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Contacts phone #, email, and details Sync across several devices

Hi all,
Just wondering what you guys use to keep your contacts in Sync with multiple devices (PalmOS, WM6x, Android)
Personally now I use Google Apps Contacts, however Google Contacts lacks some features and it doesn't sync fully some extra fields.
Before I started using Google Contacts, I was using a mix of several applications like SwitchSyncEX and other alikes.
so i was wondering if there are some sort of apps for Android that can do cross platform contact sync-ing keeping all the fields, instead of chopping off whatever it doesn't understand (Google Contacts)

i would like to know this as well as I'm in the same boat (palm desktop, outlook/wm 6.5, and soon to be android)

I keep my master copy of contacts in Mac OS X address book which syncs with Google Contacts which I then use from remote devices (iPhone, Android, whatever)
I keep hearing about Plaxo, no idea if it's any good or available for Android.

I've used GooSync earlier. It did the job, but then you are still dependant on Google Contacts, which seems to be where you're missing some features.

igniztion said:
I've used GooSync earlier. It did the job, but then you are still dependant on Google Contacts, which seems to be where you're missing some features.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
exactly!
i like google contacts, is great, but it's missing features i got used to since PalmOS and WinMobile
i keep using both my old HTC Athena and SGS i9000, so Google Contact is the best one out there at the moment, unfortunately those extra fields from Outlook doesn't get sync-ed over.
and or if i create them in Google, there is no way to map it back to Outlook.... it's a bummer

Try mIQLive.com
Had all my HD2 Contacts, etc., synced with Exchange Server. Go to above Site, Download & Install the App on your current Device.
You can then upload all Contacts; Calendar; Texts; Call Logs; Bookmarks; Photos & Videos onto their "Cloud" server
Then on the new or 2nd phone, Download & Install the App. Sign in using the same Credentials. The mIQ Cloud Server will then Sync all of the above items with your new Device
I've used this recently to Sync up both Windows and Android Phones. Runs in a very similar manner to Dropbox, if you're familar with that for File Sync across mutliple PC's
Two other nice little bonuses IMHO
a) As the mIQ app runs in the background on your Phone, it maintains a "Push" type connection with your phone (not too dissimilar to a connection to Exchange Server) This will then automatically Sync New Texts; Photos; Contacts and Call Logs onto the Cloud Server for access thru a PC
b) This same connection allows you to send & receive Texts on your PC Browser, with the phone remaining in your pocket the whole time. Very handy at times
I should emphasize that BOTH my HD2 and Galaxy have their "Master Sync" with Exchange and I haven't noticed any abbreviations on the Outlook Contact Fields to date. And I use Outlook Contacts extensively for adding extra Contact Info etc. Your mileage may vary though!!!!
Oh and by the way, this is Free. So, hard to beat the price!!!

but google does that already for free, why i'd switch to a paid service when it does the same thing?

1) First of all, the mIQ Service is FREE, so no harm to try it
2) Secondly, mIQ is a “Live, Constantly On” service, so any Contact Changes; Texts; Call Timer Logs; New Photos etc. Are automatically backed up to the cloud. Handy in the event of disaster. Gmail Backup is far more intermittent
3) Thirdly, Google does NOT offer Auto Backup of the following items (which mIQ does)
a) Call Timer Logs (handy for business logs, if that’s important to you)
b) Photos, Files & Videos Backup
c) Browser Bookmarks (as far as I know)
4) Fourthly, Google Sync does NOT allow the feature I described above, of being able to Send and Receive Texts from your Desktop, while your phone remains in your pocket
If you run two phones (as I do) it can be very handy to move from one phone to the other and know that a new Bookmark you may have added on one phone; or a Text you may have received is Automatically on the OTHER phone by the time you pick it up. All happens within 10 seconds or so

now that sounds much more interesting, i'll give that a go

You can also try syncfriend Also free

sync
I use funambol sync, 90 days free on WInmo and free on android.
So I made a sync on my winmo to the funambol server and then when I got the SGS I installed Funambal and synced the contacts back to my SGS.
For me it worked fine!

AllGamer said:
Hi all,
Just wondering what you guys use to keep your contacts in Sync with multiple devices (PalmOS, WM6x, Android)
Personally now I use Google Apps Contacts, however Google Contacts lacks some features and it doesn't sync fully some extra fields.
Before I started using Google Contacts, I was using a mix of several applications like SwitchSyncEX and other alikes.
so i was wondering if there are some sort of apps for Android that can do cross platform contact sync-ing keeping all the fields, instead of chopping off whatever it doesn't understand (Google Contacts)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As far as WinMo 6x and android devices are concerned, no need to buy any third party app. This is what i do. The only pre condition is that your primary server should be gmail(google) not hotmail. Then all you got to do is add gmail server as exchange server in WinMo device. Thereafter both WinMo & android will always be in sync simultaneously.

Windows Phone 7 + MS Outlook - Thoughts

I was pretty bummed to realize that Windows Phone 7 cannot sync with Outlook (for contacts, calendar, tasks, notes, etc.). The lack of local sync support was one of the only reasons I hadn't switched to Android, and now WP7 is in the same boat.
Ironically the iPhone will now be the only smartphone that can sync with Outlook (iTunes syncs PIM data pretty decently with Outlook-- I had assumed similar functionality would be added to the Zune client, but apparently not).
The only solution for WP7 is to use hosted Exchange or a Hotmail account with a connector plugin for Outlook (just like Android and the Google Calendar connector):
http://pocketnow.com/windows-phone/how-to-sync-windows-phone-7-with-outlook
Besides the fact that people and companies might not be comfortable hosting all of their private data remotely on Hotmail/Google Apps, what happens when you make changes that aren't synced to the web (e.g. if you don't have an internet connection at a certain point or the sync interval hasn't kicked in yet)?
It's also a huge hassle for backup-- the only way to backup your info locally is to create a new PST in Outlook and copy over each type of item individually, then copy the file somewhere. Right now, I have my PST set to automatically back up weekly.
Using the Hotmail/Gmail plugins for Outlook provides a far less consistent and reliable experience than native Outlook data stores, and one might as well just use those services' web UIs rather than bothering with web sync plugins.
Of course, this is a broader issue-- Microsoft is abandoning the millions of people who currently use Windows Mobile and MS' own desktop PIM solution. Even the cloud services MS launched for WM, like MyPhone, are incompatible with WP7's cloud services. The average user has no way of bringing that data over to WP7. With this kind of track record, how can users trust MS?
Will MS fans (if there are any left) stick around despite getting shafted whenever MS strategies change (e.g. WL Spaces- people should've just gone with WordPress/etc. in the first place)? Despite all its problems, Apple treats its iPhone customers far better. The first-gen iPhone received all updates through OS 3.x, all services are still compatible, and upgrading to their newest product is effortless (even without going all cloud-based, in which case I might as well just have a browser on a screen, like Chrome OS).
The question comes down to this: if MS is forcing us to abandon its own desktop apps and go cloud-only, then why should I should go for Hotmail (with its subpar UI) and WP7 (which offers only a different (and not necessarily any better) UI, Xbox Live score integration (which casual gamers don't care about), and subpar functionality for 2010) instead of Google Apps and Android, or any other phone OS?

Well, you can sync your contacts with Gmail in WP7 as well, so you don't have to use Hotmail, even though it has some advantages. Why you would choose WP7 over Android is a totally different topic.

Wait...Windows Phone 7 has no calender syncing abilities?

Intervenient said:
Wait...Windows Phone 7 has no calender syncing abilities?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Only cloud-hosted calendars- no Outlook sync support.
WMDC/ActiveSync are gone and the functionality has not been added to the Zune client (which only does pictures/music/movies).

It syncs calendar with cloud services like Exchange, Gmail, Hotmail etc. You can't sync it with your desktop via USB.

vangrieg said:
Well, you can sync your contacts with Gmail in WP7 as well, so you don't have to use Hotmail, even though it has some advantages. Why you would choose WP7 over Android is a totally different topic.
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Hotmail syncing shares the same inherent disadvantages as Gmail-- PC-phone PIM updates take much longer, require both devices to have internet service; if you don't have a Wifi network, then you have to use cell data, and if you have poor reception wherever you are, you're SOL.
Gmail's calendar and contacts don't properly sync with Outlook (they have different data fields, only some of which will sync, and more advanced things like recurring appointments and time zones easily screw things up). I haven't tested Hotmail-Outlook syncing extensively enough to comment on it in this regard.
MS' primary strength on the desktop side was always that it built extensible, mostly backwards-compatible platforms (and when there were monumental shifts, like Win9x to NT kernel, the transition happened gracefully, through XP). For years, MS has pushed Outlook for individual users (or businesses not using Exchange) and Exchange-hosted Outlook for enterprises-- now there's a disruptive shift, leaving users in the lurch.
MS is understandably now developing its cloud services, but it has provided no straightforward upgrade/migration path for Outlook users. It's ironically much easier to use WP7 if you never went with MS in the first place and chose Google Apps instead (in which case why go with MS now- you're bound to get screwed over again in the future- at least with Google you know there'll be some continuity).

Ick, definitely a deal breaker for me. I'm not a fan of hot mail, and Google Calendars, while convenient for some, is a headache to use and not intuitive at all (not to mention iCal doesn't play nice with it).
Rats, there goes my dreams of running an OS that get's non-tampered updates, whilst being able to chose my hardware. Hopefully Microsoft finds a solution soon.

amb9800 said:
Hotmail syncing shares the same inherent disadvantages as Gmail-- PC-phone PIM updates take much longer, require both devices to have internet service; if you don't have a Wifi network, then you have to use cell data, and if you have poor reception wherever you are, you're SOL.
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Click to collapse
Well, you do have to use cell data plan, but otherwise it's infinitely faster except for initial sync, it uses microscopic amounts of data, and seriously, do you really have Outlook installed on a computer without Internet access?
There is an argument I can understand, although not agree with, about security and privacy and all that, but in terms of convenience cloud sync is way superior.
Also, Hotmail is of course compatible with Outlook and doesn't suffer from Gmail's problems.

I thought there was a different Zune client that syncs all that stuff?

vetvito said:
I thought there was a different Zune client that syncs all that stuff?
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Click to collapse
It doesn't sync Outlook data

I'd wager that the Zune 5.0 software will come with sync.
Too bad that externalized services aren't quite as integrated in Outlook as I'd like. Using Gmail IMAP and Google Calendar works fine, but they're still not part of the central Outlook data file.

Tom Servo said:
I'd wager that the Zune 5.0 software will come with sync.
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I Totaly agree...
Creating a new OS from gound up was bound to have some features not included at launch its what you have to do as you can never add everything and just looking at the features that will be available in WP7 compaired to ios and android when they first launched is light years ahead. I do not have any doubts that MS will provide the best OS available but all good things take time.. Just look at where XBox is now compared to first launch everyone said MS could never compete with sony now seems they have surpassed sony.

I had the same initial concerns. I have used Outlook for many years now to connect to my Hotmail account, but used the Calendar/Contacts/Tasks/Notes locally (saved as a .pst file).
However, a few months ago, I built a new computer which means that I had to reinstall Outlook, and instead of choosing the same method, I decided to make my Hotmail account the default, and connect my .pst file after that. I then dragged and dropped all of my calendar/contacts/tasks/notes to that file. Now Hotmail only syncs up email/calendar & contacts, but the tasks & notes can reside in the same file (they just need a backup since they do not exist in the "cloud").
I have had a great experience using outlook with my Hotmail account so far. I never use the web based version, but use outlook for everything. The only difference is now Hotmail is the hub, and outlook is a connector. Compatability has not been and issue at all. Even though the web based Hotmail doesn't contain fields such as categories (at least Outlook categories), I have never had a problem with Outlook losing the categories due to a sync issue.
I did connect my outlook to gmail once and had all sorts of problems due to difference in fields. Outlook would sync to gmail, and once it was synced, Outlook would think gmail contained differenct versions of all contacts/calendar etc. since they didn't have the category fields etc., so at the end of the day I had duplicates of everything.
I have had no trouble like this with Hotmail. I think that Hotmail is starting to look similar in many ways to Outlook (which is a good thing IMHO), and I think the compatability is improving with each version. The one problem I do have is Hotmail (or WP7 for that matter) does not support Tasks/Notes.

vangrieg said:
Well, you do have to use cell data plan, but otherwise it's infinitely faster except for initial sync, it uses microscopic amounts of data
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Click to collapse
A WM 6.5 device plugged into a PC running WMDC will instantly update the phone with any Outlook data changes (I can click save on an event in Outlook, and couple of seconds later, boom, updated on the phone). With Hotmail and WP7, I need to be connected to the internet, wait until the next sync interval, then have the phone update from the web (since WP7 phones cannot access the web through the USB AS connection either).
vangrieg said:
and seriously, do you really have Outlook installed on a computer without Internet access?
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Click to collapse
Let's say I use Outlook on a laptop and travel to places where Wifi isn't necessarily available/convenient at all times. Can't tether to 3G through WP7 either, which makes this scenario quite probable. Currently, I can make scheduling updates or write notes in Outlook regardless of internet access, which will instantly sync to my phone-- without local sync, nothing will be synced until I can reach the server.

Well, with cloud sync you don't need to wait for sync interval, just use push and everything will update instantly without the need to connect.
Yes, there are scenarios where you don't have connectivity, I agree. Never had any problem with it though.

rruffman said:
Creating a new OS from gound up was bound to have some features not included at launch its what you have to do as you can never add everything and just looking at the features that will be available in WP7 compaired to ios and android when they first launched is light years ahead. I do not have any doubts that MS will provide the best OS available but all good things take time.. Just look at where XBox is now compared to first launch everyone said MS could never compete with sony now seems they have surpassed sony.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, Xbox was at least competitive with PS2 on launch. It didn't have the titles, but it had a killer app (Halo), and eventually Xbox Live gave it a big leg up.
Feature-to-feature, WP7 is not competitive with Android or iOS today, and all the launch devices have older hardware (1st-gen Snapdragon), low storage capacity (e.g. 8 GB, non-expandable), and are missing features like front-facing cameras. Even if WP7 and the launch handsets were at parity, I'd be skeptical of MS' marketing abilities (Xbox is the only product MS has successfully sold to end users in a long time).
Who is the target user, and why would they buy this over an iPhone or Android handset?
Apparently not because they want something that'll work the best with MS' own offerings (that'll now be the iPhone, with both Exchange and local Outlook syncing).

amb9800 said:
Well, Xbox was at least competitive with PS2 on launch. It didn't have the titles, but it had a killer app (Halo), and eventually Xbox Live gave it a big leg up.
Feature-to-feature, WP7 is not competitive with Android or iOS today, and all the launch devices have older hardware (1st-gen Snapdragon), low storage capacity (e.g. 8 GB, non-expandable), and are missing features like front-facing cameras. Even if WP7 and the launch handsets were at parity, I'd be skeptical of MS' marketing abilities (Xbox is the only product MS has successfully sold to end users in a long time).
Who is the target user, and why would they buy this over an iPhone or Android handset?
Apparently not because they want something that'll work the best with MS' own offerings (that'll now be the iPhone, with both Exchange and local Outlook syncing).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Feature to Feature depends on the user as i personaly think WP7 is and will be at launch much better than ios and android.. local sync to outlook is a personal thing and not everyone cares about that. and as mentioned before its not like they can't incorprate it in the next release or even at launch as no one knows this for sure or how much longer it will be when it will be added to that latest zune client. but as far as music to music zune is far more advance and better than ios or android, i can also say the same for the xbox live compaired to ios games hub wait ios dosnt have a games hub... pictures hub same the list goes on and on bing search, navagition etc..
"Who is the target user, and why would they buy this over an iPhone or Android handset?" apperently a whole lot of people who are currently awaiting the launch...
front facing cameras only work if you have someone else with the same iphone4 so that point is currently mute. and i am sure when wp7 does it it will not try to pass something off the the end user that only works with one type of phone.
lastly windows 7 and windows server along with the current mso are all very successful or the question of syncing with their outlook would not be posted here.

Can you sync it with Google Calendar?

Yes, you can sync it with google calendar.

Intervenient said:
Ick, definitely a deal breaker for me. I'm not a fan of hot mail, and Google Calendars, while convenient for some, is a headache to use and not intuitive at all (not to mention iCal doesn't play nice with it).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can use Outlook, etc to update your hotmail/Google calendars and then have that sync with the phone.

[Q] Will Windows Phone 7 Sync with Outlook that is not connected via Exchange?

The question on my mind is, will Windows Phone 7 Sync with Outlook that is not connected via Exchange?
I don't care about the emails but Contacts, Appointments & Tasks are important.
I hear about the Outlook connector but it seems to me that my PIM data will be moved over to LIVE account and then get synced.
I have a personal and a business domain that are hosted somewhere and I use outlook to get all my emails. I don't want to sync/copy my personal & business contacts on windows live mail. I have been waiting for WP7 to come out in lieu of getting a new mobile and this is not encouraging.
I assume Zune software will be upgraded to do most of the job.
Have I been reading wrong articles? Please guide me and correct me.

from what i read contacts/appointments will only be through activesync. i don't believe tasks are working as of yet.
how are you connecting outlook to your personal and business domains? to get anything more than email alone (pop/imap), you would have to have some protocol (e.g. exchange) in place to allow the rest to flow through.

Thanks
I am using POP3 at the moment and I don't believe the hosting provider gives me IMAP but I can live with it.
So ActiveSync or Windows Mobile Device Center will still work to sync? I heard any talking to the device will only be done via Zune Software!

i thought sop too.. that zune software will be doing the sync insted of the active sync or windows device manager...
as MS will have some provision to sync with outlook or express...
i am waiting for the devices to be out in the market..
dell and HTC HDD is the one i am looking for...

I posted a question in MSDN forums and I am not getting clears answers there.
http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Fo...s/thread/fb28aeec-7dbb-4c92-890a-a7763ae82b60

The Windows Phone Radio podcast has answered this question and they say that there is full Outlook integration, and that's aside from the already robust Exchange ActiveSync capabilities.

Thank you. That is a sigh of relief. I am going to get one now as soon as possible.
Spoke too soon. Other posts clarify that it will not be supported.

I cannot believe that WP7 does not sync with outlook. This is a dealbreaker for me, I have to be able to sync my work laptops outlook calendar and contacts with my phone!!
I was just about to buy one, looks like I`ll be forced to buy android.
Bummer.

WP7 will sync with outlook but not OFFLINE outlook i.e. Outlook not connected to Exchange or Cloud. So if you want to move your contacts and all apointments from PST file to WP7, you have to sync them to the cloud first.

I was hunting around last night looking for a solution to this, and the only software I can find which will perform a periodic sync of my work outlook calendar up into the cloud is google calendar sync - the irony that I`m forced to use google to solve this problem is not lost on me!!
I know there is a microsoft supplied outlook addin for hotmail - but its not much good for this problem - you have to MANUALLY drag appointments from outlook calendar to get them up into the cloud.
I would be interested to hear how others are going to address this problem - are there other solutions out there??

Doesn't look to me that there is a solution to this sort of wait for someone to write a program to do so or have MS release an update to Zune to do so.

janemanno1 said:
Doesn't look to me that there is a solution to this sort of wait for someone to write a program to do so or have MS release an update to Zune to do so.
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Click to collapse
I think theres lot of ways round this, I just posted one method already!!!
Interested to hear how others will approach it.

That is the whole point. I don't want to put my personal and businee contacts and appointments onto the CLOUD. I just don't trust them with the privacy and security.

janemanno1 said:
That is the whole point. I don't want to put my personal and businee contacts and appointments onto the CLOUD. I just don't trust them with the privacy and security.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hear you, and Im not super keen on the concept either.
The only smartphone that nativley supports local outlook sync is iphone.

Well then that sux. I am all for WP7 par this. Any one has any idea about the REAL technical reasons behind this?

This doesn't sound encouraging.
I too have a similar issue. My company doesn't allow connecting to the Exchange server from personal phones and local Outlook sync was the only way for me to keep track of the meetings / tasks (also contacts) through my personal phone (Fuze).

janemanno1 said:
Well then that sux. I am all for WP7 par this. Any one has any idea about the REAL technical reasons behind this?
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Click to collapse
There is no specific technical barrier that stops this. Its a conscious design decision to leave it out.
And theres no guarantee that MS` new closed approach to WP7 will mean that 3rd parties are allowed to write a local sync solution, either. Time will tell on that one.
The cloud is the future, aparrently, like it or not.

I am also concerned about my Outlook data. having my data in the Cloud bothers me too, I want the data with me not online. It doesn't matter how careful I am with data, anthing that is not under my direct control is at risk.
For example I have an email address shared only with friends which was all fine until one of my friend fell foul of a social network scam, not my email address is out in the wild and I'm recieving spam. i may be tech savvy, but some people should be allowed near a PC or phone. I don't want to put personal data in the Cloud only to have someone hack MS and gain access. Can you image a list of peoples diary saying where they are and when they are not at home, please come and rob me.

xma1e said:
I am also concerned about my Outlook data. having my data in the Cloud bothers me too, I want the data with me not online. It doesn't matter how careful I am with data, anthing that is not under my direct control is at risk.
For example I have an email address shared only with friends which was all fine until one of my friend fell foul of a social network scam, not my email address is out in the wild and I'm recieving spam. i may be tech savvy, but some people should be allowed near a PC or phone. I don't want to put personal data in the Cloud only to have someone hack MS and gain access. Can you image a list of peoples diary saying where they are and when they are not at home, please come and rob me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Take a pragmatic look at what data about you is out there on the internet and make a considered, risk based approach. If after that you still don`t like contacts and calendar events in the cloud, WP7 is not for you.

scoob101 said:
Take a pragmatic look at what data about you is out there on the internet and make a considered, risk based approach. If after that you still don`t like contacts and calendar events in the cloud, WP7 is not for you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very little is out there about me that I don't want out there. There's a difference between what is out there and what PERSONAL information I have in Outlook, which includes my diary, past and present, things I need to do, notes I make, etc.
I plan to look at WP7 once the devices are out and find out how things work myself before making a judgement either way. At the moment it's all speculation because very few people have their hands on one.

[Q] In-car bluetooth system - slow phonebook transfer

When i first start my car (kia soul) it proceeds to download the phone book from my phone. On my previous phone (touch pro 2) it went much quicker then it goes with the Evo. I assume this is because i have more contacts.
Is there some way i can designate that only certain contacts get transfered? There's really only a handful that i ever call from my car, the rest of them i don't need added to the car's phone book. Could i do something like create a bluetooth group and only contacts in that group get transfered to the car's memory?

No solution to this? It takes several minutes before i can use the incar bluetooth system due to how long it takes for it to copy the phone book.

Well I unchecked exchange in my contacts then it doesn't sync them. After the first sync you can go back and check exchange and it will sync them in the background next time you get in the car.
Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk Pro.

If you mean under the account & sync settings, i do not have my exchange contacts set to sync. The only thing set to sync under there is email.
Is it possibly downloading EVERY contact that i have in gmail? Under the 'my contacts' section i have 40 contacts. but under all contacts i have well over a thousand.
On my touch pro 2, i think i probably had about 25 contacts in the phone.

Ya see my situation is a little different I have an exchange email for work then gmail for personal. I just go into the people app and unchecked exchange then it will sync faster. Sorry that none of that will apply for you but maybe help someone else. I will say this that it does seem slower syncing than the TP2. That doesn't help either ....
Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk Pro.

Hmm, so you think the phone itself is for some reason slow syncing then the tp2 and it's not just an issue of possibly having more contacts? If i have time, i'll try deleting my account from the phone and manually adding a few contacts and see how long it takes for it to sync just that handful.
I'm not sure what you mean by going into the people app and unchecking exchange? when i click on people, i don't have an option anywhere to uncheck exchange. Maybe that's because i don't have the exchange contacts set to sync under the account settings.

[Q] Best way to sync with Outlook?

I now have the T-Mobile Samsung GalaxyS2, but "live" in the MS Office Outlook world & have my own e-mail/server - I do not use Google mail or calendars or contacts, or anyone else's services. Critical syncs are contacts (@900), notes and calendar, w/recurring events. I know, I know, Android and MS Office don't like each other. But T-Mobile doesn't have the iPhone and I wanted a web friendly device (ie - not Blackberry). Have purchased Companionlink/DejaOffice and spent much time talking to their tech staff. They say the Samsung Galaxy S2 is especially difficult for their software to work with. Constant issues of duplicates and lack of true 2-way sync, even if settings look right. In the entire T-Mobile Samsung GalaxyS2 forum, I couldn't find a single match to "sync with Outlook". I thought everyone with a corporate job lived in Outlook. Is there some obvious solution I am not aware of? Please help. Also - what about upgrading to IceCream Sandwich? I heard this might have some sort of native sync with Outlook? Really appreciate any good advise. Thank you, AMWM

I've been using Touchdown for well over a year now and couldn't do without it. It's worth much more than the $20 license fee.

You say you have your own mail server, is it an exchange server??? If it is the built in exchange client works for me, provided the exchange server is configured correctly ..
I was syncing, Mail, Contacts, Calendar, and Tasks ... But I decided I did not like exchange , migrated to google hosted mail ....

Touchdown is worth the expense if you sync to exchange.
Using tapatalk on my Galaxy 2 to post this!

Syncing to Outlook - Touchdown not an option with real Office & POP3 server
Hello, and I really appreciate the three replies so far. Unfortunately, Touchdown doesn't seem to be an option for a true two-way seamless sync with real Office Outlook, for someone using their own POP3 server. I looked up Touchdown, and it indicates the following on the main page:
Note:TouchDown does not work with POP3 or IMAP servers
Note:TouchDown requires a server, and does not work with Outlook directly
I do not use Exchange, I use real Office, and my e-mail server is a POP3 server. And I don't want to "push" info, per se, I need a true "sync both ways" so that all info entered into my PC and all info entered into my phone will sync with each other, with latest changes kept. My old Palm Treo with Windows Mobile synced perfectly, Blackberries sync perfectly, and I am told the iPhone will sync perfectly as well. I just assumed Android would also - I thought regular Outlook was the most commonly used contacts/calendar/tasks/notes for professionals.
How is everyone else doing this?
p.s. I spent $40 on Companionlink, which is not working well. I am not afraid to invest in the right product, I'm just afraid that Android is inherently the wrong platform for me. But since I just spent $530 on this phone, I need to figure out how to make it work.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Hmm having problem syncing my exchange mail too live.com too :s
Droiding from sgh-t989

There is another way to do it , not quite as seamless but it works just fine, actually there are a few apps that do it ...
Setup your gmail account on the phone , you need one anyway for the market ..
Setup one of the many apps to sync your outlook to your gmail ...
On the phone setup your gmail account to ONLY sync Calendar, and Contacts, uncheck mail ...
Setup the email on the app to pop your mail, make sure both phone and outlook are set to leave mail on server , for however long you need ...

Wanting to directly sync Android with Outlook...
Dear tcboo,
Thank you very much. I already have the Google acct set up on the phone, I have already purchased Companionlink, which will also sync Outlook with Google, and my phone already pops my mail directly, leaving everything on the server, so the mail is not a sync issue at all.
So if I use Gmail as an indirect sync facilitator.....What about Notes and Tasks? And how does this indirect 3-way sync insure that most recent changes are kept if the two devices don't speak directly? I've also now heard that Google calendar doesn't do well with all of the recurring calendar events I have on my Outlook.
So Android really won't talk to Outlook? If Apple can do it, why not Google/Android? It's not like Microsoft is better friends with Apple than they are with Google, and if they let the iPhone sync directly with Office, why can't Google get them to let Android sync directly? This doesn't make sense to me. I thought this could not really be the case, and I must be missing something obvious. But I guess Google isn't getting the kind of outcry or backlash I would have expected. Maybe all the Office people just stick with Blackberries and iPhones?
Any news if ICS will sync directly? I really do want a simple, direct fully functional (including notes and tasks & reoccurring calendar events) wireless sync, and it's sounding like I might have to limp along until I can justify a different phone & OS.
Again, though, I really appreciate your effort & advice.
Best regards,
AMWM

The trick is to make sure you leave outlook open and it is set to sync on change ..
I think the iPhone syncs directly , because they just want to put the slam on M$ where Android is not that worried about M$ ...
You would be surprised to find out how many corporations are going to Google hosted mail , M$ still rules it, but not by as much as they did ...
It is not a perfect solution, that is the problem when you are tied to a proprietary system like Outlook, you either pay through the nose to get software to force it to do what you want or , you adapt the way you do things ...
I never had any issues with the calendar, I will try and find the app I used to sync, I quit using outlook a while back but I may still have the link, if I can find it I will post it ...

Surprised Companionlink isn't working for you. It's pretty well rated. I'd be curious to know what it doesn't do well for you... Not sure there's another product out there which syncs Outlook to a phone.

Direct Outlook Sync Looking Up w/Companionlink!!!
You are right - Companionlink is the only game out there for what I want, at least according to my research. I have had Companionlink since Oct when I got my phone, with constant issues. They told me it is not an Android issue; it is specifically a Samsung GS2 issue.
Well, they are working hard to fix it. They have updated the Companionlink again, so I updated that on my PC. They have a Beta version of the DejaOffice App which they instructed me to down load from their website. Instructions are:
"First, please update to the current in-house beta of CompanionLink (companionlinkDOTcom/inhouse[/url]) and the beta of DejaOffice (dejaofficeDOTcom/androidapp)."
please sub DOT with . - it wouldn't let me post the actual websites
You have to make certain to allow downloading non-market apps on your phone, as this Beta version isn't in the App store yet. Also - make sure that your phone is set to save contacts to the Google acct, not to Phone. Well, I have done this, wiped everything on the phone, did an initial 1-way sync from Outlook to populate the phone (which always worked okay), & then tested some true 2-way syncs. Of course make certain the Companionlink sync set-up is correct (sync both ways, latest changes kept). Also - you cannot use Android calendar, and do not tell it to sync to Android calendar. just put the Deja Calendar icon where you want it. But you do use the phone contact button. Also, they recommend turning off the Google Sync, which I have done.
It is working!!! I am cautiously optimistic. I have just successfully 2-way synced changes to calendar, contacts and notes, and both phone & PC updated correctly. Also - I am doing this as a wi-fi sync, which is important to me. You just have to make sure wi-fi settings are correct. This is a first. I think the beta changes have fixed the major issues. So if you are going to buy Companionlink, make sure you are getting the beta of both Companionlink and DejaOffice - do not bother downloading the Android Market App of DejaOffice.
Good luck!!