Filed under: Developer, Internet, Google
Google releases Contact API
Shortly after releasing a tool for synchronizing Google Calendar with Outlook yesterday, Google released another key in the synchronization puzzle: an API for accessing Google contacts. The API will enable trusted 3rd party sites to access your Google contact information without asking you to provide your login information. So next time Facebook, Plaxo, or another service wants to import your Gmail, Google Calendar, or Google Talk contacts you might not have to give up your email password. Likewise, 3rd party software and web sites will be able to export contact lists to Google. And developers could write software that will keep your Google contacts synchronized with your desktop or mobile personal information manager.
In other words, if someone has some free time on their hands, they can write an application that will allow you to synchronize your Outlook and Google contacts. You know, like the application we were kind of hoping Google would release along with Google Calendar Sync yesterday.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
kingkool68 said 10:24AM on 3-06-2008
Hmmm there is something that feels fishy about this. I kind of like having to give my Google password to access my info from a 3rd party site, it makes me feel in control. Now I don't.
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Jeebus said 3:36PM on 3-14-2008
You like giving your Google password to 3rd party sites? That sounds fishy to me.
My password stays with me.
Joe B said 11:17AM on 3-06-2008
How about before Google starts worrying about syncing my address book and such, they actually build a decent address book feature instead of the crap they have right now.
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Clarke said 11:18AM on 3-06-2008
For me, the big deal here is the possibility of never syncing my blackberry with my pc ever again. I am currently using Google Calendar Sync, and Gmail for the blackberry. The only things left are tasks and contacts. I don't use tasks, so when an app shows up to sync my contacts, I will no longer need to sync with my pc.
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rushangshah said 11:32AM on 3-06-2008
This software already does sync between Google contacts and Outlook contacts:
http://www.companionlink.com/products/companionlinkforgoogle.html
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Claudio said 2:38PM on 3-06-2008
Does this mean that whenever I load Tagged.com homepage they'll be able to read my contact list and send spam emails to all my contacts?
Wow, that's cool!
=_=
What do they mean with "trusted"?
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Alek Davis said 8:52AM on 3-10-2008
"[I]f someone has some free time on their hands, they can write an application that will allow you to synchronize your Outlook and Google contacts."
This would be really nice. I can't wait for a free Google-Outlook contact synchronizer.
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Paul said 4:07PM on 4-01-2008
Did you know Microsoft is also doing this?
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb463989.aspx
This allows access in the same way as Google, but to your Hotmail and Messenger contacts.
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@kingkool68, @claudio, ... said 9:58AM on 3-26-2008
You do need to type your password, but to Google not the "trusted" web site. So, you don't trust that web site that much, after all. You only give them a *one-time only* access to *a given set of your data* and they never learn your precious little password. What's so fishy about it?
"Trusted" means they ask you first, and when you click "Allow access" they assume you trust the site.
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