CompanionLink Pro is horrible. Any other Outlook sync programs?
Why Moto wont offer a simple sync program is beyond me.
Anyhow, I am using Outlook 2007 (non-Exchange) with my company email and Cals. I was wondering if there is a DIFFERENT method for transferring my items from the PC to the DX that anybody has had luck with.
1. Not interested in syncing from Outlook to Google to the phone. PITA.
2. CompanionLink Pro @ $139... wow, you would think it works but it doesnt (and yes, I am transferring in Charge Only mode as described).
3. Their support is close to the worst in the industry. I have now emailed them twice in the last week with zero response.
4. Sometimes the sync works. Sometimes not. Today is a not day. Synced four times and nothing. I have even purged phone contacts and cals to start over. Not working.
Wait, your first condition, syncing from outlook to google to phone....isn't that what companion link does??
I use gsyncit, sync's calendar, contacts, tasks, and notes (through google docs) to my google account. Obviously contacts and calendar syncs natively with the droid, but I use gtasks for syncing tasks with my Droid, and gdocs for documents. For tasks, google's implementation is fairly basic and limited compared to outlook but for what I use it for it's good enough.
Wait, your first condition, syncing from outlook to google to phone....isn't that what companion link does??
I use gsyncit, sync's calendar, contacts, tasks, and notes (through google docs) to my google account. Obviously contacts and calendar syncs natively with the droid, but I use gtasks for syncing tasks with my Droid, and gdocs for documents. For tasks, google's implementation is fairly basic and limited compared to outlook but for what I use it for it's good enough.
CompanionLink Pro is not tied in to Gmail or GCal.
As for gsyncit, I will google and see how it interfaces. Thanks for the help!
Sorry to hear you're having trouble with CompanionLink. Let me clarify a few things:
CompanionLink Pro is not necessarily required in your situation. CompanionLink USB will sync Outlook with Android, and is $39.95. Pro is only required if you need to sync with multiple databases/phones.
We respond to most email support requests within 24 hours, and certainly shouldn't take more than a week. Check your spam filter - sometimes our replies get flagged and hidden. You can also call us if you need immediate support, we are available by phone M-F 7am-4pm PST - http://www.companionlink.com/support/contact.html
I can't be sure exactly why you have intermittent issues with the sync, but often this can be attributed to tapping 'OK' in DejaOffice before the sync completes on the PC. Just to be safe, take a look at our setup guide (with accompanying video) and make sure you are following all the steps - http://www.companionlink.com/support/setupguides-android-outlook-usb.html
Sorry again to hear you're having trouble; we'd love to get this fixed for you. Let me know if there's anything I can do.
Why Moto wont offer a simple sync program is beyond me.
Me too.
CompanionLink worked for me, sort of. Having to install DejaOffice is a pain and the data appears to be kept in Deja and in the regular contacts area. Moto dropped the ball here. Not everyone wants their contact data uploaded to Google! Just like I'll never use an online program to do my taxes.
Sorry to hear you're having trouble with CompanionLink. Let me clarify a few things:
CompanionLink Pro is not necessarily required in your situation. CompanionLink USB will sync Outlook with Android, and is $39.95. Pro is only required if you need to sync with multiple databases/phones.
I can't be sure exactly why you have intermittent issues with the sync, but often this can be attributed to tapping 'OK' in DejaOffice before the sync completes on the PC. Just to be safe, take a look at our setup guide (with accompanying video) and make sure you are following all the steps - Sync Android with Outlook (via USB) - Setup Guides
Sorry again to hear you're having trouble; we'd love to get this fixed for you. Let me know if there's anything I can do.
Cheers!
Sounds great! I called your tech support, and they said they weren't allowed to walk me through the process.
However, your reply was spot on as far as customer relations goes! Bravo! Fix your product, and replies on your part will not ne needed on this forum. And for that matter, you rating in the android market will rise above 2 stars.
I'm having problems with CL too as it keeps telling me to insert a USB cable when one is attached and CL support have yet to come up with a solution. Thank goodness for My Phone Explorer that does the trick - try it.
The first thing I tell a phone rep is "do not apologize for the problem. I could care less what you think, as I really don't think you give a rat's ass one way or the other. Let's fix the problem. You say "you're sorry" one more time and I will ask for a supervisor or escalation rep".
Cheers
Just fix the damned problem and if you can't...................... SAY YOU CAN'T! Quit wasting my time.............................. and your's!
Here's what I'd like from a customer service menu:
1) If you'd like someone that says corporate-scripted mumbo jumbo, press one.
2)If you'd like someone that does not, press 2.
3) If you'd like someone that can fix the problem, say a hell or damn every now and then and also admit your problem is unfixable when unfixable and state so before running you thru the gerbil's cage, press 3.
GIVE ME NUMBER 3!
Last edited by bigbadwulff; October 28th, 2010 at 10:15 AM.
Agree BBW. I now tend to cut out the middle man, find out who the President / CEO of the company is and write to them to let them know how poor their tech support is (hey, I'm being polite here.) Worked with Adobe and I'm currently doing the same with Roxio. Just want a fix to my current problem, that's all.
Why Moto wont offer a simple sync program is beyond me.
Anyhow, I am using Outlook 2007 (non-Exchange) with my company email and Cals. I was wondering if there is a DIFFERENT method for transferring my items from the PC to the DX that anybody has had luck with.
1. Not interested in syncing from Outlook to Google to the phone. PITA.
2. CompanionLink Pro @ $139... wow, you would think it works but it doesnt (and yes, I am transferring in Charge Only mode as described).
3. Their support is close to the worst in the industry. I have now emailed them twice in the last week with zero response.
4. Sometimes the sync works. Sometimes not. Today is a not day. Synced four times and nothing. I have even purged phone contacts and cals to start over. Not working.
I tried using CompanionLink to sync my phone to my Palm desktop. Had several calls with their tech support. I could never get it to work. I finally gave up.
I've been using Companionlink for about five months and absolutely dread each time I have to do a sync. NOT ONCE DID IT GO SMOOTHLY. Got a broadcast e-mail from them yesterday claiming that the new software was ready to go with better functionality and even sported a new name, now called Companionlink for Outlook. I really really wanted this software to work since Google and Microsoft didn't want to play nice with each other and purposely left out a good way to sync with Outlook.
What I got instead with Companionlink was the most unreliable, temperamental, unpredictable piece of software known to man. Want error messages? No problem. Want software and phone crashes? Got it. How about multiple battery pulls? Yup got plenty for you. The only thing you won't get is what you wanted in the first place, an easy way to sync Outlook with your Droid.
I love the Droid X which is so much better than the Blackberry that I used to have. But I must say sync'ing with the BB took all of 60 seconds and I have literally spent hours and hours of my time trying to do the same thing with CL and still can't get it right.
Tech support tries hard but can't seem to come up with the answers. When I described to them today about the error messages which were telling me to connect the USB cable that was ALREADY connected they sounded surprised to hear it. And yet a quick google search revealed others with the same issue.
My persistence is as strong as anyones but the surrender towel is about to be thrown in the ring.
I have nothing to do with Companionlink or Deja Office. For many years, I had nothing but the best experience with Companionlink for my Treo, using it t to synch Act to my phone. I am talking about over 7,000 contacts. Never a problem . . . until I got my Epic/Galaxy S.
Now, I have had continual problems. I can often get my phone to synch to Deja (though often not completely), but it won't take that information and put it into the native contacts on the phone (which you need for things like seeing who is making that incoming call or sending you that incoming SMS). Sometimes, it synchs most of the contacts but not all. Once, it even sent a bunch of duplicate contacts back into Act (several hundred!), which took me hours to delete.
This week, the alarm didn't go off for an appointment that I had. Luckily, I remembered the appointment. So, the lack of the alarm didn't cause me to miss the engagement.
I have sent in logs of my synch per the directions given me by customer support. I get responses saying that the logs did not make it in my transmissions. After several attempts, I gave up.
I get the same scripts emailed to me about how to fix issues despite my reports that following these instructions does not fix the issue nor do I get the same results twice for following a given action.
I just have almost no confidence in this product at this time. I sure hope that things change soon.
My Phone Explorer. You need to put your phone into HTC Sync mode and install the MPE app on your HTC. It will allow you to sync calendar and contacts and archive SMS messages to save clogging up your phone. Excellent piece of software.
One month since my last post and I continue to have major problems with Companion Link software. Plain and simple, it does not work. Worse yet, it will cause phone lock outs, battery pulls, missing contacts, install, reinstall, etc etc. Got a phone call from them today with yet another "Latest Build" And once again I hoped it would work and instead I spent the last four hours trying to restore my phone to where it was earlier today. This is by far the worse software on the planet. There are reviews in the market place which have obviously been planted by Companion Link giving 5 star ratings. Don't believe it for a minute. And still with the bogus perfect score reviews the rating for this product is only at level 3. Absolutely horrible.
Well, all i can say is that I politely have requested support- syncing my Droid-x with Act!2009 using companionlink pro (or lite) as the conduit to Dejaoffice. Because Companionlink Corp suppot couldn't solve my issues after a few tries, I was treated like a child by the CEO and actually given a time-out (2x) by him. Essentially, because they can't solve the issues (I need to sync a little over 6000 contacts) so their out is to give me a time-out. They don't respond because they can't fix the sync issues that most of us are experiencing but Companionlink/Dejaoffice continues to promote these capabilities. I gave up on all this because they are unprofessional.
It works and is not as difficult of swapping CSV's. My Outlook Contacts are sorted First Name first but this app re-sorted them Last Name first creating duplicates. It also seems to not migrate "favorites" info. I might try CSV'ing to Google, then CSV'ing back to Outlook, which would make Google the standard format. WHAT A PIA!
I am also looking at Google for business at $50/seat/year. If I have to spend big bucks might as well do it right.
I just bought CL and it's working fine. I needed to call their tech support a few times and most of the agents were very helpful. The tech support number is (858) 495-3555. Some of the issues noted above sound like set-up issues.
Now I'm trying to figure out how to see a 1 month calendar instead of the current day on my Droid.
The Following User Says Thank You to 360web For This Useful Post:
A true void of proper sync applications for MS Outlook and Android
I am amazed that there is not one single tool out there that can properly handle the syncing of Outlook Contacts, Calendar, Notes and Email with an Android mobile device.
If somebody has a micro business and has been using an email account from an ISP such as e.g. sbcglobal.net for a long time and wants keep using it, there is really no way to sync Outlook with the Android.
I have spent most day today testing CompanionLink. CompanionLink will come as close as you possibly can at this time syncing Outlook directly through USB or WiFi with an Android device, such as the Motorola DroidX NMB810. However, CompanionLink needs a lot of more work and unless you have plenty time to waste, won't work flawless with the DroidX and Outlook. Here are the issues I encountered:
Recurring events, which have been created during daylight savings time days of the year, will show up one hour earlier on the DroidX calendar. Recurring events, which have been created during standard time of the year, will show up one hour later during daylight savings time calendar days.
The sync worked only after a fresh reboot of Windows XP and the DroidX. When CompanionLink completed a sync over WiFi, I was not able to successfully execute another sync after that. Either the DroidX would simply hang up and I had to use a soft reboot to get it back working again, or the CompanionLink on the PC would come up with random error messages.
Initially we encountered Application errors of CompanionLink. After running Microsoft's Outlook personal folder repair tool "Scanpst.exe" we were able to get past the initial crashes of CompanionLink.
So, after a full day with Outlook, CompanionLink, and the DroidX we decided to toss them all but Outlook: CompanionLink is now uninstalled. It needs more development time and more testing before it is ready for primetime. IMHO, CompanionLink is running a paid Beta test with the masses right at this point. Not worth my money. The DroidX will be returned to Verizon for the lack of Outlook sync capability.
When you purchase a DroidX, know this: You need to get used to and fully adopt the Google applications cloud, such as Google Contacts, Calendar, etc, or you need an enterprise Exchange Server, which can by synched through other additionally required applications from the Android Market with your MS Outlook corporate account.
So, to answer the thread's heading: - "CompanionLink Pro is horrible. Any other Outlook sync programs?" - I would have to say this:
CompanionLink is on the right track to fill IMHO a huge void in the Android market segment for Outlook users with personal POP3 or IMAP accounts, accounts with ISPs, etc. or for micro and even small business, but needs a lot of more work and testing. CompanionLink is not ready for prime time syncing Outlook with Android! At this point, CompanionLink does crash often and the data sync is simply not correct as outlined above.
Any other Outlook sync apps? - No, unless you are ready for a hosted MS Exchange account with a hosting provider such as Mailstreet | A Division of Apptix. It may be the perfect fit for you if you have an email address with your own personal or small business domain.
The Following User Says Thank You to ixquisite For This Useful Post:
CompanionLink is quite unreliable, and there is a better alternative.
For those who just want the summary: if you need to sync Microsoft Outlook on your PC with your android smartphone, save yourself some money and a lot of grief by using Android-Sync instead of CompanionLink.
I've been syncing Outlook with various handheld devices for about 20 years. I'm syncing 600 contacts, 4,000 calendar events, and several hundred tasks. I have a lot of notes, but I use Evernote for those, since Evernote's capabilities are far superior to Outlook's, and it provides automatic syncing among various devices.
I had been using Windows Mobile for my smartphones, since those phones come with free, reliable syncing software. But last year I finally switched to an android phone –Motorola’s Droid Razr Maxx.
I've found that the android OS is much superior to Windows Mobile, but there is that lingering problem of how to sync Outlook with the android. I read many reviews, and CompanionLink (with its companion DejaOffice) was often mentioned as the best available product, although at a steep cost ($49.95).
I shelled out the $49.95 for CompanionLink, and would have been happy to pay that if it had worked well. I've now spent four frustrating months trying to get it to work reliably and accurately, and have mostly given up because of the variety and persistence of the problems. Here are some of the problems I've had:
Messages asking if I want to delete anywhere from hundreds to thousands of calendar items in Outlook, even though no calendar changes had been made on the android or in Outlook.
Very strange, seemingly random, changes made to contacts, such as one person's e-mail being replaced with that of another person.
· Repeated messages that CompanionLink and DejaOffice are using different Wi-Fi device names, even though the names had been working fine, and no changes had been made. (And when this happened, a check of the names on the PC and the android always showed them to be the same.)
Strangely, this message complaining about different Wi-Fi device names would come up frequently even when I was trying to use a USB connection, with no Wi-Fi involvement.·
I like to read a lot of reviews before buying a new product, and I hadn't been able to find a solid recommendation for any syncing software other than CompanionLink. But while recently searching again for an alternative, I was surprised to come across a product called Android-Sync, which I assume is new. I was skeptical, since I couldn't find any reviews. But since I was desperate, and since they offer a "60-day no-questions-asked money-back guarantee" for $29.95, I decided to give it a try. I've only been using the product for about a week, but at this point I'm very glad I spent the money.
Android-Sync is much easier to set up and use (partly because it has fewer options – e.g., you can't sync with Wi-Fi), it syncs faster, and I've yet to find any errors in the syncing. I'm using an optional feature that causes it to sync automatically whenever the android is connected to the PC with a USB cable. CompanionLink claims to have such a USB capability, but it often failed to work, even after I changed my USB connection mode, which Android-Sync does not require.
I've found that Android-Sync works well for syncing with the native android calendar, contacts, and tasks applications. I much prefer Business Calendar to the native android calendar, and fortunately that works smoothly, since Business Calendar automatically syncs with the native calendar. So I'm getting good two-way syncing between Business Calendar and Outlook using Android-Sync.
I'm happy with the android’s native contacts manager (and my contact categories in Outlook are syncing nicely with groups on the android), but I do find that the task manager in DejaOffice is superior to the native task app that Android-Sync uses. Because of that, I'm continuing to use CompanionLink, but now only for syncing tasks. With that much smaller job, it has (to my surprise) been working well for the past week, via Wi-Fi. Of course, if I had known ahead of time, I would never have paid $50 for a program that's only capable of reliably syncing tasks.
The Following User Says Thank You to SixFiveGuy For This Useful Post:
Thanks for providing very-detailed comments! We parse every one and take an action list back to R&D to improve our software. It seems you ran into some big issues with Wi-Fi sync. That's one area we're focusing on improving in the next 30 days.
You shouldn't have any trouble with USB sync, however. We have thousands of people using CompanionLink for Outlook without issues.
It seems like you're set up now, but if you still need to get a stage where you are using one software to manage everything, please email me at social@companionlink.com. I'll get personalized support set up to look into your USB sync situation.
I've been running Companionlink/Deja Office for about a year and a half now and haven't had many problems syncing my DX. The software seems to be running relatively smoothly now. I use the USB sync.
I'm thankful that I've been able to sync all my calendar, contacts, tasks, and notes. I use them all, and have been since 1999 on a Palm, which leaves me trying to protect 13 years worth of data.
I hate that I have two sets of contacts and the phone operates on the Android contacts which are totally disconnected from the contacts in my Outlook files. Deja Office/Outlook contacts are up to date and sync daily, but the Android list is useless, but unfortunately is what all incoming phone calls utilize. I wish I had a way to make my Android contacts be equal to my Outlook/Deja Office list. Thats my biggest gripe about the software.
They made some huge improvements in the calendar with a recent upgrade.
Since this page is one of the first things that come up in Google search results, I thought I'd share my experiences here. If you want to skip my Sage Act! rant, skip to the part below the dotted line.
I've been using Sage Act! for many years and have been very happy with being able to take my laptop and all of my contact information with me when I hit the road. Keeping the laptop's Act! remote database synced with the main database is a simple and reliable task that has always worked flawlessly.
A couple of weeks ago I decided to complicate... err I mean simplify my life by finally jumping on the smartphone band wagon so I purchased my first smartphone. After much research, I went with the HTC EVO 4G LTE. Man I love that phone Since I now have a smartphone, I was thinking I could stop lugging around my laptop everywhere and use Act! on my phone instead... WRONG.
Maybe it’s just me but I feel Sage’s marketing department intentionally uses ambiguous descriptions when they describe the “mobile” functionality of their product. Since I already own a license for Act! 2012 Premium, I thought I’d go ahead and set up the web version so I could use it on my phone. Come to find out, it’s just a mobile version of a website you browse to from your phone. It’s handy but that means no data is stored on the phone so it’s useless if you’re somewhere without Internet access. The worst part is you will not receive any reminders/notifications of scheduled events. So is this really a “mobile” solution? I think not. I couldn’t believe they left this functionality out of the package until I learned they offer a subscription based mobile solution that works in tangent with the Act! 2012 Premium product. Marketing… got to love it.
Anyway, I had to find a solution that would let me put my Act! contacts, calendar, tasks and more important, notifications on my phone. After many hours of Googling I found several solutions but I decided to give CompanionLink a try even though it’s gotten its fair share of negative reviews. Since this thread was started two years ago, I figured the listed issues would have been resolved by now and it seems they have been.
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I’ve only used CompanionLink for a few days but so far, I couldn’t be happier. It works GREEEEEAAAAAAT! No hiccups to report yet. If I encounter anything, I will come back and post to this thread. I also want to mention I received very fast replies to my emails; even on a Sunday. I’ve called a couple of times and spoke to real techs that are NOT in some farmed-out support center where they don’t have a good understanding of the English language. Great support!
I’ll finish by saying I’m very pleased so far. Here’s my set up if anyone wants to know what you can accomplish with this software:
In a nutshell, I have Act!, Outlook (on a desktop and a laptop) and my Android all synced, all the time!
Here’s how it works:
I have Sage Act! 2012 Premium (access via web) and CompanionLink Pro installed on a Windows Server. I used a third party app so I can run CompanionLink as a service so my server can remain in a logged off state. I also have Act! and CompanionLink installed on a desktop and a laptop to keep Outlook synced in real time. The desktop is on the same LAN as the server so it shares the same database so syncing Act! is not required. I created an Act! Sync Set on the server and put the remote database on the laptop. I use Act!’s built-in sync to keep the laptop database synced. With just a couple of clicks, I can sync the laptop via LAN, WLAN or the Internet and it only takes seconds to a minute or two depending on the connection. CompanionLink is installed on the Laptop so Outlook is always synced.
On the Android, I installed DejaOffice. I am also using the DejaCloud with automatic two-way sync. My server syncs with DejaCloud every 15 minutes and my phone syncs with DajaOffice every 5 minutes and it’s all automated. I really don’t like using the cloud but the only way around that is to use a USB cable. That’s where I feel Act! falls flat on its face. Sage should have created an app so you can sync your Android with your Sage Act! 2012 Premium (access via web) via the Internet.
So far, no issues what so ever with DejaOffice. I use its calendar instead of Android’s native calendar. DejaOffice also automatically syncs the contacts with Android’s native contacts app so caller ID and all the other stuff works.
One other neat thing you can do with CompanionLink Pro is sync multiple databases from different applications with the Android. You can even exclude certain groups from being synced. You can even exclude certain things within certain groups (i.e., sync calendar and alerts from one group but exclude that group’s contact information). This works great if you have a “Customers” group and you want to have all calendar events/alarms on your phone but you don’t want to clutter your phones contact list with hundreds or thousands of one-time customer phone numbers.
Sorry for the long-winded post but I just wanted to let those that are considering CompanianLink to not be deterred by the negative reviews. And NO, I’m not in any way affiliated with CompanionLink nor do I post positive reviews everywhere I go. I'm just a happy camper!
Since this thread comes up high on the Google search I will also post my experience with CompanionLink. I can't remember when I have more thoroughly wasted $50 than on this piece of junk. I have tried contacting CL support but that is even more of a waste of time than their useless software. To summarize the problems I have experienced so far:
- task sync has numerous failures - tasks with changes don't sync, new tasks on the device don't appear in Outlook or vice versa, deleted tasks on one platform remain on the other
- I routinely check to see if my task count in Outlook matches that on my device and then search for the missing tasks. Last night I discovered that a task which didn't appear in the task list in DejaOffice DID appear in the DejaToday list. I then searched for that task in the Task list, it appeared on the search and after I closed it I could then see it in the Task list. That happened with 2 separate tasks so it was no coincidence.
- DejaOffice routinely crashes and the only solution is to reboot the device.
An intermittent sync is worse that one that doesn't work at all because you start to trust it and then miss something important because the crap software let you down. I can't believe I paid $50 for this garbage but I don't see a whole lot of alternatives out there.
Sorry to hear it's not working out for you but if you paid only $50.00, you did NOT purchase the Pro version which is the subject of this thread.
Didn't you trial the software before buying it? If you just purchased the software, they may issue a refund. I've come across a couple of posts where they did that for a couple of people.
Did you try calling them?
I can only speak from my own experience but they were very helpful in resolving my issues and I have a rather elaborate setup.
I use DejaCloud to sync with my Android device, desktop, laptop, Outlook 2010 and Sage Act! 2012 (access via web). All of my stuff auto syncs every 15 minutes. I've been very pleased and have not encountered any problems since I got it working.
Good luck!
Last edited by jeffshead; January 16th, 2013 at 11:51 AM.
I tried it and it appeared to be working. It was only after a week or so that I realized it wasn't picking up all the changes. I guess for $50 I expected a lot more than what I got, particularly in the line of support. I'm not going to go begging for a refund because I bought the software with my eyes open. I'm also not going to be shy about telling other potential buyers what a terrible piece of crap it is.
@SixFiveGuy:
My situation sounds very similar to yours -- Outlook 2010, USB syncing (work blocks access to GMail), chose Android-Sync because of its 60-day trial period (because their 20-item trial is quite useless).
I now have an Android-Sync account on my phone, and sync only my calendar data to the phone. It shows up nicely in Business Calendar, too.
But! [Edit: I asked Android-Sync, and got the following response.]
1) Do you know: Is there a way to sync events without their reminders?
My workstation already goes 'ding' and I don't need the extra popups on my phone -- I just need the time slots shown in my calendar. At my old job, I used AweSync to sync my Lotus Notes calendar directly with GMail, and it did have this feature. [Edit: They thanked me for the suggestion, and said they 'might' do that in a 'future release'. I stated I'm willing to wait 1½ months, that is, until shortly before the expiry of their 60-day money-back guarantee. We shall see if they make it, and keep a customer.]
2) What happens if I try to sync to my GMail account instead of Android-Sync?
My GMail calendar (and thus, my phone) has several 'sub-calendars'. Ideally, I'd like to add a sub-calandar (called "Work"), because then I can also see my work calendar on my home computer (the Android-Sync entries are 'local' to the phone). I'm afraid it'll screw up my (rather busy) GMail calendar! [Edit: They unambiguously advised against this, because it would break the syncing of certain types of recurring events. Too bad, but I'm following this advice.]
CompanionLink Pro is horrible. Any other Outlook sync programs?
A true void of proper sync applications for MS Outlook and Android
Since I now have a smartphone, I was thinking I could stop lugging around my laptop everywhere and use Act! on my phone instead... WRONG.
but if you paid only $50.00, you did NOT purchase the Pro version which is the subject of this thread.
