Calendar and Contact Sync Solutions?

joelseph · #1 (**permalink**) 11-07-2009, 05:21 PM

Ok so has anyone come up with any good/free/effective sync solutions for outlook calendar and contact? So far all I can find is ways to do a one-time sync with gmail and some pay solutions, but they all seem to cover one or the other, but not both.

So, I have been spoiled over the years with WinMo/Activesync. Any suitable solutions out there?

angel12 · #2 (**permalink**) 11-07-2009, 11:01 PM

well, either pay for an exchange account and continue to use outlook, or switch to google calender for free and just use the web interface

Isror · #3 (**permalink**) 11-08-2009, 12:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by joelseph

Ok so has anyone come up with any good/free/effective sync solutions for outlook calendar and contact? So far all I can find is ways to do a one-time sync with gmail and some pay solutions, but they all seem to cover one or the other, but not both.

So, I have been spoiled over the years with WinMo/Activesync. Any suitable solutions out there?

Were you talking about exporting to a CSV file to update your contacts? Every time you enter a new contact to your phone, your Gmail account should sync

gazpachoking · #4 (**permalink**) 11-08-2009, 01:05 AM

I haven't actually tried this so YMMV, but could you set your outlook to sync with google's exchange server (link), then just use the default google calendar and contact sync?

Spr0ckEt · #5 (**permalink**) 11-08-2009, 01:05 AM

I synced my WinMo phone with Google Sync in anticipation of the DROID. IT still works like a charm on WinMo. I haven't picked up my DROID yet.

gazpachoking · #6 (**permalink**) 11-08-2009, 01:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spr0ckEt

I synced my WinMo phone with Google Sync in anticipation of the DROID. IT still works like a charm on WinMo. I haven't picked up my DROID yet.

Yeah, I came from a WinMo phone that I was syncing to that server, so the transition was seamless.

_xv6800 · #7 (**permalink**) 11-08-2009, 09:05 AM

- google has a calendar sync app (free) that runs on your lap/desktop and will sync your outlook calendar up to gmail calendar automatically on a scheduled basis.

- contacts on the other hand I had to do the export to csv thing and then upload to gmail - if you really wanted to this could probably be scripted - which is all the pay apps are doing - my contacts don't change that much so a one time export/import was fine.

joelseph · #8 (**permalink**) 11-08-2009, 11:02 PM

Hrm... Thx for the good info all. After thinking about it for a bit, I decided the calendar was going to be the more troublesome one... My contacts are generally pretty static for the most part, at least enough that it wouldn't be a big deal to have to add them in two places.

I found the very handy free calendar sync app and installed it, so that should take care of the calendar. I have some questions about gmail, and will open another topic for those.

blazinazn · #9 (**permalink**) 11-09-2009, 09:38 AM

http://www.google.com/sync/index.html

I'd highly recommend utilizing google calendars for all your appointments and contacts.

It syncs all of it pretty seamlessly once you get it all setup. Before switching to android, I was using active stink and outlook for my calendar entries and contacts. It sucked cause every time I added a contact or calendar entry, I had to plug my phone up to the PC to sync my phone to make sure it was up to date. Same was true for adding contacts and calendar entries to the phone. I didn't realize you could setup auto sync on winmo until a few short days before I ditched it.

I have since imported my outlook contacts and calendars into gmail and couldn't be happier. Just setting up your gmail on your phone is all you need to do to sync your contacts and calendar. So if you use the web interface on your PC, it automaticallys syncs your phone and vice versa.

If something to happens to your phone, your contacts and calendar entries won't be lost since they will be online too.

rolandroland · #10 (**permalink**) 11-09-2009, 11:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blazinazn

http://www.google.com/sync/index.html

I'd highly recommend utilizing google calendars for all your appointments and contacts.

It syncs all of it pretty seamlessly once you get it all setup. Before switching to android, I was using active stink and outlook for my calendar entries and contacts. It sucked cause every time I added a contact or calendar entry, I had to plug my phone up to the PC to sync my phone to make sure it was up to date. Same was true for adding contacts and calendar entries to the phone. I didn't realize you could setup auto sync on winmo until a few short days before I ditched it.

I have since imported my outlook contacts and calendars into gmail and couldn't be happier. Just setting up your gmail on your phone is all you need to do to sync your contacts and calendar. So if you use the web interface on your PC, it automaticallys syncs your phone and vice versa.

If something to happens to your phone, your contacts and calendar entries won't be lost since they will be online too.

Anyone using MS Exchange server have any feedback? With Exchange my contacts and calendar sync up immediately/wireless. Once of the things making me "wait and see" is setting up Android to sync to my company's Exchange server. That it will sync contacts and calendar immediately/wireless without having to use anything not built into the shipped phone. Even a free app I don't want to bother with as once I get one I'll have other people who want them and I don't want to support non-WinMo phones unless it is native to the device.