Develop Bugs

Messenger / Windows Live - Contacts sooo annoying!

Fellow xda people...
I'm a ms messenger addict, well I like it anyway and I've been looking forward to using it on my vario over uk T-mobile web'n'walk...I'm running black 2.5 so now I have the "windows live" thing on my today screen and I'm signed in...
thing is, seems to work...but i CANT STAND the way it insists on putting all my MSN contacts into my contact list! Does this annoy anyone else? Anyone found any clever work arounds?
Typical of microsoft trying to integrate an app and take over the whole machine - horrible?
cheers
bb

its so annoying...almost makes me want to use a different messenger client?

using black 2.0. cannot sign windows live from yesterday until now. it said no internet connectivity but i am connected with gprs and also wifi. can surf net also. it the mobile server different from the desktop?

I'm talking about the contacts in particular....

anyone else use messenger - windows live....polluting my contacts !

I had the same problem when I first used the live messenger beta a few months back. The final version does have the "sync contacts" optionality but as you say it still syncs them and creates duplicates and rubbish!
The only work around I found was to use outlook to copy and paste all the relevant info from the original contacts details into the new contacts created by messenger and then deleting the old one. This then avoids the duplication next time you flash and set up live.

unwired4 said:
The only work around I found was to use outlook to copy and paste all the relevant info from the original contacts details into the new contacts created by messenger and then deleting the old one. This then avoids the duplication next time you flash and set up live.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That seems to work the best for me, I don't have to many contact and it wasnt that hard for me to delete them all and put them back in again - when you do this it asks what sort of contact you want - I think MS should have included a wizard that goes through your contacts when you first install them asking if you want Outlook, Contacts List and/or Messenger for each contact.
Another problem I found was everytime it synced from phone to computer, it would change my Messenger contacts, I found that if you edit the contact in Windows Messenger and make sure the name info is the same as what is one the phone has stored, it solves this problem, my contacts sync OK now.

I have the same issue, so i just reverted to using Pocket MSN...

Someone posted a workaround in the following thread:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=1236933&postcount=22
Don't know if it's working since I didn't have time to install Live Messenger and try it out. Can someone try it?

My Workaround ...
Yeah,
I had the exact same problem. And i have HEAPS of contacts both messenger and outlook ... and of course ... i'm ridiculously anal about having everything exactly perfect ... so i fixed my contacts and reinstalled my phone ... hah
What i found worked for me, was before syncing the first time, make sure that you have outlook contacts corresponding to the email addresses of your messenger contacts. (ie: if windows live messenger sees you have an outlook contact with the same email address, it will just attach the msn display pic etc to that contact.
- Phixx

cheers for this...infuriating !
I have now taken the route one approach...deleted all the daft MS Messenger contacts and removed Windows Live from my today screen (I would delete it if I could)....Hope I never see it again!

The best way to deal with it is to make sure all of your contacts in MS Live have contact entries in Outlook. It sucks, but once you have all of your contacts sync'd up, it's pretty cool: you can see people's online status anywhere you see their contact info on the phone.

BTW; no matter what route you take, you MUST back up your Live contacts and your Outlook contacts on your PC. Seriously. Do it now. I made the mistake of not doing that, and during one of my many reloads, I somehow managed to wipe out my entire Outlook contacts list *and* my Windows Live contact list. It was not a fun day restoring that.
Go to Contacts->Save instant messenging contacts in Windows Live on your PC.

yeah, but i don't want my instant messenger stuff anywhere near my contacts...to me it's a separate app! (or it should be) MS trying to be too clever by half.

What would be nice is if it put the messenger emails in contacts under "emails" Ie personal / business and email catogries.
It really is quite annoying when sifting through the contact list to find a phone number and having to sift through 100's of mail addresses too.
Of course I do try to use the smart dialing but they still come up.
Just having to do these work arounds every reinstall / HR e.t.c is tedious at best.

LeoBadhan said:
I have the same issue, so i just reverted to using Pocket MSN...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I want to do the same thing, only I can't find the install for pocket MSN, the only one I could find was on the MS site where you have to pay for it.. it came with my TyTN so I don't want to pay MS another €15 for it!
Can you please provide me the install file? whether it is in PM or in the thread
Thanks alot man

I quite like the way it works.. It's a little bit annoying if you have contacts who have really messed up their details online so that it can't link them to a phone contact, but other than that I really like it.
It would be nice if there was an advanced sync option where you could somehow pair orphan people on MSN to people in contacts on the phone so that it was aware they were the same person.. but I'm not gonna complain too much.

or just give you an option to turn it off.

I'm having an absolute nightmare with this!
I really like the idea in concept and want it to work.
I deleted the contacts it added to my phone adress book cos it looked messy not realising that when I sync'd with my PC it would delete them all (85) from messenger!
So I started re adding my msn contacts being careful to also have a corresponding Outlook contact and all was going well. I was getting them linked up nicely. Now all of a sudden, they've all gone again from my MSN on my PC!
I want this feature to work, I don't simply want to turn it off as some of you have done. How should I go about this?

Yes, me too.. There are nice features in Live messenger for WM, like showing display picture, voiceclip, sending files, pictures, etc, but this contacts problem is so darn annoying! I wish some wizzguy could look into a hack or solution
Greetz.

Windows Phone... IS IT?

I just don't get it...
Microsoft has the next:
Windows
Windows Mobile
Hotmail
Windows Live Services
Windows Phone
My phone
MS Exchange
IE Mobile
and still.... you cannot power on your windows phone... do the magic... and have all your live/hotmail data on it.... i just don't get it...
i know... you cand have emails and contacts.... BUT what about the rest...
- no more than 50 emails at once... no option to download the hole message...
- the sent mail are not saved on the phone (with the settings done right)
- adding a contact on the phone will stay only on the phone... if you would like it on live contacts... you have to do it manually... on the stock rom this ended in a error... i don't know with newer versions... but still...
- no photo contacts
- NO CALENDAR sync
- no upload to live services from the album.... HOW's THAT MS?... you have youtube, facebook... but not your own service?...
- no acces to skydrive... you cand do it for photos... but with a too simple interface.... facebook has much better integration with photos...
- MS My phone does it all regarding to syncing.... and that's it... why not interacting with the live corespondents?...
and others that i cannot remember...
BUT....
GMAIL can do Exchange
Facebook can do photo share
Youtube can do video share
Opera works way better than IE
and now... WHY DO THEY CALL IT WINDOWS PHONE???? it should be ANYBODY'S PHONE
all the MS competitors have much better integration on a MS platform than MS themselves
So... is there a chance will get this in the future?

This seems a bit of a rant, but it also seems something that Microsoft are certainly addressing with Windows Phone 7.
One minor note about Exchange though, is that there are no devices that implement the full and complete set of Exchange Activesync tricks, apart from Windows Phone. It is the best experience, when on a WP, and you get stuff like SMS syncing.

HTC Sync - working with Outlook and the Evo

Hey all ! Questions for the lucky ones with Evos already in hand out there.
It's unfortunately mission critical to me to be able to sync my phone with my MS Outlook contacts / calendar / notes (appointments, reminders, etc) and so on. Not running an exchange server... Just need to be able to sync my Outlook personal data every night. It's a work thing, you see...
Anyone out there in the same situation and with experience to share ? How well and reliably does the HTC Sync software work, in general, and more specifically with the Evo ?
Thanks !

Markko said:
Hey all ! Questions for the lucky ones with Evos already in hand out there.
It's unfortunately mission critical to me to be able to sync my phone with my MS Outlook contacts / calendar / notes (appointments, reminders, etc) and so on. Not running an exchange server... Just need to be able to sync my Outlook personal data every night. It's a work thing, you see...
Anyone out there in the same situation and with experience to share ? How well and reliably does the HTC Sync software work, in general, and more specifically with the Evo ?
Thanks !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well the website for HTC Synch doesn't even show it supports the EVO yet and it also shows it only supports Outlook 2000.

MrDSL said:
Well the website for HTC Synch doesn't even show it supports the EVO yet and it also shows it only supports Outlook 2000.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It doesn't only support 2000, it only says the latest version (2.0.33) supports 2000 - it previously wasn't the case.
Also, given that v2.0.33 supports the Incredible and the fact that I've read a couple times that HTC Sync actually comes with the EVO (on the SD card - EVO owners, what say you?), I don't think it's a stretch to assume it probably works with the device... All I want to know is how well HTC Sync works and how reliable & seamless the sync is; if EVO users have experience with it, then it's ideal and I'd love to hear !

Markko said:
It doesn't only support 2000, it only says the latest version (2.0.33) supports 2000 - it previously wasn't the case.
Also, given that v2.0.33 supports the Incredible and the fact that I've read a couple times that HTC Sync actually comes with the EVO (on the SD card - EVO owners, what say you?), I don't think it's a stretch to assume it probably works with the device... All I want to know is how well HTC Sync works and how reliable & seamless the sync is; if EVO users have experience with it, then it's ideal and I'd love to hear !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are probably right

I would also like to know this...
I use outlook 2007 and use it for my calendars, tasks, and contacts....
will this work for me? Thanks

I have the same issue and don't like the HTC sync tool. messes with other things. I sync the contact manually with Google contacts once a month. i do this with a CSV file. I then loaded Googles calendar sync app which syncs my Work outlook calendar to my Google Calendar.
I created a second Google caledar which i use as my person calendar to keep them seperate.
Not pretty but works and is not phone or brand dependant

Google Calendar has a tool on its website ( dub-dub-dub-dot google.com/support/calendar/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=89955 ) to sync with Outlook automatically. I know it does Calendar, but I'm not sure about Contacts. I'm pretty sure I've seen something for Calendar contacts.
The phone will automatically sync with your Google Calendar and Contacts.

RN-Dude said:
Google Calendar has a tool on its website ( dub-dub-dub-dot google.com/support/calendar/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=89955 ) to sync with Outlook automatically. I know it does Calendar, but I'm not sure about Contacts. I'm pretty sure I've seen something for Calendar contacts.
The phone will automatically sync with your Google Calendar and Contacts.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you are correct, the pc version only syncs calendar items...
just export the outlook files and import them into google contacts...very simple...only problem is that the pictures won't go over...does any one know how to do this? Thanks

eyecon82 said:
you are correct, the pc version only syncs calendar items...
just export the outlook files and import them into google contacts...very simple...only problem is that the pictures won't go over...does any one know how to do this? Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's great guys but I'm not looking for workarounds through Google Calendar - I don't use Calendar, or Gmail. Putting my data in the cloud would breach confidentiality agreements with clients, unfortunately. So I need to know how well the straight-up PC to phone sync works... Until now I've been with WinMo (on HTC, of course) since it just works so seamlessly (well, the synching part), but I'm way overdue for a jump to Android...

eyecon82 said:
you are correct, the pc version only syncs calendar items...
just export the outlook files and import them into google contacts...very simple...only problem is that the pictures won't go over...does any one know how to do this? Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am also making the switch from WinMo to Android, here is what I did to "sync" my contacts. I am not sure what I am going to do in the future, but mine don't change much anymore (4 years of working with outlook contacts, they are pretty up to date).
Sync'd phone with Outlook Contacts
Used PIM Backup to backup Contacts
Established OTA sync with Google (selected contacts only). This will remove contacts from phone.
Restored Contacts using PIM Backup
They then Sync'd with Google Contacts.
You might want to delete all your contacts on Google first or make sure you setup what has priority for the sync in the direction you want. Only takes about 10 minutes and ALL info is then sync'd properly.

HTC Sync 2.0.33 works fine with EVO. It can sync Outlook Contacts and Calendar items. Despite the fact HTC sync application says you can only sync Outlook 2000/2003/2007 I'm using Outlook 2010 and it works fine. Automatic/manual sync options are configurable. It's more stable than microsoft's active stink...err sync, or windows mobile device center.

on the SD card
HTC Sync 2.0.31 is included on the EVO sd card - works fine for me with contacts and calendar on Outlook 2007 - a little slower than active sync but it works and I'm happy with it.
I'm running XP
Mule

There is a new version made for the EVO on HTC website. It is version HTCSync2.0.35.
Here is the link:
http://www.htc.com/us/support/evo-sprint/downloads#209

Thanks everybody ! Awesome to hear that it works well, especially on 2010 - that was one of my worries, since it's also what I'm running. Sweet !

outlook 2010 beta does not synch- even w 2.0.35
running win7 64bit & office 2010 beta, outlook 2010 does not show up in HTC Synch as a application w contacts or calandar available to sysnch (will only show the built-in windows contacts app as compatible.
Someone in this forum said it works, but does not say how, also, perhaps they are using the non-beta newly released profession version only available to corp accounts right now????? (consumers can't get RTM until June 14th).
Do I wait til June 14th and hope the RTM works, or does anyone have a work-arround?

Solutions for Outlook Sync
check out the following two solutions. they are both pay to play but will allow a 14 day demo period. Companionlink is a pretty decent google sync that uses google gmail for a conduit. I was skeptical but it does a great job. Seamless with the exception of Outlook notes. It even updates all contact notes etc. Calendar and task sync through google calendar. So far works pretty good. The second program was just was released this a.m. it is from dataviz, and is called roadsync 2.0. It uses exisiting htc contact, mail interface, but uses stand alone, tasks, calendar interface. This seems pretty decent as well just not as used to going to a second program for calendar. It is about a third of the price of the companionlink alternative.

using htc sync off the memory card... syncs great with calendar and contacts of outlook 2003. Wish wish wish it had notes... but with capacitive - is there even a decent notepad app?
People hate on me all the time for this - but sometimes I miss winmo (omnia or x51V)... was a little more mature and business oriented and tied in to outlook/office:
+synced great with outlook (contacts, calendar, email, NOTES - even with audio)
+whole operating screen would to go HDTV/Projector/monitor/tv through VGA or composite
+WMV/MPG/DIVX/XVID... all seemed to just work (TCPMP love!)
+Text to speech didn't sound like Hal while boards being slowly removed...
+Speech recognition - Voice Commander was TITS!!! LOVED IT. Handsfree!
+any bluetooth Keyboard, some mice - my laser keyboard all worked great!!! HID or SPP
+windows/startup let me easily kill off any task I didn't feel was necessary...
there was no amazon MP3 or other **** that felt it NEEDED to be ready to run at any moment if I didn't want it.
+ROOT out of the box!? Sometimes I think - would people really buy a computer if it only came with user and not admin permissions? and they couldn't delete bloatware and stuff?
+SDIO/CFIO? expansion possibilities - REALLY? an SD or even mini is too big?
+CF 32GB + SDHC 32GB = 64?!?
+IR (how fun is that at sports bars and magnolia/best buy, CES?)
+Fully functioning Office - word/excel/pp ... out of the box!
+RD/TSC
+WM mediaplayer(which had it's faults) DRM ecosystem... worked... so you could do rhapsody/amazon vod and stuff...
...
OK - sorry - I've vented. I'm done. X51V love forever! 6.5.3 was sweet! Screw you Dell and MS for killing a great system.

[email protected] said:
running win7 64bit & office 2010 beta, outlook 2010 does not show up in HTC Synch as a application w contacts or calandar available to sysnch (will only show the built-in windows contacts app as compatible.
Someone in this forum said it works, but does not say how, also, perhaps they are using the non-beta newly released profession version only available to corp accounts right now????? (consumers can't get RTM until June 14th).
Do I wait til June 14th and hope the RTM works, or does anyone have a work-arround?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm in a similar situation...
Running Win7 x64, Outlook 2010 x86
HTC Sync v 2.0.40 syncs my Outlook contacts with no problem, however I keep getting errors attempting to sync the calendar...
Unfortunately HTC Sync doesn't give me any real error message. I did a quick pass and could not locate any error logs either.
Any help? Was hoping this would be as seemless as ActiveSync/WMDC and I could avoid 2 to 3-step syncing.

another link
dfine1966 said:
There is a new version made for the EVO on HTC website. It is version HTCSync2.0.35.
Here is the link:
http://www.htc.com/us/support/evo-sprint/downloads#209
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
does anyone have another link i can download this from??

Has the sync issue with Outlook 2010 64-bit been solved?

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.

[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!!