Google Contacts Open To Non-Gmail Users
Google Apps users and those looking for a central, convenient spot for their contacts, take note: Google’s stand-alone contacts site now lets anyone with a Google account add and manage names and details.
Anyone with a Google account, or those who sign up for one, can head to google.com/contacts to start adding and managing contacts. Why, you might ask, would a non-Gmail user want to do such a thing? For one, Google’s Contacts manager supports imports and exports from a wide range of apps, like Outlook, Yahoo, Hotmail, and, using the free A to G app, Apple Mail. So it makes for a nicely web-accessible backup, and won’t require another account if you’re already using another Google service.
Google Contacts is free to use with a Google account; Google Apps users have to get their administrator to enable Contacts from their “Add more services” link at the Control Panel.
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Comments (AU Comments | US Comments)
@TheFu:
Clearly, you have not read Google's Privacy Policy.
Deprong Mori
Please don't add my contact information to google-anything or any web-site for that matter. It is one thing for you to give up your privacy, but yet another when you give up mine without my explicit approval.
Heck, Outlook is better from a privacy standpoint.
TheFu
Yes it is utterly ironic that this is by the far the weakest, most unreliable, un-featured of all the Google services. Why on earth anyone would use it as their web based resource when you have Plaxo, Soocial or even Facebook for that matter.
privatesam
I just don't get this. The idea makes sense, except that google is not at all up to par with the rest of the field when it comes to contacts. There are much better options out there to sync your contacts to. The only real benefit that I see is that google isn't going anywhere any time soon.
If they improved the interface, added more fields, and made the whole contacts experience as pleasant as their mail experience, this would make more sense.
dangerp
This is a rerun from September.
Deprong Mori
@RickyF: Agree!
oops... typo + comment's filtering + inability to edit a comment.
I meant: there are some random "quote" tags on your post.
by the way, Kevin, I think there are some rando tags on your post ;)
If only Google Contacts were half as good as Gmail or Google Apps. Perhaps someday an engineer at Google will give it some love and attention.
RickyF
Unfortuntely, Google is not a good backup system yet, as it doesn't support many standards or custom fields that other systems uses.
You mentioned the free A to G app, which is a typical example of how Google Contacts can't be used as a backup system: did you ever tried?
I'm a Google user (Apps user, actually) and I'm impatiently waiting the days when Google will start supporting at least more standard contacts fields, not to mention the custom ones.
They wants us to move all our business to their applications, but how can we do that if they don't event take care of these small details?
I like the idea of a central repository. I also love that I can tinker with the API and use it in a program of my own once I import contacts from everywhere else.
Christina Helton
@undefined: The Google Contacts interface is definitely lousy, but at least it's technically competent.
I use Google's Exchange service to sync my WinMo phone's contacts to Google Contacts, and it works great. I just use my phone's contact editor when I need to add something.
@RickyF: Second! I loathe going into my Gmail contacts because I know I will be confused beyond belief. It almost reminds me of myself trying to use Facebook...
tlingitsoldier
Google contacts was open to regular google accounts (non-gmail) since it started. I've been using it for months.
joeny1980
@TheFu: Too late. I submitted your information days ago.
Xander
Gcontacts needs to have off line mode to be useful. And yes, it needs more love in general too as suggested above.
CassandraCabaim
I've imported once 83000 (fake) contacts... since then google is broken all over the place...
xrmb
Honestly, who cares? Google Contacts is the weakest link out of all of Google's tools.
Jason Cooper
I agree with the General "so?" comments. Contacts is the weakest contact manager I've used. Can't stand it, and I'd rate myself as a serious google fanboy.
I wish there was a way to really, really, really get rid of an address in Google. Tell it that it doesn't work anymore, and don't have it pop-up when I start typing.
@privatesam: How is it unreliable?
Un-featured: I really don't know what you expect a contact manager to have. It has contacts and .... Nope, it just has contacts.
reg4c
Google wants to integrate the different services and make it like a big social network. It seems that they are doing that. I think its a good idea but they don't have a clear idea on what they want the final product to look like.
reg4c
Now if they could only sync Google contacts with Outlook. They started with the Calendar, when will they jump on the ball and complete the logical next step? Google Sync should work the same on the desktop as it does on iPhones and Blackberrys.
nouse41
Exactly. Google Contacts isn't any good as a backup solution because it has such limited fields compared to other apps; you lose data if you use Google as a backup. Come on, Google, no birthday field?!
ShreyaDavidson
Maybe Google Contacts would suck less if it was divorced from Gmail?
MarlandHygieia
If Google just got contacts sharing right, sooooo many little rinky-dink Exchange wannabees would go out of business. Hell, even Exchange would be in trouble - well, at least in small businesses. Come on, Google - let's see some hustle here. I've been waiting a couple of years for you guys.
redteam