Sync iPhone Calendar to Windows

The iPhone Calendar famously does not sync with most Windows Calendar applications directly. Here is the solution that I found: Set up a Google Calendar account, then go into iPhone Settings -> mail,contacts,calendars -> add account -> Microsoft Exchange. Then enter your email address in both the email and username fields, leave domain blank, enter google password and hit next. It then brings up the same fields with the addition of server, and you enter m.google.com there and hit next again. Then what I did is turn calendar sync on, and turn contacts and mail sync off in this account, because I already have functioning accouts for those. Now if I enter something on my iPhone calendar, I can see it pop up on my PC in the browser in Google Calendar.

The only sidebar is that since it is not on the physical PC, and it is the physical PC that syncronizes with the Mobile Me "Cloud", it doesn't appear in the Mobile Me Calendar. But the Google Calendar is in another "Cloud", so it is accessible from anywhere and it could function as a backup just as well.

Gadget Consolidation

I am now entering a new phase of life with the purchase of my first iPhone, which can take over the functions of the following gadgets that I carry around:

Cell phone
Alphanumeric pager
Digital camera
MP3 player
Dictaphone
Palm Pilot: Calendar, Contacts, Memos, Tasks, ePocrates, Password vault
GPS unit
Netbook / Wireless Data Service

It's a little risky putting all those eggs in one basket, but I'll try to take good care of it, and back it up two ways always (Sync to PC via iTunes software and Sync to Cloud via MobileME).

Macro Program to Automate Complex Tasks

I found what appears to be a very good Macro Program: AutoHotKey. (For Windows XP and Vista). You run the AutoHotKey.exe program in the background and the macros are text files with the extension .ahk which you run by double clicking them. The program runs silently in the background and the scripts are run by pressing the hotkey. The examples below are self-explanatory:

;comment - WindowsKey+Z
#z::Run www.google.com

;comment - CTR+ALT+N
^!n::
IfWinExist Untitled - Notepad
WinActivate
else
Run Notepad
return

It comes with an indexed help file that explains thousands of details such as WinMaximize, MouseMove, and the various Send commands for keystrokes. And there is an online forum with a lively following. Price: Free.