Google Fixes App Sync Plug-In

Google has repaired Google App Sync for Microsoft Outlook so that it plays politely with Microsoft's Windows Desktop Search.

Google released the plug-in software in early June to allow Outlook users to connect to Google Apps for e-mail, contacts, and calendar data.

A week later, Microsoft was warning people that the Google App Sync plug-in disabled Outlook's ability to search for Outlook data using Windows Desktop Search.

As the month comes to a close, Google has tamed its software.

"We worked closely with Microsoft to address two issues that we shared recently, and we appreciate their help," said Google Apps senior product manager Chris Vander Mey in a blog post. "The Windows Desktop Search feature now works, so you can choose between the native Outlook search, which has been available since launch, and Windows Desktop Search to find information in Outlook."

Two years ago, the shoe was on the other foot: Google at the time complained to the Department of Justice that Vista's desktop search was anti-competitive because it was difficult to disable and because it slowed Google Desktop Search by operating simultaneously in the background.

In addition to its newfound respect for Windows Desktop Search, Google App Sync now includes support for accessing Windows Live Hotmail through the Microsoft Office Outlook Connector plug-in. The software also includes new synchronization and installation options.

Google hopes that Google App Sync will help make it easier for Microsoft Exchange users to try its hosted applications. And for those considering a switch, there's now a Google Apps resource site specifically to address the questions potential converts might pose.

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