Tasks inside calendars: How do they make one's time "busy"?

How many of you manage your tasks inside your calendar? As of Office 2007, Bill Gates now does:

"Before the 2007 Office release, I never used the Outlook task feature, but now that tasks are automatically added to my calendar, it makes it much easier to stay on top of the important things I need to do."

What I'd like to know is, when Outlook adds a task to a calendar, does it create "busy" time so the task can be completed? Or does it depend? Can any Outlook users reading this explain how this works?

Windows Live Calendar to get FeedSync?

Kip Kniskern: "It looks like Calendar will be one of the first Windows Live applications to use FeedSync."

Sync between Windows Live Calendar and Outlook available -- for a price

A commenter to an earlier post pointed out that Microsoft does offer sync between Windows Live Calendar and Outlook, but it will cost you the price of a paid subscription to Outlook Connector. I hunted around and think Outlook Connector comes with Outlook Live, which costs $59.95 a year according to this.

As I was searching, I also found The Open Source Outlook Connector Project, a five-year-old effort which looks like another possibility for Outlook swamp draining.

Forrester Research makes iPhone improvements inevitable

Nice to see Forrester Research listing lack of over-the-air calendar sync as part of the #1 reason IT departments won't adopt the iPhone yet. I'm sure Apple hears this loud and clear and will resolve the issue in 2008.

Apple hiring a Swamp Drainer?

A few days ago on some blog I posted a comment suggesting that Apple use some of its vast cash hoarde to improve iCal calendar sharing. Lo and behold today I found out Apple might be hiring someone to do it.

Google Calendar and BlackBerry sync up

Here's +1 SwampDrain point to Google and RIM for introducing full calendar syncing between Google Calendar and the BlackBerry. Thanks to Calendar Swamp reader Matt Sweeney for the tip.

Darwin Calendar Server anyone?

I read for the first time of someone who downloaded and installed the Darwin Calendar Server. I've thought about buying a Mac Mini to run 24x7 and serve up the family calendar for just this purpose. I still prefer to carry a non-iPhone mobile device running CalDAV, and I'd have to get WebDAV working from the Net into our home network to get back to the Darwin server, so there would be more work to do than is listed in this report; but for now my question is, has anyone wired up a Windows calendar client (i.e. Chandler) to Darwin Calendar Server?

SyncMate enters beta

Another way for Windows Mobile users to give desktop Outlook the heave-ho is now in beta.

Spotted at WindowsForDevices.com: Software synchronizes Macs with Windows Mobile devices. SyncMate includes "an 'iCal' plugin synchronizes appointments and events stored in the mobile device's calendar with the Macintosh's iCal application."

Killer Microsoft calendar sharing tech is MIA

As I noted earlier today here, Microsoft has published the final 1.0 spec for what is now FeedSync, and what used to be called Simple Sharing Extensions. But what's striking visiting the FeedSync site is how it makes no mention of what had been SSE's killer app, calendar synchronization. Don't believe that it was touted as a killer app? Check this eWeek story from two years ago.

Stay at Home Servers: funny, but...

Microsoft is on to something with its funny video series, "Stay at Home Servers." I can't wait until the episode where they explain how the Windows server connects all the Macs and Linux-based devices together!