. When I try to delete the event - the HP will say are you sure - I hit yes and it does not delete it. This is very strange, as deleting an event should be a simple task for a calendar program. Also - it syncs that one event - but the hundreds of events that are in the Google calendar do not come over. I have to say that I appreciate your help, but this seems to be useless product that needs a lot more testing. My recommendations (and this goes with a lot of other sites where people complain about his) would be for HP to allow the program to sync with outlook and to allow the user to determine which of the Google calendars it coordinates with. Your point about family is good - but if I were to be running a family calendar - why would I not have that in my Google main, so when I use iGoogle - it pulls up correctly? Thanks - if you're bored and want to run thought some ideas I am happy to do so with you - but don't spend too much time on this - as I do not think it is going to be a useful tool for my family.
"Your point about family is good - but if I were to be running a family calendar - why would I not have that in my Google main, so when I use iGoogle - it pulls up correctly?"
Google calendar online shows you one or all your calendars at once, and keeping family events on one calendar, work on another, and personal on another can be beneficial for organization. This is really about how you manage your lifestyle. It sounds to me like you don't manage your calendar online, but instead use Outlook, or just prefer to have one calendar for everything.
"I have to say that I appreciate your help, but this seems to be useless product that needs a lot more testing."
It's a bummer you couldn't at least get the basics working. I can't say my experience has been the same. Honestly, I haven't had any issues syncing events between the TouchSmart and Google Calendar; it's all worked perfectly... adding, syncing, and deleting.
"Thanks - if you're bored and want to run thought some ideas I am happy to do so with you - but don't spend too much time on this - as I do not think it is going to be a useful tool for my family."
Unfortunately, I'm out of ideas for the moment. If I can duplicate the problem I may be of more help, but for now I'm not sure what else to try.
Mind Over Matt'er - Technology musings, opinion, and more straight from TechLore's head geek.
May 22, 2009 7:00 PM
I was hoping for bi-directional updates similar to outlook synching with a blackberry for appointments and events. I will be happy if this is delivered eventually, however HP openly acknowledges issues with interfacing with the Google calendar service. I keep checking what is updating on my touchsmart from HP, but this fix has not been delivered yet to my knowledge. I like the touchsmart calendar, but I can't use it because it does not synch fully with Google.
June 23, 2009 10:54 AM
Although my google calendar has mysteriously quit syncing with my touchsmart recently, i use a program called synccal to synchronize my google and outlook calendars. When my TS calendar was working, I was able to sync all three calendars in both directions.
You an try synccal for free but it will only sync one weeks worth of data. The paid version is around 30.00 and syncs all your data.
I'm going to go back into my calendars and set them up again because I think it is something that changed with google rather than the TS calendar.
David
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l299/xz550rj/HPMagicGiveaway.jpg
Woohoo! I won my Touchsmart!
September 22, 2009 11:14 AM
I've managed to get the sync part working, but when I sync, the events I put in come up on a whole different day and time. I put in an event in Google for Friday @ 7:00pm and then sync it shows up on my TS Saturday @ 12:00pm.
October 6, 2009 2:44 PM
hi i followed the instructions above and either of my calenders are syncing, google does`nt show my touchsmart cal and the touchsmart has`nt imported any off my google events any help would be great? steve
October 6, 2009 3:25 PM
ok so i have now made an event in my touchsmart and it syncd with google but only that event it has`nt imported any other events i hav in my google calender?
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October 6, 2009 3:29 PM
postie90 said: ok so i have now made an event in my touchsmart and it syncd with google but only that event it has`nt imported any other events i hav in my google calender?Current events are only marked to your main calendar. You need to mark them to your TouchSmart Calender before they'll sync.
Mind Over Matt'er - Technology musings, opinion, and more straight from TechLore's head geek.
December 24, 2009 5:01 AM
why isn't it working for me? I have done everything you have mentioned step by step and 1. I don't see my Touchscreen Calendar as a drop down in my google 2. every thing tested out fine 3. BRAND NEW computer (just received today as a gift) Do I need to install something? please help me - thanks.
December 24, 2009 8:31 AM
Hi Uhhhh and welcome to the dev zone. If you haven't done so already you need to run the HP update program that should update the HP software on your new computer.
Which model touchsmart did you get? Are you running Vista or Windows 7?
Also, please be patient for a response. With the holidays upon us, not many people may be browsing these forums as usual.
David
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l299/xz550rj/HPMagicGiveaway.jpg
Woohoo! I won my Touchsmart!
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