Develop Bugs

Syncing Outlook and *real* PIM on Android?

Hey,
got a Desire recently, which I basically love. The only thing that's giving me troubles is syncing Outlook (2007, will upgrade to 2010 shortly) contacts and calendar and the general way to use the Desire for legitimate PIM (especially calendar).
I used both an HTC Himalaya and Athena running Windows Mobile before, and the one thing that always worked smoothly was syncing with Outlook. Also, I really liked the way Outlook Mobile worked as a PIM solution (I used a today screen plug-in called Calendar+ I think to display my appointments for the next 10-14 days).
First of all, HTC Sync doesn't really work well for me. First time sync went just fine, but subsequent syncs put all my appointments of by one hour (I am in the GMT+1/CET time zone, that might have to do with it). This is especially annoying, as full-day appointments, birthdays, etc. are now displayed as lasting from 01.00 to 01.00 am.
Contacts get synced multiple times, so each phone contact is now available at least twice and as often as four or five times (all the contacts get linked into one by the Sense UI though).
Also, multiple groups are merged on subsequent syncs, for example if a contact is in the groups "Family" and "VIP" in Outlook, they are now in an Android-only "Family\;VIP" group.
Furthermore, Calendar (both from Android and HTC) really feely toy-ish, compared to Outlook Mobile. I was used to full-day-appointments being displayed as a general line of information with other appointments being display by time or length, including place and maybe conflicts with other appointments. The Android/HTC calendar just shows me a long list of things - I could use a spreadsheet or even a textfile if that's all I wanted or expected out of a calendar.
Is there an app, including widget(s) that is somewhat more like Outlook/Calendar+ on Windows Mobile?
Also, could my syncing troubles get solved if I decided to sync Outlook with Gmail/Google Calendar and sync the Desire with these (even though I'm not too keen to store these things in the Google Cloud).
Kind regards and thanks for any info anyone could provide!

Hi,
I have most of the sync working, but still get some odd things happen, like no GAL lookup and occasional duplicate entries. There is an app call Touchdown that is worth a look.
I am trying to get HTC to fix my issues, will let you know how I get on.
Peter

my HTC sync works fab!.. I have an Orange Uk .. slate colour !
I have office 2003 and at work 2007.. all works fine .
Contacts and calender works fine.. when you first sync you do get mutiple entry's for each user .. but the phone sorts this out for you ... re the mobile , facebook gmail etc

UK ist GMT, so maybe it's a bug in Sync that throws the appointments off by GMT±x hours?
It's OK that the contacts get merged, I jsut don't see it as desired behaviour to have every contact in my phone 8-10 times, even if the phone merges everything into one.
If I change any contact info on the phone and sync back into Outlook, who can guarantee the proper change is applied to the respective Outlook contact?

PIM - Personal Information Manager, what "smartphones" where soposed to be, what they used to be, what Android needs to become.
I CANNOT STRESS ENOUGH, the 3 most important features of any PIM device is:
1. UNIVERSAL SEARCH
Search of the entire phone (not the internet), search through all your personal data, thru the contacts, notes, calendar, spreadsheets, memos, to-do lists, word processing files, SMS/MMS, thru every native apps, thru every 3rd party app data, anything and everything on your phone (not the internet) quickly and completely the way Palm OS did. Fast information retrieval of your personal data and databases is the most important and single most useful thing on this planet as far as PIM’s are concerned. Not links to twitter, not cool little icon creation tools, not fun cutesy little play things, but real world useful things.
2. UNIVERSAL CUT/COPY & PASTE
The ability to copy an address or sentence out of a text message or email, (not the entire message, only the portion you need) and paste it into a contact, or paste it into a memo or task field, or it into Google maps. Or Copy part of a to-do list item and paste it into a spreadsheet, or copy a value out of a spreadsheet cell and paste it into an email etc.
3. DESKTOP APPLICATION to sync with.
A desktop application to sync with, to back up all your PIM information (contacts, calendar, to-do lists, memos, wordprocessing files, spreadsheet files etc, to your PC and vice/versa (without being forced to use Outlook). Not syncing to “the cloud”, I don’t want all my personal info spread out all over the internet for who knows who to snoop through. I want my personal info on my phone and my desktop PC only. A Desktop application to be able to do the bulk of your data entry from your PC then syncing it to your phone instead of having to type out and tons of personal data, such as useful formulas, extensive notes about people, long letters or ebooks you want to cut and paste into your desktop app so you can sync it to your phone so you can read it on the road at your leasure without trying to type all that data into your little touch screen pad. To be able to look up information and data stored on my phone without not having to wait on a slow connection as it stores and retrieves from the cloud. And to be able to look up the same information on my desktop app when I can’t find my phone. To backup my data or retrieve it without being dependant an internet connection. When I lose my old phone, I want to be able to sync the new phone to my Desktop application had have all my personal info and data files loaded on to my new phone putting me right back in business without skipping a beat.
Primary PIM Apps to be fully intergreated with each other on the phone and on the Desktop are:
* Calendar/Scheduler/with very flexible alarms (i.e. repeat every third Thursday etc.). Should have Day/Week/Month/Year views.
* Contacts/Addresses/People that will show the long names on the screen when you select it.
* To Do List (KISS applies here, just need to easily slide line items up and down on the priority list and/or give it a changeable priority level, and to be able to attach longer notes if need be)
* Memo/Notes/Flash Cards to store anything and everything you think to write down to take note down, any thought, idea, note, comment, list of items, what someone said – Any and all inputs instantly retrievable by the “Universal Search”.
* Media/Pictures/Video/Music sync between desktop and device.
* Third party attachment handler (to automatically sync spreadsheet files for instance).
Store, Retrieve, and Manage/Manipulate Personal Information, that’s what Personal Information Managers (PIMs) are for. Not for doing animated gifs or other cutesy time wasters.
This is something the Twit(ers) writing software today don’t understand, not everyone has the luxury of laying around drinking soda pop and twittering each other all day, most of us need to actually get some work done in the real world. To manage and access personal information as well as internet info.
I would have switched from Palm OS to iPhone a couple years ago but the iPhone had no universal search or universal copy/paste at the time which made the iPhone worthless game machine to me. So I stayed with Palm. Now that Palm OS is being replaced with WebOS, I see now that the “new blood” writing the new Palm WebOS software left out the 3 most important things, the very things that made Palm great to begin with. So I bought a Droid Incredible, it falls flat on it’s face as a PIM, now I am back to carrying two devices a Palm OS for an actual working PIM, and a Droid for all the other “cool” stuff. Don’t get me wrong, I love the Droid but it would be nice to get them back into one device again. The industry sometimes goes backwards instead of forwards. Now I see that Apple finally caught up to Palm by including a universal search and copy/paste into the iPhone finally, Android needs to catch up to Palm OS also, in a hurry, otherwise I may have to sidestep to an iphone when my one year contract is up.
PalmOS had a much more precise touch screen, all you had to do to select text was touch your fingernail, pen, or stylist to the letter you wanted to start with and drag to the end point to highlight the text you want, and then hit Menu/Copy. The new Johnny-come-lately touch screen phones do not have a precise way to select text directly, though the iPhone has come up with a good workaround for this, it’s not quite as fast and easy as the PalmOS but just as accurate at selecting only what you want, and it is universal just like the Palm.
If and when iambic ports Agendus to the Android OS it will be a great day for Android users, but the MOST IMPORTANT thing is we still need universal search & copy/paste across all 3-party applications. When I was a palm user I didn’t see the need for Agendus (a very robust PIM) because it seemed redundant on the Palm, but I could see the need for it on other platforms such as Windows devices, iPhone, BlackBerry etc. Now that I am a Droid user I see the need for Agendus for the Android. Agendus is starting to sound like a great Idea, a robust PIM application that can be ported to any new phone platform that comes out, that way you learn one app and keep it with you across platforms as the phone market keeps changing.

PC Suite for G2

I'm coming from a Nokia 5800. Although the software was buggy as hell, Ovi Suite was still a great piece of software to sync all of my phone's data to a local copy of my PC (as opposed to Google's nosy cloud storage).
Ideally looking for something that could archive my contacts--as well as abilities to create/change/delete on my PC which would then sync with the phone. Also download all SMS's, photos/videos taken, and manage music.

If what I've read is true, google music should take care of this, its supposedly an itunes-like software
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App

Check out Double Twist. There is PC software and an app. Not sure if it would cover all your needs (ive never used it), but it appears to be a decent itunes clone for not just Android but other devices.

theres an app callled mybackup in the market. it will back everything up to the sdcard, then u can copy backup to pc if this helps.

Since people aren't too familiar with Ovi Suite: I need something like Palm Desktop for Android, and I don't want to pay $40 for CompanionLink.

Dude, you need to learn to love the cloud.
From GMail/GMaps/GVoice/GDocks/GCal/Picassa, I have every email, sms, voicememo, picture, video, call history, transcribed voicemail, task, appointment, map location, contact, document, etc. All from any webbrowser in any location, all damn-near instantly synced with my phone.
...but to answer you question, search for HTC Sync. I think it only works with Sense tho, so you will have to wait and flash the Z firmware once the hackers make the g2 flashable.
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App

Dude, I love the cloud.
But I also love having a local copy on my computers (which I back up regularly and save to my Dropbox). Being able to edit contacts and calendar entries without having to bring up a webpage is huge to me.

Different strokes for different folks I guess.
I live and work on the cloud. I never run any backups. I store nothing locally other than 4TB of pirated moves/tv. Being able to access everything from anywhere even if my house has no electricity is huge to me.
What's so bad about opening up a webpage? Opening outlook or whatever doesn't seem any different to me. Unless I am using my computer as a TV, all I ever need from it is a webbrowser, which is nice since every computer and smartphone in the world has one.
I do program ASP.NET/Win32/other and need that dev environment, but that too is all running on a VirtualPC in the cloud.

Not all of us always have constant data access, nor want to depend on it.
Plus, the difference between a webpage and outlook is MASSIVE.
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App

I know this is a pointless argument, but I am curious if you have ever given gmail with gtalk-desktop in your tray a real chance?
I used outlook at a job for work and personal for 6 years, then used outlook for work another 5 while using gmail for personal, and for the last 2 I have been gmail only. I always had the newest version on the newest os, but not in the last 2 years.
In outlook I was always sorting and running a search all was always dog slow. I can find anything in gmail as easily as finding any webpage with google. Gmail integrates with google calendar just as well as outlook and they can sync to eachother. Just sayin.
...anyway, did you look in to HTC Sync? Also, you could always run an exchange server at home and sync over the air.
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App

I'd probably choose services that keep the home PC synced with the cloud, keeping a local copy of what GMail etc use. Enough people do that that there are tools for that, and of course your phone syncs easily with the cloud. I think enough Android users drink the Google kool aid that there's not as much interest in syncing directly phone to PC without using the cloud as an intermediary. After years of wired syncing, I'm thrilled to have it work without any work on my part, personally.
But a search did turn up both The Missing Sync for Android and Handset Manager - both look to still be a bit buggy, but maybe they'll do the job or be worth watching.

We need HTC to make HTC Sync for non-Sense phones. Period.

rpmccormick said:
Different strokes for different folks I guess.
I live and work on the cloud. I never run any backups. I store nothing locally other than 4TB of pirated moves/tv. Being able to access everything from anywhere even if my house has no electricity is huge to me.
What's so bad about opening up a webpage? Opening outlook or whatever doesn't seem any different to me. Unless I am using my computer as a TV, all I ever need from it is a webbrowser, which is nice since every computer and smartphone in the world has one.
I do program ASP.NET/Win32/other and need that dev environment, but that too is all running on a VirtualPC in the cloud.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Totally agree, That's the only way to go, really. When I moved up from my Moto Cliq to the G2 it took all of 5 minutes to get my phone the way I wanted. The hardest part was customizing my icon on the home screen. The data all synced from Google. My list of installed apps was backed up via "App List Backup" and I just re-installed them. Done.

Sync contacts & calendar to linux

I am about to make my first foray into an Android device (Motorola Defy - Android 2.1 on the Telstra network in Australia) after years and years of faithful Symbian servitude. There is one little thing that is bugging me about Android so I thought I'd ask the experts as I've spent hours looking for an answer and still not coming up with a clear answer.
I understand I can turn off contact and calendar sync with Google quite easily but I'm unable to find anything to suggest how hard/easy it would be to sync my contacts and calendar (via USB, Bluetooth or WiFi - no real preference) to my local computer running Linux, specifically Ubuntu, rather than the cloud. I would prefer it sync to Evolution as this is what I have been using for years now with various forms of SyncML and Symbian phones (most recently syncevolution).
I would really prefer not to give over my hundreds of contacts and all my personal appointments to the cloud so I'm searching for a solution that doesn't involve customising the basic software too much for preference. It doesn't have to be a 24/7 sync, I'm currently just running it on an as required basis. I would even be willing to pay for the service providing it works.
Now I understand the whole "don't buy an Android phone if you don't want to use Google's services" and I've seen many posts like mine deteriorate into "why do you even want this?" so bearing in mind I've considered these arguments already is there anyone with any constructive suggestions?

This...?
https://android-client.forge.funambol.org/

I was looking at this sort of thing but couldn't understand, would this require the installation of my own funambol server on the computer here or would just installing the client on the phone allow it then to talk SyncML to something like hxxp://syncevolution.org/ (unable to post outside links yet sorry for the crap link)? Sorry if it seems noobish but want to confirm before spending money on something that may/may not suit my needs.

I'm not sure as I don't use it myself. I mentioned it cause you mentioned you've been using SyncML in the past so I think it may help...

Thanks for the pointer. I'm trying to work out if
Handset+SyncML client -> Syncevolution -> Evolution
or
Handset+SyncML client -> SyncML Server -> Syncevolution -> Evolution
is going to end up being the case. I guess it's one of those "just get it and see" things it would appear. I was just hoping this could be confirmed either way beforehand because a SyncML server is going to be a fair bit of work for just one phone and one instance of evolution.
I'm looking to get the Motorola Defy in the next week or so, so I will make sure I report back how it goes if no one else has any other information beforehand.

Just a quick follow up for anyone else looking into this. If you have the time I would whole heartedly suggest setting up your own personal funambol server as I couldn't find a reasonable solution to my problem.
As I don't have the time at this point to do that I have used iCal Import/Export in conjunction with Touch Calendar (I dislike the layout of the default calendar and Touch lets me repeat an event every X days which is good for shift workers like myself) for my calendar needs. I have been using the inbuilt Motorola Phone Portal over wifi to import/export vcards into the phone for my contacts.
So now I have my contacts and calendar in the phone and can manually import/export which is as close as I've gotten to syncing locally at this point. If I figure out anything else I'll post back again and I'm still open to other suggestions that are a bit simpler than a separate funambol server.

WLM and Skydrive, *!Nokia Maps integration not only WP7

Thoughts
http://m.engadget.com/default/artic...id-ios-and-window/&category=mobile&postPage=1
I thought this was the biggest plus for WP7.
However the business side of me says smart move Microsoft. The user base of WP is too small to let this integration go unnoticed.

vetvito said:
Thoughts
http://m.engadget.com/default/artic...id-ios-and-window/&category=mobile&postPage=1
I thought this was the biggest plus for WP7.
However the business side of me says smart move Microsoft. The user base of WP is too small to let this integration go unnoticed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If it works like WL currently works, there's really no point. Sure, WL will do some stuff. But it just isn't as integrated as it could be to gain a lot of following.
I remember Hotmail from a long time ago...in the early 2000s...that I used extensively. Hotmail was the main online email account. I had a lot of info stored in it...lots of mails, contacts and all kinds of stuff...and MS claimed they were doing some kind of system maintenance and everything was lost. My whole account, all accumulated files, mails contacts...everything...was gone. I stopped using MS services from that point. I felt they were trying to manipulate people into paying for the non-free service.
I have a MS email account, but it isn't trusted with important stuff that I can't cope losing. It wasn't me only. A friend I know that used Hotmail suffered the same thing.

Seems to intergrate only your contacts, photos and messenger (no office, music and other things stored on skydrive), it also would be restricted to an app not the same as it being intergrated into the phone.

MartyLK said:
If it works like WL currently works, there's really no point. Sure, WL will do some stuff. But it just isn't as integrated as it could be to gain a lot of following.
I remember Hotmail from a long time ago...in the early 2000s...that I used extensively. Hotmail was the main online email account. I had a lot of info stored in it...lots of mails, contacts and all kinds of stuff...and MS claimed they were doing some kind of system maintenance and everything was lost. My whole account, all accumulated files, mails contacts...everything...was gone. I stopped using MS services from that point. I felt they were trying to manipulate people into paying for the non-free service.
I have a MS email account, but it isn't trusted with important stuff that I can't cope losing. It wasn't me only. A friend I know that used Hotmail suffered the same thing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have ZERO issues with my windows live account. don't know what's wrong with yours. so back off Gmail and google fanboy lárgate!

Had a Hotmail account since 2001, no problems ever.

efjay said:
Had a Hotmail account since 2001, no problems ever.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i Have mine since 2000 and no problem either

eric12341 said:
I have ZERO issues with my windows live account. don't know what's wrong with yours. so back off Gmail and google fanboy lárgate!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
whoa.... He didn't say anything about Gmail or gogle services in that post. Relax. He had a bad experience and holds a grudge
That's his prerogative.
Btw, I've also had a hotmail account since 2001, never had an issue.
Sent from my SGH-i917 using XDA Windows Phone 7 App

munkeyphyst said:
whoa.... He didn't say anything about Gmail or gogle services in that post. Relax. He had a bad experience and holds a grudge
That's his prerogative.
Btw, I've also had a hotmail account since 2001, never had an issue.
Sent from my SGH-i917 using XDA Windows Phone 7 App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
in other threads he has. he would always tot that his Gmail would instantly sync his contact info while windows live wouldn't ni matter if he edited it or not. I haven't had such an issue on my hotmail account but u can kinda see the undertone that was hinting that Gmail would handle this better.

Ok one more thing :
Nokia Maps now on Android and IOS. Thoughts ...

vetvito said:
Ok one more thing :
Nokia Maps now on Android and IOS. Thoughts ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nokia Maps has simply made their mobile maps site compatible with Android and iOS browsers, that is all. So yes, its not anything earth shattering, but Nokia Maps are simply now compatible with their browsers. We're expecting much deeper app-based and possibly even OS-level integration with Windows Phone, so it'll be a different experience with Windows Phone.
Also, the Windows Live integration on other platforms is only an API. Someone still has to build these apps for them, so they aren't available yet till someone makes an app, Microsoft is simply opening up Windows Live to be more accessible on other platforms. You still get top-notch integration with a Windows Phone 7 device.

eric12341 said:
in other threads he has. he would always tot that his Gmail would instantly sync his contact info while windows live wouldn't ni matter if he edited it or not. I haven't had such an issue on my hotmail account but u can kinda see the undertone that was hinting that Gmail would handle this better.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
there was no mention, or undertone of gmail in the entire thread, until you did. giving a persons personal experience isn't being a fanboy, or depreciating another service.
where did you pull that out of. anyway ?
hotmail account since 200x, but changed to omg-alternate-service and enjoy it.

I haven't really looked into it much but this sounds like a good idea. If the right tools/apps are developed, it can allow for a seamless experience no matter what devices you're using. Moving from one platform to another won't require a change of services. The SkyDrive stuff should be interesting, could allow it to become a better alternative to other cloud storage services.
Although all that could be completely wrong as I really didn't read the blog post. It just sounds like a good idea

I have had a Hotmail account since I beta tested the MSN Internet service in the mid 90s. My Hotmail is @msn.com. I have never had an issue with lost data that I didn't cause myself. Besides, now you can use the Outlook connector and store a copy of all your mail, contacts, and calendars locally.
I also find it rather foolish to dwell on the past. Things change so rapidly that holding a 10 year old grudge against one company could mean missing out on something really great. I have issues with Apple, Google, and Microsoft. I also have devices based on all three OSs. They all have good and bad points but I am willing to overlook the bad for the most part.
What I will not do is walk around with blinders on, thinking that any one of these systems are supremely better than the other. This simply isn't true. Nothing can be all things to all people.
I think the WLM integration is a positive change, and shows that Microsoft is learning from past mistakes.

One of these mistakes being the limitations on Zune pass availability. If they'd made Zune pass widespread I'm not sure people would care today about Spotify reaching the US.
Sent from my Samsung Omnia 7 using XDA Windows Phone 7 App

vetvito said:
Ok one more thing :
Nokia Maps now on Android and IOS. Thoughts ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If I noticed correctly, it's the exact same integration available on our WP7 IE9, isn't it? I tried accessing the Nokia Maps site with my Focus, and it seems to work fine. I have not tried with my Android yet, so don't know if there's a difference.

SuperSport said:
If I noticed correctly, it's the exact same integration available on our WP7 IE9, isn't it? I tried accessing the Nokia Maps site with my Focus, and it seems to work fine. I have not tried with my Android yet, so don't know if there's a difference.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Android and iOS display a more 'mobile' optimized version of the site. I've only been able to view the full Nokia Maps website on Mango (which works just great as well).

I like Hotmail but honestly it's the only service I used which has constant problems with showing embedded pictures in emails. Refusing to show them actually. On Wp7 it happened in 30% of cases. Also problems with attachements. For me Hotmail is not reliable but I wonder if it has anything to do with my location - Poland.

SuperSport said:
If I noticed correctly, it's the exact same integration available on our WP7 IE9, isn't it? I tried accessing the Nokia Maps site with my Focus, and it seems to work fine. I have not tried with my Android yet, so don't know if there's a difference.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's my point/question, is WP losing the little exclusives it has?
Nokia is supposed to save WP with its map service, but Nokia is making its service for everyone.
WLM and Skydrive is going the same route.
Netflix is on all the major players.
What's left Zune pass and the metro UI?

https://market.android.com/details?id=shoozhoo.sorami&feature=search_result
Already in beta.

Oh ****, its for any file.
Decisions, this or drop box.

LineageOS Stripped Down Kids Mode?

I've got two kids, ages 6 and 8, and we keep their screen time limited, but they love audiobooks and for the past few years we have bought them cheap mp3 players and loaded audiobooks on them from the library using the Overdrive app on a pc which then syncs the mp3s to the mp3 player. However, Overdrive has been discontinued and is likely to be fully killed off sometime in 2023 (no doubt thanks to pressure from the publishing industry) whereupon the only way to get audiobooks from the library will be through the Libby app, but this of course requires an internet connected device. For obvious reasons I don't want to just give my kids an Android phone with access to Youtube, social media, etc. I have played around with LineageOS to breath fresh life into an old Kindle tablet and various older phones, so I'm thinking perhaps picking up some cheap old Moto phones and loading them up with LineageOS would be an option, but I'd want to strip out some of the functionality and remove the web browser, phone and sms, and basically just have a camera, Libby app, k9 email client, and if possible voice recognition. presumably Libby and k9 mail could be sideloaded. Not sure about voice recognition, but it seems like maybe Gapps pico or microG might offer a way to implement google voice recognition? But is it possible to have voice recognition without having the play store? As far as removing the browser, it appears that LOSdiet should work for that purpose.
Anyone embarked on a similar task?

mgrharry said:
(...)
Anyone embarked on a similar task?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why can't you use a guest account?

While I suppose using the Guest feature on a stock Android device might be an option, I'd prefer not to go down that route for a few reasons. First, it seems like it's mostly designed as a temporary option for loaning a phone to a friend, not as a permanent function, and I am afraid it would be easy to accidentally delete all the contents of the guest account which would result in a very unhappy kid. Second, if they know it can do all the things a "real" phone can do and they're just locked out of doing them, that will make them much more prone to nagging us to install random junky games and apps and fiddling around trying to access the main account. I'd prefer if it just wasn't an option at all.

Maybe try it out before you reject it.
Google Family Link

Yes, I have also the combination of google family link and LOS and IF it is working, it is working really great!
On some systems, you need to have two user profiles on the device, as the children account alone would lead to an FRP lock , at least on S4 and S5 neo.
I got it one time working by adding first the parents account and then afterwards adding the children account. In Settings, enable multi user and then add a PIN (or whatever) to prevent access to your account from the one your child is using.