Help Basic file synchronization

[akenis]

Still missing winmob a little. Just bought Docs to go so I can use excel pdf and word docs. What's the Android equivalent of Activesync ie. synchronizing a folder of files on the device with files on my laptop? Any app suggestions?

Love all the multimedia stuff and the really nifty compass, flashlight and metal detector....just feel like I'm missing the meat and potatoes of a productivity device.

How about an app to sync photos....tasks.....notes..... hotmail (I hate the pop mail crap .... no folder sync). Can hotmail be sent through gmail like in the sticky?

AK note looks great, but I think it's pointless if it lives and dies on just the Android device.

Slightly frustrated with the learning curve.... and my battery going for hours on 3 % with no backlight!

Thanks.

 

[maxdamage2122]

Theres an app for sugarsync. Not sure if this is what you wanted but check it out to be sure.

Website: http://www.sugarsync.com/index.new.htmlhttp://www.sugarsync.com/index.new.html
App: http://www.androlib.com/android.application.com-sharpcast-sugarsync-jDxi.aspx

 

[akenis]

Looks like sugar is a paid service (unless you can live with 2GB on the free) Sounds nice. Syncing between the cloud, device and multiple pc's.

Probably to complex for me now. I just want to plug the phone in to the laptop and wammo! for now.

What's Google docs? does that sync with the phone?

 

[car__34]

look at HTC sync might have the solution for you

 

[sboggus]

Coming from a long line of windows mobile phones, this has been a huge adjustment for me. No one has had very good recommendations for syncing. I am assuming you want to sync with Outlook? I tried several programs and all were full of problems. I have now been using Gsync, and so far no problems. I had to wipe out everything on google and start from scratch, but I assume that was because all of the other programs had it so messed up. Let me know what you think... I think it was only $15. Companion Link was $40 and really screwed my data up.

 

[dbpaddler]

It is quite amazing both Palm and Google can take great strides forward in developing a new OS yet take so many leaps backward. Last I checked, these were "smartphones" and the ability to sync memos and such was considered standard. Amazing how we now have to rely on workarounds and third parties and still don't have equivelent functionality. It's just sad they can call Android phones smartphones when the functionality of my Treo be it Palm or WinMob along with Blackberries and Symbian phones have way more functionality when it comes to the PIM.

 

[jeffdlb]

It is quite amazing both Palm and Google can take great strides forward in developing a new OS yet take so many leaps backward.

I totally agree. There are some very stupid decisionmakers in the Android and WebOS camps. It sucks that those of us migrating from a truly functional PIM/PDA OS must make so many compromises.

The current situation is as if some car maker invented the automatic transmission and then sold cars without seats or windows.

 

[tjoebgen]

It is quite amazing both Palm and Google can take great strides forward in developing a new OS yet take so many leaps backward. Last I checked, these were "smartphones" and the ability to sync memos and such was considered standard. Amazing how we now have to rely on workarounds and third parties and still don't have equivelent functionality. It's just sad they can call Android phones smartphones when the functionality of my Treo be it Palm or WinMob along with Blackberries and Symbian phones have way more functionality when it comes to the PIM.

well said... I'm loving my new toy (Droid for christmas), but was very surprised that it doesn't have a built-in PC to device sync of files and folders. sure, you can get the media dock thing, but so far that only syncs photos and music - not PC and network files. I'm presently looking into HTC Sync (thanks to recommendation up above) and Pader-Sync.

 

[ramiss]

I know where you guys are coming from, I too have had to make an adjustment mentally. That is, until I realized the master plan. If you think about it, using a cable is really a step backwards. Why would you not want to sync both your desktop and device to your mail (calendar, notes etc) service wirelessly and automatically?

 

[dbpaddler]

do you not get it?

Android hardly "syncs" anything. It's not set up to, and not even 3rd party alternatives do it well if at all. Notes, tasks and such. And the PIM through google is very limited so even migirating info from outlook will cause you to lose info unless you butcher your files to match up with google's limited options.

Syncing is the keyword here. Not copying back and forth. For me, memos and user fields are the two biggest things I lost going to android and I used to reference and create memos all the time on my palm and win mob phones. The note/memo options here are very limited. Could do user fields in Palm and BB, but they too are gone on Android. Everything has to sit in the notes section of the contact which is annoying. And this isn't even getting into the depth of the Contacts and Calendar features which is why many don't want to give up the functionality of Outlook and having to deal with 3rd party intermediaries that shuttle you through google aren't really a true solution, and the direct outlook syncing options that are worth their salt are all paid options which is ridiculous to have to pay to sync your "smartphone" to a widely used PIM app because the company wants to force you to you all of their products regardless of how inferior they are.

I know where you guys are coming from, I too have had to make an adjustment mentally. That is, until I realized the master plan. If you think about it, using a cable is really a step backwards. Why would you not want to sync both your desktop and device to your mail (calendar, notes etc) service wirelessly and automatically?

 

[ramiss]

Please don't get me wrong. I do indeed get it and I understand your frustration 100%.

However, your expectations are not reasonable, and let me explain why:

You see, Outlook is not a Smartphone program. Outlook, and its features such as Notes, are all exclusively a Microsoft product.

Would it be nice to have Android sync with Outlook...absolutely! But the expectation that a Google product 'should' sync with a Microsoft product out of the box is like assuming Android should work with the Palm or Blackberry sync service.

Again....I wish it would, but the expectation should not be as cut and dry as you say.

Having said that, Sprint (on the Moment) did include Moxier Mail (a great 3rd party Exchange/ActiveSync client) for free! It will sync all of the Outlook items (except for notes) with an exchange server.

Richard

 

[Sphagnum]

I use Moxier Mail to sync all my Outlook emails and calendar. It works great, and it came with my phone.

 

[dbpaddler]

You see, you are wrong. Blackberry, Symbian, PalmOS, and yes, even the the iphone are not exclusively Microsoft products and all sync locally with Outlook out of the box. PalmOS was doing notes long before anyone else and all of the above will sync notes via outlook (though not sure and don't care about the iphone on that one). These companies were doing smartphones LONG before Google came onto the market and DUMBED things down. So it is not unreasonable by any means, and is also a sore point with WebOS and the masses that have had real smartphones for many years. Even Samsung's DUMBphones will sync with Outlook via Studio as do quite a few other phones in general.

And for the record since people don't seem to understand the difference; Moxier, Touchdown and HTC's EAS syncing all require an Exchange account which some have through work, but many don't have or aren't willing to pay for it, as they shouldn't have to. Not trying to create animosity, but it's been mentioned several times already in various Outlook threads.

Please don't get me wrong. I do indeed get it and I understand your frustration 100%.

However, your expectations are not reasonable, and let me explain why:

You see, Outlook is not a Smartphone program. Outlook, and its features such as Notes, are all exclusively a Microsoft product.

Would it be nice to have Android sync with Outlook...absolutely! But the expectation that a Google product 'should' sync with a Microsoft product out of the box is like assuming Android should work with the Palm or Blackberry sync service.

Again....I wish it would, but the expectation should not be as cut and dry as you say.

Having said that, Sprint (on the Moment) did include Moxier Mail (a great 3rd party Exchange/ActiveSync client) for free! It will sync all of the Outlook items (except for notes) with an exchange server.

Richard