Mac OS X 10.5.3: sync Google Contacts option?

[sebf]

I have just read Mac OS X 10.5.3: sync Google Contacts on the Official Google Mac Blog, which is a feature I have been after for awhile! 😀

After upgrading to 10.5.3 and restarting a few times I opened up the Address Book and dived into the preferences, only to find that I only have synchronize options for .Mac, Exchange and Yahoo!.

Whats the catch here? My Address Book version is 4.1.1 (695) and the About This Mac dialogue reports 10.5.3, so where's my sync with Google Contacts option?? 😕

 

[jonkirk]

It seems you need to have an iPhone / Touch to enable this option. I've found this link ( http://lifehacker.com/393855/enable-google-contact-sync-without-an-iphone-or-ipod-touch ) which shows you how to enable it without the iPhone. Haven't tried it yet but just about to give it a go.

 

[EyeCon]

Disappointing results after syncing my Mac Address Book with Google contacts!

I have an iPhone so this was done without the hack. And luckily I did back up both my Mac Address Book and Google contacts.

After syncing I went to my Google Contacts and all my contacts appeared to be all missing. But the number of contacts said I had over 200. I composed a new message and started typing contact names in and they all appeared in auto fill. Huh!?

Mystery solved and I'm extremely disappointed!
All my Address Book contacts that I labeled as 'Company" and having no name in the "First" or "Last" name field appeared blank in Google Contacts. And because the Name field is blank they all sort from the top. Only after scrolling down (past the company only fields) did my contact names start to appear in the list.

COME ON! This is Apple and Google here not some third party sync app created by a first time developer! WTF?

 

[neven]

I have no idea how this thing is supposed to work.

Here’s my setup from the get-go:

1. I have tons of contacts in the Address Book on my iMac.

2. I almost never use Gmail on the web, so I went in and deleted the crapload of “contacts” in there (support emails, everyone I’ve ever replied to, etc.) So, zero contacts in Google.

3. I have a MacBook Air I’d love to sync with the iMac; hey, I should be able to just set both computers to sync with Google, yes? Poor man’s .Mac sync.

I enabled syncing on both and restarted Address Book. Nothing happened. Google, my iMac, and my Air were all looking the same.

So I ran iSync or whatever it’s called now - the .Mac-branded spinny arrow thingy in the menu bar. No change.

Then I connected my iPhone. And this is when “syncing” started. I’m not sure why this has anything to do with iPhone (what if - heavens forbid - I didn’t have one?) but ok.

Net result - zero contacts in my Address Book. Um, yay? Alright then, I restored them to my iMac’s Address Book from a backup - Jesus saves - and things looked good. Restarted Address Book, ran the sync thingy, reconnected my iPhone.

No change. Google still shows no contacts, and the Air doesn’t match the iMac.

I’m sure this technology has some sort of awesome name, but “sync” may not be it.