I'm a wannabe WinMo convert, and my new Droid X will arrive later today. As I surf the web trying to be as ready as possible for the transition, I'm struck by the fact that Android doesn't sync directly with Outlook. And to shortcut the immediate responses, I will never want to sync my personal & private info with "The Cloud" for all the world of hackers to see. The number of times (just within the past year alone) that we've all seen news reports of some supposedly secure Big Brother company having its servers hacked and its users' personal info stolen, means that cloud sync is not now - and may well never really be - a secure option.
From what I can gather from several hours of scouring the reviews, the cobbled-together 3rd-party apps that attempt to allow one to sync an Android phone directly to one's own computer - either via WiFi, BT or a USB cable - all fall short in some critical way or other, such as not including all of Outlook's data fields for a Contact. The data never appears on the phone, and when syncing back to the PC, those particular fields get erased on the PC too! So there's only limited success with "The Missing Sync" & "CompanionLink." (And Android-Sync is still a pre-alpha.)
This leads to the question. What desktop PIM software do you all use --- BESIDES Outlook?
Thanks!
Why don't you directly sync your X with the exchange server you're connected to with Outlook?
onelifexv said:
Why don't you directly sync your X with the exchange server you're connected to with Outlook?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He didn't indicate he had an exchange server. Just Outlook on his desktop.
Mason,
As much as I agree with your privacy arguments (and believe me, my friends and associates argue about this all the time), I just don't think Android is going to be fully functional for you if don't "let it go" and put those contacts on your google account.
I went through this when Droid 1 Launched. I had all of my data on my exchange server, and refused to move it to Google. Android 2.01 worked with exchange, but just barely. The whole process frustrated me, and I ended up taking the phone back and getting a TouchPro2.
Since then, I've given in and begun migrating my company info over to Google Apps. I still have my exchange server in the meantime, but all of my mail, etc is going through Google Apps for Domains. This time around, with Droid X, my sync experience is working a lot better.
I know that's not what you want to hear. But if your not willing to put your data in Google's hands (and I don't really blame you for not wanting to), then take the phone back and wait for the new Win Phone 7 devices.
Thanks for your replies. I also used the Touch Pro2 earlier this year, and more recently, the LG Fathom. The latter may be the last of the WinMo 6.5 phones, and that's really a shame, since it really worked well, just lacking HTC's Sense, Motorola's sound quality, and the latest generation's innovative 4.3" capacitive screens. Of course it synced perfectly, and all contacts were immediately available for voice command dialing on the phone.
Today I downloaded the trial of CompanionLink and installed DejaOffice on the Droid X. After the proper setup - which includes setting the Droid X to be in "USB Mass Storage" mode when connected via USB to the PC - it was able to sync calendar, contacts, notes and tasks.
BUT only in a manner of speaking. I promptly found out that I couldn't voice dial any of my contacts. Neither Calendar nor Contacts were sync'd with the Droid X's native Android apps; that required another, VERY long sync, having gone into DejaOffice's Sync Settings and selecting the options to ALSO sync with the Android native apps. And although I went into the Droid X's settings and deselected the option to sync my Google/G-mail account, I still suspect that my information went to the cloud - even though I didn't want it to - since the arrows under the Droid X's "3G" icon in the notification tray were gray the whole time, indicating data transmission. And despite all that, some of my contacts still mysteriously didn't make it into the native app, although they were in DejaContacts. So to voice dial someone inparticular, I STILL had to enter their contact info manually into the native Android contact app.
And all of my categories for all of my Notes were somehow stripped away when the Notes transferred into the Droid X; so now, they're all unfiled.
I don't know if I'm willing to put up with these headaches on a regular basis. But the preliminary reviews of Windows Phone 7 are very disappointing, and it can only be a matter of time before WM6.5 becomes so neglected that it's no longer usable. Oh well.
Zaphod! I remember fondly the Isaac Asimov novels.
MasonStorm said:
Thanks for your replies. I also used the Touch Pro2 earlier this year, and more recently, the LG Fathom. The latter may be the last of the WinMo 6.5 phones, and that's really a shame, since it really worked well, just lacking HTC's Sense, Motorola's sound quality, and the latest generation's innovative 4.3" capacitive screens. Of course it synced perfectly, and all contacts were immediately available for voice command dialing on the phone.
Today I downloaded the trial of CompanionLink and installed DejaOffice on the Droid X. After the proper setup - which includes setting the Droid X to be in "USB Mass Storage" mode when connected via USB to the PC - it was able to sync calendar, contacts, notes and tasks.
BUT only in a manner of speaking. I promptly found out that I couldn't voice dial any of my contacts. Neither Calendar nor Contacts were sync'd with the Droid X's native Android apps; that required another, VERY long sync, having gone into DejaOffice's Sync Settings and selecting the options to ALSO sync with the Android native apps. And although I went into the Droid X's settings and deselected the option to sync my Google/G-mail account, I still suspect that my information went to the cloud - even though I didn't want it to - since the arrows under the Droid X's "3G" icon in the notification tray were gray the whole time, indicating data transmission. And despite all that, some of my contacts still mysteriously didn't make it into the native app, although they were in DejaContacts. So to voice dial someone inparticular, I STILL had to enter their contact info manually into the native Android contact app.
And all of my categories for all of my Notes were somehow stripped away when the Notes transferred into the Droid X; so now, they're all unfiled.
I don't know if I'm willing to put up with these headaches on a regular basis. But the preliminary reviews of Windows Phone 7 are very disappointing, and it can only be a matter of time before WM6.5 becomes so neglected that it's no longer usable. Oh well.
Zaphod! I remember fondly the Isaac Asimov novels.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
"It's like Deja Vu, All over again." These are the exact issues and problems I ran into in my first encounter with Droid. At the time, I felt like the TP2 was a viable alternative to the Droid (wasn't nearly as fast, but had nice screen, better keyboard, etc.) so I just bailed out.
Much like you, I don't believe there is a viable alternative any longer. I too have no enthusiasm for Win Phone 7, and highly doubt that any advanced hardware is going to come with win 6.5X at this time.
I will also pass along this small piece of advice. Either embrace the cloud, or dump the phone. The more 'interconnects' you put between you and your data, the more frustrating this will be. It would be shame to have all of this power, and then limit its potential.
Instead of starting a new thread I thought this would be the best place to ask. First time Android user long time WM user so excuse my ignorance. I have an exchange / outlook setup that is working great with the corp sync of android but I have Notes that of course MS thought it was a good idea not to sync OTA. I used to connect my WM phone via BT or USB and sync the Notes with ActiveSync every couple of days or so to make sure they were updated on both device and Outlook. I know I can't use ActiveSync, what kind of solution does Android provide for this type of sync? I am open to anything as long as it is free as I don't really want to spend money on something that used to be free under WM.
Anyone? No one coming from a TP2 used notes?
I tried once more to sync the X locally, using the Mark/Space Missing Sync software (which requires Fliq Notes & Fliq Calendar to be installed on the phone, and Missing Sync on both the phone and the desktop). This too proved entirely too problematic, with ridiculously erroneous syncs that proved entirely unreliable for a business user.
It took another day of wrangling/justifying/coming to terms, but I finally relented and took Zaphod's advice to embrace the Cloud. gSyncit has proven to be a reliable, easy-to-use sync app for me, but it does require sending all of your stuff to Google, and then setting the phone to sync with Google. Calendar & Contacts work fine, and Notes works by syncing to Google Docs. The latter is then synced to the phone using the GDocs app, downloaded from the Marketplace. I've abandoned Tasks for now, but apparently it can sync by creating a 2nd calendar - a Tasks Calendar - in Google Calendar.
I'm also battling this Outlook to Droid X sync issue. I've come to realize the "best" way to resolve this is to give into Google's global domination plan and simply use my Google Calendar to sync via the cloud. However, I'm worried about duplication of meetings (which has happened in the past with the Dx using CompanionLink and DejaOffice, and with WM6.5 on my Imagio). My other question/issue is whether my contacts associated with my Gmail account have to be merged and subsequently synced with all my business contacts. My Gmail contacts include almost 1,000 email addresses, many of which I never use and don't recognize.
I'm also running Outlook 2007 with Win 7 64-bit. I've tried using Google Calendar Sync but it doesn't play nicely with 64-bit Win 7 (I guess that one sneaked up on Google?).
Any input is appreciated.
I work with small businesses helping them with handhelds and CRM. All my small businesses are using hosted exchange server for mail. Some use Blackberries, others iPhones, a tiny portion Windows Mobile and now I'm "dog-fooding" Android so I can find out what works. Believe it or not, only about 5% of my customers use Outlook tasks. Most rely on the calendar for task management. I myself do use tasks so I'm trialing Remember the Milk and syncing to it from Outlook using Gassumo Outlook to Remember the Milk sync. That's working quite well.
I've found that the contacts and calendar sync have some quirks that I'm coming to grips with - it seems sometimes to use File As, other times not to so sometimes the names are backwards. The calendar has been OK
I'm hoping PocketInformant for Android gets finished soon. They are beta testing now. I've been using it on Windows Mobile for years. It's very polished, those guys know how to build a handheld PIM.
Exchange is a great way to do OTA sync. You put the contact in Outlook and it's on your phone, same with calendar.
I'm a big OneNote user on the desktop, on Windows Mobile I used it only for a single purpose - to label photos I took of equipment I deploy. I would type the client, location, purpose and then take photos of the asset tags, serial numbers etc. To get them onto the desktop I had to USB sync but this system is very handy, if I needed to call Dell about a machine I have the asset tags right at hand. I'm looking at Evernote to take over that duty. I don't really care if it lives on OneNote, I just need to be able to annotate photos and get at them quickly during support calls.
Related
Direct Push with Google Apps?!?!?!
Hi everyone. I think I might have asked this question before but maybe something has developed in the last few months.
I am running my own IT consulting business and as I get more and more busy my calendar is becoming an ever more important tool. My dear wife went out and got me a good old-fashioned spiral bound day-timer but I have a sophisticated day-timer right here in my pocket in the form of my HTC Touch. As an IT consultant I think I should be using it rather then pulling out the pen and paper. Right now I am using the calendars in my Touch, Outlook, Google Apps and the calendar in the Exchange account I have with one of my customers. Too many calendars and all because I really want to use my Google Apps calendar and have it sync with my Touch.
I really want Google to develop “Direct Push” technology so that I can get my email, calendar and contacts all from my Google Apps account just like it was an Exchange Server. I am even considering switching my email back to an Exchange Server just so I can sync with my Touch. This way my wife could login and add stuff to my calendar and it will appear on my Touch. Right now I have my Email coming in from Google Apps via IMAP, my Calendar synching with Outlook (installed locally on my laptop without Exchange) and my Contacts syncing with my customer’s Exchange server. This is a pain and I want everything in one place that can be maintained/synced in real-time.
I will say this right now and keep in mind that as an IT consultant I like Microsoft’s products and install things like Windows 2003, SQL Server and Exchange on an almost daily basis. If Google develops “Direct Push” for Google Apps it will be an Exchange killer. The only, and I mean only reason I am thinking about switching my domain back to Exchange (I moved from Exchange to Google Apps about 1 year ago) is for the ability to sync everything (not just email) with my Touch.
On the other hand if Microsoft comes out with a version of Outlook/Exchange that dispenses with the whole “Inbox/Sent items/Delete” model and goes for the Google-style “conversation & archive” model along with the search capabilities I might fall back in love with Exchange.
The Fish
Oh and just in case anyone from Microsoft is listening, “threaded inbox” isn’t what I mean by “conversation style”. Come on Microsoft. Just admit that Google has actual built a better mousetrap and managed to improve on the age-old email model of “folders” and “sent items”. Go ahead and copy them… copy, copy copy! Oops sorry, I mean “embrace and extend, embrace and extend”
Something like that would be great!
matthew232 said:
Something like that would be great!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And not to mention totally do-able. There is already an non-Exchange mail server out there called “KerioMail Server” that implements Microsoft’s Direct Push protocol. Check out this link http://www.kerio.com/kms_activesync.html
Microsoft’s Direct Push is entirely HTTP based. It shouldn’t be that difficult for Google to do.
The Fish.
I guess you have to wait for Google Android.
thefish123 said:
On the other hand if Microsoft comes out with a version of Outlook/Exchange that dispenses with the whole “Inbox/Sent items/Delete” model and goes for the Google-style “conversation & archive” model along with the search capabilities I might fall back in love with Exchange.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The moment they do that (without giving an option) is when I would have to quit using Exchange. I **hate** Gmail's threading and forward those mails to another account that isn't threaded (and the fact that they don't let you turn it off).
I know it's not exactly what you're looking for, but have you checked out any of the 3rd party sync options? GMobileSync is a free little program that allows bidirectional syncing for your calendar (not push though). GooSync offers a free service level that also gives you calendar syncing. If you upgrade to their payed version (I think it is something like $30-40 for a whole year) you get not only calendar sync, but contacts, tasks etc. Might be worth a look.
jeffreycentex said:
The moment they do that (without giving an option) is when I would have to quit using Exchange. I **hate** Gmail's threading and forward those mails to another account that isn't threaded (and the fact that they don't let you turn it off).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Microsoft would never do it without making it an option. But I am surprised to hear you say that you head Gmail’s threading. Quite honestly you have got to be the FIRST person I have heard say that.
I have never (till now) talked to anyone who switched to Gmail who didn’t have anything but good to say about it. Most people I know who use Outlook or Outlook Express and who do ANY real volume of email spend at least an hour to two hours a day “organizing” their email. They have a whole list of sub-folders under their Inbox and then have almost the exact same set of sub-folders under their “Sent Items”. They spend time trying to decide how to file things or if they should file it in the first place or just delete it. Sometimes they delete and email and two of three days later the whole issue has ballooned into a big issue and they are filing the responses but no longer have their original email because they didn’t think it would become important.
Gmail lets me keep my Inbox clean while at the same time never worrying about filing or organizing or having trouble finding things back. I would probably hate Gmail if I was still trying to fit it into my narrow 20-year-old “I must use folders” paradigm of thinking (which I did when I first started using Gmail) but it was fun to give up on that and the new paradigm of “never file, never delete” is so superior.
I don’t really case WHERE my email is as long as I can find it back in a natural way. I think in years to come we are going to see the same thing happening on computers and to some extent we already are. The #1 reason most people hate Windows Vista is because of the way the new “Explorer” obscures the hierarchal folder model that everyone is used to from our Norton Commander days. It is really very Mac-like. Most Mac users couldn’t tell you where their pictures were in terms of a “directory” or a “folder” but they have less trouble finding them, or copying them to a USB drive, or attaching them to an email then most Windows users.
If we ever do see WinFS (Windows Future Storage) it is supposed to be a Microsoft SQL layer bolted on top of the file system and gives you database-style searchability with all kinds of meta data attached.
The thinking behind the Reiser file system is that any structure on top of the file system for storing data indicates that the file system isn’t doing it’s job. And I can kinda see the point.
The Fish
I agree, Gmail should definately come out with direct push technology
I currently use gmail with pocket outlook with imap.
It's annoying having it set to check my email in intervals.
I didn't even know what direct push was until today, until i saw a friend using his phone w/ his private exchange server...my first reaction was wow...i want that!!
I'm hoping android will implement features like direct push, among others.
surgex0 said:
I didn't even know what direct push was until today, until i saw a friend using his phone w/ his private exchange server...my first reaction was wow...i want that!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It’s not even so much that I want “push” email (although that would be cool). The biggest issue is that there is no way to sync my Calendar and my Contacts with Gmail. This means I either A) have to use the Calendar/Contacts on my Touch in their “stand alone” form without syncing to anything or B) have to sync them with something else.
I really like being able to use my web-based Gmail calendar (Google Apps) but I wish like crazy there was some way to get this on my Touch.
The Fish.
PS: when you sign-up for Google Apps it asks you what (if any) previous mail system you used. As an example it says in brackets “Microsoft Exchange”. This makes me think that Google Apps is positioning themselves to take the SMB email market away from Exchange. I think if they really want to do this they will make Google Apps look just like an Exchange Server to the millions of WM devices out there. Currently I am seriously considering moving my email back to Exchange when I get my own server online (in a few weeks).
Google's apps for WM are all in java aren't they?
I know the gmail one is, and it sucks big c---.
I'd rather use opera and gmail html mobile than use their ****e java client.
surgex0 said:
Google's apps for WM are all in java aren't they?
I know the gmail one is, and it sucks big c---.
I'd rather use opera and gmail html mobile than use their ****e java client.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Googlemaps apparently has a native app now (altho I would rather use Livesearch), so no, they aren't all JAVA. I take it you visit the HTML site instead of using IMAP so that you can see the threading and other g-mail features?
If you want gmail to push, use SEVEN at
community.seven.com
john
Sync & Push
I use www.mobipush.com to push my gmail and it works instantaneously. Fantastic. This is free, perhaps only while they are in beta.
I also use www.oggsync.com for syncing my calendar. There is a free version, but I bought the software and daily sync about 11 calendars 2 months backwards and 2 years forwards. Hardly ever any issues. They are working on contact sync - have a public beta out now.
surgex0 said:
Google's apps for WM are all in java aren't they?
I know the gmail one is, and it sucks big c---.
I'd rather use opera and gmail html mobile than use their ****e java client.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don’t know if it’s really the Gmail client that sucks so much as that it just doesn’t run properly on the version of Java that comes on my Touch (the Bell Mobility Touch in Canada). I was pretty happy to have the Java Gmail client on my Razr back before I got my Touch.
That being said I keep hoping they will come out with a native Windows Mobile version like they did with Google Maps. But then again it seems kinda silly to come out with an email client for a device that already has a built-in integrated email client. The better solution would be to make the pre-exiting email, calendar and contacts features work properly (as in within their native capacity – meaning DirectPush) with their Gmail counterparts.
The Fish
I know there are a load of threads out there regarding syncing OTA but I thought I'd canvass some opinions from people to see if my current method can be imporved upon.
A little background:
I use a desktop PC running Windows 7 (build 7100) primarily but also have laptop for taking to Law School with me (also running Windows 7 build 7100).
I (obviously) also use an unbranded Touch HD.
I'm a devoted user of Outlook and it manages all my contacts, calendar appointments and tasks and neatly ties into my Onenote workbooks which I use for Law School.
The Problem
It's surprisingly difficult to keep all of the above in sync! Originally both machines were running Vista and I used my (very old) Hermes to keep the two sets of PIM in sync. This however produced quite a few confilcts over time and things like birthdays would appear repeated over and over again in my calendar.
I'm now using Google Sync to keep my calendar in sync which works well but doesn't sync the categories that entries are set with nor does it allow for attachments to sync with appointments.
For tasks and contacts synchronising I'm still plugging my phone in between the two computers but wondered if there was a more elegant solution.
I'd love to set up an exchange account but most of them are geared for corporate use only and (for example) the Microsoft Hosted Exchange requires a minimum of 5 users before you can sign up.
I'm managing with push email provided by Seven on my phone but would love to be able to have tasks and contacts pushed as well.
So, wise crowd of XDA Devs, would do people suggest? Any other options open to me? I've looked into Mail2Web but can't seem to get it to work properly, likewise Zimbra desktop but I really want to keep using Outlook (there's 5 years worth of information stashed away in my .pst file!).
Suggestions? Please?
As an attorney I know the importance of what your needing to do. Are you using gysyncit? http://www.daveswebsite.com/software/gsync/. I believe it gives you ota wireless sync for your calendar...not sure about tasks though.
Thanks for the links but it seems as though gSyncit does exactly what the offical Google version does but charges you $9.99 for the privilege?
Google licensed Activsync from Microsoft towards the start of the year rendering (IMO) all the 3rd party options a little redundant for syncing Google Calendar and Outlook.
For anyone reading this, you can find out more details over at the offical Google page.
Have you considered mail2web?
The provide an exchange server for a small monthly fee and offer outlook web access.
http://www.mail2web.com/
I've noticed that not has much been said on the Hero's exchange support in any of the reviews or user reports so I thought I'd let people know what it's like as, for me, this is a must have feature. I should say that I have not had an android phone before and so I have had no experience with Nitrodesk's exchange solution so I can't compare.
Well, I entered my exchange details during initial set-up and after my first attempt was unsuccessful (SSL needed and is off by default) it than worked. Asked me if I wanted to sync Mail, Calender and Contacts all of which I selected. After the rest of the setup had finished the phone told me I had a new e-mail arrive so I could tell it was working straight away.
Mail is fantastic. Downloads everything fine, has at least as many options as WM for choosing which messages to download. E-mails look great on the display and html e-mails show up fine.
Contacts are great, they all appear straight away in the people and the phone application. All the Facebook and Flikr integration works perfectly. Only niggle is that you can't group contacts by company which is something I used to do on WM.
Calender seems to work fine. Appointments showed up ok, including appointments sent by e-mail.
All in all, the exchange sync is way better than expected and in some ways better than WM. The integration seems very deep and integral to the OS rather than a bolt on feature.
I agree with you there Bud, just a shame that there is no task sync support yet - still looking
All was fine for me, but as soon as I've allowed it to connect my contacts to FB contacts, sync fails for conacts with a 'client/server conversion error' message.
I'm using exchange 2003, mail and calendar are syncing fine, and I too would love tasks to be added, along with a fix for contacts and I'm a happy hero user
Strange - I have had no issues with the Fb sync but i use Exchange 07
Just Exchange, or...
...also Outlook?
not tried to sync with outlook yet, whats the best app for that?
I would settle for an outlook connector that I could just set to sync contacts and tasks, as these two arent really changing so frequently I wouldnt mind having to 'plug in' to sync these.
I just use exchange so can't comment on outlook sync. Facebook linking worked fine for me but I also have exchange 2007 so can only assume it's a problem there. Not sure if the exchange functionality is all implemented by HTC or whether they've used part of Nitrodesk's Touchdown but I saw on the Nitrodesk website that they don't support exchange 2003 yet.
gingepaul79 said:
not tried to sync with outlook yet, whats the best app for that?
I would settle for an outlook connector that I could just set to sync contacts and tasks, as these two arent really changing so frequently I wouldnt mind having to 'plug in' to sync these.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The only app is HTC sync which is included along with the hero's manual on the sd card supplied with your phonbe, word of warning i just installed htc sync on my vista pc and it caused windows explorer to continuously crash until i uninstalled it, not impressed
Tried to install the app ealier, drivers failed and the app wont work (win 7 32 bit)
Going to try the long way round for now - sync outlook contacts to my google account and keep the google contacts synced to my phone - would I end up with a duplicate of everyone then though?
gingepaul79 said:
Going to try the long way round for now - sync outlook contacts to my google account and keep the google contacts synced to my phone - would I end up with a duplicate of everyone then though?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I, like you (not I like you!), have synced up this way. I too cannot get HTC sync to work. I am sure Orange have bundled the wrong version.
So, I export Outlook to a file, then import contact file to google cal, then sync gcalendar to hero. Job done.
No duplicates, google calendar seems intelligent enough to recognise the dups
I would like to share my experience
Booted up.... would you like to set up exchange?
HELL YES!!!!
enter the details..... (internet accessible exchange server)
<entered>
What you wanna sync my boy?
EVERY GOD DAMN THING
oooooook here we go.......
<done.>
Sweet!
Thinking about an Adriod as my next phone, since I think WM is really falling behind everyone else! I use it mostly for work so a couple of questions if you don't mind....
No tasks syncing so far?
How does the calander work, are the views easy to see, day and week stuff?
Meeting requests work?
Can you flag email messages? This is a must for me and I hate that WM 6.5 can't even do it!
How do you find the keyboard replying to emails?
Can you open Word, Excel, PDF files?
Any other features it has for work that WM doesn't?
Thanks
Exchange
I'm having probs with exchange.
It will only sync my main inbox, not any of the subfolders I have, and will only sync via mobile network - fails on wifi ? ?
Then again can't get ANY web stuff on wifi ? ?
Word and excel fully creatable and editable with Docs to Go, and Open Office I think does let you read different docs though not sure which. Best PDF Reader seems to be RepliGo Reader which is good for books as well.
I'm only just getting to grips with Google Calendar but seems to have a great deal of flexibility for appts and stuff.
Widgets really just getting going, so I'm not sure of all those available...
Daisy - Magic owner, so Hero may be slightly different xx
herman3101 said:
I've noticed that not has much been said on the Hero's exchange support in any of the reviews or user reports so I thought I'd let people know what it's like as, for me, this is a must have feature. I should say that I have not had an android phone before and so I have had no experience with Nitrodesk's exchange solution so I can't compare.
Well, I entered my exchange details during initial set-up and after my first attempt was unsuccessful (SSL needed and is off by default) it than worked. Asked me if I wanted to sync Mail, Calender and Contacts all of which I selected. After the rest of the setup had finished the phone told me I had a new e-mail arrive so I could tell it was working straight away.
Mail is fantastic. Downloads everything fine, has at least as many options as WM for choosing which messages to download. E-mails look great on the display and html e-mails show up fine.
Contacts are great, they all appear straight away in the people and the phone application. All the Facebook and Flikr integration works perfectly. Only niggle is that you can't group contacts by company which is something I used to do on WM.
Calender seems to work fine. Appointments showed up ok, including appointments sent by e-mail.
All in all, the exchange sync is way better than expected and in some ways better than WM. The integration seems very deep and integral to the OS rather than a bolt on feature.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have reiceved my G2 touch and havn't been able to setup exchange sync over the air. It goes past first option i.e. to show me what i want to synch mail, contacts, calendar and than when I click on finish setup it fails with message unable to create account try later! Any idea what is going wrong. How can I fix it?
Sachin
Anyone have any experience with exchange sync where the server requires you to set a password/pincode for the phone?
Heard some people saying that this was not supported by the Hero. A pity if true, as I need this to work in order to be able to use the Hero as a work phone (in other words, if I am to buy a Hero).
The out of the box exchange support is really very good. It just needs the ability to authenticate via password or client certificate.
I much prefer it to WM, but only because its completely finger friendly.
Yes you can flag emails, and they show up under the flagged emails tab at the bottom.
I really really hope the update within 10 days or September will affect this thing? Need to be able to sync more than one folder at the time.
cbailey said:
I, like you (not I like you!), have synced up this way. I too cannot get HTC sync to work. I am sure Orange have bundled the wrong version.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
works for me on vista 64 with orange branded HTC Touch. I believe there is an update on the HTC website, not sure if that enables win7 support
I certainly didn't notice explorer crashing after I installed it, chances are it's another explorer extension interfering (either a media codec that is failing at showing thumbnails, or a right-click extension or similar)
Hi,
First I hope it’s alright to post this here.
I have been a windows mobile user for years, presently Verizon I760; I really would like to get the Incredible. I have two things that concern me. Any Information or guidance would be greatly appreciated.
1. Will I be able to get outlook and the phone to automatically sync contacts, and calendar (both ways) when I connect it with a usb cable?
2. Will I be able to voice dial with a Bluetooth headset?
I am a small business and normally sync to my work computer and my home laptop. I have no idea what exchange is or if that is an option for me.
Thank you advance for your help.
I am very much in the same boat as you as a long time Windows Mobile user (presently with the XV6900). There are several ways to do what you are asking but as of yet, in my opinion, none are great.
One is CompanionLink (companionlink.com/androidusb/ol-android-usb.html). While it does use a USB cable, it uses its own custom apps for calendar, contacts, and everything else. It is unclear to me at this point how big of an issue that is. For example, if you are trying to make a phone call and all the contacts were imported into this custom program, will it find them?
The next is Missing Sync (markspace.com/products/android/missing-sync-android.html). It does what we both want, importing the data right where it is supposed to go, but they aren't quite there yet. I have been watching this software for months and slowly they add features. For example they just recently added the ability to sync notes. They still don't let you sync Calendar as of yet.
Lastly the backup plan for me at the moment is using Google's own sync software so you will sync your calendar and contacts with Google's website automatically and your phone will get the info from Google. I am not a big fan of this as I don't particularly want my info online and I would rather it go straight to the phone if I happen to be going somewhere with no internet access. Like I couldn't sync my phone if I was abroad.
So, I am waiting for Missing Sync to get done and until then am planning on using Google's service.
As for Bluetooth dialing, I imagine so but I am not sure.
There is also HTC Sync
Deejx! You are my hero. I feel so happily dumb. The description on the HTC website says:
HTC Sync™ lets you synchronize Outlook and Windows Address Book (Outlook Express), contacts and calendar events on your PC with your phone. It also lets you install third-party Android applications on the phone, and the Mobile Network sharing function as well.
PERFECT! Thank you. Wow much better.
HTC Sync seems to be able to Sync Via the USB cable
How ever i ran into a program that syncs stright into Gmail itself.
You can find this and more on my blog http://techadminspot.blogspot.com/2010/04/getting-ready-for-htc-incredible.html
The software that syncs outlook with gmail is called CompanionLink http://www.companionlink.com/
Also Dropbox is working on a Android App to sync files.
No Bluetooth Voice Dial on Android
As far as voice dialing from your bluetooth, Android doesn't support that yet. There are several threads on Googles forum about this including this one: http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=1412
Hopefully they'll get it together soon.
tacticalmedicokc said:
As far as voice dialing from your bluetooth, Android doesn't support that yet. There are several threads on Googles forum about this including this one: http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=1412
Hopefully they'll get it together soon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol not likely, it's been open since 2008
HTC sync won't work with Outlook 2010 64 .as of yet. You have to transfer your contacts and Calendar stuff to your gmail account. One way is to download a transfer program via 'trial', then transfer from gmail to phone using HTC sync. Can only verify for Win7 64 and Office 2010 64.
Ok, I already know all the benefits of Android over WinMo. I'm not here to start a flame war. I just want to get at least some of the functionality I had with my Touch Pro 2. I'm really struggling here....
I'll list the problems I'm trying to surmount, in order of most important to least:
1) In-Call Recording: It worked perfect on my TP2 (legal in Colorado). I just hit Menu > Record. Every app I've tried on the Market sucks. If it even records at all (without a Force Close), I have to have it on speakerphone. With the TP2, it didn't matter if I was holding the phone, using Bluetooth, or had it on speaker. It just recorded... and very clearly. I saw one developer mention this is a hardware/software limitation. Will this ever be overcome?
2) Lack of sync options (primarily, text messages): Windows ActiveSync with Exchange was PERFECT. I could sync not just mail, contact, and calendar... but I could also sync Tasks (which is how I get most of my work done) and text messages (which was great for archival). A benefit of synching text messages was that I could send/receive/reply to texts from Outlook or Outlook webmail. Plus, if I had to flash my phone, all my texts were back after I set up my mail account. Will Android ever get to this level?
3) Mail folders: All I see is a giant, alphabetical list of email folders at the top of my Inbox. If I want to get to my "Mustang Stuff" folder (where all my Mustang-related thread notifications go), I've gotta spin the begeezus out of that list until I get to it. I don't want every folder in that list. There are archival folders (that start with the date in number format) that of course show up first. Not to mention, I have so many folders, that getting to the end (where Sent, Deleted, and Drafts) are, is a real PITA.
4) Bluetooth Functionality = Fail: I can't voice dial from my earpiece. I need this or I'll be running people off the road. This is something so fundamental, I can't believe Android was rolled out w/o it working. I've heard Froyo will fix this. Is that true? Will I be able to touch the button on my earpiece and "call, friend" without having to pick up my phone?
5) Answering calls on headset while BT earpiece is on: Again, something so fundamental.... With a Windows phone, if my earpiece is in my pocket and I answer the call with the phone itself, I can talk through the phone. Windows was able to tell if I answered the phone with the handset. If I wanted to switch to BT, I simply put it in my ear and hit the button. With the Android phone, I have to answer the call, then press the "headset" button. Not a huge deal, but definitely annoying.
That's about it for now. There are others, but they're pretty minor. These are the big ones.
Can anyone help/provide advice?
Sadly its all down to drivers. I don't even know if the sgs has hardware to record voice as early HTC phones didn't have like my Titan. Also you must understand android is not as mature as winmo (8 years for phone edition), like all new software it will have teething problems. Hell winmo 6.1 had heaps more problems then Droid 2. 1. We just need to be patient. Also what do you expect with syncin as ms controlled the OS and your apps. Shame we don't have that with but goggle isn't a OS company. There's always 3rd party apps to help you sync exchange. Ask around. I miss task and notes from Outlook but I've converted over to springboard, give it go as desktop ver is coming out soon. Evernote is good also with great desktop but sucky Droid app.
'Backup to gmail' is a good paid app that backs up sms/mms and call logs. Also does kies not do Outlook sync? I don't use kies or outlook anymore so I don't know as I've converted to using cloud based apps which ms is already trying to do with winmo 7
Sent from my Apple Newton 2100
coming from HTC WM phone i'm extremely happy about the move.
1 - just keep checking out difference call recording software from Market, personally i've not found any good one yet.
2 - to "sync" or backup SMS messages, i use the titan backup, which you can backup to your Gmail account
3 - no problem here as i use gmail
4 - working great for me for Audio and Stereo and Remote features
5 - same as 4 works perfectly out of the box
Car Deck is a Clarion CZ509 (sub, amps, & speakers... off topic ), stereo ear piece is Jabra BT8010 and/or Moto HT820
@ickyboo
Of course, I have to agree with a lot you've said. WinMo has been around forever. 6.1 was kind of a fail, but so was 1.5-1.6 on Android. 2.x leaves us in a much better state.
When I compare WinMo 6.5 and Android 2.1, I feel WinMo is still the better OS. I'll have to see what 2.2 brings to the table, though. All that voice activation should be good.
As for the drivers, I hope this is overcome... just like it was in Windows. There are still many phones that can't do it. All of my latest phones have been HTC phones, and all could do it without issue.
@AllGamer
Are you running Android 2.2? There is a rumor that answering from a headset with a BT device on will now act "smart".
no 2.2 yet,
still on stock firmware JH2
i9000M
3) voice dial via Bluetooth is in Froyo as is http://www.google.com/mobile/voice-actions/
I just found another ridiculousness that needs resolution.
I cannot download a .rar or a .zip file using the Android browser. Seriously... wtf?
My son was playing a game on his DSi Acekard that needed updated software (a legitimate backup, of course). So I head over to GBATemp.net to get the latest software. It was in rar forum, so I figured "No problem, I'll just hit the market after".
When I go to download, it says something to the effect of "this type of download is not supported".
So using an RDP program, I log onto my home PC, download the rar and convert it to .zip (thinking the problem was with the rar file itself). In addition, I put it on my own web server.
When I go to download, same message.
On my Windows phone I could download/extract Rar/Zip files all day long. How can something so fundamental be blocked by Android?
Flapjack said:
1) In-Call Recording: It worked perfect on my TP2 (legal in Colorado). I just hit Menu > Record. Every app I've tried on the Market sucks. If it even records at all (without a Force Close), I have to have it on speakerphone. With the TP2, it didn't matter if I was holding the phone, using Bluetooth, or had it on speaker. It just recorded... and very clearly. I saw one developer mention this is a hardware/software limitation. Will this ever be overcome?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is a hardware level restriction, Android requires that the call steam be un-interceptable at a software level. It simply cannot be recorded like you want. The best apps can do is set the mic to record one side of the conversation (using speakerphone loopback) and actively record what you say at the same time. It's defiantely not ideal.
You might want to look into using something like Google Voice, that lets you record all your calls sever-side.
EDIT: Some phones allow this, in which case try using this... http://www.cyrket.com/p/android/com.killermobile.totalrecall.trial/
Flapjack said:
2) Lack of sync options (primarily, text messages): Windows ActiveSync with Exchange was PERFECT. I could sync not just mail, contact, and calendar... but I could also sync Tasks (which is how I get most of my work done) and text messages (which was great for archival). A benefit of synching text messages was that I could send/receive/reply to texts from Outlook or Outlook webmail. Plus, if I had to flash my phone, all my texts were back after I set up my mail account. Will Android ever get to this level?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Install an app called SMS Backup+, it automatically syncs your SMS with Gmail as proper threads, and you can both read and reply to them in GMail, aswell as import them into another android phone. ( The sync is only active in one direction however, you need to manually 'restore' from GMail if you use another phone. )
As for tasks, you should give Astrid a try, it has full RTM (Remember The Milk) sync support and can manage your tasks very well.
Flapjack said:
3) Mail folders: All I see is a giant, alphabetical list of email folders at the top of my Inbox. If I want to get to my "Mustang Stuff" folder (where all my Mustang-related thread notifications go), I've gotta spin the begeezus out of that list until I get to it. I don't want every folder in that list. There are archival folders (that start with the date in number format) that of course show up first. Not to mention, I have so many folders, that getting to the end (where Sent, Deleted, and Drafts) are, is a real PITA.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Obviously you aren't using GMail. I can't vouch for the crappy (others) e-mail client that comes with this phone.
Flapjack said:
4) Bluetooth Functionality = Fail: I can't voice dial from my earpiece. I need this or I'll be running people off the road. This is something so fundamental, I can't believe Android was rolled out w/o it working. I've heard Froyo will fix this. Is that true? Will I be able to touch the button on my earpiece and "call, friend" without having to pick up my phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was under the impression that this worked already, but I guess not. You could setup shortcuts to otherwise bring up voice dial by pressing a shortcut, then it would work... :\
Flapjack said:
5) Answering calls on headset while BT earpiece is on: Again, something so fundamental.... With a Windows phone, if my earpiece is in my pocket and I answer the call with the phone itself, I can talk through the phone. Windows was able to tell if I answered the phone with the handset. If I wanted to switch to BT, I simply put it in my ear and hit the button. With the Android phone, I have to answer the call, then press the "headset" button. Not a huge deal, but definitely annoying.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you saying that if your bluetooth headset is paired and you want to answer the call using the phone itself and not the headset, you have to click a button to disengage the headset? Again bluetooth is not very well integrated, it's a shame but at least it's not impossible to do what you want. :\
Flapjack said:
I cannot download a .rar or a .zip file using the Android browser. Seriously... wtf?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The problem here is the stock browser doesn't want to download files that aren't compatible with the android system, the easy fix is to install any file manager in the market that can handle ZIP or RAR. You won't need to open them (of course you can though) when you download them but it will certainly download the file for you.
Alternatively you could choose another browser that doesn't care about compatibility in downloaded file types.
There might be an option for this but I'm not aware of it.
Flapjack said:
2) Lack of sync options (primarily, text messages): Windows ActiveSync with Exchange was PERFECT. I could sync not just mail, contact, and calendar... but I could also sync Tasks (which is how I get most of my work done) and text messages (which was great for archival). A benefit of synching text messages was that I could send/receive/reply to texts from Outlook or Outlook webmail. Plus, if I had to flash my phone, all my texts were back after I set up my mail account. Will Android ever get to this level?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's an app in the market called GTasks. It syncs two-way with Google tasks (which you can find in Gmail, Google calendar, and which you can also access on your phone by going to gmail.com/tasks. The app is ad-supported, but you can also buy a key to remove the ads. It also comes with a very simple widget.
A lot of your comments seem to be related to Androids handling of Outlook integration.
You have to realize, Android is not made by Microsoft. Third party outlook integrations will never be as good as theirs. Android is geared to sync with google apps and the cloud.
That said, I have heard the best exchange client for Android is TouchDown http://www.nitrodesk.com/dk_touchdownFeatures.aspx It's not free though.
As for all your bluetooth questions... I am not having any problems with Bluetooth at all. Maybe it is your headset?
I came from Windows mobile and I too find a few things in Android annoying, but trying to go back is not even an option. Downsides of WinMo are far fewer than downsides of Android.
I'd rather just get an HD2 and be done with it. You are too much dependent on Windows Mobile and that's not a bad thing since it's pretty much worked for you well. I'm just saying, if it's become too much of a hassle to stay on Android, why bother?
Or you can have a WinMo device AND an Android!
Ok, I'm back. Overall, I love the phone. I've had some nasty episodes with )(*#$Y% Google's shoving of contacts down my throat. Apparently, anyone I've ever sent an email in Gmail to becomes a contact, whether I like it or not. On top of that, all those contacts got sync'd to my Vibrant when I first logged into the Market (which requires a Gmail account). Nowhere did it ask if I also wanted to sync my Google contacts, calendar, etc.... Well, the point is that I had almost Google 1000 contacts that I had to delete. I only want my Exchange contacts showing up. Freaking duplicate city. This was after I went into the synchronization settings and removed all synching of google mail, contacts, and calendars.
So, for the most part, everything has been fine. I even convinced my fiancee to give up her iPhone today (which is running like crap since an iOS 4 update) and get a Vibrant as well.
So I'm setting it all up and went in right away and set up Exchange email, only to find that I could not even open the built in "Calendar" App without adding a Gmail account? WTF? This phone is marketed as having Exchange Mail, Contacts and Calendar support.
Giving in, I add her Gmail account, which she NEVER USES, which of course automatically tries to take over her email to remove the Google synchronization. I get all that cleaned up and the only thing left is trying to make appointments work.
Setting up a new appointment, the phone always defaults to "My Calendar", which exists nowhere but the phone. I've been told that once I select my Exchange account, it should remember that. It doesn't. Occasionally, I'll forget to select my home mail and the appointment will stay on the phone. Another gripe... I don't think it can be fixed.
Finally, calendar invites allow you to select participants, but the invites never go out. I have to wait until the appointment syncs with my Exchange account, then go into Outlook on my PC, open the appointment, click on "Invitees", then click on "Send Update" (which returns an error that nothing has been changed). Once I've done that, the other invitees get the calendar invite. WHY?
Sorry for the long rant. I just don't see how this OS can ever be marketed as a corporate solution. I won't be going back to WinMo simply because the hardware in the Vibrant is fantastic. It does MOST of what I want... it just has some serious shortcomings. I'm hedging my bets on Froyo now. Does anyone have a good link that details the differences for Exchange on 2.2? I mean, really... Apple bit the bullet and paid the licensing to put true Microsoft Exchange Activesync on their iPhones. Can't Google do that too?
PC App that I love and works with outlook is Google Calander Sync give you the option of 2 way sync and one way sync. Works for me
Well for me the Samsung bloatware handles Exchange Accounts very well.
I'm syncing (by WiFi or 3G) 3 Exchange Accounts and just one of them with Contacts and Calendar.
Woolios said:
PC App that I love and works with outlook is Google Calander Sync give you the option of 2 way sync and one way sync. Works for me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So you use that on your PC to sync Outlook to Google Calendar? Then Google Calendar syncs to the phone?
But then you'd have to have it running on one PC that is always on, correct? I don't leave my PCs running 24/7 (nor am I going to), so this will be an issue.
If there was a program I could install on my Exchange server... that'd be a different story, as it does run 24/7 (obviously).
gmc said:
Well for me the Samsung bloatware handles Exchange Accounts very well.
I'm syncing (by WiFi or 3G) 3 Exchange Accounts and just one of them with Contacts and Calendar.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i have agree with that
i'm using the samsung hub, and it's amazing how it can handle all my 5+ different other accounts just using 1 simple app
and the most amazing thing is, it actually works!
back in the windows days, i had to dance up and down, and jug left and right just to be able to find 3 or more Apps to accomplish the same thing
AllGamer said:
i have agree with that
i'm using the samsung hub, and it's amazing how it can handle all my 5+ different other accounts just using 1 simple app
and the most amazing thing is, it actually works!
back in the windows days, i had to dance up and down, and jug left and right just to be able to find 3 or more Apps to accomplish the same thing
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have to agree, too. Funny that WinMo only allowed one Exchange account. The rest you had to use IMAP or POP. Pretty lame.
I'm also seriously considering trying RoadSync or TouchDown. Not sure how well they'll integrate, though. I tried an early version of RoadSync on the MyTouch and it was a PITA.
**EDIT**
Trying TouchDown now...
Well, Touchdown is pretty nice... most of the time. Since last night, I've had to force close it about 5 times. It locks up the entire phone... I can't even turn the screen on/off. Eventually, the screen will come on and a "Force Close/Wait" option will be up.
Damn...
AllGamer said:
i have agree with that
i'm using the samsung hub, and it's amazing how it can handle all my 5+ different other accounts just using 1 simple app
and the most amazing thing is, it actually works!
back in the windows days, i had to dance up and down, and jug left and right just to be able to find 3 or more Apps to accomplish the same thing
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I find the native Android outlook support to work way better than Samsung hub. Same with the native facebook sync.
I wish I could just delete Samsung hub. I don't know why companies feel they have to re-invent the wheel when Android already does this stuff.
brunes said:
I find the native Android outlook support to work way better than Samsung hub. Same with the native facebook sync.
I wish I could just delete Samsung hub. I don't know why companies feel they have to re-invent the wheel when Android already does this stuff.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you can, using Titanium Backup, to uninstall Samsung Hub