Related
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
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?
Click to expand...
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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
Click to expand...
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?
Click to expand...
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.
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.
Click to expand...
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?
Click to expand...
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.
For many years, I have been a user of “notes” in WM devices. I now have accumulated quite a list of them and I use them routinely. They have always resided on an SD card which I swapped when I changed devices.
Has anyone discovered a way to get these “notes” into the new devices? A cloud-based solution is certainly acceptable for transfer of the data, but not for storage. I require device-based storage for almost everything as I spend a lot of time removed from any source of connectivity.
Thanks!
At the moment, there currently is no way to sync files other than media (photos, music, videos, podcasts, which are sync'd through the Zune software).
You can however, store your file online (such as through SkyDrive), and then download them using the phone's web browser. When you download files from the web, they certainly get stored somewhere, but since there is no file browser, you can't browse to a directory and tap the file to start it. For example, when you load a PDF file from the web on your phone, it gets downloaded somewhere, but if you decide to look at the PDF again in the future, you can only access that from the Adobe Reader app, where it gets listed until you decide to remove it.
That being said, I don't think that Windows Phone supports the old Windows Mobile Notes files though, so I'm not sure how you would view them on Windows Phone 7.
An alternative would be to convert over to OneNote and use the online syncing capability (which rocks). Create your notes on your desktop, online, or on your phone and they can automatically stay in sync with each other.
I am not quite sure if you mean this but if you go to office then onenote and then press all you can sync them.
I only used office 2010 for some months, but I think you can create a online link and connect it to your phone.
The data is stored on the phone and if you edit something it will be synced the next time if you are online.
I hope i helped as i am not quite sure myself and I am waiting to get office 2010.
XATAGuy said:
For many years, I have been a user of “notes” in WM devices. I now have accumulated quite a list of them and I use them routinely. They have always resided on an SD card which I swapped when I changed devices.
Has anyone discovered a way to get these “notes” into the new devices? A cloud-based solution is certainly acceptable for transfer of the data, but not for storage. I require device-based storage for almost everything as I spend a lot of time removed from any source of connectivity.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's pretty easy to set up skydrive to sync with OneNote on your phone. I used cut and paste on my pc to copy my notes from Outlook to OneNote on my browser (skydrive), then synced the phone. Now any changes to the notes - made either on the web app or the phone - get synced automatically. Very convenient after all the initial copying.
another vote for oneNote, the default notbook works great, in system settings go to applications > onenote and slide the sync slider, they'll give you more info, read it, they won't tell you again.
I also setup a second notebook to share with a business partner on my PC, the link showed up in my ME tile, I clicked it out of curiosity, now it's synced too!
+1 for one note, a very convenient solution, not something i had used before now, but i am becoming increasingly reliant on it!
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?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was gonna say...I've been syncing with Exchange since about 10 minutes after buying the phone! Works fine.
maybe its me but i find the way that the windows phone syncs with outlook to be unbelieveabley bad. this is the best that windows could do? jeeez guys you cant even get your phones from the same company to sync with your own applications any better than this? and i'm only talking about contacts at the moment.
let me get this straight, i have to do an export for my contacts, make a windows live account, upload contacts backup into windows live and then sync this, through windows live, to my phone. how many more steps could you possibly put in? unbelieveable. now if you are a businessman like me then you might have your contacts divided into different folders/groups which means you have to do a export for each group and go through the above steps to get them onto your phone. isnt that just fantastic! but wait there is more. once you get them onto your phone you then have to re-divide them into groups again. isnt that just fantastic. wait there is even more. lets say you add a new contact, you have to go through this whole BS again. this is the best that the minds at microsoft could come up with. but wait there is more. anything else you want to sync or add to your phone you have to use the zune software. this is just brilliant!!! way to go microsoft your the best....
now lets look at my IPhone. i plug it into my laptop, it automatically launches itunes and automatically syncs all my contacts into groups and adds any new ones i might have added and syncs everything else on the phone in one simple step. apple can sync to microsoft software better than microsoft? unbelieveable and i spent $600 for this crap?
i will have a HTC HD7 for sale if anyone is interested. it is unlocked.
regards
Ta ta then.
chatham;10985424now if you are a businessman like me...[/QUOTE said:
...then perhaps it's time to look into Exchange server instead. If you're a small business, get yourself a hosted Exchange server for a few bucks a month.
Anyway, all you really have to do is install the Live add-on for Office, then drag and drop all your contacts from the local addressbook to the live one. Wait a while and all your contacts will magically appear on your phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
adesonic said:
Ta ta then.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Amazing! !!!
You can either sync with Windows Live (for average user) or with Exchange (which most businesses use). Within those two systems you can create categories, groups etc and it will sync with your phone wirelessly.
Let's take your steps and break them down.
i have to do an export for my contacts, make a windows live account, upload contacts backup into windows live and then sync this, through windows live, to my phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Export your contacts from Outlook - yes you need to do this.
Make a Windows Live account - no, you already have one if you want to use ANY of the services on Windows Phone 7. So, either you already have one or you haven't actually setup your phone properly. Even if you don't have one it takes less than a minute to get one.
Upload contacts - yes, takes all of 2 seconds on the Windows Live site.
Sync to your phone - big whoop, all you need to do is enter your Windows Live ID (which you should already have entered) and you'll get all of your contacts sorted.
But wait, there's more.
If you download the Windows Live connector for Outlook any changes made to your account will be automatically synced between your phone, computer and the cloud. Everything is backed up and you can gain access to your contacts from where ever you are in the world. Without even having to plug it in.
It's that simple.
chatham said:
let me get this straight, i have to do an export for my contacts, make a windows live account, upload contacts backup into windows live and then sync this, through windows live, to my phone. how many more steps could you possibly put in? unbelieveable. now if you are a businessman like me...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Contacts are part of the standard featureset for email (both consumer and corporate). Modern consumer email is dominated by Google gmail and Microsoft hotmail/live mail. Corporate email is dominated by Microsoft Exchange. All of these services support exchange activesync, as do the main phone platforms. While support is often incomplete, it includes synchronization of contacts, which is basic.
If contacts are not part of your email system, or both are stored locally, you have a legacy system that needs upgrading. Probably this was the case.
i appreciate the above responses and it has given me additonal information that i did not have. but, as far as i can see i still have at least two to three additional steps that an IPhone does not require. i thought the windows phone would given me better intergration with microsoft programs but it doesnt. so i keep asking my self why would i keep this phone? they could of made it as simple but they chose not to.
There are some weird quirks with accounts for sure. I understand the requirement for a Live account, but I still can't believe that you can't disable non-email sync on the primary live account or at very least delete it without resetting the entire phone.
Sent from my GT-I9000M
chatham said:
i appreciate the above responses and it has given me additonal information that i did not have. but, as far as i can see i still have at least two to three additional steps that an IPhone does not require. i thought the windows phone would given me better intergration with microsoft programs but it doesnt. so i keep asking my self why would i keep this phone? they could of made it as simple but they chose not to.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
WP7 doesn't even have the normal amount of features most modern smartphones have. Stuff like you are talking about is probably not even a consideration with MS. WP7 is "supposed" to be a non-smart smartphone...for the grandmas and grandpas and those who aren't computer literate. From all the excuses I've been battered with over the last 2 months, that seems to be the main one.
If T-Mobile ever gets the iPhone...or if I ever switch carriers, I will put WP7 behind me in favor of a new iPhone.
By the way, don't bother stooping to the level of the fanboys...or fangirls... by responding, just ignore them and they'll go away. Or at most just tell them to keep it on topic.
MartyLK said:
If T-Mobile ever gets the iPhone...or if I ever switch carriers, I will put WP7 behind me in favor of a new iPhone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The sooner the better.
chatham said:
i appreciate the above responses and it has given me additonal information that i did not have. but, as far as i can see i still have at least two to three additional steps that an IPhone does not require. i thought the windows phone would given me better intergration with microsoft programs but it doesnt. so i keep asking my self why would i keep this phone? they could of made it as simple but they chose not to.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Synchronization of contacts and email via a USB cable to your pc is not a good idea.
Yes you can do it with some phone platforms, yes not with WP7, yes a lot of people complain, but in this one instance they are wrong. They want to use a flawed and obsolete method.
Basically you need to choose a modern email service, where that includes contacts, calendaring, etc.. If you have WP7, go with Live mail if you want something free, Exchange if you want something good. You have to go through an extra step now, but you should really do that anyway. This should replace what you have at the moment.
Jonno2343 said:
You can either sync with Windows Live (for average user) or with Exchange (which most businesses use). Within those two systems you can create categories, groups etc and it will sync with your phone wirelessly.
Let's take your steps and break them down.
Export your contacts from Outlook - yes you need to do this.
Make a Windows Live account - no, you already have one if you want to use ANY of the services on Windows Phone 7. So, either you already have one or you haven't actually setup your phone properly. Even if you don't have one it takes less than a minute to get one.
Upload contacts - yes, takes all of 2 seconds on the Windows Live site.
Sync to your phone - big whoop, all you need to do is enter your Windows Live ID (which you should already have entered) and you'll get all of your contacts sorted.
But wait, there's more.
If you download the Windows Live connector for Outlook any changes made to your account will be automatically synced between your phone, computer and the cloud. Everything is backed up and you can gain access to your contacts from where ever you are in the world. Without even having to plug it in.
It's that simple.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think the problem is if you don't have Exchange syncing isn't that easy. Even after you export the contacts out of Outlook into Hotmail if you add a new contact later you have to manually add them in Hotmail, I don't think Connector will automatically sync them.
If you need to sync your calendar the best way is to add the Live calendar to Outlook then when you create an appointment in Outlook you either have to send an invite to your Hotmail account or drag it to the Hotmail calendar. These options are not that easy.
ok, but considering how long installing and setting up itunes takes, I still think wp7 is faster. And it really isn't that difficult to export your contacts from outlook and open that file in a live account.
Or you can use www.soocial.com to do it for you.
MartyLK said:
WP7 doesn't even have the normal amount of features most modern smartphones have. Stuff like you are talking about is probably not even a consideration with MS. WP7 is "supposed" to be a non-smart smartphone...for the grandmas and grandpas and those who aren't computer literate. From all the excuses I've been battered with over the last 2 months, that seems to be the main one.
If T-Mobile ever gets the iPhone...or if I ever switch carriers, I will put WP7 behind me in favor of a new iPhone.
By the way, don't bother stooping to the level of the fanboys by responding, just ignore them and they'll go away. Or at most just tell them to keep it on topic.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
chatham said:
i appreciate the above responses and it has given me additonal information that i did not have. but, as far as i can see i still have at least two to three additional steps that an IPhone does not require. i thought the windows phone would given me better intergration with microsoft programs but it doesnt. so i keep asking my self why would i keep this phone? they could of made it as simple but they chose not to.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For me, having to set something up once and then never worry about it again is by far the easiest. All you have to do is migrate your contacts over to Windows Live and you will have them kept in sync WITHOUT plugging them in.
Windows Phone also supports Wireless Sync for Music, Videos, etc and so the way they have done it, they do not require you to plug your phone into your computer unless you're updating or doing the initial setup.
To me, this is the simplest, most user-friendly way imaginable.
If you contacts are only locally stored and you happened to have a computer crash or hard drive corruption, those contacts would be lost. If you have them on Windows Live, all you'd need is to sign in with your Windows Live ID on Outlook once you've sorted it out and everything will be back up and running.
Using a Windows Live ID will also alow you to keep your work PC, Laptop and home PC all in sync if that's what you would like. There really are no disadvantages of doing it like this. Try it, I'm sure you'll all agree with us then that it really isn't hard at all.
MartyLK, I don't know why you're calling those who provide clear, logical explanations and solutions a fanboy when you come in here and just say go to iPhone.
rsacipher said:
I think the problem is if you don't have Exchange syncing isn't that easy. Even after you export the contacts out of Outlook into Hotmail if you add a new contact later you have to manually add them in Hotmail, I don't think Connector will automatically sync them.
If you need to sync your calendar the best way is to add the Live calendar to Outlook then when you create an appointment in Outlook you either have
to send an invite to your Hotmail account or drag it to the Hotmail calendar. These options are not that easy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You need to set your Live account as the default account for data files by following these steps.
Tools->Account Settings
Data Files tab
Select Windows Live account and click Set as Default
Then calendar and contacts will show up from Windows Live.
The one thing they really need to add is the ability to sync multiple calendars, I can't for the life of me figure out why they'd opted to leave this out.
Jonno2343 said:
MartyLK, I don't know why you're calling those who provide clear, logical explanations and solutions a fanboy when you come in here and just say go to iPhone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh come now! You're just making that up...lol...I know you are...I can tell!
MartyLK said:
Oh come now! You're just making that up...lol...I know you are...I can tell!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh joy, the person who gets half the threads he posts in locked striked again. Just because you want android and all its flaws doesnt mean we do. Enjoy your iphone and its ugly UI/OS and tiny screen or your android and its overall lag. The sooner you ditch the HD7 the sooner the WP7 community loses a member thats worse off than these "elderly dumbphone" users. Being technology illiterate > being socially incompetent.
rsacipher said:
I think the problem is if you don't have Exchange syncing isn't that easy. Even after you export the contacts out of Outlook into Hotmail if you add a new contact later you have to manually add them in Hotmail, I don't think Connector will automatically sync them.
If you need to sync your calendar the best way is to add the Live calendar to Outlook then when you create an appointment in Outlook you either have to send an invite to your Hotmail account or drag it to the Hotmail calendar. These options are not that easy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't understand the problem here.
Ok, so you've been using an old school POP or IMAP account with locally stored Outlook contacts and calendars. As people have been saying this is something one should really consider moving away from anyway.
Since you have to create a Live Account to use your WP7 device fully (i.e. marketplace access and so on) you've got everything you need. Install and configure the Hotmail connector (the Social connector is also nice), open Outlook, go to Contacts (local ones), select ALL, drag and drop these onto "Contacts - [email protected]". Wait a while and they will sync up, wait a little longer and they will automagically appear on your phone. Once they have, delete your local address book from Outlook - ALL your contacts are now stored on the cloud and you can access them from your PC, your Phone and any other PC in the world with internet access.
Now move on to your calendar. This is a little more tricky, as you cannot select ALL and move them across (afaik), so your best bet may be to work your way from today and forward moving all and any entries to the Live calendar. Again, wait a while and they'll all automagically show up on your phone. When they have you may want to disable the local calendar (ie. remove it, but do not delete it if you want the opportunity to go back and check history), finally set your default calendar to the Live one. Any new entries will now go directly to the cloud.
That's it. You're done. Using your Live account for contacts and calendars does not mean you have to send/receive email thru it. You can pick and choose which parts you'll use by default. If you don't make use of it for email, simply remove the Hotmail tile from your home-screen and replace it with your POP/IMAP account.
Like others have said, you do this once. That's it. Everything is now in the cloud and you can sync it up to any device you want.
MartyLK said:
WP7 doesn't even have the normal amount of features most modern smartphones have. Stuff like you are talking about is probably not even a consideration with MS. WP7 is "supposed" to be a non-smart smartphone...for the grandmas and grandpas and those who aren't computer literate. From all the excuses I've been battered with over the last 2 months, that seems to be the main one.
If T-Mobile ever gets the iPhone...or if I ever switch carriers, I will put WP7 behind me in favor of a new iPhone.
By the way, don't bother stooping to the level of the fanboys...or fangirls... by responding, just ignore them and they'll go away. Or at most just tell them to keep it on topic.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can we stick to topic here folks