• After 15+ years, we've made a big change: Android Forums is now Early Bird Club. Learn more here.

Android Outlook Sync & POP3 Questions

B

blafarm

Newbie
I'm new to Android -- buying the Incredible on Monday.

Sorry for the noob quetions:

1. Can anyone comment on the relative differences (or strengths/weaknesses) between using "HTC Sync" versus "Companionlink" -- for bi-directional syncing between Outlook 2007 on a PC -- and Android 2.1?

2. I don't use GMail and I plan to use using a POP3 profile to access my webmail account. Will using either "HTC Sync" or "Companionlink" to sync my contacts -- allow me full access to the multiple email addresses I have stored in my PC's Outlook 2007 account -- for each of my contacts? Or do either of those applications only "capture" one email address data field?

3. Is it possible to compose and send an email in Android's POP3 client -- without necessarily Receiving (downloading) all email that happens to be in that POP3 host's Inbox? I can do this in Outlook -- just not sure about Android.

4. When using a Blackberry and IMAP -- you can specify that you only want the email headers downloaded to the mobile device -- not the entire email. Is this function (headers only) available on Android?

5. I'm assuming it is possible to setup multiple email profiles on Android -- and I am assuming that one can setup an IMAP profile AND a POP3 profile. But, is it possible to setup an IMAP profile for one webmail account (non-Gmail) -- download and read an email from that IMAP account -- but then reply to that email by selecting the POP3 profile that uses an alternate webmail account?

Thanks in advance for your assistance.
 
I'm a noob too, and just fired up an Incredible. I don't have all the answers but here goes:

1. I've only tried HTC Sync, and it works reasonably well and has the usual basic settings. Since HTC sync is a free download, start with that.

2. HTC Sync did capture my Outlook 2007 contacts, many with with multiple addresses, phone numbers and email addresses.

3 and 4. I don't think so from what I can see so far. However, I ditched the native email app and moved to K-9 email, and even that does not do what my Storm could do as far as email settings.

5. You can set up many accounts, Gmail, POP and IMAP, and you can designate one as the default account from which to send messages. But it's not as easy as picking the "from" field in BB.

Hope this helps. I'm still learning it.
 
Hey, thanks a lot for that detailed response.

I had assumed my thread was DOA -- and I appreciate you spending the time to respond to it.

Two follow-up questions if you don't mind:

1. Did you ditch the native email app because it was fundamentally deficient for your application?

2. Did K-9 actually solve any problems for you -- or are you "on the fence" about continuing to use it.

Thanks again.
 
Oops...I forgot a third question:

3. Do you happen to know whether or not HTSync allows you to omit certain Outlook 2007 categories -- so that they DON'T sync?

I ask because I have some entries in my Outlook 2007 Contacts -- that I'd rather not have on my phone -- so that certain private information never falls into the "wrong" hands of the phone were to be lost or stolen.

Thanks again.
 
1. Did you ditch the native email app because it was fundamentally deficient for your application? IT SEEMED FINE, BUT BEFORE I COULD REALLY TRY IT, I HAD TO DITCH IT BECAUSE IT DID NOT GET ALONG WITH MY IMAP SERVER. STRANGELY, I COULD SEND EMAILS FINE FROM THE PHONE, BUT THE SENT MESSAGES DID NOT POPULATE TO THE "SENT" FOLDER ON MY SERVER. THEY JUST STAYED ON THE PHONE, WHICH DOESN'T WORK FOR ME. MY SERVER TECH SUPPORT SUGGESTED K-9, WHICH CLEARED THAT HURDLE.

2. Did K-9 actually solve any problems for you -- or are you "on the fence" about continuing to use it. K-9 AT LEAST WORKS. IT IS NOT AS ROBUST AS BB EMAIL CLIENT. I WOULDN'T EXPECT IT TO BE BETTER THAN BB AFTER ALL. IT STILL NEEDS WORK AND BETTER "EASE OF USE." IT SEEMS BETTER THAN A FREE APP, BUT NOT PERFECT. THERE ARE OTHER PROBLEMS, LIKE NOTIFICATION SETTINGS NOT WORKING. THE DEVELOPER SEEMS TO BE RELEASING UPDATES WEEKLY SO HOPEFULLY THIS PRODUCT WILL IMPROVE. AFTER MUCH SEARCHING, THERE ARE NO OTHER EMAIL CLIENTS FOR ANDROID. AND GMAIL IS NOT AN OPTION DUE TO SECURITY CONCERNS.

3. Do you happen to know whether or not HTCSync allows you to omit certain Outlook 2007 categories -- so that they DON'T sync? THE SYNC SETTINGS ARE NOT THAT ADVANCED. IT'S ALL OR NONE. HOWEVER, IF YOU PUT YOUR LESS SENSITIVE CONTACTS INTO A SEPARATE FOLDER, YOU *CAN* SELECT THE DEFAULT CONTACT FOLDER TO SYNC. MAYBE THAT WILL DO IT. YOU MIGHT JUST DOWNLOAD HTC SYNC TO YOUR PC AND PLAY AROUND WITH IT IN ADVANCE OF GETTING YOUR PHONE.

5. I WILL AMEND MY PRIOR ANSWER. THERE IS A MENU OPTION IN K-9 TO SELECT THE PROFILE FROM WHICH TO REPLY.

HOPE THIS HELPS
 
Once again, thank you very much for that excellent information!

Sounds like you and I have similar requirements -- and concerns (gmail).

On the off-chance that it ever becomes an issue for you -- I discovered today that CompanionLink definitely does offer the ability to filter Outlook Category fields -- so that select entries are not synchronized with the phone.

This will be my first Android phone -- and while I had read the HTC Sync manual -- I could not be sure that it did not filter contacts. And, of course, I'm still waiting for the phone from Verizon -- so I couldn't test it.

Thank you again for your generous responses -- and best of luck to you.
 
Thanks.

By the way, there is also another USB sync package called The Missing Sync, that I have been following. Android Sync Software for Nexus One, Droid, Hero and Other Android Phones

It does not do Calendar or Tasks yet ("coming soon"), but a whole lotta other stuff. HTC may be sufficient for me. I just refuse to put my contact info in the Google Cloud.

BTW, I am also thinking of upgrading my email server to an Hosted Exchange server, which would mean (I think) that my Outlook 2007 desktop data (and all my sub-folders) would migrate everything to the phone and keep it constantly in sync, without need for USB products or apps. Web access too. Doesn't look terribly expensive to set up and maintain.
 
Thanks.

I am aware of that product. It's really the kitchen sink (no pun intended) -- of sync products. I don't really need many of those features -- and I'm guessing my life would become exponentially more complicated if I started to use them. I'm really trying to transition into more of a KISS mentality Still, I thinks it's probably an interesting solution for many other users to consider.

I, too, refuse to upload my contacts to Google. In fact, I refuse to use Gmail -- in spite of it being free. I do use a number of other Google "products" -- but I enroll in them using anonymous logins -- and I generally use different logins for each service. Not a lot to cross reference -- and not a lot to profile.

I considered the Exchange option too -- but I have tens of thousands of emails and I don't feel comfortable with them "living" on a server. In spite of the inconvenience, I am happy to download them via POP3 -- and have them only live on a local machine behind highly restrictive firewalls.

For the same reason, I plan to IMAP from my phone into a very secure and dedicated email account whose sole "reason to exist" is to provide a temporary repository for emails whose headers I need downloaded to the phone. I simply don't need the contents of all of my messages being wirelessly transmitted over the "ether". And, those IMAP emails will be deleted on a regular basis to minimize further collateral damage.

I realize I may be fanatical -- but it's funny how few people consider the potential liability of these "exposures".
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom