Android not a busines Phone - Outlook Synchronization?!

[chanchan05]

That's all well and good but many of us, the majority, don't have exchange servers to sync with. Most have direct USB capabilities and nothing out there is easy to sync with Outlook using this method. I just sold my WP7 Trophy for two main reasons; the major one is MS makes it so hard to sync with their own program. If I don't take Beano, I create a cloud; one quite similar in smell to having to use MS Cloud to sync.

One thing I'm waiting for on Nokia WP7's is whether a version of Ovi Suite will be released to accomodate it.

Anyway as for easy sync, I've always found Kies easy to use, just not my thing though. The convenience of not having to use cables for syncing or connecting the phone every now and then to the PC just to sync is nice. I've already had Outlook using Gmail before I got my Droid, so syncing to the cloud practically just happened when I first got one.

 

[Morat]

That's all well and good but many of us, the majority, don't have exchange servers to sync with. Most have direct USB capabilities and nothing out there is easy to sync with Outlook using this method. I just sold my WP7 Trophy for two main reasons; the major one is MS makes it so hard to sync with their own program. If I don't take Beano, I create a cloud; one quite similar in smell to having to use MS Cloud to sync.

If you don't have Exchange then you really need to be looking for another place to hold your data. Outlook is primarily a client for Exchange, and using it standalone is like buying a bus and only ever carrying one passenger (to continue the automotive analogy).

 

[A.Nonymous]

That's all well and good but many of us, the majority, don't have exchange servers to sync with. Most have direct USB capabilities and nothing out there is easy to sync with Outlook using this method. I just sold my WP7 Trophy for two main reasons; the major one is MS makes it so hard to sync with their own program. If I don't take Beano, I create a cloud; one quite similar in smell to having to use MS Cloud to sync.

You can substitute Exchange server with any kind of mail server. That's what you should've been syncing with, not with your mail client.

 

[Ernie_P]

Ever since Froyo, all Android phones come with Exchange ActiveSync capabilities. Your Droid Bionic will sync with your companies Exchange server natively. There is no need for an app to do this. I'm not sure why you're having issues as I'm not sure what part of this process is failing for you. I have many, many, many clients using Android phones. The Droid Bionic 100% supports Exchange push natively.

A.Nonymous - I am open to trying your suggestion - but again - the details are important here: I am using Outlook installed on a "stand alone P.C." - not a corporate Email Exchange server.

If you have Outlook installed on a stand alone P.C. I do not believe there is to use your terminology - "No Native Way" to synchronize my Outlook Contacts and Calendar with my Droid phone. If there is - please point me in the right direction and I will be very gratefull (as I think a lot of other people will also be).

Everywhere I have looked there is no way to sync Outlook Contacts and Calendar to Droid phones - which I think is a very big deal.

Please advise....thx

 

[klipsch]

I have no problems with syncing my EVO with Outlook. In fact...I actually went into the sync settings to turn off the contacts and calander. HTC Sync handles all of syncing though. I have Outlook installed on my stand alone Win 7 Pro laptop.

 

[A.Nonymous]

A.Nonymous - I am open to trying your suggestion - but again - the details are important here: I am using Outlook installed on a "stand alone P.C." - not a corporate Email Exchange server.

If you have Outlook installed on a stand alone P.C. I do not believe there is to use your terminology - "No Native Way" to synchronize my Outlook Contacts and Calendar with my Droid phone. If there is - please point me in the right direction and I will be very gratefull (as I think a lot of other people will also be).

Everywhere I have looked there is no way to sync Outlook Contacts and Calendar to Droid phones - which I think is a very big deal.

Please advise....thx

You should not be syncing with Outlook. You should be syncing with your mail server. Outlook is nothing more than a mail client. All of your data should not be on a mail client.

 

[khanusma]

A.Nonymous - I am open to trying your suggestion - but again - the details are important here: I am using Outlook installed on a "stand alone P.C." - not a corporate Email Exchange server.

If you have Outlook installed on a stand alone P.C. I do not believe there is to use your terminology - "No Native Way" to synchronize my Outlook Contacts and Calendar with my Droid phone. If there is - please point me in the right direction and I will be very gratefull (as I think a lot of other people will also be).

Everywhere I have looked there is no way to sync Outlook Contacts and Calendar to Droid phones - which I think is a very big deal.

Please advise....thx

Goto your Outlook client on your PC and select tools - accounts. From there you should be able to understand your mail server settings for your email account. You need to have some mail server for which your outlook is connecting. It is not like when I send you an email, it just knows to go to your outlook. What happens is my email goes to the email server and the outlook is configured to go get it from the server. You need to tell your android phone to go get it as well. the settings you use for outlook should be the same or very very similar as to what you will use on the android.


(Also please read my next post which should immediately follow this.)

 

[khanusma]

You can substitute Exchange server with any kind of mail server. That's what you should've been syncing with, not with your mail client.

Do you think he is just using his outlook as a calendar and address book all local on his PC? I am not sure how often people do that, but I think in that case, he would need to setup some software on his machine. I don't he realizes that microsoft does not provide software to allow that to happen so he needs to find some third party software to sync it up.

maybe android should, but that is for a different conversation. I do not believe that any other phone manufacturer does this either.

put ur stuff on the cloud man from there you can get it anywhere right haha.

 

[starstress]

I use moxier mail for my outlook work email

 

[A.Nonymous]

Do you think he is just using his outlook as a calendar and address book all local on his PC? I am not sure how often people do that, but I think in that case, he would need to setup some software on his machine. I don't he realizes that microsoft does not provide software to allow that to happen so he needs to find some third party software to sync it up.

maybe android should, but that is for a different conversation. I do not believe that any other phone manufacturer does this either.

put ur stuff on the cloud man from there you can get it anywhere right haha.

You can use Outlook without email and use it just for that. It's a rather foolish way to use it IMO. A lightning strike fries your computer and all of your data is gone for good. Or someone breaks into your house and swipes your computer and the backup you've got next to it? Then you're really SOL.

 

[Ernie_P]

I would like to get the word out that this is completely false. You can sync an Exchange account natively with any Android phone running 2.2 and higher. You can buy 3rd party apps if you don't like the native support and many people do. To say that it's not there is false though. ActiveSync has been supported since Froyo. The specs on Verizon's page for the Droid Bionic confirm push support for Exchange. You can sync your contacts, your calendar and your email all the same time or any combination of the three over the air natively.

Sorry A.Nonymous - but lets be specific here. I do not want to synchronize an Exchange account, Email, etc - but I want to synchronize my (1) Contacts and (2) My Calendar (Tasks, etc. would be a nice to have) FROM Outlook installed on a standalone machine with my phone.

I am not trying to "push" Email....so please tell me if I am wrong.

In addition - ActiveSync is ONLY for use with Microsoft Phones. So again - you are incorrect....

 

[Ernie_P]

I don't see what the huge issue is with having a Google account. It's not just that you have to use an 'email' account persay, it's a Google account which happens to give you Gmail (among a thousand other amazing things)
And, this is not the first OS to do this.

iOS you need an itunes account to do anything on it. Unfortunately music and apps only, no email, documents, calendar syncing, etc. Lame.

Before iOS was Blackberry, and yes, you need an account for those too. Gives you e-mail if you want it, not much else.

So, instead of complaining that you need an account that does all this stuff, you should be excited that you now have this accout that does all this stuff!

Google contacts can sync ota. Which means you don't have to plug it in to the computer when you get a new contact, it does it for you! Same with the calendar, it's incredibly convenient to hardly ever have to plug in my phone.
Google documents can open any Microsoft Office file. Anywhere. And edit it.

The simplicity of it all is why many businesses use Google accounts instead of Microsoft exchange.

And yes, androids can sync with outlook, however, it's all in the computer software. I find it hard to believe Motorolla would skip on this feature, then again, Motorolla is notoriously bad for feature blocking.

Samsung and HTC does this with ease. Samsung Kies is probably the best phone software in my opinion. It's very much like iTunes, with more phone-orientented options.

Don't blame the OS, blame the manufacturer software.

nikkisaurusrex: I don't want to get into a discussion of moving sensitive "business information" to the Google Cloud on this forum. That is a separate issue (and probably a separate thread) where we can discuss security, availability and SLAs, etc. Again as a business customer with highly sensitive client and govt related information I cannot go about storing it anywhere without appropriate encryption and 5 nines of availability - so Gmail and Cloud are not for me....I can understand for a more casual user there are less risks....

But back to thread at hand - I feel like at the end of this we are still back at: Android phones DO NOT SYNC OUTLOOK >CONTACTS< and >CALENDARS< without loading everything up to Gmail....

Thanks for the feedback....

T

 

[Ernie_P]

In truth you aren't required to have a gmail account, or sync your phone with anything ... or even own a phone at all. However, if you want to use an Android device to its fullest potential, you will need a gmail account to access Google services, so if you want access to market apps, Google Voice, Google Maps, Goggles, etc, then that is the requirement. You are free to decline if it bothers you philosophically, or gives you serious security concerns. You do realize, that in order to use a phone as a phone you are required to have a unique identifying number so anybody can call you over the telecom networks? I don't see much of a difference.



It's more like buying a car from Ford and then being shocked when the Chevy dealer won't service it under warranty. Or buying that Ford and not understanding why Diesel won't make the engine run.



You aren't required to have a gmail account to use the phone as a phone. You are required to have a phone number and a carrier plan to use a phone as a phone. You don't need either of those things to use an android device as a smart PDA, either, but if you want to get the things that Google provides, you agree to Google's terms.



Actually, i think the issue is more one of misplaced expectations. Too many times peopla expect features to be universal and have no real concept of the underlying technologies and licenses. Many complaints about technology begin with "I used to have X and it did Y, why can't the newer Z do Y too?" without ever finding out before buying Z that it didn't do Y.



It's also common to confuse Outlook with exchange, but that has already been explained. This article might be helpful.

lunatic59: A little off topic there with all the references - to bring your conversation back - as I started (and the name of the thread) Android phones are good for other things as you mentioned (Googlemaps, games, Email exchange as detailed in your article).

Again (sigh) the only reason for this thread is to educate others and to use your phrase "set expectations" that the Android O/S and associated phones are not for business use and that anyone that purchases one should be prepared to abide by all your recommendations/points which are: You will need to load everything to Gmail, lose some Outlook contact and Calendar granularity information and then download back down to your Android phone.

That's fine - I accept that at this point - just want to make sure others are not stuck with a $300 "unexpected surprise" and 2 year contract.

 

[chanchan05]

Android phones DO SYNC to Outlook Contacts and Calendar without loading everything to GMail. HTC, Sony and Samsung does via their own free proprietary software (kies is the most updated one I believe, it got an update this month). Its not a universal solution yes, but the fact is, they do sync.

However, again, native solution for Android is through Gmail simply because Google = Android = Gmail.

 

[khanusma]

You can use Outlook without email and use it just for that. It's a rather foolish way to use it IMO. A lightning strike fries your computer and all of your data is gone for good. Or someone breaks into your house and swipes your computer and the backup you've got next to it? Then you're really SOL.

I'm pretty sure this guy doesn't need a lecture. He needs a solution. (But yeah, he could use a lecture... haha.) I was simply trying to get clarity from the individual about what he is trying to accomplish.

I think we get it now. I am 90% sure if he has no mail server not even a Windows phone can accomplish what he is looking for. He needs to install client software on his desktop.

 

[khanusma]

lunatic59: A little off topic there with all the references - to bring your conversation back - as I started (and the name of the thread) Android phones are good for other things as you mentioned (Googlemaps, games, Email exchange as detailed in your article).

Again (sigh) the only reason for this thread is to educate others and to use your phrase "set expectations" that the Android O/S and associated phones are not for business use and that anyone that purchases one should be prepared to abide by all your recommendations/points which are: You will need to load everything to Gmail, lose some Outlook contact and Calendar granularity information and then download back down to your Android phone.

That's fine - I accept that at this point - just want to make sure others are not stuck with a $300 "unexpected surprise" and 2 year contract.

I have everything in my corporate outlook (which is BUSINESS USE I would guess right) and I have ZERO issues sync'ing my calendar and email and contacts from my outlook only. I have nothing in my gmail calendar and contacts but I do have an account I register for my phone so I can access the android market. My google gmail account is set to sync as well but there is nothing in there.

I hope we are making things clearer for you.

If all you have is something local on your desktop, how do you think it can magically get to your phone unless the computer has something that will send it there?

 

[khanusma]

Check out this thread. They name some "cheap" 5 -10$ a month single user exchange hosted services. I really think you will be amazed how awesome it is to change computers, go to the web anywhere at anyone's house or anywhere you can find a web browser, easy sync to your phone, etc.. with 0 hassle and always have access to whatever you have in outlook.

http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/958255


It really has been awesome for me over the last 10 years.

 

[A.Nonymous]

Sorry A.Nonymous - but lets be specific here. I do not want to synchronize an Exchange account, Email, etc - but I want to synchronize my (1) Contacts and (2) My Calendar (Tasks, etc. would be a nice to have) FROM Outlook installed on a standalone machine with my phone.

I am not trying to "push" Email....so please tell me if I am wrong.

In addition - ActiveSync is ONLY for use with Microsoft Phones. So again - you are incorrect....

I'm actually 100% correct. ActiveSync is 100% supported in the Bionic. What you are trying to do is the wrong way to do things. You're trying to sync your email client with another email client. This is an incorrect way to do things. You should be looking to sync your email client with your email server. That is the correct way to do things. I have no idea what kind of email server you're using. I don't know if it's Exchange or Lotus or something else. But that doesn't matter at all. At the end of the day you want something that will sync your email server with your email client on your phone. Syncing your email client on your phone with your email client on your computer is the wrong way to go about things. Sync both with your email server and you have the same data on both devices plus the data is getting backed up on your server.

 

[khanusma]

Here are some replies in a forum that discusses WP7 and Outlook sync'ing. They did not have any success either from what they are saying...

Does Windows Phone 7 sync to Outlook&#63; - Microsoft Answers

Also I was very suprised after buying a new Windows 7 phone to understand that I can't synchronise it with Outlook 2007/2010. It's amazing ! (Sorry for my english).

Pierre Gruninger

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yeah, big issue. I find myself typing EVERY single contact from my windows 7 contacts into my windows 7 phone BY HAND. manually. i feel ridiculous.

atrioom

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It is absolutely incredible that this company would remove such a vital feature! Simply, they are idiots!
I am one of those who is not interested in storing my personal information in the cloud, period. Outlook has been the place for all of my PIM data for years now and sync'ing my Outlook data to my phone has always been essential for me.
I was hoping to move up to a WP7 phone but unless there is an app that will allow Outlook sync'ing, then I'll stick with WM6.5 for the moment and then move to something else that syncs with Outlook. My PIM data will be staying put, thank you.

 

[A.Nonymous]

The thing is people don't realize that they're already storing this information in the cloud.

 

[chanchan05]

The moment they hook up their Outlook to Gmail, or Hotmail, their information is already on the cloud AFAIK. They just dont know it most of the time.

 

[A.Nonymous]

The moment they hook up their Outlook to Gmail, or Hotmail, their information is already on the cloud AFAIK. They just dont know it most of the time.

And if it's not there, it's on their companies server which is also on the Internet. At the end of the day, who do you trust to secure your data? Google or your companies IT department that's run by hacks?

 

[chanchan05]

And if it's not there, it's on their companies server which is also on the Internet. At the end of the day, who do you trust to secure your data? Google or your companies IT department that's run by hacks?

Considering my contacts and calendar were already up on Google way before this cloud thing started, considering that we already had our contacts up on our email accounts way before smartphones were a craze? I'd rather have them keep on saving my accounts as they have done so for years.

 

[Ernie_P]

You can use Outlook without email and use it just for that. It's a rather foolish way to use it IMO. A lightning strike fries your computer and all of your data is gone for good. Or someone breaks into your house and swipes your computer and the backup you've got next to it? Then you're really SOL.

A.Nonymous - Thanks for the advice - but obviously I have offsite backups, D/R solutions etc....so I am taken care of there.

I use Outlook for Contact Management and Calendar - because it is truly roboust (for my needs) in managing a lot of details of my clients, appts, etc.

For Email I use other more secure channels - simply because of the nature of my business and clients - Email again - is not part of this thread.

Just wanted to focus on a solution for Outlook Contacts and Calendars synchronization....thanks!

 

[FFARID13]

thank you