Easy Ways To Integrate Your Google Apps
The information you keep in Google apps like Gmail, GCal and Reader doesn’t just live in one place. Check out a few easy but non-obvious ways to plug different Google apps together and share their data and features.
Get Your Calendar in Gmail
One of the most useful integrations available for Gmail and GCal users, the Google Calendar gadget puts upcoming events on your email sidebar. To turn it on, just enable the Google Calendar gadget in Gmail Labs. Click on the Options link to configure which calendars you want to display events from, and schedule events directly from Gmail using the gadget’s Add link. (Gmail Labs offers lots of other app integrations, like YouTube previews in Gmail, the ability to create a Google Doc from an email conversation, Picasa image previews, Google Docs as well as a Google web search gadgets.)
Put Your Gmail Messages on Your Calendar
Gmail Tasks’s killer feature is how it can act as a bridge between your email inbox and your calendar. If you add a Gmail message to your Tasks list (just choose “Add to Tasks” from the “More Actions” drop-down) and add a due date, that task shows up on your Google Calendar on that date. Even if Gmail’s Tasks module isn’t your primary to-do list app, this is an easy way to “schedule” email you don’t need to deal with right now but does have a deadline in the future.
Get Google Docs in Your Calendar and Gmail
Courtesy of Google Calendar Labs, you can easily attach Google Docs to any event—like the batting lineup for the company softball game next week. In GCal’s Labs area (in Settings), just enable the “Attach Google Docs” feature.
Gmail has had built-in integration with GDocs since back in 2006; any time you have a Word document or spreadsheet email attachment in a message, Gmail gives you a “Open as a Google Document” link next to it. You can also convert an entire Gmail conversation to a Google Doc by enabling the Gmail Labs’ “Create a Document” feature.
Get Google Profile Feeds in Google Reader
Google’s newish Profiles tool offers an interesting integration into Google Reader: the ability to associate people with the feeds they create. When you configure your Google Profile and enter the web sites where you’ve set up shop, the feeds available for those sites appear on your profile—as well as in Google Reader. When you’re following someone in Google Reader, you can easily see their blog and social network feeds alongside their photo and bio thanks to Google Profiles. From the ever-so-specifically-labelled “Browse for Stuff” section in Google Reader, click on the “People You Follow” tab to browse the folks you care about and subscribe to feeds they’re creating.
Get All Your Google Apps on iGoogle
You can’t mention integrating Google apps without giving iGoogle a nod. GApps addicts’ homepage of choice, iGoogle offers Gmail, Google Talk, Google Calendar, Google Docs, Gmail Tasks, and Google Voice gadgets for the ultimate, all-in-one, Google apps jumping-off spot. (In fact, last week during the Gmail outage, iGoogle’s Gmail gadget was still working—even when the proper Gmail webapp was down.)
…Not to Mention Integration Add-ons and Your Browser Sidebar
Beyond in-webapp ways to access Google apps data across products, you can also hook up browser extensions like Integrated Gmail or iGoogleBar for Firefox. Alternately, for easy Google apps access no matter what web site you’re on, put your browser’s sidebar to good use.
What other ways do you use one Google app’s data in another? Shout it out in the comments.
Gina Trapani, Lifehacker’s founding editor, likes finding new ways Google Apps inform one another. Her feature Smarterware appears every week on Lifehacker.
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Comments (AU Comments | US Comments)
Hmm... I can't get iGoogleBar to install. Firefox refuses to install it because it "doesn't provide secure updates." How do I get around this?
For Mozilla Firefox users, Gmarks ([addons.mozilla.org]) integrate the Google Bookmarks web application directly in the Mozilla interface. No more lost bookmarks due to file corruption or if you forget to back them up when reinstalling. It also keep them synced between multiple computers.
I like how Gmail messages, Gmail tags, and Google Docs all have unique URLs so I can paste the address into and email, a doc or a calendar item to link to something in particular. Makes using Google as a GTD system really easy.
@ljbisbee: You can disable that by:
1. Enter ‘about:config’ into address bar, hit go
2. Right click somewhere in the list of keys below. Select New-Boolean
3. Enter ‘extensions.checkUpdateSecurity ‘ as the name
4. Select false as the value
5. Reattempt installation of your plugin.
I found that on a help site and had to use it for a onenote plugin.
Letsgohokies
A quick note about the browser sidebar stuff... a few months ago I got hooked on the Cruz browser (Mac), which allows you to set the user agent of the sidebar as iPhone/mobile, so you get desktop browser access to the mobile version of some google apps...waay cool: [bit.ly]
Very nice integrated way to lose your privacy !!!
shallnot
See these are all fine and dandy but the major problem is that some of these google services will not work with Google APPS.
I use Google Apps with my own domain name, however I can't use that login with Google voice, iGoogle, Google bookmarks, and other misc Google services. I have to create a separate Google account so I can use the other services.
It would be really, really really nice if Google would get around to helping its PAYING customers someday.
Jeff McCollum
@mkerr23: I was just writing up my version of this very idea. Posted above yours. I may have a look at RTM again because I know it goes very well with Google. If I still dont like it, Google Tasks works well enough for me.
Braffe
I've just been experimenting with this very idea.
I now have my Gmail page with Integrated E-Mail adding my Google Calendar and Meebo. I thought Meebo might not like calendar/gmail editing because it would change the page, but Integrated Gmail treats each frame as its own, so it works great.
I added the Chat on Right Lab item to get 2 columns of gadgets. Integrated Gmail allows me to move things around on those columns. Now I have chat on left, and G-marks igoogle gadget, Google Docs and Google web search Lab items.
To make it look pretty I've customized the gmail interface and used a few stylish userstyles.
Heres a link to a screenshot...
[dl.getdropbox.com]
Braffe
Integrated Gmail combined Labs is an amazing way to get your Google services integrated on one page.
I use RTM for tasks so I have the RTM add on the right side of my Gmail page, Gcal beneath my inbox using Integrated Gmail, and my list of Google Docs on the left using labs.
That is just my set up though. Integrated Gmail lets you put any Google service on your Gmail page though. The default is Reader and Gcal.
mkerr23
Tasks didn't appear in my Google Calendar right away. You have to enable Tasks in your GCal first by simply clicking "Tasks" on the left, as soon as you do your tasks will appear on the calendar.
NICU
I notice that almost all of these utilize GMail in some fashion. Because of the vast violation of privacy that is GMail, I don't use it - and won't. That rules out most of these.
@Jeff McCollum: Great comment! I didn't know you couldn't, and was close to moving our primary domain under Google Apps. Thanks for the heads-up!
wcsii0861
@shallnot: How? And I don't mean to challenge you, I'm just not as tech oriented as many of our peers here at LH. Thanks.
wcsii0861
@Braffe: Very cool, my friend. I need to make/take some time to do something similar. I bet I would use my G-apps even more if they were as pleasing to look at as your design. Thanks for the screenshot.
wcsii0861
@Andy Holt: I use many types of mobile devices. I found that Google Mobile is excellent when I use it with my Palm Tungsten E2. The E2 has a WiFi Card that works great. So when I am not near a "Free" WiFi spot I use the Mobile Application Offline. Then when I pass another WiFi Site the G Apps undate my forms that I have working on during the time I am un-tethered. I get best from Google Mobile. Also, Credit to Opera Mini that adds something to the mix.
One more idea if I may. GV voice mail is easily feed to a blog post. This saves typing. Yet one warning; Sometimes voices are interpreted and words will not make sense unless you edit the posting. Try it!
My problem with google apps and this stuff, is igoogle. Igoogle is great from the web, but the problem is the mobile. Why the hell aren't the igoogle plug ins or whatever that appear on the main page, why the heck don't they appear from my MOBILE damnit. I want the same homepage.
Andy Holt
GV add voice mail appointments to the Google Calendar by selecting Calendar. Date, Times, & Note will be inserted into a Calendar Event and an alarm set. That is if "Transcribe" is turned on in settings. Cool!
"Google Apps" refers to the product suite that used to be called "Google Apps for Your Domain," so when it's used to describe a collection of distinct web applications, things get confusing!
What's particularly frustrating is that they've never provided a good way to merge an existing Google Account with a Google Apps account, so I'm stuck with a foot in both worlds (or I'm missing something).
@shallnot: No one has privacy!!!!
Since some of us are concerned about security, I will say a little piece. Regarding security and data, datamining comes-ups. Someone will have access to your private data. That begs the questions: Do I know who has my data; no. and Do I trust the person who has my private data; yes/no. What I am saying is: Someone or many have access to your private data. Who is on your side? Because you can not secure your "Private Data."
Google is great but I haven't learned how to dl my e-mail to my computer or hub. The Cloud concept is better than ok and Google Servers have a lot of storage. I want to send all my back-up e-mails to one of those "Hubs" for printing and I don't know how to do it.
The GV SMS to email feature is long awaited. I won't miss texts now when I forget to hit my Tabified GV in Firefox, since I've got a Samurize script pinging Gmail every so often.
*grins*