OT: Setting-up Shared Calendar/Contacts in Google Apps & Outlook 2007

[CadillacCowboy]

Yesterday, I moved my privately-owned domain and its users over to Google Apps, primarily so that I can use the "Microsoft Exchange-like functionality", without actually having an Exchange setup...


Now I've got the e-mail side of things going, but for the life of me, I can't seem to get each user's Google Apps Calendar to be the default calendar in Microsoft Office Outlook 2007, and it seems to be even harder to be able to share calendars between my two users (in other words, I want each user to be able to see/manage their own calendar, as well as see/manage the other user's calendar in Office Outlook 2007)!

I've followed a dozen different guides on the 'net, but the best I can get is the ability to view an "empty" version of the other user's calendar (it shows their calendar, but entries they've created don't show-up)!

Also, I'd like to be able to setup shared contacts, so that most (if not all) contacts are shared between both users in both Office Outlook 2007 and the Google Apps Mail interface...

With respect to both applications, I need both user's calendars to synchronize to my BlackBerry, and also the shared contacts.


Can someone lend me a hand?


Edit 1: I found a help page on Google's site that strongly suggests (though never directly states) that contacts can be shared between users Exchange-style, but further investigation has led me to a number of third-party sites which claim calendars are the only thing that can be shared... I'd rather have an Exchange-style, shared address book, but if I can only share calendars, then this is fine as this is the priority for my required setup...

Edit 2: It doesn't have to be Office Outlook 2007 that I use on the desktop, I don't even own a copy of this (I'm currently using a trial copy), it's just that love 'em or hate 'em, Microsoft's PIM (personal information management) software usually provides a more seamless experience with regards to synchronization (eg. with data fields between two devices being matched-up correctly, etc)... I also need desktop-based notification of new messages and events (hence the reason I don't just use Google Apps' native interface - desktop notification of new messages and events is a big requirement).

If there's an alternative to Office Outlook 2007 that provides seamless synchronization (all fields, preferably including contact pictures), I'll gladly look at it as an alternative, even if I have to pay for it (well I wouldn't be trialing Office Outlook if I wasn't prepared to pay for software!)...

[fazza]

Hi CadillacCowboy

I have our personal domain on Google Apps. I cannot comment on the calendars, however I have read a lot in the forums about frsutration that you cannot share a contact list. There are third party tools that enable it though (and the one I looked into escapes me now sorry).

How are you getting Outlook to present the Google calendar? Are you using the sync tool that runs at a set interval synching between the two? Or something else?

Cheers, fazza.

[CadillacCowboy]

Originally Posted by fazza

How are you getting Outlook to present the Google calendar? Are you using the sync tool that runs at a set interval synching between the two?

For my calendar, the Google Calendar Sync tool; for my partner's calendar, the "ICAL" address found under "calendar details" and entered into Office Outlook 2007 under "account settings".

This was the method which most sites suggested, however as I explained in my OP, I can only see the wife's calendar, not the details within it (and vice versa)...