Develop Bugs

Tied to Google Calendar?

I'm likley to be an Android newbie and read the thread below on the calendar. Work forces me to be tied to Outlook and I don't really want a three way sync Phone/Google/Outlook. Will I be able to just work with Phone/Outlook without Google?

alexbush said:
I'm likley to be an Android newbie and read the thread below on the calendar. Work forces me to be tied to Outlook and I don't really want a three way sync Phone/Google/Outlook. Will I be able to just work with Phone/Outlook without Google?
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I think so. You just have to register your exchange account on the phone and disable synchronization of calendar on your google account.
EDIT : ho, maybe I misunderstood. Maybe you don't use exchange server Anyway, you CAN disable google calendar synchronization.
EDIT2 : and I found this ^^ : http://www.android-sync.com/

Thanks Kiiv
Sounds good and thanks for the link. I do use M/S Exchange via data/wifi connections on occasion but when in the office I sync Outlook to my current Winmo phone over a cable. The link you gave is to a very early 'pre-alpha' piece of software - surely there is something already in existence for Android to Outlook over a cable (an equivalent to Active Sync?)

You want HTC Sync. I use it with my Hero and it will sync outlook 2007 contacts and calender.
http://www.htc.com/uk/SupportViewNews.aspx?dl_id=631&news_id=270
This software actually works with all HTC Android phones so guess it will also work with the Desire..

There is an official sofware from HTC (named "HTC sync") to synchronize with Windows PIM (so Outlook). I think it works only with Sense phone (an other advantage for the Desire over N1? ).
Don't find english page about this (only french) so I can't put a link.
EDIT : Damn, I'm to slow

Why would you NOT want to use Google Calendar?

brummiesteven said:
Why would you NOT want to use Google Calendar?
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When the whole company use Outlook 2007 and they are paying for the phone it's difficult to use anything else.
While, I suspect, most of us here have abandoned Windows Mobile 6 it's still very much a Microsoft world for most of the business community. If it wasn't for HTC Sync and "Documents to Go" to read Word and Excel files I would be forced to have a Windows Mobile phone.
I agree if you don't need to use "Outlook" then don't!

brummiesteven said:
Why would you NOT want to use Google Calendar?
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Let me see - are those enough as a start:
- battery life and constant cellular data. expensive & not needed.
- So far for WM ActiveSync (or email push) from google is a disaster. Calendar as well. Don't want to take chances to have that as the only option available.
- G-cal is a disaster, when it comes to something more than dinner reminders.
- tasks? categories?
- Shall we all just give all our personal & corporate data to this company for free?
- Don't like the idea to have an OS, advertised as open source, but not able to connect to =! google. blah, symbian is more open.
- How do you think the employer will react on the idea to bring the corporate data outside to the major well known data stealing giant? I'd like to remind we're in EU, not in U$-the issue can easily end up in the court.
- what if I'm working abroad? paying hundreds of euros just because I can't sync the calendar with the laptop next to me without cellular connection?
- why exactly google? I might want to use another cloud calendar for example

scotch whisky said:
When the whole company use Outlook 2007 and they are paying for the phone it's difficult to use anything else.
While, I suspect, most of us here have abandoned Windows Mobile 6 it's still very much a Microsoft world for most of the business community. If it wasn't for HTC Sync and "Documents to Go" to read Word and Excel files I would be forced to have a Windows Mobile phone.
I agree if you don't need to use "Outlook" then don't!
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Ahh ok, I didn't think about it like that.
In that case a simple solution would be to sync outlook (mail and calendar) to google? This way your phone will always be in sync and changes you make on your PC would automatically be pushed to your phone instead of you having to connect via USB and use HTC sync.

...and we have gone right round the circle! I don't want to use Outlook but I have to for work. I don't want to try and sync three systems if I can get away with syncing two... and yes I am slightly luddite about putting all my data in Google's hands
But seriously - thanks for all the replies

same boat, I've put my hopes in HTC Sync and if it doesn't work I'm in trouble! Still can't sync tasks though with HTC Sync

"G-Sync It" £10 but works nicely!

Outlook for what?

Can someone explain to me the purpose of Outlook on the TP2? And how exactly does it differ from just setting up my own POP3 email? What benefit is gained from setting up my email as Outlook instead of as regular email? I'm just not getting this.

Either way, Windows Mobile uses Outlook Mobile to show email, no matter which option you choose. Much like Excel will show spreadsheets, Outlook is the program responsible for handling emails...
In this case I believe "Outlook Email" refers to Exchange Email. Exchange is a Microsoft Server product that integrates with the Mobile and Desktop versions of Outlook.

it also allows for calendar synchronization as well...

This is a holdover from the old days of the Pocket PC. Before Windows Mobile was running on phones, it was used on PDAs. The Outlook option in email allowed you to sync your email with your PC's outlook when connected with ActiveSync. When you synced your Pocket PC, your Outlook emails on your PC would get sent to the Outlook folder on your mobile device. Likewise, any emails you composed on your PDA would get sent to your PCs Outbox and sent out.
Nowadays, though, it's pretty useless since we all receive email directly on the device instead of by syncing with a PC. I wish I could get rid of it. In other words, there really is no good use for it now, just ignore it.

tinpanalley said:
Can someone explain to me the purpose of Outlook on the TP2? And how exactly does it differ from just setting up my own POP3 email? What benefit is gained from setting up my email as Outlook instead of as regular email? I'm just not getting this.
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If you are referring to the Outlook account inside the WM email program, that is used to synchronize your WM emails with MS Outlook on the desktop PC. That way when you connect via activesync, your phone will download all emails from your desktop outlook account. I have never used this feature.
However, your WM calendar is also synchronized with the desktop MS Outlook, which is a feature I use a lot.

Commdr64 said:
This is a holdover from the old days of the Pocket PC. Before Windows Mobile was running on phones, it was used on PDAs. The Outlook option in email allowed you to sync your email with your PC's outlook when connected with ActiveSync. When you synced your Pocket PC, your Outlook emails on your PC would get sent to the Outlook folder on your mobile device. Likewise, any emails you composed on your PDA would get sent to your PCs Outbox and sent out.
Nowadays, though, it's pretty useless since we all receive email directly on the device instead of by syncing with a PC. I wish I could get rid of it. In other words, there really is no good use for it now, just ignore it.
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It's not just for synchronizing with Outlook on a PC directly -- it also synchronizes with Exchange server.
Outlook on my TP2, with Activesync, synchronizes all my Outlook-type data (Calendar, Contacts, Tasks, and e-mail) with the same folders on my Exchange server.
I couldn't do this without Outlook (not interested in Gmail for important stuff -- too many false-positives in the spam folder), so it's not useless for me.

If you have a gmail account you can set up google sync through Active sync on your phone. It will push e-mails to your outlook inbox.

The level of ignorance on xda is growing. There was a time when a question like this would not be taken seriously, and most of the responses are ridiculous. Outlook is a client app. It rather seamlessly and natively handles synchronization of various kinds of data from either an exchange server (best option for pushing data) or POP3 or IMAP, etc. This data can include email, calendar, meeting requests, tasks, contacts, etc. I update information in one place and those changes are reflected on all my other devices instantly. That way all my devices have the same info, whether I'm at my desk, on OWA, on a pda or on my phone. Googlesync is a johnny-come-lately clone that tries to replicate the functionality of Outlook/exchange.

treo...not! said:
The level of ignorance on xda is growing.
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So is the percentage of assholes. Thanks for contributing.
The op is talking about the Outlook account that's listed amongst his other email accounts, I believe. I don't think he's talking about Outlook itself.

Commdr64 said:
So is the percentage of assholes. Thanks for contributing.
The op is talking about the Outlook account that's listed amongst his other email accounts, I believe. I don't think he's talking about Outlook itself.
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the outlook account IS the activesync/exchange account, although i agree its silly to have it listed if its not configured

treo...not! said:
The level of ignorance on xda is growing. There was a time when a question like this would not be taken seriously, and most of the responses are ridiculous. blah, blah, blah.
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This guy's post are never to be taken seriously -- unless you're into pointless snarkyness that contributes nothing to the thread (as if the choice of username and avatar weren't already a clue).
RE Ignorance: He obviously missed the point of the thread, which lsn't "Which is better: Outlook/Exchange or Google-syncing?"

Back when I was using a Dell PocketPC, I used the outlook email sync all the time. It was pretty convenient, considering the technology at the time. Nowadays, I don't sync Outlook email, as the op said, all that gets you is two email accounts with the same stuff in it. I still sync Outlooks contacts, calendar, task, notes.
As others have said, if you are syncing with an Exchange server, the Outlook email account could still be useful. I've never done, so for me and users like me the Outlook email account it is pretty useless, I wish I could make it disappear.

MCbrian said:
This guy's post are never to be taken seriously -- unless you're into pointless snarkyness that contributes nothing to the thread (as if the choice of username and avatar weren't already a clue).
RE Ignorance: He obviously missed the point of the thread, which lsn't "Which is better: Outlook/Exchange or Google-syncing?"
Click to expand...
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please give love a try...

MCbrian said:
This guy's post are never to be taken seriously -- unless you're into pointless snarkyness that contributes nothing to the thread (as if the choice of username and avatar weren't already a clue).
RE Ignorance: He obviously missed the point of the thread, which lsn't "Which is better: Outlook/Exchange or Google-syncing?"
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Actually, MCBrian, yours was one of the posts that made sense. My point was that this is basic information that has been repeated over and over again. I know when you grow, newbies will come, but reading is good! A quick search of this or any other winmo forum would have yielded the results the OP was looking for.
And, fwiw, if you check the OP's original question, how the conversation developed, and my response, you would see that I did not miss the point. But let the readers decide, homie.

treo...not! said:
Actually, MCBrian, yours was one of the posts that made sense. My point was that this is basic information that has been repeated over and over again. I know when you grow, newbies will come, but reading is good! A quick search of this or any other winmo forum would have yielded the results the OP was looking for.
And, fwiw, if you check the OP's original question, how the conversation developed, and my response, you would see that I did not miss the point. But let the readers decide, homie.
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please give love a try...

da9th_one said:
please give love a try...
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Yeah, what's so hard about just answering the question? What difference does it make if the answer is already out there? I always find it amusing how ruffled some people get about this.

Commdr64 said:
So is the percentage of assholes. Thanks for contributing.
The op is talking about the Outlook account that's listed amongst his other email accounts, I believe. I don't think he's talking about Outlook itself.
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Yeah, that's why I modified my post. At first I thought he meant what was the outlook program, but he was talking about the outlook account in WM messaging.
FWIW, I've been using WM since WM 2003, about 8 years now, and I've never used an Exchange server. It just happened that the company I was at preferred to save money and outsource to a remote email program. I did activesync my desktop outlook emails for a while there, but now I've gone to Thunderbird (great search engine) for my work emails. I do still sync my calendar and contacts, but mostly as a backup to the phone.
Oops, getting old, my first PPC was before WM 2003, the original T-Mobile PPC Phone. Huge device!

Yes, in case there is any confusion still, I was talking about the Outlook email on my phone. I just don't get the point.
I synced my phone, got to back up all my contacts to my Outlook 2007. Wonderful, but I already back up with PIMbackup. Is there any other value? Immediate push email or anything? Or does all of that involve setting up an exchange server?
Thanks!

Commdr64 said:
So is the percentage of assholes. Thanks for contributing.
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My best chuckle of the day. Thanks.

And my 2 cents. Some people (including me) ask questions to stimulate discussion. Maybe I know the exact answer to the question, but I want to hear or read others discuss it because I want to learn more about it. And BTW - the search on XDA leaves a lot to be desired.

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?
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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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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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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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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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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).
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You can use Outlook, etc to update your hotmail/Google calendars and then have that sync with the phone.

Ideas why exchange is not included.

My idea why local microsoft exchange in not included in windows phone 7 is to force the shift from locally stored information to cloud computing. This goes hand in hand with microsoft pushing azure cloud computing solutions. By having people shift to cloud storage this will further support the future of the web computing. At some point we all have to adapt to change but change is not always nice and smooth. Usually people need a kick in the butt to change.
Just thought i would bring this up so that it would spark thoughts of better informed people and other priveleged information people. Knowledge is power!

Wait, you mean WP7 doesn't support exchange?

Simple solution. Dont buy a phone that "forces" you to use cloud storage. And I'd wager that most people moaning about no local outlook sync probably have a google account, which stores your information, guess where, IN THE SO-CALLED CLOUD!

Yes WP7 supports exchange. He is talking about it not supporting Outlook syncing. If he's using Outlook with an Exchange server already he should be good to go unless the server admins wont open up mobile support on the exchange server.
mr mystery said:
Wait, you mean WP7 doesn't support exchange?
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I was gonna say...I've been syncing with Exchange since about 10 minutes after buying the phone! Works fine.

[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!!