Local calendar sync needed (with detail) REPOST from 'Applications'

[Squiff]

(Apologies for repost, new to site and missed this forum)

I currently own a Nokia N95 and have been holding out for a decent Android phone to upgrade to (looks like it might be the Samsung i7500). I use the calendar on my current phone constantly, synced with my Outlook calendar, and this is a must have feature for any replacement. I don't need to sync my Outlook contacts or emails however. For reasons described in detail below, I need to do this locally, not via a Google account. I have seen many other posters ask about local calendar synchronising but nobody seems to have described a situation like mine (CANNOT sync via Google) in much detail although it must be relatively common:

Situation:

I am a middle manager in an NHS hospital in the UK. We use shared Exchange calendars, accessed via Outlook throughout the organisation- these are run by our own trust, not NHS.net or an outsourced company. At the moment I sync my calendar to my current phone manually using a USB cable and the Nokia PC suite a couple of times a day and this works fine. I have local admin privileges on my work PC but I have no admin access to the Exchange server. Apart from being incredibly slow, our N3 Internet connection has various ports blocked, making it unreliable and unsuitable for calendar syncing. Google calendar appears to use port 9080 for syncing for example. Aside from this some of my calendar entries are confidential and should be handled in compliance with Caldicott guidelines. Here is a sample summary of these guidelines from another (not my) NHS trust, but in brief I should not be sending data via a third party, especially not via the USA.

Question

Given that

1. I have to use a shared Exchange calendar as a core part of my job
2. I have no admin access to the Exchange server
3. I cannot (am prevented) and should not (am not authorised) sync my work Outlook calendar with a Google calendar or any other third party server
4. I need to be able to update my Outlook and mobile calendars in both directions

What is out there for someone in my position who would like to use Android with these requirements and restrictions? I'm guessing that there isn't anything at the moment but what would it take to get something? If there are local sync solutions for Windows mobile; Symbian; Blackberry; Palm; Apple and various proprietary OS's then it must be possible on Android. Is anyone working on this at the moment or is anyone setting up a bounty to encourage a local calendar sync solution being produced?

Thanks

Squiff

 

[dynodroid]

This isn't the first time I've heard this and it surely won't be the last I hear of it. I'm sure it's being created.

 

[norim_13]

Hi there!

I didn't read all your post but if I understood it well, you want to sync your N95's calendar with your Android calendar. Right?

I'm searching an application to do that too. I need something which allows me to sync my N80's contacts and calendar to my new HTC Magic.
Can anyone help?

Regards,
Jo

 

[Squiff]

[FONT=Tahoma, sans-serif]@ norim_13 No, you have not really understood my post but this is a good a time as any to update with my solution to my situation.[/FONT]

[FONT=Tahoma, sans-serif]For your situation it is relatively straight forward to sync your Nokia contacts and calendar with Google: [/FONT]
[FONT=Tahoma, sans-serif]
1. Install Nokia PC suite and sync your Phone calendar and contacts with MS Outlook[/FONT][FONT=Tahoma, sans-serif]

2. Install Google calendar sync and sync your Outlook calendar with your Google calendar

3. E[/FONT][FONT=Tahoma, sans-serif]xport your contacts from outlook as a CSV file and then import that into your Google account (sorry, true syncing doesn't seem to be available)[/FONT]

[FONT=Tahoma, sans-serif]Having consulted unofficially with some senior IT staff at my organisation we have come to the conclusion that there is no greater risk in using Google calendar sync than there is in using a USB cable to update mobile calendars. Because our IT dept has not provided a working solution, different staff are using all sorts of mobile calendar and sync solutions and it is likely too late for IT to shut them all out now- the fallout from upsetting so many senior staff would be too great for them. I have now used the method above to successfully sync my Google and outlook calendars ready for use with an android phone. I have checked through my calendar to ensure that there is no identifiable confidential information in it. I don't yet have an android phone but am looking forward to getting the HTC Hero on T-Mobile.[/FONT]

[FONT=Tahoma, sans-serif]Separately I hope that Google soon add compatibility with the 'private' appointment flag for outlook sync so that private appointments added via Google are not made public on sync.[/FONT]
[FONT=Tahoma, sans-serif]
Thanks

Squiff [/FONT]

 

[Squiff]

I suppose that now that I have returned here on a separate matter, I should update with the solutions possible and implemented here for the sake of other people:

The HTC Hero offers an Outlook USB local sync application/ function as well as an Exchange Client. Ironically, although I have a Hero now, I am using the standard Google calendar sync...