Google's Winter Cleaning
 

Yesterday, Google announced it's dropping Google Sync, SyncML and Mail for Exchange. Google Sync will not be available for new users on January 30, 2013, but should remain active to all prior users.

In in their place, it will adopt CardDAV (for contacts) and suggest CalDAV (for calendars), IMAP (email).

Source: Official Google Blog

Before we get into a discussion about how it affects competitors and whatnot, let's look at Maemo devices. I can't claim to be knowledgeable about most of these. I've only recently purchased a N9 (remarkable phone). I'm aware of MfE, CalDAV and Google services being an available syncing option. However, should any of us flash or hard reset it, how could we get contacts syncing without CardDAV?

Re: Google's Winter Cleaning
 

The N9 has an option for Google account that syncs your google contacts to phone; I don't think it uses Google Sync for it but I could be wrong...

Re: Google's Winter Cleaning
 

I think that works too, but there must be a reason MfE is preferred.

Re: Google's Winter Cleaning
 

MfE for? On the N9 you can either use MfE or have a google account; I think MfE used to be supported previously when google account integration in phones wasn't widely adopted but now that every phone integrates with Google I think Google has decided to stop using MfE as an additional protocol...

Re: Google's Winter Cleaning
 

Contacts, mail, and calendar. IIRC from browsing a couple of threads here, the contacts weren't syncing correctly. Some people had them without phone numbers.

The official Nokia guide for syncing doesn't mention anything specifically about contacts too.

Re: Google's Winter Cleaning
 

I have only found the option to sync Google Talk contacts, which is the subset of my phonebook :(

Re: Google's Winter Cleaning
 

Ah so thats the limitation hence making MfE important... This doesn't sound good at all then... Is there a way to make all Google Contacts become Google Talk contacts?

Sergey_Kashin on the MfE thread should be asked if there is a way other than MfE for Google Contacts in light of this; maybe he can cook up something like MeMailSettings for it ;)

Re: Google's Winter Cleaning
 

Oh, I thought they cleaned out android for something better. How disappointing.

Re: Google's Winter Cleaning
 

I had to use MfE to get all of my Google account contacts and phone numbers. It just wouldn't sync otherwise at all.

Anyway, seeing this now - Google disabling MS Active Sync - actually affects Windows Phone 8 more than it does the N9. No more new accounts though. So when people buy another WinPhone, they'll be left out of this kind of synchronization. Not unless they (Microsoft) adopts whatever Google moves toward for full synchronization.

The N9... it'll never get updated. So screwed or not, let's hope we're grandfathered - which, seems to be the case. New N9 owners will be left out though.

Re: Google's Winter Cleaning
 

syncevolution may be?