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BusyMac Previews BusySync 2 iCal Syncing Software

In one of the many booths of South Hall 1338, BusyMac was busily showing off brand new features to its prime product, BusySync.

BusySync is a preference pane that allows you to synchronize iCal calendars across multiple computers without the need for a .Mac subscription. It utilizes many core Mac OS X technologies such as SyncServices, CoreData, and Bonjour, and the result is a pretty slick alternative for those who use .Mac primarily for its calendar synchronization capabilities.

BusySync uses peer to peer calendar sharing rather than .Mac's client-server model. In the preference pane, you can select which of your calendars you would like to share, and then select what permissions you'd like others to have (read, read/write, administrative, etc). It will automatically discover shared calendars over local Bonjour networks and automatically synchronize updates as they are made. However, users not daunted by port forwarding can also make their calendars accessible via the internet for sharing. SSL encryption is available (and advisable) to users of Mac OS 10.5 Leopard.

BusySync 2 adds Google Calendar synchronization support. In a demo, John Chaffee of BusyMac demonstrated how a change on Google Calendar was quickly reflected on each of his iCal calendars on his two notebooks in his booth, and vise-versa. He also mentions that Google Calendar support will also be useful to mobile users who want to have a read/write copy available on the internet, something that .Mac does not currently support.

BusySync 1.5 is available for $20 per computer, though discounts are available for multiple users. BusySync 2, when it comes out, will be $25, however if you buy BusySync 1.5 now, you will be eligible for a free upgrade. A time-limited demo version is also available via BusyMac's website.

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53 months ago
Great software that fills a much needed niche but the minimum cost now becomes $50 when syncing two Mac's. The four Mac's (mine, wife's and 2 kids) in my house would be $100. That's just too much for for what it is.
Rating: 0 Positives / 0 Negatives
53 months ago

Great software that fills a much needed niche but the minimum cost now becomes $50 when syncing two Mac's. The four Mac's (mine, wife's and 2 kids) in my house would be $100. That's just too much for for what it is.


I kind of thought the price was a little high as well, but it isn't subscription pricing like .Mac is, so it's only one-time.

Still, it's not for everyone. If you like the other services of .Mac like I do, then I'd go for .Mac over this. However when .Mac first came out, I know the syncing feature was really the main feature that I liked, and I would have loved to know about this. If someone is still in this boat, this software very much may be for them.
Rating: 0 Positives / 0 Negatives
53 months ago

I kind of thought the price was a little high as well, but it isn't subscription pricing like .Mac is, so it's only one-time.

Still, it's not for everyone. If you like the other services of .Mac like I do, then I'd go for .Mac over this. However when .Mac first came out, I know the syncing feature was really the main feature that I liked, and I would have loved to know about this. If someone is still in this boat, this software very much may be for them.



It is hardly one-time. When Apple upgdate iCal or OS X, it may be broken. And may only be fixed in the latest version of this software. Then you have to buy again.
Rating: 0 Positives / 0 Negatives
53 months ago

It is hardly one-time. When Apple upgdate iCal or OS X, it may be broken. And may only be fixed in the latest version of this software. Then you have to buy again.


Good point. I hadn't thought of that.
Rating: 0 Positives / 0 Negatives
53 months ago
BusySync has received a Best of Show award.
Rating: 0 Positives / 0 Negatives
53 months ago
Wow, this might just eliminate the last reason I had for using .mac.

Since Time machine doesn't back up iDisk files, iDisk is becoming less of a feature than a burden.

I might have to try this out.
Rating: 0 Positives / 0 Negatives
53 months ago

Great software that fills a much needed niche but the minimum cost now becomes $50 when syncing two Mac's. The four Mac's (mine, wife's and 2 kids) in my house would be $100. That's just too much for for what it is.


1) Looks like a great product if it does what it claims.

2) But the pricing quickly gets outrageous. It's $50 just to begin, because who would sync only 1 computer?

3) Why doesn't apple include this functionality as part of iCal? yeah, I know it would take money from .mac, but come on--there are free alternatives to .mac for calendar syncing anyway.
Rating: 0 Positives / 0 Negatives
53 months ago

1) Looks like a great product if it does what it claims.

2) But the pricing quickly gets outrageous. It's $50 just to begin, because who would sync only 1 computer?


I agree -- the more I think about it, the more I'm unsure I really want to plunge what would be $125 for my household. They ought to consider a "family pack" for $40 or so, similar to Apple's pricing plans.
Rating: 0 Positives / 0 Negatives
53 months ago
BusySync 1.5 is available for $20 per computer, though discounts are available for multiple users. BusySync 2, when it comes out, will be $25, however if you buy BusySync 1.5 now, you will be eligible for a free upgrade. A time-limited demo version is also available via BusyMac's website.


This was taken from their website, not the best but a little better. 5 computers = 90.00 plus tax...

BusySync requires a separate license for each computer on your network. Multi-unit discounts are applied automatically during checkout:
5+ computers = 10% discount
10+ computers = 20% discount
25+ computers = 30% discount
Rating: 0 Positives / 0 Negatives
53 months ago

I agree -- the more I think about it, the more I'm unsure I really want to plunge what would be $125 for my household. They ought to consider a "family pack" for $40 or so, similar to Apple's pricing plans.


Yep--$40 for up to 5 macs on the same LAN (and then, say $5 for each additional) would be much closer to reasonable.

I figure, though, that they may get bought out and integrated into OS X 10.6. And if their price isn't right apple will flip a switch that allows sharing of this sort.
Rating: 0 Positives / 0 Negatives

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