Brainstorm

Google Calendar and Google Contacts are a popular way to manage PIM data "in the cloud". They are available nicely through the Google Apps web interfaces, and are supported for synchronization by many applications ranging from Apple's OS X desktop to iPhone and GNOME Evolution. However, on Maemo there is no way to synchronize them.

Web applications are becoming more and more sophisticated with new techniques and users flocking to AJAX-based rich internet applications. Now the Maemo Browser still feels very much stuck in the "document-based web" idea although there would be potential to much more.

Currently landing in Brainstorm is pretty bad. First you need to find it or even know it exists. Then the default page (now http://maemo.org/community/brainstorm/list/ideas/fremantle/) is anything but simple and self-explanatory for a newcomer. And not even that useful for regular visitors. There is already a proposal for Improving the Brainstorm layout but this one here concentrates on the landing page and the ways to get there.

Talk discussion: http://talk.maemo.org/showthread.php?t=32112

The layout of the Brainstorm is quite confusing and affects the overall usability of the site, not only for newcomers but also after regular use. There are some proposals already open - vote for them!

• Add voting for the actual ideas would imply listings of proposals without listing the solutions proposed for each proposal.

• Users tend to file solutions as problems into maemo.org brainstorm would help getting shorter proposals just stating problems, favouring shorter listings as well.

• Watching brainstorm would direct regular users directly to proposal pages, bypassing the less efficient listings.

• Brainstorm discussion split between Brainstorm and Talk would leave the proposal pages cleaner, only with problem and solutions being voted and the discussion happening elsewhere.

Here you can post solutions concentrating on the UI layout.

Every new user wonders where it is ... let's add the functions by default.  We need a solid contact manager, the ability to see and sync a calendar and it should be part of the system.