That would kind of suck. The field limitation can be worked around however; you sould be able to add/edit contacts and sync changes.
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- Thread starter RazzMaTazz
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That would kind of suck. The field limitation can be worked around however; you sould be able to add/edit contacts and sync changes.
Maybe this will help some of you trying to set up email if you have a active sync exchange sever at work I have a electify I tryed all kinds of fixes from the moto site none worked for me I downloaded a app called Moxier email with it I have had no problems syncing with outlook it is a paid app $20.00 but in my opion well worth the money it was very eazy to setup and works great I have not found any bugs with it I have used it every day now for 2 months
Hi chucks118
I do not have an active sync exchanger at my employment. I am just trying to drill down the pros and cons of using the hotmail approach vs. one of the apps available for local syncing. A friend of mine is using Phone Exchange (free app) and likes it. I can definately see some advantages to using the hotmail approach.
RazzMaTazz
Android Expert
I primarily use Gmail, and like you, I have thousands of emails in my Outlook inbox. Android seems to let you scroll back infinitely, though the emails are surely cached from the cloud as needed on the phone.
RazzMaTazz
Android Expert
I use Outlook 2010 (not that it's relevant) and Android 2.2 on an LG Optimus S. I am able to create and/or edit contacts on the phone, no problem. Those contacts sync with Outlook, just fine.
I thought you were using hotmail and that the gmail did not work with outlook.
This outstanding information that I have not been able to find elsewhere!!!!!The fact that there are 3 contact databases on an android. Does the calendar also store the same number of calendars (google, corporate and phone only)?
The method you list here with hotmail is one method I am considering in order to sync a local outlook PST file to a future 4.0 android phone in addition to syncing a corporate exchange account. But since this hotmail method uses the same database for storage that my direct exchange sync would, perhaps that would not work for me?
I do not want to cross-post so I will remain focused on this point. If the calendar and contacts both have these 3 databases, it appears that syncing to a local PST via any 3rd party sync method or your hotmail method AND displaying an exchange-synced calendar and contacts may not be possible because they both seem to use that "corporate" calendar database?
So is the only option for presenting dual calendars and contacts is using Google for one of them?
I am trying to duplicate what my HP/Palm WebOS does right now on Android and it is problematic...
Thanks again for this very helpful thread.
BJBBJB
Interesting, I'm starting to think this might be an HTC issue because I'm using the default People app rather than the Android Contacts app.
Can anyone else with an HTC device confirm this?
RazzMaTazz
Android Expert
No. Outlook works with practically any email service provider, like Gmail, Yahoo Mail, Hotmail, Verizon, et al (as long as they offer POP, IMAP, or MAPI protocol).
In paragraph 4 of my original post I wrote that you don't have to use Hotmail for email; you can use any email service provider. And in paragraph 8 I provided an example of my setup, where I say that I primarily use Gmail for email.
RazzMaTazz
Android Expert
Actually, there is a 4th type that I forgot to mention. "Facebook contacts" are synchronized with Facebook. I use Facebook, but not for contact management. It seems to be a nightmare for creating duplicate contacts, and I don't want them to have my valuable contact information.
With the built-in (I believe stock Android) calendar app on my LG Optimus S phone, I can't conveniently VIEW different calendar accounts SEPARATELY by selecting a particular calendar. But the calendar events don't get merged in the phone's database or on Outlook, or on Hotmail. If I really want to view different calendar accounts separately on my phone, I can do so by going into the sync settings and choosing which of my several calendars to sync and view (as is described in my original post).
To my knowledge (at least with my stock calendar app) there is no equivalent to "phone-only contacts". I.e. No "phone-only calendar" events.
You can have multiple Gmail, Hotmail, and Exchange accounts on Outlook and on your phone, each with its own email Inbox, Calendar, and Contacts folders. On Outlook you can easily view them separately by clicking on each account. On Android (at least with my stock Email, Calendar & Contacts apps), my email Inboxes can easily be separately clicked-upon and viewed separately (or viewed merged), but the Calendars & Contacts for all of my accounts are DISPLAYED in a merged view. However, they are only DISPLAYED in a merged view. They are not actually merged in the phone's database or on the servers. Hotmail and Exchange may use the same database format, but they don't necessarily use the same database. The bottom line is that you don't have to worry about your contacts or calendar data getting merged between Hotmail, Exchange, Gmail, etc. Whether or not you can CONVENIENTLY (one-click) view your contacts and calendars SEPARATELY on your phone is a different issue and probably depends on your phone's contacts and calendar apps. (I imagine that there are contacts and calendar apps out there that let you CONVENIENTLY, SEPARATELY VIEW your different contacts and calendar accounts with a single click.
It may be worth repeating that wtih Android, at any time you can choose whether or not to sync and/or view the contacts or calendar from a particular account.
RazzMaTazz
Android Expert
I don't know. You might want to ask that question on the HTC part of the forum, and if you find the answer, perhaps you could come back here and let us know.
I have a TB and sync with Outlook 2007 (using Google Calendar & Go Contact Stnc Mod) and I have no problem editing calendar events (single or repeating) or editing contacts. I am using the stock calendar app
RazzMaTazz, thanks! I do not care as much about viewing contacts and calendars separately, I just want to sync an exchange account and a local PC-based .PST Outlook file for contacts, calendar, tasks, and notes and keep the syncs discrete. Sorry for my confusing post. I am good on the e-mail side, I know that will always work the way I want.
Thanks, this is what I needed to know. So when we talk about 3 or 4 "types of contacts" on the native android phone, it really is the types it supports...so it can support more than one of each? So if I do a direct exchange server sync with calendar, contacts, tasks, notes set no. 1, I can also use some kind of sync solution to sync my local PST for data set no.2 (say hotmail or 3rd party app) and the phone will display both together. As long as that sync solution is smart enough to create its own data set and not mess with my exchange data. This is what I want it to do.
I am trying to decide between the hotmail route for my .PST file or a 3rd party sync program being fully aware of the limitations of those but liking the fact the data stays local with the 3rd party apps.
What got me asking more about how many data stores it has is one sync program vendor stated they could sync the PST, but if I also sync'd another account to an exchange server it could not handle it and their calendar sync would get confused as it would overwrite and/or combine the calendar when the .PST would sync! So they must use the same data store as the exchange sync and not create their own? Must be their limitation not androids. And you had mentioned one 3rd party sync app allows you to choose what data store to store your data in so that also led me down this path.
But that is not the point of this thread but understanding the databases better will certainly help me figure this out!
Thanks,
BJBBJB
RazzMaTazz
Android Expert
Yes, Android can support more than one of each type of account. On Android, I have 2 Gmail accounts and one Hotmail account. They don't get mingled.
I have't tried Exchange and Hotmail on the same Android device, but I'd be shocked if they get merged. You could always add your Exchange account, and then add a fresh Hotmail account (with say, one test contact) to see if they get merged before you move all of your contacts into the Hotmail account.
Razz and Company,
I recently changed to this sync process and left Funambol. So far, so good. I have a few small items to ask though.
All my phone contacts/people are under the Exchange category, none in anything else (i.e. phone, etc.). When I recieve text msgs they all show the phone number of sender and no longer the name. Should I copy all contact to phone or perhaps there is some other issue??
Second question. Calendar sync has worked ok so far with the exception that initially some events were showing up in Calendar (on phone) with wrong date. What I want to say it for example...
A one week event (single entry), Tues-Tues, was showing up as Mon-Mon. Do I have some setting incorrect or time zone setting wrong? (I travel alot).
Any help is appreciated!...otherwise, syncing is good!
I recently changed to this sync process and left Funambol. So far, so good. I have a few small items to ask though.
All my phone contacts/people are under the Exchange category, none in anything else (i.e. phone, etc.). When I recieve text msgs they all show the phone number of sender and no longer the name. Should I copy all contact to phone or perhaps there is some other issue??
Second question. Calendar sync has worked ok so far with the exception that initially some events were showing up in Calendar (on phone) with wrong date. What I want to say it for example...
A one week event (single entry), Tues-Tues, was showing up as Mon-Mon. Do I have some setting incorrect or time zone setting wrong? (I travel alot).
Any help is appreciated!...otherwise, syncing is good!
The only problem that I had with Calendar sync (assuming you mean Google Calendar Sync) was that a couple of repeating events did not show up from Outlook Desktop to the Android. When I edited them in Outlook they then showed up in the phone.
Out of curiosity, why did you switch from Funambol. It looks like it is a great solution butI have not tried it yet.
Out of curiosity, why did you switch from Funambol. It looks like it is a great solution butI have not tried it yet.
While this may not happen to others...I had several times where the Funambol server would 'forget' my entire calendar schedule. Then when a sync occured, my outlook or Android would get perfectly in sync...with this new deleted schedule! So I was loosing my calendar on occasion and it occured more often than I cared for.
With the Hotmail calendar and outlook connector things have been going pretty good and the sync is quite faster and almost instant vs. the Funambol having to schedule to polling.
Now just need to figure out what the deal is with my Text messaging....I may try to copy all my exchange contact to the phone (contacts) and just not view (phone) contacts to see if that will solve the problem. Of course, if it works, then I have to do the manual updating of that to keep messages/names in sync. We'll see....still looking for replies to the thread first.
With the Hotmail calendar and outlook connector things have been going pretty good and the sync is quite faster and almost instant vs. the Funambol having to schedule to polling.
Now just need to figure out what the deal is with my Text messaging....I may try to copy all my exchange contact to the phone (contacts) and just not view (phone) contacts to see if that will solve the problem. Of course, if it works, then I have to do the manual updating of that to keep messages/names in sync. We'll see....still looking for replies to the thread first.
RazzMaTazz
Android Expert
I'm not sure why you're having that issue. On the stock text-messaging app on my LG Optimus, if I receive a text message from any contact in my Hotmail account, then their name appears, not their number.
It may be worth noting that my Hotmail contacts appear as "Corporate Contacts", not "Exchange" as you mentioned. (Not sure if "Exchange" was just a typo or if that's the root of the problem.) I do not have any "Phone-only" or "Google Contacts" on my phone.
Again, I'm afraid that I can't help. All of my Hotmail calendar items sync perfectly between Outlook and my phone.
Ok...when I go to the 'view' function of my contacts I have the following options: Google, Exchange Active Sync (which is my hotmail address/outlook connector), SIM, or Phone. All my contacts are obviously in the Exchange Active Sync and I do not have a corportate contacts option. I decided to copy/export all contacts in the sync to a file, then imported them in the 'phone'. That fixed my text message issue right away, obviously I'll have to update that on an occasion to keep the 'contacts' in sync within my phone.
If anyone knows another way or something else to keep this simpler, please let me know. I'm using an Incrediable 2.
If anyone knows another way or something else to keep this simpler, please let me know. I'm using an Incrediable 2.
RazzMaTazz
Android Expert
I don't have those options on my LG Optimus. Sorry.
I have not heard of it so thanks for pointing it out. I am confused as to what portion is free and I get for $29.99. Also what is GTD?
Hi Razz!
Recently, I was a Blackberry, now I'm Droid. With my Blackberry, I was able to do one-way sync from Outlook to my phone using the Blackberry Desktop Software. But I needed to switch to a newer phone, and I decided that Droid was the way for me. For now.
So far, your post is helping, but I need help closing out and finishing.
I did all 4 steps in your initial write-up:
1. Outlook Hotmail Connector is working.
2. Hotmail account is working.
3. Copied all contacts over to the Hotmail folder in Outlook.
The Hotmail cloud shows my contacts. More on that in a minute.
4. Here's where I had a few differences, but I got it to work, sorta.
I'm on a Droid Razr using Android 2.3.5.
When I go to add an account, it gives me a few more options. I first went under 'Email Accounts' and tried 'Windows Live Hotmail'. That didn't quite work. Then I tried 'Email Accounts' then 'Other'. That didn't work either.
I finally tried 'Corporate Sync'. So far, it looks like it is working okay. Just okay.
Issues / I need help...
1. The sync seems stuck halfway. Can I force sync?
2. In your post, you mentioned that you can auto sync, manually sync, or sync on a schedule. Is this somewhere on the phone? I can't seem to find it.
3. Is this a two-way sync? Can I keep it as a one-way sync from Outlook to Hotmail to my phone? Database integrity is a concern for me.
4. I have about 3500 contacts in Outlook, and I copied them to Hotmail. However, the Hotmail cloud only shows 3000 (I suppose that they raised the ceiling from 1500 for new accounts?). I tried doing all the things they asked to help raise my ceiling. I have a ticket into Microsoft to see about raising my ceiling. Do you have any suggestions?
Thanks for the post! As important database integrity is to people, I'm surprised that it takes so much effort to do this.
Recently, I was a Blackberry, now I'm Droid. With my Blackberry, I was able to do one-way sync from Outlook to my phone using the Blackberry Desktop Software. But I needed to switch to a newer phone, and I decided that Droid was the way for me. For now.
So far, your post is helping, but I need help closing out and finishing.
I did all 4 steps in your initial write-up:
1. Outlook Hotmail Connector is working.
2. Hotmail account is working.
3. Copied all contacts over to the Hotmail folder in Outlook.
The Hotmail cloud shows my contacts. More on that in a minute.
4. Here's where I had a few differences, but I got it to work, sorta.
I'm on a Droid Razr using Android 2.3.5.
When I go to add an account, it gives me a few more options. I first went under 'Email Accounts' and tried 'Windows Live Hotmail'. That didn't quite work. Then I tried 'Email Accounts' then 'Other'. That didn't work either.
I finally tried 'Corporate Sync'. So far, it looks like it is working okay. Just okay.
Issues / I need help...
1. The sync seems stuck halfway. Can I force sync?
2. In your post, you mentioned that you can auto sync, manually sync, or sync on a schedule. Is this somewhere on the phone? I can't seem to find it.
3. Is this a two-way sync? Can I keep it as a one-way sync from Outlook to Hotmail to my phone? Database integrity is a concern for me.
4. I have about 3500 contacts in Outlook, and I copied them to Hotmail. However, the Hotmail cloud only shows 3000 (I suppose that they raised the ceiling from 1500 for new accounts?). I tried doing all the things they asked to help raise my ceiling. I have a ticket into Microsoft to see about raising my ceiling. Do you have any suggestions?
Thanks for the post! As important database integrity is to people, I'm surprised that it takes so much effort to do this.