Database Users

Facebook -> Outlook -> Mobilephone

Hi
I wrote a little app called Fonebook which syncs your facebook friends photos into your outlook contacts - when you then sync with your phone you get the profile image.
Im looking at adding a few more features and possibly creating a "Pro" version to try and recoup the cost of the library Im having to use so I can get full sized images into outlook (the outlook api sucks!)
Im not sure which windows phone allow the caller id to be full screen (I know mine doesnt!) - if you know of anywhere I might be able to get a list of smartphones/pda's which support this could you point me in that direction please!
If you have any ideas for this type of application, or have any suggestions when it comes to creating a "pro" version of something as oppose to relying on donations could you please fill in this short survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=xOAJWNgBXsnGAopW7zqDNQ_3d_3d
Thanks for reading this (the current version of the app is here in case you are curious: http://www.facebook.com/apps/application.php?id=2442338999
Thanks
Ross

you might wanna take a look at s2u2 it's a iphone slider app which gives us wm touch screen users full screen caller id if there was a way for your app to resize the facebook pictures to the size of the screen wqvga, qvga, vga, wvga

you may also want to look at skybook. I think it has a similar feature where it takes the profile picture from facebook and adds it to your contacts picture. I tried it once with skybook and it worked fairly well until I received errors with logging in, so I uninstalled it.
using the new facebook app from winmo 6.5 and don't have any issue logging in, only problem is that I can't update the photos like in skybook.
I look forward to seeing what you come up with.
good luck

I would also be interested in some way to sync the contact details from Facebook to WM.
people tend to keep facebook up to date with phone numbers email addresses etc, and it would be handy to have this information downloaded automatically.
EDIT: I see you have covered the fact that Facebook block this option on the page above, but I still think its a worthy idea and have joined the petition!

Fosimo was the only thing that I could get to work for syncing facebook data. My only complaint was that it added everyone's birthdays to my calendar...

I like the idea behind this, however, I do not use outlook on my home pc.
Does this work without hooking your phone to your PC? I ask because I rarely ever sync my phone with my home PC, I do sync to my work PC but I don't sync the email, and it's a work pc, so no facebook there....
I know that new SPB mobile shell program does this but I really don't see a point in installing that and keeping it around just to sync outlook pictures. I prefer to use my touchflo that came installed on my phone. I just picked up a Fuze, my old phone was an 8525 and SPB was the best solution for it...
Is there a standalone program that would do the same thing?

You really should put a mirror of that file somewhere else, man. SkyDrive is being broken. I was searching for an app like that, saw Fonebook and OutSync. i don't care which one I get, i just want a link. Hors Skydrive, please.

well to be honest fonebook is the best app i saw so far for syncing facebook contact pics with outlook contacts.
i liked the feature to be able to choose manually which facebook contact corresponds to an outlook contact. (a missing feature to many other apps)
the only problem it has is that at the moment almost everyone use high resolution screen mobile phones with vga and wvga and the pics that sync with your app are very small and blurry when viewed in full screen incoming call apps like s2u2 that most people use. so a great addition to your app would be to add an option to download the contact pics to a chosen resolution that corresponds to vga/wvga/qvga/wqvga and to save the cashe somewhere in the pc even.
please keep this project up and running and update it asap

Got a Topaz, and have TF3D (the touchy interface from HTC), set that up to sync image to facebook.
So My images go Facebook -> phone -> outlook
instead of Facebook -> outlook -> phone
Works for me.
Personally, I don't think there's much money to be made on this (a pro version) when newer phones have this built in, and there's already other good free apps out there, unless you can add some seriously impressive functions, and even then, the free competitors would soon add those same features.
- Anthony

Hope can syncs the high resolution pics in next version.
And is it cannot syncs the birthday if the user didn't type the birthday year?

Stop Facebook auto photo saved in HTC Sense 2.5

Reason: (if you really want to know)
I really like the facebook and sense's people integrated feature. It helps me update birthday, phones, and my friends recent news. However, I do have most of my friend's photo on my outlook. I really don't need to save 200 extra pictures in my windows' drive. Beside, sometime my friend's profile picture are kind of random.
Help needed:
Any one know how to stop the photo update from facebook to the people contacts? A reg. tweak or something? Or just a want to select multiple contacts to use outlook picture? In sense 2.1, after the facebook linked your friends, a window pop up and you can uncheck the saved photo box, then facebook would not overide the saved picture you have. But this feature seem to be missing on 2.5.

facebook picture
you can override the facebook picture in sense 2.5 edit the contact then click the picture and choose, facebook, or outlook contact.

Thanks but I have more than 160 friends
Thanks for you suggestion, but you know I have more than 160 friends to update. And if I have to do that every time I upgrade a room. I am doom.

please someone help
Double this request! I was about to open a thread in despair...
I have 20 FB-connected contacts. Not a big deal one would say - change them manually. But if one takes into account that i flash almost every other day (yes i like to play with builds and upgrades) and everytime i have to go through this 20 pics... Ahhhh!!!
Getting mad everytime this stupid manila feature replaces neatly prepared and assigned photos of outllook by it's tiny meaningless photos (in some cases just mess-up madness!)
Please, please help us to stop facebook messing up with contacts

[unresolved] Mass link contacts to facebook

Is there some sort of application that allows me to link contacts to facebook pages from my computer, and then somehow mass updates the contacts on the phone? The link to facebook is just some XML in the contact notes, so in principle this should be possible.

The same question has been asked here yesterday - i can't post the link as there is a restriction from doing so *rubbish* but it's topic id is 636175 and isn't too far down the forum...
Anyways, it apparently works with myphone, but I don't seem the XML that everyone else does for some reason and so my facebook links don't save

wingm4n said:
Is there some sort of application that allows me to link contacts to facebook pages from my computer, and then somehow mass updates the contacts on the phone? The link to facebook is just some XML in the contact notes, so in principle this should be possible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
when you sync back your contacts after a flash/hard reset, the data to link them to their facebook equivalents should already be there. However, the links won't start to work until you have reassigned your 'me' contact card to your facebook account. When you do that, you should find the facebook links are restored. (not the facenbook app)

i'm afraid that's not what i'm looking for, myphone backs up my contact facebook associations just fine, i'm just looking for a simpler way to create those associations in the first place, preferably through the computer

Sorry if I misunderstand you, but doesn't the people/facebook app pop up and say 'click here to associate your contacts' and most of them are already pre-checked?
Note I'm NOT talking about the one on an individual person's page, but the one on the 'all people' list.
In the two seconds that process takes, 80% of my contacts were covered. The other 20% being people who I have as 'Jon XYZ' but they are 'Jonathan XYZ' on FB (or vice-versa.)
Or are you one of those people who doesn't do first name/last name and is looking for a way to get around that?

that's exactly what i need! it didn't do that with me, is there a way launch that synchronization manually?

I'm... not sure. I'm sure there is but I don't know how.
Just to make sure you're not missing anything obvious:
Go to the People tab
Click All People at the bottom
You're now at the "All" tab within a new screen -- you should see your fb contact as "Me" listed as the second contact -- do you see this 'link your facebook contacts' around here? (If it exists on this screen, it'll be one of the top three contacts.)
If not, use the slider on that same screen to scroll over to 'Updates and Events'. You'll see yourself at the very top here, and I'm almost positive that it was on this screen where it had 'link your contacts.' It wasn't in a menu or anything, it was very prominently displayed as one of the top items.
When/if you can find that screen, it's basically a dumb match that looks for Contacts(First Name,Last Name) = Facebook(First Name,Last Name). I'm not sure if it pairs on email address, but AFAIK it needs the full name to be exactly the same.
HTH.
**This all assumes you entered your facebook credentials when setting up your phone (or from the data sync menu under the settings tab afterwards) - completely separate from any fb app you may have on your phone. I'm pretty sure you have done this since you mentioned the XML in the contacts but just to be absolutely positive.

I've been looking at this problem since you first posted, and the main problem I see is that I can't see a way to un associate the me contact from face book (in order to re associate so that the contact association screen comes up)
dashed annoying!

i see what you mean, i'm going to look for a way to do that

Have you tried Fonebook!
http://www.developingtrends.co.uk/Software/Facebook/Fonebook/Default.aspx
I can do all the sync with facebook and Outlook. Give a look at this!

samsamuel said:
I've been looking at this problem since you first posted, and the main problem I see is that I can't see a way to un associate the me contact from face book (in order to re associate so that the contact association screen comes up)
dashed annoying!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you could momentarily switch off the Facebook connection altogether do accomplish that. It's under "Data services" (on the settings tab).

Robrecht said:
I think you could momentarily switch off the Facebook connection altogether do accomplish that. It's under "Data services" (on the settings tab).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea, thanks, that got it, however when i logged back in (through 'me' contact card) it doesnt ask about associations as when you do it the first time. Oh well.

i just found an option do associate the contacts for you! if u scroll to the contacts tab in HTC sense then scroll to updates and events (its the picture of the person with a clock next to their head) i had a button at the tob which said 'Associate contacts: XX new associations found (xx being the number of new associations)' tap this and select the contacts you want to update (by default it selects all) then tap ok. it will create the associations for any contacts that arnt associated. it will also set the default contact picture to the facebook profile. it will make your contacts lag a bit while it downloads the info but after that it runs fine
if it helps im running 1.66 official hd2 rom from HTC, with radio 2.08

mazzarin said:
Or are you one of those people who doesn't do first name/last name and is looking for a way to get around that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry to reopen this thread, but I'm one of those people! I would also be interested in finding a way to add/backup my fb associations on the PC as MyPhone does not seem to sync them for me I get the fb id's in the <sn> field but not in the <facebook> ones =/

Facebook Links & Repeated Appointments

First of all hello and you have my support to whichever great happening from XDA to HTC HD2 --- This said as its my first post.
Now on to the problems:
1) I have been using numerous ROMs so far and i am sort of a facebook fan thus connecting my contacts to facebook. Im also using Activesync and MyPhone. The problem here lies on the fact that whenever i flash a new ROM or the original one i have to connect hundreds of contacts to facebook again. There was only one time that my facebook link for the contacts linked automatically after flashing new ROM. Anyone knows the process of getting this right without going through the process of linking them again after flashing?
2) Selection of specific days of appointments to be repeated is does not exist in HTC calendar. Anyone has any other .cab addition to this so you can select the days of a repeated appointment? (So far the only option i have is "Repeat X Day"

inny2 said:
First of all hello and you have my support to whichever great happening from XDA to HTC HD2 --- This said as its my first post.
Now on to the problems:
1) I have been using numerous ROMs so far and i am sort of a facebook fan thus connecting my contacts to facebook. Im also using Activesync and MyPhone. The problem here lies on the fact that whenever i flash a new ROM or the original one i have to connect hundreds of contacts to facebook again. There was only one time that my facebook link for the contacts linked automatically after flashing new ROM. Anyone knows the process of getting this right without going through the process of linking them again after flashing?"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The facebook association is saved in your contacts 'notes' field. When you re-sync your contacts after a flash, that data is also restored. (As is the 'favoutite people' links on the people tab)
Once you have associated your 'me' contact card to your facebook account, all your facebook associations are restored. You may still get the popup asking you to recreate the associations, first time you connect from the me contact card, but you don't need to.

I can see the code in the Notes under each contact, i also enter my facebook password and run the app before even sync my contacts, and reboot before and after syncing.
Tho it never re-links my contacts.

its not connected to the facebook app, forget about the app for now. It only responds to you clicking the 'me' contact card, scrolling to the bottom and linking with faceook profile. After that it can take a little time to sync, , you can go to people - all people - and slide to the 'updates and events' tab, click menu - update now, and it 'should' eventually update. SOme people have reported it takes some time to get going.

That was done automatically as soon as i entered my facebook account details.
I will let it there for 1-2 days see if it will be done automatically but my best guess from the discussion so far is that theres no clear procedure to do this

My Guide to Clean Your Contacts *Updated 8/24/10*

Edited 8/24: The new gmail changed this guide and I have attempted to update it. Since my contacts were so clean from when I first wrote this guide, I can't say it's 100% perfect, like it was . I would really like it if people could chime in suggestions for the community!
Please note, this was in the Sticky. In an effort to save a LOT of needed space in the sticky AND to allow new
suggestions I am making this thread. Please let me know if this helps, and if there are other ways to clean up the contacts. Apologies, but I absolutely hate Facebook so others will need to chime in on how to incorporate that, if needed. Alright, on with my guide:
EDIT YOUR CONTACTS (ON YOUR PC FIRST)
If you are new to Android, the first time you logged in it was probably amazing (and frustrating) when you saw ALL of your google contacts sync with your phone.
First things you need to know, google does not allow you to stop the auto-adding of the random people you email to your contacts. Of course, those randoms are now likely showing up in your contact list (hence the frustrating part). Here is how I fixed it:
*please note, if you hide all contacts who do not have a phone number (see below) you can likely skip this, but I included for those who REALLY want to clean up their contacts*
1 - Login to gmail on your PC. Click on "Contacts" on the left border.
2 - Notice you have "My Contacts" (the good) and you have "All Contacts" below that (the bad).
*EDIT* There is no longer a "All Contacts." Google has improved this to now have "Other Contacts." This makes weeding out the people you may not want in your contacts a LOT easier. The next few steps was a workaround that is no longer needed. Simply review these "Other Contacts" and delete those you do not want, and add the ones you do to "My Contacts."
3 - go to the "search contacts" search bar and just enter one SPACE and then press enter.
4 - The middle column will now have your contacts sorted by THE GOOD (My contacts) on top and then THE BAD (All Contacts) below that. You may have more tiers, but I am keeping it simple for illustration.
5 - Scroll all the way down to the bad list. Review the names. Some may be legit people you just have not added to your My Contacts list yet.
6 - If you have a hard time recalling who someone is, you can click on their name and then click on the link "view recent conversations." This shows any previous email exchanges so you can decide to either delete or add them.
7 - Work through this list. I would suggest deleting them as you go, but not adding them to your My Contacts list until the very end (to prevent from having to do step 3 over and over). To add a contact to your "My Contacts" I just click on their name, edit their info and it showed up automatically. I did not need to click anything like "Add to...." etc.
8 - Okay, great. Lets assume you got rid of all the clutter. NOW, go to your My Contacts.... click on the "More Actions" button and then "Find & Merge Duplicates". If you have any, fix them... no reason to have several entries for the same person.
9 - Now just review the My Contacts list and make any edits or format changes. I am Type A, so you could only imagine how clean your Android Contact list is about to appear.
Great, enough with the PC. Go to your Vibrant.
Chances are it is already synching up with the changes you made.
The phone came with a bunch of #s stored on the Phone and SIM stock, I could care less about these. If you agree:
1 - Open Contacts. Press menu, go to "Display Options"
2 - Uncheck Phone and SIM (others may not agree, I just dont see the point), leaving Google as the only one checked.
*Also* You can also Delete these by long-pressing on them (wish I believe I did, and then unchecked them to now show... of course, they were deleted, so....)
Alright, almost there now. As it is, you have removed a LOT of clutter, but you may still have a ton of contacts. That is because, by default the Contacts app shows All contacts, even if they do not have a phone number. Now again, this is a personal choice.... but if I need to call someone, I would rather not have to deal with people listed who I do not have a phone number for. Also, if I am emailing them, I am using gmail, not Contacts (so again, not needed). IF you agree:
1 - Open Contacts, Press Menu and go to "Display Options."
2 - The top will say something to the affect of, check here if you only want to show contacts with phones.... Click it. Then click Done.
3 - Bam, your Contacts may not be perfect (like mine), but I bet they look a ton better. I tried to point out there is a lot of personal preferences, so please take this with a grain of salt. I like things clean.
Please read the sticky for other tips/tricks for contacts AND many other topics. Thanks for everyone helping!

You're the best. Thanks.

Great, thanks for this!
If only I'd seen it before muddling through the new contacts screens for hours getting it to work it would have saved me a lot of time.
Only comment is that step 3:
"go to the "search contacts" search bar and just enter one SPACE and then press enter."
Doesn't seem to work on the new gmail contacts screen, when I do this search it just takes me to the my contacts page. I had to click 'older contact manager' link at the bottom of the screen and then do the blank search. Also step 4, with the new interface you don't get the middle columns. Any ideas on how you'd sort the contacts with the new interface? I'm not sure how long the link to the old contacts manager will be around for...
Thanks for taking the time to draw this up.

Another great "clean up" tool is Merge contacts. After updating my Treo contacts into gMail, Find dups was not enough.
Merge is more of a manual action, but it is great to look at the entire list to see whats going on.
At the same time, "groups" is another manual action that can help organize "YOUR" (good list) contacts. At times, I had contacts lists from other peoples PDAs and phones on my treo (mine was reliable, theirs', not so much, so when they crashed and lost their contacts, i could beam their list to them).
Hope I helped someone

Anyone know how to get facebook pics to show up for contacts? When I first got this phone all my contacts who are on my facebook had their pics synced up. Not anymore though, and idk why. Fb still syncs in the updates column but not their pics.
Anyway, thanks for the guide.

The way I found that works is to follow the above instuctions (other than that I kept both the gmail friends as well as all my facebook friends and then chose to display only those with a phone.) You can then go through each contact without a photo and click on it (the one without a photo). This is the gmail contact, choose "link contact" and the Facebook contact comes up (note that this method assumes that your favorite contacts are also on facebook with a photo, if not you will need to get your own picture with your phone or camera). Again, this is assuming you have your contact as a facebook friend AND a gmail email friend.
I hope this makes sense. Good Luck

Hey, thanks for the comments. Yeah... The new gmail changed this guide and I need to update it. Will try and work on it soon. If you guys can keep making recommendations that would be awesome.

Do you know of a way to *remove* all SIM contacts on the phone? When transferring from my old phone I dumped to SIM and then loaded onto the Android device, then I dumped that to a CSV and merged it with gmail. That got things sorted out on the gmail end, however I now have a bunch of redundant SIM contacts.
Even if you uncheck SIM contact visibilityin the contact app, they do still exist, and they show up elsewhere. So far I've seen no way to actually get rid of all of them easily, short of manually removing them one at a time

I also like using the app "Contacts clean-up" to auto format all the numbers up be consistent. ;-)
Sent from my Samsung Vibrant

Jeremy, did you see if there were duplicates on the pc within gmail?
Sent from my Vibrant

Okay, I made an attempt to correct my guide for the new Gmail. I really did not have much to play with this time, so please let me know if there needs to be any changes or improvements made.
Thank you guys!

Remember the days?
Did anyone else make a complete different Phone list within google contacts, and only use this list as the list for your phone? This was on my G1.
I'm trying to figure out why we can't do that anymore. Kinda sucks

s15274n said:
Jeremy, did you see if there were duplicates on the pc within gmail?
Sent from my Vibrant
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No dupes in gmail itself, just the dupe sim contacts. Gmail did a good job handling the dupes that I had in my gmail account.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App