I was pretty bummed to realize that Windows Phone 7 cannot sync with Outlook (for contacts, calendar, tasks, notes, etc.). The lack of local sync support was one of the only reasons I hadn't switched to Android, and now WP7 is in the same boat.
Ironically the iPhone will now be the only smartphone that can sync with Outlook (iTunes syncs PIM data pretty decently with Outlook-- I had assumed similar functionality would be added to the Zune client, but apparently not).
The only solution for WP7 is to use hosted Exchange or a Hotmail account with a connector plugin for Outlook (just like Android and the Google Calendar connector):
http://pocketnow.com/windows-phone/how-to-sync-windows-phone-7-with-outlook
Besides the fact that people and companies might not be comfortable hosting all of their private data remotely on Hotmail/Google Apps, what happens when you make changes that aren't synced to the web (e.g. if you don't have an internet connection at a certain point or the sync interval hasn't kicked in yet)?
It's also a huge hassle for backup-- the only way to backup your info locally is to create a new PST in Outlook and copy over each type of item individually, then copy the file somewhere. Right now, I have my PST set to automatically back up weekly.
Using the Hotmail/Gmail plugins for Outlook provides a far less consistent and reliable experience than native Outlook data stores, and one might as well just use those services' web UIs rather than bothering with web sync plugins.
Of course, this is a broader issue-- Microsoft is abandoning the millions of people who currently use Windows Mobile and MS' own desktop PIM solution. Even the cloud services MS launched for WM, like MyPhone, are incompatible with WP7's cloud services. The average user has no way of bringing that data over to WP7. With this kind of track record, how can users trust MS?
Will MS fans (if there are any left) stick around despite getting shafted whenever MS strategies change (e.g. WL Spaces- people should've just gone with WordPress/etc. in the first place)? Despite all its problems, Apple treats its iPhone customers far better. The first-gen iPhone received all updates through OS 3.x, all services are still compatible, and upgrading to their newest product is effortless (even without going all cloud-based, in which case I might as well just have a browser on a screen, like Chrome OS).
The question comes down to this: if MS is forcing us to abandon its own desktop apps and go cloud-only, then why should I should go for Hotmail (with its subpar UI) and WP7 (which offers only a different (and not necessarily any better) UI, Xbox Live score integration (which casual gamers don't care about), and subpar functionality for 2010) instead of Google Apps and Android, or any other phone OS?
Well, you can sync your contacts with Gmail in WP7 as well, so you don't have to use Hotmail, even though it has some advantages. Why you would choose WP7 over Android is a totally different topic.
Wait...Windows Phone 7 has no calender syncing abilities?
Intervenient said:
Wait...Windows Phone 7 has no calender syncing abilities?
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Only cloud-hosted calendars- no Outlook sync support.
WMDC/ActiveSync are gone and the functionality has not been added to the Zune client (which only does pictures/music/movies).
It syncs calendar with cloud services like Exchange, Gmail, Hotmail etc. You can't sync it with your desktop via USB.
vangrieg said:
Well, you can sync your contacts with Gmail in WP7 as well, so you don't have to use Hotmail, even though it has some advantages. Why you would choose WP7 over Android is a totally different topic.
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Hotmail syncing shares the same inherent disadvantages as Gmail-- PC-phone PIM updates take much longer, require both devices to have internet service; if you don't have a Wifi network, then you have to use cell data, and if you have poor reception wherever you are, you're SOL.
Gmail's calendar and contacts don't properly sync with Outlook (they have different data fields, only some of which will sync, and more advanced things like recurring appointments and time zones easily screw things up). I haven't tested Hotmail-Outlook syncing extensively enough to comment on it in this regard.
MS' primary strength on the desktop side was always that it built extensible, mostly backwards-compatible platforms (and when there were monumental shifts, like Win9x to NT kernel, the transition happened gracefully, through XP). For years, MS has pushed Outlook for individual users (or businesses not using Exchange) and Exchange-hosted Outlook for enterprises-- now there's a disruptive shift, leaving users in the lurch.
MS is understandably now developing its cloud services, but it has provided no straightforward upgrade/migration path for Outlook users. It's ironically much easier to use WP7 if you never went with MS in the first place and chose Google Apps instead (in which case why go with MS now- you're bound to get screwed over again in the future- at least with Google you know there'll be some continuity).
Ick, definitely a deal breaker for me. I'm not a fan of hot mail, and Google Calendars, while convenient for some, is a headache to use and not intuitive at all (not to mention iCal doesn't play nice with it).
Rats, there goes my dreams of running an OS that get's non-tampered updates, whilst being able to chose my hardware. Hopefully Microsoft finds a solution soon.
amb9800 said:
Hotmail syncing shares the same inherent disadvantages as Gmail-- PC-phone PIM updates take much longer, require both devices to have internet service; if you don't have a Wifi network, then you have to use cell data, and if you have poor reception wherever you are, you're SOL.
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Well, you do have to use cell data plan, but otherwise it's infinitely faster except for initial sync, it uses microscopic amounts of data, and seriously, do you really have Outlook installed on a computer without Internet access?
There is an argument I can understand, although not agree with, about security and privacy and all that, but in terms of convenience cloud sync is way superior.
Also, Hotmail is of course compatible with Outlook and doesn't suffer from Gmail's problems.
I thought there was a different Zune client that syncs all that stuff?
vetvito said:
I thought there was a different Zune client that syncs all that stuff?
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It doesn't sync Outlook data
I'd wager that the Zune 5.0 software will come with sync.
Too bad that externalized services aren't quite as integrated in Outlook as I'd like. Using Gmail IMAP and Google Calendar works fine, but they're still not part of the central Outlook data file.
Tom Servo said:
I'd wager that the Zune 5.0 software will come with sync.
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I Totaly agree...
Creating a new OS from gound up was bound to have some features not included at launch its what you have to do as you can never add everything and just looking at the features that will be available in WP7 compaired to ios and android when they first launched is light years ahead. I do not have any doubts that MS will provide the best OS available but all good things take time.. Just look at where XBox is now compared to first launch everyone said MS could never compete with sony now seems they have surpassed sony.
I had the same initial concerns. I have used Outlook for many years now to connect to my Hotmail account, but used the Calendar/Contacts/Tasks/Notes locally (saved as a .pst file).
However, a few months ago, I built a new computer which means that I had to reinstall Outlook, and instead of choosing the same method, I decided to make my Hotmail account the default, and connect my .pst file after that. I then dragged and dropped all of my calendar/contacts/tasks/notes to that file. Now Hotmail only syncs up email/calendar & contacts, but the tasks & notes can reside in the same file (they just need a backup since they do not exist in the "cloud").
I have had a great experience using outlook with my Hotmail account so far. I never use the web based version, but use outlook for everything. The only difference is now Hotmail is the hub, and outlook is a connector. Compatability has not been and issue at all. Even though the web based Hotmail doesn't contain fields such as categories (at least Outlook categories), I have never had a problem with Outlook losing the categories due to a sync issue.
I did connect my outlook to gmail once and had all sorts of problems due to difference in fields. Outlook would sync to gmail, and once it was synced, Outlook would think gmail contained differenct versions of all contacts/calendar etc. since they didn't have the category fields etc., so at the end of the day I had duplicates of everything.
I have had no trouble like this with Hotmail. I think that Hotmail is starting to look similar in many ways to Outlook (which is a good thing IMHO), and I think the compatability is improving with each version. The one problem I do have is Hotmail (or WP7 for that matter) does not support Tasks/Notes.
vangrieg said:
Well, you do have to use cell data plan, but otherwise it's infinitely faster except for initial sync, it uses microscopic amounts of data
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A WM 6.5 device plugged into a PC running WMDC will instantly update the phone with any Outlook data changes (I can click save on an event in Outlook, and couple of seconds later, boom, updated on the phone). With Hotmail and WP7, I need to be connected to the internet, wait until the next sync interval, then have the phone update from the web (since WP7 phones cannot access the web through the USB AS connection either).
vangrieg said:
and seriously, do you really have Outlook installed on a computer without Internet access?
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Let's say I use Outlook on a laptop and travel to places where Wifi isn't necessarily available/convenient at all times. Can't tether to 3G through WP7 either, which makes this scenario quite probable. Currently, I can make scheduling updates or write notes in Outlook regardless of internet access, which will instantly sync to my phone-- without local sync, nothing will be synced until I can reach the server.
Well, with cloud sync you don't need to wait for sync interval, just use push and everything will update instantly without the need to connect.
Yes, there are scenarios where you don't have connectivity, I agree. Never had any problem with it though.
rruffman said:
Creating a new OS from gound up was bound to have some features not included at launch its what you have to do as you can never add everything and just looking at the features that will be available in WP7 compaired to ios and android when they first launched is light years ahead. I do not have any doubts that MS will provide the best OS available but all good things take time.. Just look at where XBox is now compared to first launch everyone said MS could never compete with sony now seems they have surpassed sony.
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Well, Xbox was at least competitive with PS2 on launch. It didn't have the titles, but it had a killer app (Halo), and eventually Xbox Live gave it a big leg up.
Feature-to-feature, WP7 is not competitive with Android or iOS today, and all the launch devices have older hardware (1st-gen Snapdragon), low storage capacity (e.g. 8 GB, non-expandable), and are missing features like front-facing cameras. Even if WP7 and the launch handsets were at parity, I'd be skeptical of MS' marketing abilities (Xbox is the only product MS has successfully sold to end users in a long time).
Who is the target user, and why would they buy this over an iPhone or Android handset?
Apparently not because they want something that'll work the best with MS' own offerings (that'll now be the iPhone, with both Exchange and local Outlook syncing).
amb9800 said:
Well, Xbox was at least competitive with PS2 on launch. It didn't have the titles, but it had a killer app (Halo), and eventually Xbox Live gave it a big leg up.
Feature-to-feature, WP7 is not competitive with Android or iOS today, and all the launch devices have older hardware (1st-gen Snapdragon), low storage capacity (e.g. 8 GB, non-expandable), and are missing features like front-facing cameras. Even if WP7 and the launch handsets were at parity, I'd be skeptical of MS' marketing abilities (Xbox is the only product MS has successfully sold to end users in a long time).
Who is the target user, and why would they buy this over an iPhone or Android handset?
Apparently not because they want something that'll work the best with MS' own offerings (that'll now be the iPhone, with both Exchange and local Outlook syncing).
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Feature to Feature depends on the user as i personaly think WP7 is and will be at launch much better than ios and android.. local sync to outlook is a personal thing and not everyone cares about that. and as mentioned before its not like they can't incorprate it in the next release or even at launch as no one knows this for sure or how much longer it will be when it will be added to that latest zune client. but as far as music to music zune is far more advance and better than ios or android, i can also say the same for the xbox live compaired to ios games hub wait ios dosnt have a games hub... pictures hub same the list goes on and on bing search, navagition etc..
"Who is the target user, and why would they buy this over an iPhone or Android handset?" apperently a whole lot of people who are currently awaiting the launch...
front facing cameras only work if you have someone else with the same iphone4 so that point is currently mute. and i am sure when wp7 does it it will not try to pass something off the the end user that only works with one type of phone.
lastly windows 7 and windows server along with the current mso are all very successful or the question of syncing with their outlook would not be posted here.
Can you sync it with Google Calendar?
Yes, you can sync it with google calendar.
Intervenient said:
Ick, definitely a deal breaker for me. I'm not a fan of hot mail, and Google Calendars, while convenient for some, is a headache to use and not intuitive at all (not to mention iCal doesn't play nice with it).
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You can use Outlook, etc to update your hotmail/Google calendars and then have that sync with the phone.
Windows Phone 7 Sync Software
Sync contacts, calendar and tasks with Windows Phone 7
http://www.companionlink.com/windowsphone/
Sync your PC with Windows Phone 7 via any Google, Gmail, or Google Apps Premier account. CompanionLink installs on the PC and syncs calendar, contacts and tasks to your Google/Gmail account. Google then syncs with Windows Phone 7 devices using the Exchange ActiveSync protocol provided by their Google Sync service. Two-way sync is fully supported so changes made on the phone will sync back to the PC.
Currently, there is no support for notes/memos because Google does not support syncing the notes datatype. CompanionLink is evaluating alternative sync methods for Windows Phone 7.
Sync
Has anyone tried this? If it works...gotta have it!
So rather than sync directly with Windows Live and access in Outlook via the Hotmail Connecter for free you should sync your data to google for $40? Fantastic product, where do I sign up?
BTW how to you sync Tasks if they're absent on WP7?
doministry said:
BTW how to you sync Tasks if they're absent on WP7?
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Looks like it converts tasks on Outlook into non timed events on the calender. Note sure how priorities and due dates etc convert though
efjay said:
So rather than sync directly with Windows Live and access in Outlook via the Hotmail Connecter for free you should sync your data to google for $40? Fantastic product, where do I sign up?
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Lol. Well, I can see the point if you use Google Apps for business reasons, but CompanionLink has always been a waste of money.
And overpriced at that.
Sync....yes $40!
The Outlook connector to sync to Hotmail is EXTREEMLY limited. In my normal Contacts folder I have about 5000 contacts. The calendar for the next 90 day includes almost 400 events. The Hotmail calendar hold enough events but does not SYNC the correct folder! I want to sync...NOT IMPORT. I think hotmail contacts are limited to a few hunderd.
runandgun said:
The Outlook connector to sync to Hotmail is EXTREEMLY limited. In my normal Contacts folder I have about 5000 contacts. The calendar for the next 90 day includes almost 400 events. The Hotmail calendar hold enough events but does not SYNC the correct folder! I want to sync...NOT IMPORT. I think hotmail contacts are limited to a few hunderd.
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Outlook allows you to Layer Calendars. The fact that it's going to the the Hotmail Calendar means little to nothing.
People layer calendars on a daily basis. You don't put Holidays and Birthdates on your work calendar, do you?
Putting your contacts on Hotmail is as simple as dragging and dropping them to the Hotmail Calendar Folder.
Hotmail has gone through many changes and supports most of the Outlook Fields. 99% of people will have no issue with just dragging them over. I had over 200 Contacts and they all went to Windows Live with no issue. I had more issues porting over to Google than to Windows Live using Outlook due to field name differences and missing fields in Google Contacts (a notorious weak point in the Google Services).
It does Sync. Just to the Hotmail Folder, the same way Exchange Data goes to its own file.
This prevents data from becoming too disorganized, like when you have several POP3 accounts dropping mail into the same PST/Mailbox file.
If you had an Exchange account set up in Outlook, I find it hard to believe you'd want your Windows Live Calendar going into your Exchange Calendar, Windos Live Mail going into your Exchange Mailbox, and Windows Live Contacts being jumbled in with you Exchange contacts... I'm sure you want that mail you sent to your brother calling your boss a dickwad to get archived on their corporate servers, etc.
I think a large part of this is people have some unrealistic expectations of how things should work, and having no clue how organized people actually organize their data.
Windows Live Connector works similarly to Exchange on Outlook. The only difference is you need a connector for it (at least for Outlook 2003/2007), because the functionality is not built into the application. I expect the next version of Outlook to have the connector built in as core functionality. To get similar functionality for Google Accounts, you'd need to pay for Google Apps premier edition (and even then, their Contacts/Calendar Sync sucks hardcore). No other system has as good integration with Outlook as Exchange and Windows Live. You people keep complaining about something so trivial, when the alternatives fall flat on their faces. Seriously.
Also, the premier client software for Windows Live is Essentials.
I still don't like the whole idea of this 'cloud' thing for my Contacts and Calendar. I much prefer controlling the information that goes between my phone and my laptop ... I do NOT like the idea that it now has to go out to the 'cloud' somewhere with all my Contacts' information.
I just do not like it one bit! I want a direct link between phone and laptop ... even if I have to hardwire it to get the data updated.
kahibbi said:
I still don't like the whole idea of this 'cloud' thing for my Contacts and Calendar. I much prefer controlling the information that goes between my phone and my laptop ... I do NOT like the idea that it now has to go out to the 'cloud' somewhere with all my Contacts' information.
I just do not like it one bit! I want a direct link between phone and laptop ... even if I have to hardwire it to get the data updated.
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+1
My business should remain my business. Especially if you handle private informations.
iridio said:
+1
My business should remain my business. Especially if you handle private informations.
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Set up an Exchange server on an old PC then
/sarcasm
I can't for the life of me understand why people don't wanna move to the cloud... Accessible from anywhere, anyone?
Good for non-Microsoft PIM clients
Hi all
I think that the companion software comes into it's own if you have a non-Microsoft PIM/email client such as Lotus Notes, etc.
I tried it to get some data from my WM 6.5 device into my Googlemail account. That worked very well, but I probably wouldn't pay for it.
Cheers
andrew-in-woking
it doenst resolve my sync problems on the phone itself. the phone will only sync with the main calendar at google. i need the others to. for syncing outlook to google i use gSyncIt. Its much cheaper and you have more control over the sync.
runandgun said:
The Outlook connector to sync to Hotmail is EXTREEMLY limited. In my normal Contacts folder I have about 5000 contacts. The calendar for the next 90 day includes almost 400 events. The Hotmail calendar hold enough events but does not SYNC the correct folder! I want to sync...NOT IMPORT. I think hotmail contacts are limited to a few hunderd.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
wait, you have 5k contacts and 400 events in the next 90 days, yet you don't have an exchange acct???
NoWorthWhile said:
Accessible from anywhere, anyone?
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Don't you mean "Accessible from anywhere BY anyone?"
CompanionLink is the sole reason I gave up on WP7 and moved to Android. It syncs my Outlook contacts, calendar, tasks and notes via USB to my Droid2.
No thanks to posting my vacation plans, parents' address, business contacts, etc. to the cloud (MS, Google or other) for any hacker to find.
CompanionLink isn't cheap, and it isn't perfect - it's about as accurate as ActiveSync was - but at least it offers a basic compatibility with Outlook that Microsoft decided to abandon.