New to Droid: How to Sync Calendar, Contacts with Windows Vista

[Trevil]

Hello Droidites (or is that Droidies?)

Got my first Droid (Charge) three days ago and have been searching for the silver bullet that will let me sync with Windows Vista Contacts and Calendar. I have found tons of references to use GMAIL, Windows Live (Hotmail), Google Desktop (no longer supported) etc., but nothing that works directly Droid to Windows. Prior phone for three years was a Blackberry Storm and that would sync bi-directional very easily (ok, had to connect via USB).

I am not opposed to replacing Windows Calendar with another product, but really don't want to have to go through a three (or four) step process to be able to sync. (I think I saw where Windows 7 will not even offer a calendar!)

If anyone has any suggestions, please fire away. Thanks!

[JSM9872]

Welcome to DF!!

Sorry to say I have never even used a calendar so I am not sure how to answer your question. I just wanted to welcome you and hopefully someone with an answer for you will come along shortly.

[FunN4Lo]

Are you using Outlook in Windows?

[SFGate]

Welcome to the site.

[Trevil]

Hi! Not using Outlook... am using Windows Vista which has "Windows Mail 6.0" and "Windows Calendar 6.0". Have found several third-party tools that are supposed to allow transfer from Outlook to Gmail/Hotmail which then I guess you can get to sync with the Droid, but I don't want to do the extra steps. Plus it doesn't appear that anything will sync my changes/additions made on the Droid back to my Windows Calendar / Contacts.
The sad part is that with Windows Vista I can open both my calendar (xxx.ICS file) and my contacts as text files and can see almost all of the data. Having worked with computer sofware for 42 years (ouch!) it would seem to be a simple task to write some code to allow a "reduced functionality" sync of the major pieces of data -- and I would have thought that some equally frustrated person that has worked with mobile software would have thrown together some quick and dirty little code.
Yes, I realize that is great that you can do a wireless sync between the Droid and Gmail, but without a way to update Windows, I will be forced to add contacts and calendar entries on two platforms.

Maybe when I clear my "three year backlog" of projects, I may try my hand at trying to figure out how to write a mobile app?!?!?
Thank You!