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Help Can I sync contacts from WINDOWS CONTACTS to an Android device via USB?

Carro Crolli

Carro Crolli

Lurker
Hi, I am a BlackBerry user considering to buy an Android phone, but I need to be sure about one thing before doing so.
Now when I want to sync my contacts I just connect my BlackBerry to the PC via USB cable, run “BlackBerry Desktop Software” and it’s done: it automatically and bidirectionally updates the contacts in the device and those in the Windows Contacts folder (updating all .contact files there).
If I buy an Android phone will I be able to do the same? I do NOT want to convert my Windows contacts to Outlook contacts, nor upload them in some Gmail account or cloud or whatever.
Is it possible to just connect via an USB cable an offline PC to the Android device and update the Windows contacts?
Thank you very much indeed to all of those who will answer!
 
Thank you for answering.
Well, I have visited their website and I think that it is an effective backup software... but are you sure that it stores the copied contacts in the Windows “Contacts” folder and that it saves them as .contact files? (one file per each contact)
 
I see... so I am afraid that this software isn’t for me :-( since in our firm it is necessary that all updated contacts are stored in the PC as files wirh a .contact extension.
 
What I meant was I don't know how they are stored on the phone but since found out it is likely to be .db file. Your BB uses .ipd files. It's only windows that uses .contact. Try to get your hands on an android and give it a go. I'm fairly confident it will do the job
 
If SyncDroid doesn't work -

Android uses the vCard 2 file format for import and export - and it supports multiple contacts per vcf file.

Windows Contacts also supports vCard 2 vcf files for import and export. Right click the contact, or file - > export from Windows mail (some mailers call vCard the Business Card format).

Worst case if you have syncing issues is to import / export by hand - and yes, you can transfer the vcf files by usb (or your home wifi without it leaving your home).

You can set your Android contacts to be phone only, meaning that the Google cloud won't be involved.

Worse case you run into will be duplicate contacts from going back and forth. If your Android doesn't have a duplicate contact cleaner built-in to the contacts app, duplicate cleaner apps are available on the Play Store.
 
Thank you for your answer EarlyMon, but I am not sure that I understood everything...
So this it what happens now:
1-PCsyncBlackBerry.jpg

And this is the procedure what you are suggesting that I should be following if I used an Android mobile decive:
2-PCsyncAndroid.jpg

Did I understand it right?
 
Check out this video for an app called Wondershare Mobile Go I think its what you are after
 
Carro Crolli said:
Thank you for your answer EarlyMon, but I am not sure that I understood everything...
So this it what happens now:
View attachment 80978
And this is the procedure what you are suggesting that I should be following if I used an Android mobile decive:
View attachment 80979
Did I understand it right?
Click to expand...
In the event that you can't find syncing software, yes.

And you may be able to export all contacts in a single vcf file.
 
If you get an HTC phone, HTC Sync will sync Outlook contacts - but so far as I know, not Windows Live Mail, the type described in the OP.

I don't think that a true syncing solution exists for this.
 
EarlyMon said:
That's not syncing software, it automates the steps I outlined - somewhat.
Click to expand...
It's the “somewhat” that worries me... :-/
EarlyMon said:
In the event that you can't find syncing software, yes.
Click to expand...
Uhhmmm... I guess It’s quite a problem then... :-(
Now the BlackBerry desktop software automatically syncronizes the contact data copying the most updated one (no matter if it is on the computer or on one of the mobile devices); if I use this multi-step procedure it will be quite a mess e.g. trying to assess if Mark Moe.vcf is more or less updated than Mark Moe.contact (and therefore deciding whether to import the .vcf into .contact or to export the corresponding .contact into .vcf before the next sync round)...
 
Carro Crolli said:
It's the “somewhat” that worries me... :-/

Uhhmmm... I guess It’s quite a problem then... :-(
Now the BlackBerry desktop software automatically syncronizes the contact data copying the most updated one (no matter if it is on the computer or on one of the mobile devices); if I use this multi-step procedure it will be quite a mess e.g. trying to assess if Mark Moe.vcf is more or less updated than Mark Moe.contact (and therefore deciding whether to import the .vcf into .contact or to export the corresponding .contact into .vcf before the next sync round)...
Click to expand...
I understand and agree completely. I've had to go through that before. It's not bad to add new contacts to either side - but when an old contact changes a phone number, it's crazy to keep straight.

HTC does it easily with Outlook contacts - but that does you no good.

I did some more checking - and everything claiming to solve the problem that I could find just wants your money to make a shell for import/export - and this is not syncing.

People who asked Microsoft directly were routed to some support-desk types with fancy titles who did not understand the problem and tried to get them into Outlook.

I also checked to see if there was an intermediate way - I sync my Mac to my Gmail and then my Gmail to my Android and that actually works.

Sadly, I found others trying the same thing did not find a way to sync Windows Live contacts (what you have) with Gmail and ended up with import/export advice.
 
EarlyMon said:
People who asked Microsoft directly were routed to some support-desk types with fancy titles who did not understand the problem and tried to get them into Outlook.
Click to expand...
I’ve had the same experience. Trying to contact a large company for a non-routine technical problem is a frustrating experience.
Typically the person who answers the phone is either demotivated, or with wrong incentives, or an underpaid intern, or answering from an outsourced company overseas, or an innumerate who can only answer a narrow predetermined set of FAQ he has been specifically instructed about, etc.
I am positive that ANY single Google engineer could solve the .contact sync problem during any lunch-break, but I see those companies have a layer of dumb people preventing the relevant questions from flowing from the customers to the smart people working there.
EarlyMon said:
It's not bad to add new contacts to either side - but when an old contact changes a phone number, it's crazy to keep straight. [...] everything claiming to solve the problem that I could find just wants your money to make a shell for import/export - and this is not syncing. [...] Sadly, I found others trying the same thing did not find a way to sync Windows Live contacts (what you have) with Gmail and ended up with import/export advice.
Click to expand...
I understand... thank you for all of your time and your informative advice.
I am afraid this issue is a real problem, since not being able to effectively sync the company contacts would be a nightmare for me. I and my co-workers wouldn’t know which telephone or folder in the computer has the most updated data, and that would mess everything up.
So I am afraid that my stay in this community risks being shorter than I would have wished... :-( and that I’ll have no viable choice but to buy another BlackBerry...
 
After a lot of google search I have found out an interesting thing.
In this official Samsung FAQ: http://www.samsung.com/us/support/faq/FAQ00052706/61336 in the paragraph titled “Sync Contacts with Your Computer” they say that with Samsung Kies 2.6 “You can sync contacts to Microsoft® Outlook® or the Windows Address Book on computers running Windows”!
Well, so I downloaded the trial version of Samsung Kies (release 2.6.3.14044_17 to be precise), planning to buy some Samsung phones.
But I found out that in that release the possibility of syncing with Windows Address Book had been removed! >:-O
Now the only supported extentions are .spb .csv or .vcf
I tried to contact the Italian branch of Samsung, both over the telephone at the consumer hotline at +39 800 67267864 and via “Live Chat”, a sort of online messaging for receiving technical help and assistance.
Well, they refused to cooperate in every way, they would not say how I could get a previous version of Kies 2.6 nor help me in any other way.
The people at the Live Chat service would typically hang up the conversation as soon as they realised that they could not help me in order not to risk receiving a negative feedback at the end of the chat.
I am really berserk; I don’t know what to do... I am starting to feel discouraged. :'-(
 
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