Tag Archives: google contacts

Synchronise thunderbird address book with Google contacts

Computer Aid Posted on by

Ever since I started using thunderbird (many years ago), its always bothered me that I would have separate contact lists in Google, Thunderbird, MYOB, and my customer mailing list (PHPList).

It was much worse, before I started using Google for contacts.

Back then, my phone would also have separate contacts that needed processing with each new phone! Now, with Android, I just use google!

I once looked at synchronising google contacts with thunderbird, but I didn’t get very far.

But recently, I found a thunderbird app called gContactSync.

I was a bit hesitant at first, and looked over the instructions very carefully, as this has the potential to backfire and wipe out all my google contacts.

So the first thing I did is use google contacts to export a backup of all my contact (more -> export)

Then I installed and configured gContactSync into thunderbird

Its always reassuring to know that gContactSync can be setup to sync my google contacts in a separate address book from the default (I named mine: Google Contacts).

After the initial sync (it took a few tries, and a few restarts of thunderbird to make it all happen), everything went very smoothly.

I’ve been using it now, for over 1 month, with 2 computers running thunderbird, with no problems.

Now: if only MYOB and PHPList would sync with google (i’m not holding my breath on that!), then I won’t have to triple-enter customer details!

getting google contacts into iphone ipad

Computer Aid Posted on by

While setting up google services for a customer who owned an iphone and an ipad, I had some strange problem making google contacts synchronise with the idevices.

Since I have setup countless android devices, I assumed that setting up accounts would be similar, and would also be logical.

It wasn’t!

I thought that setting up the email account would also take care of contacts and calendar.

Here is what you see when setting up an email account on an iphone:

The obvious choice for a google account would be to pick gmail.

But the correct choice, if you also want to synchronise google contacts and google calendar, would be to pick Microsoft exchange instead!

For full instructions on how to setup your google account on an iphone or ipad, take a look at:

iphone ipad google

or: iphone about

syncing Google Contacts: surname last

Computer Aid Posted on by

I’ve been going through my customer contact list (currently in Google Contacts), and spent some time exporting my MYOB contact list and merging it with my google contacts, in order to get a consistent list.

After having completed the whole process, I eventually realised that google sorts names differently from most people:

Names are assumed to be First/Given name first, then middle name(s), then Last/Surname.

Unfortunately, I only realised this after I had everything sorted…

So my list has names like: Blogs, Joe

But on my WM6.1 smart phone, it results in names Joe, Blogs,

Note the extra comma.

While my Nokia 6220 Classic has names like: Blogs, Joe (but when you look at the contact details, it breaks it down into:

Last Name: Joe

First Name: Blogs,

But there is some good news (for me at least): it actually doesn’t matter much.

A search for something like “joe” or “blogs” on either WM6, Nokia, or Google Contacts, will result in the correct entry being found.

Maybe one day, Google will add the ability to intelligently specify how the name field is to be split.

adding pictures to google contacts

Computer Aid Posted on by

I’ve recently been moving to using both Google Contacts and Google Calendar as my main storage for appointments and “address book” information.

For anyone contemplating this move, I must say my experience with these applications has been (for the most part) really positive. I really like the way google maps integrates with the contact addresses.

However, I did come accross something unusual recently.

I noticed that some of my contacts had an image next to them.

Mandy probably added the pictures, and they also appeared on my windows mobile “smart phone”.

OK, but, the main contact number for Computer Aid didn’t have a picture… Hey, I’ll just add the picture myself.

But when I get into google contacts, the entry for Computer Aid has no way of adding a picture… Strange.

I look through other contacts, and I see something even stranger: some contacts have an “Add a picture” link, while others don’t.

google-aap

How do I add a picture to a contact, when there is no “add a picture” link?

Luckily, I have over 100 contacts (mostly Computer Aid customers), so I soon noticed a pattern:

I could only add pictures if the contact had an email eddress

Even a non-valid email address, meant that I could then add a picture.

The question then becomes: why?